Patents Examined by Brian P Monahon
  • Patent number: 10422296
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, a duration of a port fuel injection window is increased to improve engine performance and a direct fuel injector fuel pulse width is dynamically adjusted to improve accuracy of an amount of fuel delivered during a cylinder cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Patent number: 10415601
    Abstract: A blower assembly including a housing, a blower within the housing, and a cut-off that is within the housing downstream of the blower with respect to direction of airflow generated by the blower. Openings are defined by the cut-off. The openings are configured to permit airflow generated by the blower to pass through the openings and to a discharge outlet of the blower assembly. The openings are further configured to reduce blower frequency tone generated as airflow passes across the cut-off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignees: DENSO International America, Inc., DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Prakash Thawani, Stephen Sinadinos
  • Patent number: 10415496
    Abstract: An engine-driven working machine includes a controller, which varies a control value of a solenoid valve so as to decrease or increase an opening degree of the solenoid valve when a rotating speed of an engine is within a predetermined high rotating speed range and the rotating speed of the engine is lower or higher than a predetermined rotating speed, respectively. When the control value of the solenoid valve is varied so as to decrease the opening degree of the solenoid valve and corresponds to a predetermined opening degree larger than a fully-closed state, the control value is set to a limitation value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignees: YAMABIKO CORPORATION, IIDA DENKI KOGYO CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shiro Yamaguchi, Takamasa Otsuji, Kosuke Matsumoto, Hiroyuki Miyaki, Akira Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 10415442
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes an engine block including a plurality of cylinders. A cylinder head is mounted to the engine block and includes intake and exhaust passages in communication with the plurality of cylinders. A cylinder head cover is mounted to the cylinder head and defines a cavity between the cylinder head and the cylinder head cover. An oil passage is disposed in the cavity and includes at least one oil jet for spraying oil at a surface of the cylinder head that is heated by the exhaust passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 17, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Michael Kaczmar, Giorgio Candela, Bryan K. Pryor, Alan E. Bowler, Mark R. Claywell
  • Patent number: 10408126
    Abstract: A variable length connecting rod includes a connecting rod body, an eccentric member, a switching mechanism and a stopping mechanism. The eccentric member is provided at a small diameter end of the connecting rod body. The eccentric member rotates such that an effective length of the variable length connecting rod is varied. The switching mechanism includes a hydraulic piston connected to the eccentric member. The eccentric member reaches a first position when the switching mechanism is in a first state. The eccentric member reaches a second position when the switching mechanism is in a second state. The stopping mechanism includes a stopping member that abuts against or engages with the eccentric member or the hydraulic piston such that the eccentric member is maintained at an intermediate position between the first position and the second position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuichi Ezaki, Akio Kidooka, Yoshiro Kamo
  • Patent number: 10400653
    Abstract: A method of controlling a particulate filter of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. A regeneration cycle of the particulate filter is initiated. During the regeneration, a value of an exhaust gas temperature at an outlet of the particulate filter is determined and a value of a residual soot quantity stored into the particulate filter is estimated on the basis of the measured value of the exhaust gas temperature at the outlet of the particulate filter. The regeneration cycle may be started and stopped based on the estimated residual soot quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Giuseppe Mazzara Bologna, Isadora Ricci, Stefano Pellegrino
  • Patent number: 10400706
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present invention prevent the occurrence of rapid or intense self-ignition of fuel in an internal combustion engine that performs diesel combustion using a fuel having a relatively high self-ignition temperature. Pre-combustion is brought about by spark ignition during the compression stroke. Thereafter, main injection by an in-cylinder injection valve is performed before the top dead center of the compression stroke. In consequence, combustion of the fuel injected by the main injection is started by flame generated by the pre-combustion, and self-ignition and diffusion combustion of fuel occurs subsequently. Moreover, in at least a part of the operation range of the internal combustion engine, middle injection is performed at a time after the spark ignition of the pre-injected fuel and before the main injection. The fuel injected by the middle injection is burned by propagation of flame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuta Ochi
