Patents Examined by Carl Staubach
  • Patent number: 10267257
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for restarting an engine when a high pressure fuel pump is degraded. In response to an indication of high pressure fuel pump degradation, fuel may be injected during an intake stroke, rather than a compression stroke, for a selected number of combustion events since the engine restart. By shifting to an intake stroke injection, the engine may be started even when sufficient fuel rail pressures are not available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Alex O'Connor Gibson, Xiaoying Zhang, Robert Sarow Baskins
  • Patent number: 10190469
    Abstract: A deterioration determination unit determines whether a catalyst in an exhaust passage of an engine is deteriorated; a first determination unit determines whether there is an air-fuel ratio variation among cylinders of the engine on the basis of distortion in waveform of the air-fuel ratio on the upstream side of the catalyst; and a second determination unit determines whether there is an air-fuel ratio variation among the cylinders on the basis that the air-fuel ratio on the downstream side of the catalyst remains on the lean side. A determination mode switching unit makes the first determination unit execute a determination process concurrently with determination by the deterioration determination unit, and it is determined by the determination process that there is an air-fuel ratio variation among the cylinders, makes the second determination unit execute a determination process in priority to determination of deterioration of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Katsuhiro Furuta, Kazumichi Takahashi, Yuji Sato, Junya Kitada, Hideo Matsunaga
  • Patent number: 10156214
    Abstract: An intake manifold provided in an internal combustion engine to be mounted in a vehicle includes: a plurality of intake-air branch pipes; an EGR chamber configured such that EGR gas is introduced into the EGR chamber; and a plurality of EGR ports communicating the plurality of intake-air branch pipes with the EGR chamber. A chamber bottom face is provided with a plurality of recessed zones so as to correspond to the plurality of EGR ports, each of the plurality of recessed zones is provided near an opening of its corresponding EGR port on an EGR-chamber side, and all planes constituting the each of the plurality of recessed zones is configured to be inclined so as to be placed on a mounting lower side toward a position closer to the opening, as compared with a position away from the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasunori Kanzaki
  • Patent number: 10156199
    Abstract: A drive control circuitry and an electronic control circuitry for controlling energization of a plurality of fuel injection valves. The plurality of fuel injection valves including a second fuel injection valve currently injecting fuel and a first fuel injection valve which, of the plurality of fuel injection valves, was last energized before the second fuel injection valve. When an energization start interval between a start of energization of the first fuel injection valve and a start of energization of the second fuel injection valve is longer than or equal to a peak reaching time of the first fuel injection valve, an energization time of the second fuel injection valve is extended as the energization start interval reduces. When the energization start interval is shorter than the peak reaching time, the energization time of the second fuel injection valve is reduced as the energization start interval reduces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Eiji Murase, Rihito Kaneko, Masanao Idogawa
  • Patent number: 10138819
    Abstract: A vehicle comprises an engine including a plurality of combustion chambers; a plurality of throttle valves provided in the plurality of combustion chambers corresponding to the plurality of combustion chambers, respectively, to independently adjust flow rates of intake air flowing into the combustion chambers, respectively; two or more driving mechanisms for electrically driving the plurality of throttle valves divided into two or more groups in such a manner that each of the driving mechanisms drives the throttle valve in a corresponding group of the groups; and a throttle control device for controlling the driving mechanisms based on an amount of throttle operation information input by a rider and a predetermined vehicle state, wherein the throttle control device provides throttle opening rate commands which are made different between the groups, to the driving mechanisms, respectively, when a predetermined output adjustment condition is met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yoshimoto Matsuda
  • Patent number: 10100757
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for enhancing crankcase ventilation in a boosted engine. During boosted conditions, a crankcase may be ventilated via vacuum generated at an aspirator coupled in a compressor bypass passage. However, when the aspirator is plugged, pressure in the crankcase may be relieved by flowing crankcase gases through an aspirator bypass passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Mark Steadman, Katherine Jane Brewer
  • Patent number: 10100770
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for performing an onboard cylinder leakdown test in response to an indication of cylinder misfire. In one example, following an engine-off event and an engine temperature above a threshold, fuel is injected into the indicated cylinder under conditions wherein the cylinder is expected to be sealed, and the detection of hydrocarbon migration out of the cylinder indicates cylinder degradation. In this way, cylinder degradation may be accurately diagnosed without intrusive, time consuming, and difficult off-board cylinder leakdown tests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Aed M. Dudar
