Patents by Inventor Yoji ONAKA

Yoji ONAKA has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Publication number: 20220316804
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a tubular refrigerant distributor having insertion holes spaced from each other in a first direction and into which ends of heat transfer tubes are inserted in a second direction. A first partition plate partitions the refrigerant distributor into a first space into which the ends of the heat transfer tubes are inserted and a second space, larger than the first space, into which the ends of the heat transfer tubes are not inserted; and an inflow pipe provided on a one side-surface side of the refrigerant distributor. The heat transfer tubes are located apart from the first partition plate in the first space. The first partition plate is provided with an orifice that is provided at a location corresponding to a space between adjacent ones of the heat transfer tubes, and that causes the first space and the second space to communicate with each other.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 4, 2019
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoji ONAKA, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Rihito ADACHI, Ryota AKAIWA, Takashi SEKIYA, Hayato TANIUE, Satomi ASAI
  • Publication number: 20220214055
    Abstract: An outdoor unit according to the present disclosure includes: a compressor that sucks refrigerant, compresses the sucked refrigerant, and discharges the compressed refrigerant; a first refrigerant flow switching device that switches a flow passage for the refrigerant between a flow passage for a cooling operation and a flow passage for a heating operation; a heat-source-side heat exchanger that causes heat exchange to be performed between the refrigerant and external fluid; a heat-source-side backflow prevention device and a connection pipe that are included in a flow passage for the refrigerant in which an outlet from which the refrigerant flows to an outside region and an inlet into which the refrigerant flows from the outside region are unchanged regardless of which of the cooling operation and the heating operation is performed; and a flow passage pipe through which part of the refrigerant having flowed from the inlet passes in the cooling operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2019
    Publication date: July 7, 2022
    Inventors: Kazuhisa IWASAKI, Takeshi HATOMURA, Yoji ONAKA
  • Publication number: 20220186943
    Abstract: An air-conditioning apparatus includes a compressor and an outdoor heat exchanger that operates as an evaporator. A first heat exchange unit of the outdoor heat exchanger includes: first heat transfer tubes extending in an upward/downward direction, and arranged apart from each other in a lateral direction; a first junction pipe extending in the lateral direction, and connected to the lower ends of the first heat transfer tubes; an outflow pipe connected to the first junction pipe at or below a center position of the first junction pipe in the upward/downward direction; second heat transfer tubes extending in the upward/downward direction, and arranged apart from each other in the lateral direction; a first distribution pipe extending in the lateral direction, and connected to the lower ends of the second heat transfer tubes, and a first connection part connecting upper ends of the first heat transfer tubes and upper ends of the second heat transfer tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2020
    Publication date: June 16, 2022
    Inventors: Atsushi KIBE, Yoji ONAKA
  • Patent number: 11333369
    Abstract: A refrigerant distributor has a double-pipe structure including an inner pipe and an outer pipe. A plurality of outer pipes are disposed, each of the plurality of outer pipes being the outer pipe. A space is formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of outer pipes. The inner pipe is disposed to be continuous through the plurality of outer pipes. A plurality of heat-transfer tubes are arrayed in a direction in which the outer pipe extends and connected to the outer pipe. The refrigerant distributor distributes refrigerant flowing into between the inner pipe and the outer pipe to the plurality of heat-transfer tubes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoji Onaka, Shigeyoshi Matsui, Takashi Matsumoto, Rihito Adachi
  • Patent number: 11326815
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes heat exchanger cores connected to a distributor. The inside of the distributor is divided into refrigerant flow paths, allowing the refrigerant to flow from one of the refrigerant flow paths to another one of the refrigerant flow paths. The heat transfer tubes of one of the heat exchanger cores disposed on a windward side of a flow of the air fed to the heat exchanger are connected to at least one of the refrigerant flow paths disposed in the distributor on an upstream side of a flow of the refrigerant. The heat transfer tubes of one of the heat exchanger cores disposed on a leeward side of the flow of the air fed to the heat exchanger are connected to at least one of the refrigerant flow paths disposed in the distributor on a downstream side of the flow of the refrigerant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinichiro Minami, Yoji Onaka