  • Patent number: 10393053
    Abstract: A fuel injector for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection valve, a heater, and a controller. The fuel injection valve is configured to supply fuel to the internal combustion engine. The heater is configured to heat the fuel in the fuel injection valve. The controller is configured to: control the fuel injection valve to stop supplying the fuel to the internal combustion engine, control the heater to execute or stop heating the fuel in the fuel injection valve, and control the fuel injection valve to prohibit the stop of supplying the fuel during execution of the heating by the heater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 21, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Uchiyama, Hiromitsu Seo, Tomohiko Satomi, Takuya Takei, Masaya Murata
  • Patent number: 10393079
    Abstract: A valve device for controlling or metering a fluid includes a housing, a flow duct formed in the housing, and a valve body arranged in the flow duct. The valve body has a sealing section which, when the valve device is closed, rests on a sealing seat on the housing. The sealing section and sealing seat together form a sealing region. When the valve device is closed, a decay chamber is defined immediately upstream of the sealing region in the flow duct. The decay chamber is bounded by a baffle wall that is tilted with respect to the normal to the sealing region at an angle of at most 15° in the flow direction to 60° counter to the flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Heiko Roth, Dominik Brunner
  • Patent number: 10385811
    Abstract: An air intake manifold for an internal combustion engine having a top shell and a base weldment. The base weldment is formed by permanent joining of a bottom shell having a plurality of air outlets with a runner assembly having a plurality of runner components each having an air inlet and an air outlet, wherein the plurality of runner components are attached to one another via a support member to form the runner assembly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: MSD LLC
    Inventors: Caleb Newman, Otis Ferguson, Russell Stephens, Jeffrey Sperry
  • Patent number: 10385758
    Abstract: The present invention provides a cooling system for an internal combustion engine, comprising: a flow channel switching valve for switching between a plurality of cooling water channels at least including a heater line for air heating, a block line for cooling an engine block, and a transmission line for an oil warmer of a transmission so as to sequentially open at least one of the plurality of cooling water channels in accordance with a warm-up state of the internal combustion engine; and a control device for controlling opening and closing of the flow channel switching valve so as to restrict a cooling water distribution rate of the heater line. The cooling system allows acceleration of cooling water temperature recovery from a temporary drop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuichi Toyama, Atsushi Murai, Shigeyuki Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 10364740
    Abstract: An engine additive fluid port includes a series of material layers arranged as a first oblong hollow member configured to seamlessly surround at least a portion of an intake port of an integrated cylinder head. The member penetrates into a cavity of the intake port via a plurality of nozzles featuring apertures capable of spraying a first fluid into the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Donald Wicks
  • Patent number: 10358995
    Abstract: An engine automatic stop/restart device includes an ignition-prohibition-decision unit that prohibits an ignition for an engine, which is controlled by the ignition-control unit, when a reverse rotation of the engine is detected based on a crank-angle signal; and an ignition-prohibition-release-decision unit that releases an ignition prohibition, after the ignition is prohibited by the ignition-prohibition-decision unit; in which the ignition-prohibition-release-decision unit releases the ignition prohibition when regular rotational signals of the engine, of which count is greater than or equal to a predetermined count, is detected and an engine revolution number is greater than or equal to a predetermined revolution number, after the reverse rotation of the engine is detected, and before a crank is positioned at a compression top dead center of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Michitaka Fujiwara, Tsuneo Tanabe
  • Patent number: 10359018
    Abstract: An ignition interlock assembly (74), including an ignition interlock device (10) and a logic circuit controller (68), ensures that a vehicle equipped with assembly (74) and a start-stop functionality will maintain the normal operation of the vehicle even in the event that a failed rolling retest (50, 52b) occurs when the start-stop functionality is engaged. The controller (68) preferably includes a pair of normally-opened, interconnected relays which remain energized throughout the operation of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2019