  • Patent number: 10100774
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for pressurizing a step chamber of a direct injection fuel pump. In one example, the step chamber may be pressurized to a pressure higher than an output pressure of a lift pump, the lift pump supplying fuel to the direct injection fuel pump. The pressurization of the step chamber may occur during at least a portion of a pump stroke of the direct injection fuel pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph F. Basmaji, Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Gopichandra Surnilla, Mark Meinhart, Hao Zhang
  • Patent number: 10094307
    Abstract: A target first air amount for achieving a requested torque by an operation of an intake property variable actuator is calculated by using a first parameter. A target second air amount for achieving the requested torque by an operation of a turbocharging property variable actuator is calculated by using a second parameter. A value of a first parameter changes to a value that reduces a conversion efficiency of an air amount into torque in response to the requested torque decreasing to a first reference value or lower. Further, a value of the second parameter starts to change to a direction to reduce the conversion efficiency in response to the requested torque decreasing to a second reference value that is larger than the first reference value, or lower, and gradually changes to a direction to reduce the conversion efficiency in accordance with the requested torque further decreasing from the second reference value to the first reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Satoshi Yoshizaki, Satoru Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10066569
    Abstract: An engine control device for an engine provided with a supercharger, including a cylinder injection valve and a port injection valve. The device includes an injection controller that controls injections of fuel through the cylinder injection valve and through the port injection valve, on the basis of at least a load on an engine. The injection controller, in a low load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the port injection valve; in an intermediate load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the cylinder injection valve during an intake stroke, and causes the fuel to be injected through the port injection valve; and in a high load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the cylinder injection valve at least during an intake stroke and during a compression stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Kawabe, Koji Hata, Fumiaki Hiraishi
  • Patent number: 10066573
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for restarting an engine when a high pressure fuel pump is degraded. In response to an indication of high pressure fuel pump degradation, fuel may be injected during an intake stroke, rather than a compression stroke, for a selected number of combustion events since the engine restart. By shifting to an intake stroke injection, the engine may be started even when sufficient fuel rail pressures are not available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Alex O'Connor Gibson, Xiaoying Zhang, Robert Sarow Baskins
  • Patent number: 10018127
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine has a compressor for adjusting a charge density in an intake pipe of the internal combustion engine and has an adjusting device, such as a variable valve gear, for adjusting a volumetric efficiency of the internal combustion engine. A dynamic setpoint quantity for the internal combustion engine is determined as a function of a difference between a load demand upon the internal combustion engine and a current load output of the internal combustion engine. The volumetric efficiency and the charge density are adjusted as a function of the dynamic setpoint quantity. An internal combustion engine and a vehicle are also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2018
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Henrik Hoffmeyer, Nils Lindenkamp
  • Patent number: 10012155
    Abstract: A system for controlling an internal combustion engine has an in-cylinder pressure sensor, a crank angle sensor and a controller coupled to receive inputs from the pressure sensor and crank angle sensor. The controller is configured to convert the cylinder pressure input into a combustion metric indicative of the combustion occurring in the measured cylinder and control fuel input and timing into the engine based on the combustion metric. The controller samples the in-cylinder pressure sensor at a high frequency during critical combustion events and at a lower frequency during the non-critical cylinder conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2018
    Assignee: Woodward, Inc.
    Inventors: Jason Barta, Gregory James Hampson, Jeffrey Carlson
  • Patent number: 9964030
    Abstract: A system including a combustion engine is disclosed. The combustion engine includes a first cylinder orientated along a first axis. The combustion engine also includes a first piston, fitted within the first cylinder, to move in reciprocating motion by alternately moving in a first linear direction along the first axis responsive to a first power stroke or a second linear direction along the first axis responsive to a second power stroke. The combustion engine includes a tensile band affixed to a first end and a second end of the first piston. The first piston is to exert a first tensile force on the tensile band in the first linear direction in response to the first power stroke. The first piston is to exert a second tensile force on the tensile band in the second linear direction in response to the second power stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Inventor: Nolton C. Johnson, Jr.