  • Patent number: 11326787
    Abstract: A refrigerant distributor branches refrigerant flowing in a refrigerant circuit into three, and includes a first bifurcate flow divider including a first pipe portion forming one inflow port, a second pipe portion and a third pipe portion forming two outflow ports communicating with the inflow port of the first pipe portion, and a second bifurcate flow divider including a fourth pipe portion forming one inflow port, and a fifth pipe portion and a sixth pipe portion forming two outflow ports communicating with the inflow port of the fourth pipe portion. The outflow port of the third pipe portion and the inflow port of the fourth pipe portion communicate with each other, and an angle ? formed by a first plane passing through the first bifurcate flow divider and a second plane passing through the second bifurcate flow divider is between 60 and 120 degrees.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Miyawaki, Yoji Onaka, Osamu Morimoto, Hiroyuki Okano, Takanori Koike, Hiroki Maruyama
  • Patent number: 11320175
    Abstract: In a refrigerant circuit of an air conditioning device, an upper heat source side heat exchanger having a large heat load and a lower heat source side heat exchanger having a small heat load are connected in parallel between an expansion device and a suction side of a compressor. Additionally, the refrigerant circuit of the air conditioning device is provided with a branch circuit configured to distribute refrigerant to each of the upper heat source side heat exchanger and the lower heat source side heat exchanger, and the branch circuit is configured to supply the upper heat source side heat exchanger with refrigerant of lower quality than that of the refrigerant supplied to the lower heat source side heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2022
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Matsumoto, Yoji Onaka, Hiroyuki Okano
  • Publication number: 20220128279
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat transfer tubes, a liquid header distributor, and a gas header distributor. The heat transfer tubes include U-shaped bent portions. The heat exchanger includes a heat exchanger core. A relationship between the liquid header distributor and the plurality of heat transfer tubes is established such that 9?? is satisfied, where Lh [m] is the length of the liquid header distributor, Lb [m] is the length of the shortest one of the heat transfer tubes, and ? is the ratio of the length Lb of the shortest heat transfer tube to the length Lh of the liquid header distributor and is expressed by ?=Lb/Lh.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 21, 2019
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Rihito ADACHI, Yoji ONAKA, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Hiroyuki OKANO, Takeshi HATOMURA, Kazuki OKOCHI
  • Publication number: 20220099343
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes flat pipes and a gas header. The gas header longitudinally extends in a Y-direction such that refrigerant flows in the Y-direction, the flat pipes are spaced from each other in the Y-direction, joints inserted in the gas header in an X-direction are disposed at respective ends of the flat pipes, and gaps between the joints include a narrow gap and a wide gap, where the X-direction and the Y-direction are directions perpendicular to each other in a space.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoji ONAKA, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Takamasa UEMURA, Yohei KATO, Norihiro YONEDA
  • Publication number: 20220099344
    Abstract: A gas header includes a first tubular portion and a second tubular portion that are integrated with each other. The second tubular portion is provided across the first tubular portion from a plurality of flat pipes in the horizontal direction. The second tubular portion is connected at a position midway in an up-down direction and upper than a center of the second tubular portion in the up-down direction to a refrigerant pipe. A wall between the first tubular portion and the second tubular portion has a first hole opening and extending in the horizontal direction at a portion connected to the refrigerant pipe and a second hole through which the first tubular portion and the second tubular portion communicate with each other at a portion lower than the first hole and having a hole diameter smaller than a hole diameter of the first hole.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2019
    Publication date: March 31, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takamasa UEMURA, Faming SUN, Yoji ONAKA, Yohei KATO, Norihiro YONEDA
  • Publication number: 20220082294