    Inventor: Thomas M. Anderson
  • Patent number: 10352252
    Abstract: An air intake device includes: a valve body which includes a rotating shaft; a bearing member which rotatably supports the rotating shaft of the valve body; and an air intake port which includes a concave portion on which the bearing member is disposed, wherein the bearing member includes a positioning portion for positioning the bearing member with respect to the concave portion of the air intake port, facing surfaces which extend from the positioning portion along the concave portion of the air intake port and face each other in an inward radial direction of the rotating shaft with respect to the concave portion, with a gap therebetween, and protruding portions which protrude toward the concave portion of the air intake port from the facing surfaces and seal the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 16, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kyohei Ninomiya, Toshiyuki Oiwa, Masato Ishii, Motonobu Hasegawa
  • Patent number: 10330028
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for accurately determining the composition of a knock control fluid using sensors already present in the engine system. An intake or an exhaust oxygen sensor is used to estimate the water and the alcohol content of a knock control fluid that is direct injected into an engine cylinder responsive to an indication of abnormal combustion. A change in the pumping current of the oxygen sensor due to the water content of the knock control fluid is distinguished from a change in the pumping current of the oxygen sensor due to the alcohol content of the knock control fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohannad Hakeem, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10308109
    Abstract: The resinous filler port includes: a filler-port body including a nozzle insertion port through which a filler nozzle is insertable, a fuel supply port supplying a fuel supplied from the filler nozzle to a fuel tank by way of a filler tube, and a vapor inlet port letting flow in vapors arising from the fuel and passing through a breather tube from a side of the fuel tank; a joint formed to penetrate through from one of opposite ends thereof to another one of the opposite ends, fitted undetachably into and around the vapor inlet port at the one of the opposite ends, and connected with the breather tube at the other one of the opposite ends; and a flow control valve accommodated inside the joint, and controlling a flow volume of the vapors flowing into the filler-port body from the breather tube.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: Sumitomo Riko Company Limited
    Inventors: Kazuki Hatanaka, Makoto Shimojo, Tomoyuki Fukuyasu, Atsuo Miyajima
  • Patent number: 10280867
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to the field of electromechanics. The teachings may be applied to high-pressure valves, including methods for operating a valve and with devices which are used for activating the valves. Some embodiments include methods for operating a pressure reduction valve for an accumulator injection system, wherein the valve is driven, against a return spring, with an energizable coil and armature, between a closed position and an open position. The method may include: supplying the coil with a defined electrical signal to move the armature, sensing the current intensity profile over time, and determining a movement profile for the defined current signal, including an opening or closing time, based at least in part on the current intensity profile over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Daniel Anetsberger, Tet Kong Brian Chia, Walter Sassler
  • Patent number: 10267274
    Abstract: An intake noise reduction device that can mitigate deformation of a flow-regulating net portion made of an elastic body. The intake noise reduction device 100 is made of an elastic body that is disposed downstream of a throttle valve and includes an annular gasket portion 110 and a flow-regulating net portion 120 provided inside the gasket portion 110 integrally with the gasket portion 110, constituted by a linear portion having a mesh shape. The linear portion having the mesh shape constituting the flow-regulating net portion 120 includes first linear parts 121 that extend radially and second linear parts 122 that extend circumferentially. One of any given two parts of the first linear part 121 on a radially outer side has a width larger than or equal to that of the other part on a radially inner side, and a radially outermost part of the first linear part has a larger width than a radially innermost part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: NOK CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yohei Miki
  • Patent number: 10260468
    Abstract: The present invention provides for a fuel piping arrangement in common rail type fuel supply systems, the supply system comprising at least one common rail and at least one respective injector, wherein the common rail is connected with the at least one injector directly, by means of only one joint.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: FPT MOTORENFORSCHUNG AG
    Inventor: Michael Harter