  • Patent number: 9952578
    Abstract: In a method for actuating at least one actuator, two control units and a selection logic are provided, and each of the control units is designed to influence the actuator. Each of the control units performs a self-diagnosis, and each of the control units generates at least one activating signal as a function of the self-diagnosis. The activating signal indicates which of the control units is to be activated. The selection logic activates one of the two control units for influencing the actuator as a function of the activating signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Wilfried Feuchter, Andreas Heyl
  • Patent number: 9951709
    Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle comprises an internal combustion engine and an electric motor/generator connected via a first clutch. In response to a system stop request in a vehicle stop state, a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is decreased to a predetermined rotation speed higher than a predetermined resonance frequency band by a negative torque applied to the internal combustion engine from the electric motor/generator via the first clutch. Then, the disengagement of the first clutch starts. The rotation speed of the engine falls below the predetermined resonance frequency band within a predetermined period from the start of the disengagement. As a consequence, the required period from a stopping operation of the internal combustion engine until actual operation stop thereof in a vehicle stationary state is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2018
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hiromichi Murata, Hiroki Matsui, Jun Amemiya
  • Patent number: 9932917
    Abstract: An engine control system for a vehicle includes a flowrate module, first and second mass fraction calculating modules, and an actuator control module. The flowrate module determines a mass flowrate of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) to an engine. The first mass fraction calculating module, based on the mass flowrate of EGR, determines a first mass fraction of recirculated exhaust gas relative of a first gas charge for a first combustion event of the engine. The second mass fraction calculating module determines a second mass fraction of recirculated exhaust gas of a second gas charge for a second combustion event of the engine based on an average of the first mass fraction and one or more other values of the first mass fraction determined for other combustion events, respectively. The actuator control module selectively adjusts an engine operating parameter based on the second mass fraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Vijay Ramappan, Darrell W. Burleigh, Martino Casetti
  • Patent number: 9932922
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting cylinder air-fuel imbalance. In one example, a method may include adjusting engine operation based on an indication of cylinder air-fuel imbalance. The imbalance may be detected based on output from a second exhaust gas sensor and a plurality of individual cylinder weighting factors, the second sensor located in an exhaust system downstream of a first sensor located in the exhaust system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Douglas James McEwan
  • Patent number: 9903308
    Abstract: A method for detecting and correcting vehicle reference speed, in particular when the speed undergoes a controlled reduction due to drag or regeneration torque, of an all-wheel drive vehicle. The longitudinal acceleration of the motor vehicle, and the wheel accelerations are determined by sensors. The method is to provide reliable determination of the vehicle reference speed and the initiation of corrective measures once a controlled reduction has been recognized. The steps include filtering the wheel accelerations, filtering the longitudinal accelerations, forming a corrected longitudinal acceleration by applying a safety offset and a correction offset to the filtered longitudinal acceleration, and temporal integration of the difference between the corrected longitudinal acceleration and the respective wheel acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: AUDI AG
    Inventors: Arne Cornils, Manuel Kasten, Nikolaus Reim
  • Patent number: 9885294
    Abstract: According to the present disclosure, there is provided a method for controlling an RPM of an engine of construction machinery, including and converting and setting the received load factor to a load variation rate; receiving a current load factor of the engine and converting the received current load factor of the engine to a load variation rate; controlling driving of the engine with a corrected RPM, which is obtained by decreasing the RPM of the engine by a predetermined rate from a preset RPM when the current load factor of the engine and the load variation rate according to the current load factor are equal to or smaller than a predetermined rate of the predetermined load factor of the engine and a predetermined rate of the load variation rate for a first time, respectively; and controlling continuously decreasing the corrected RPM to a predetermined rate or smaller, when the current load factor of the engine and the load variation rate according to the current load factor are equal to or smaller than the
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2018
    Assignee: Doosan Infracore Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Jun Hong Park