    Abstract: An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes a fan, a heat exchanger, and a drain receiver. The interior of the housing is partitioned into a first space and a second space in an axial direction of the rotating shaft of the fan. In the first space, a first opening is provided to allow air to flow out toward a region located outward of the fan in the first space in a radial direction of the fan. In the second space, no opening is provided and a region located outward of the fan in the second space is closed in the radial direction of the fan. In at least part of a space between the fan in the first space and the heat exchanger, a first water receiving device is provided at a higher position than the drain receiver.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2019
    Publication date: March 17, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kosuke MIYAWAKI, Yoji ONAKA, Tomoya FUKUI, Kenichi SAKODA, Shota MORIKAWA, Shoji YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20220018553
    Abstract: A heat exchanger has first and second heat exchange units disposed one above the other. In a case where the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, refrigerant flows through the second heat exchange unit after having flowed through the first heat exchange unit. An intermediate header unit through which the first heat exchange unit and the second heat exchange unit communicate with each other causes at least a portion of refrigerant having flowed through a first heat transfer pipe group on the windward side of the first heat exchange unit to flow to a fourth heat transfer pipe group. Further, the intermediate header unit causes at least a portion of refrigerant having flowed through a second heat transfer pipe group on the leeward side of the first heat exchange unit to flow into a third heat transfer pipe group or the fourth heat transfer pipe group.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2018
    Publication date: January 20, 2022
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Ryota AKAIWA, Makoto TANISHIMA, Yoji ONAKA, Takamasa UEMURA
  • Patent number: 11199344
    Abstract: A heat exchanger and an air-conditioning apparatus that exhibit high performance, and also provide reliability in strength and corrosion resistance. The heat exchanger includes a plurality of fins each including a fin collar formed in a short cylindrical shape by perforating a flat base plate, the plurality of fins being stacked by serially connecting fin collars of the respective fins, the serially connected fin collars being bonded to form a conduit line and a fin core, the conduit line including a resin layer formed on an inner surface thereof. The heat exchanger also includes a reinforcing member having a length corresponding to a length of the conduit line from one end to the other end thereof, to improve rigidity of the conduit line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Miyawaki, Takahiro Hori, Norihiro Yoneda, Susumu Yoshimura, Yoji Onaka, Takashi Matsumoto, Ryota Akaiwa, Yasuhiro Yoshida, Kazuhiro Miya
  • Patent number: 11193701
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes a plurality of heat transfer tubes arranged at predetermined intervals in a vertical direction, a tubular header that has a plurality of connection portions where the heat transfer tubes are connected to a side portion of the header and that communicates with each of the heat transfer tubes, a refrigerant pipe that communicates with the header at a middle portion of the header in the vertical direction, and a first bypass pipe having ends one of which communicates with a lower portion of the header and the other of which communicates with a middle portion of the refrigerant pipe. A distance between a communication position at which the first bypass pipe and the refrigerant pipe communicate with each other and an inner wall of the header is not more than double an inside diameter of the refrigerant pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Faming Sun, Yoji Onaka, Shigeyoshi Matsui, Takamasa Uemura
  • Patent number: 11156412
    Abstract: A heat exchanger includes first and second headers connected to end portions of heat transfer tubes. The second header includes a header pipe defining a flow space that communicates with the heat transfer tubes and, when the heat exchanger acts as an evaporator, allows refrigerant in a two-phase gas-liquid state to pass through the flow space into the heat transfer tubes. A bypass pipe is disposed between an entrance portion and the first header. The entrance portion has an entrance distance L between a connection end portion connected to a refrigerant pipe and a central axis of the bypass pipe. The entrance distance L of the entrance portion satisfies L?5di, where di is an inner diameter of a flow space of the header pipe on an orthogonal plane orthogonal to a direction of refrigerant flow. The bypass pipe is inserted in the flow space of the entrance portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yoji Onaka, Takashi Matsumoto, Kosuke Miyawaki, Hiroyuki Okano, Takanori Koike, Takeshi Hatomura, Osamu Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20210310672
    Abstract: A header includes a plurality of branch tubes and a header manifold. If refrigerant flowing into the header manifold forms a pattern of annular flow or churn flow, tips of the branch tubes inserted into the header manifold pass through a liquid-phase portion having a thickness ? [m] and reach a gas-phase portion. The thickness ? [m] of the liquid-phase portion is defined as ?=G×(1?x)×D/(4?L×ULS), where G is a flow speed [kg/(m2s)] of the refrigerant, x is a quality of the refrigerant, D is an inside diameter [m] of the header manifold, ?L is a liquid density [kg/m3] of the refrigerant, ULS is a reference apparent liquid speed [m/s] that is a maximum value within a range of variation in an apparent gas speed of the refrigerant flowing into a flow space of the header manifold. The reference apparent liquid speed ULS [m/s] is defined as G(1?x)/?L.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2021
    Publication date: October 7, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoji ONAKA, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Kosuke MIYAWAKI, Hiroyuki OKANO, Takanori KOIKE, Takeshi HATOMURA, Osamu MORIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11125476
    Abstract: A refrigeration cycle apparatus includes a main circuit through which refrigerant circulates and in which a compressor, a condenser, a first expansion device, a centrifugal gas-liquid separator that separates refrigerant into gas refrigerant and liquid refrigerant by using centrifugal force, and an evaporator are connected by refrigerant pipes; and a bypass that returns the gas refrigerant obtained through the separation by the gas-liquid separator to a suction side of the compressor. The gas-liquid separator includes a cylindrical container, an inflow pipe, a gas outflow pipe, and a liquid outflow pipe. The main circuit includes a second expansion device provided between the liquid outflow pipe of the gas-liquid separator and the evaporator. The gas refrigerant discharged from the gas outflow pipe of the gas-liquid separator flows into the bypass, and the bypass is provided with a third expansion device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 21, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Miyawaki, Yoji Onaka, Osamu Morimoto, Hiroyuki Okano, Takanori Koike, Hiroki Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20210231351
    Abstract: A heat exchanger according to the present disclosure includes plural heat transfer tubes disposed with a specified spacing from each other in the up and down direction, and a distributor configured to distribute refrigerant to the heat transfer tubes. The distributor includes a body part, and plural flow-splitting parts, the body part including a first passage in which refrigerant flows upward, the flow-splitting parts communicating with the first passage and with one of the heat transfer tubes. The flow-splitting parts include one or more first flow-splitting parts each communicating with a first heat transfer tube, which is a higher positioned heat transfer tube. The flow-splitting parts include one or more second heat transfer tubes each communicating with a second heat transfer tube positioned below the first heat transfer tube.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2018
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kosuke MIYAWAKI, Yoji ONAKA, Yohei KATO
  • Publication number: 20210222893
    Abstract: An outdoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes a heat exchange body including a plurality of flat tubes that extend in a vertical direction and that are arranged in a horizontal direction with gaps therebetween. A plurality of the heat exchange bodies are arranged in a direction of air flow to form a heat exchanger. A first header, into which hot gas refrigerant flows from a refrigerant circuit, is provided below one of the plurality of the heat exchange bodies that is at a most upwind position.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Shigeyoshi MATSUI, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Yoji ONAKA, Rihito ADACHI
  • Publication number: 20210190331
    Abstract: A refrigerant distributor has a double-pipe structure including an inner pipe and an outer pipe. A plurality of outer pipes are disposed, each of the plurality of outer pipes being the outer pipe. A space is formed between adjacent ones of the plurality of outer pipes. The inner pipe is disposed to be continuous through the plurality of outer pipes. A plurality of heat-transfer tubes are arrayed in a direction in which the outer pipe extends and connected to the outer pipe. The refrigerant distributor distributes refrigerant flowing into between the inner pipe and the outer pipe to the plurality of heat-transfer tubes.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 11, 2018
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yoji ONAKA, Shigeyoshi MATSUI, Takashi MATSUMOTO, Rihito ADACHI