Patents Examined by Charles Brauch
  • Patent number: 11028800
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a coolant system coupled to cylinders in a locomotive engine. In one example, a coolant system coupled to an individual cylinder may include a cylinder liner jacket encircling the cylinder, a cylinder head lower coolant jacket surrounding a lower surface of a cylinder head placed over the cylinder, a cylinder head upper coolant jacket surrounding an upper surface of the cylinder head, and a cylinder head exhaust port cooling jacket surrounding an exhaust port of the cylinder. Coolant may flow to each of the cooling jackets from a coolant feed gallery located in the engine crankcase, and after flowing through the engine, the coolant may return to a coolant return gallery also located in the engine crankcase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2021
    Assignee: TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Kotha Ramesh Kumar, Ganesha Koggu Naik
  • Patent number: 11015472
    Abstract: A turbine engine includes a turbine wheel including a rotor disk and turbine blades connected to the rotor disk through blade mounts. The blade mounts and the rotor disk have fore and aft surfaces. The blade mount includes a blade attachment surface connecting the fore and aft surfaces with the turbine blade extending from the blade attachment surface. A gap is defined between and separating adjacent blade mounts and extends into the rotor disk. The gap includes a pocket having a fore opening and a rotor relief hole. The turbine wheel further includes a plug disposed in a rotor relief opening and a pocket seal disposed in the pocket. The turbine engine further includes a fore seal plate having an edge abutting the blade mounts about a circumference of the turbine wheel and a finger extending toward and contacting the plug to maintain the plug in the rotor relief opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: HONEYWELL INTERNATIONAL INC.
    Inventors: Steve Halfmann, Daniel C. Crites, Michael Kahrs, Ardeshir Riahi, Jude Miller
  • Patent number: 11008960
    Abstract: A combustion air intake apparatus for a truck, tractor, or bus vehicle for highway use includes an air deflecting element that is selectively deployable to cause dynamic air pressure created by vehicle motion to increase static air, pressure within the intake apparatus under appropriate conditions. Deployment or retraction of the air deflecting element is responsive to at least one of forward speed of the vehicle, air pressure downstream of an air inlet opening, or throttle position, and may further be responsive to detection of precipitation and/or particulate material. An air deflecting element may include a moveable plate or flap, moveable louvers, or a moveable duct.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventors: Linus Hjelm, Rodrigo Caus Martins, Fabio Ribeiro
  • Patent number: 11008907
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling oil pump pressure includes a sensor for sensing knocking of an engine, an oil pump configured to determine a pressure for discharging engine oil toward a piston of the engine, and a control unit configured to control the pressure of the engine oil discharged toward the piston by determining whether the knocking occurs based on a parameter transmitted from the sensor for determining whether the knocking occurs, and by controlling the oil pump based on whether the knocking occurs in the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Min Yong Lee, Seong Sik Kim, Jun Sik Park
  • Patent number: 11008975
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft that has a journal linked to a bearing and is rotatably supported on the crankcase, a power transmission gear fixed to an extremity of the crankshaft that has a smaller diameter than a diameter of the journal and projects outward of the crankcase, a to-be-detected body that is fixed on an outer periphery of a collar member disposed between the bearing and the power transmission gear and is relatively non-rotatably supported on the crankshaft, and a detection sensor that is made to face a trajectory of the to-be-detected body and detects movement of the to-be-detected body to generate a pulse signal. This provides a structure for disposing a to-be-detected body that enables any increase in the dimensions of an internal combustion engine to be avoided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yukihiro Yasuda, Hiroyuki Uchida, Kazuya Tanabe, Takao Iwasaki, Takuya Warashina
  • Patent number: 11008955
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine and a control method for a variable mechanism for an internal combustion engine for a vehicle, according to the present invention, is configured to maintain a drive stopped state of an electric actuator of the variable mechanism when a position of the electric actuator does not change in a case in which the position of the electric actuator is apart from stoppers and the electric actuator is stopped, whereas to restart driving the electric actuator when the position of the electric actuator changes. In this way, it is possible to prevent wasteful power consumption while the internal combustion engine is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Inventor: Naoki Okamoto
  • Patent number: 10982556
    Abstract: An application jig is used when an erosion shield member is applied to a rotor blade member. The application jig includes a body section disposed on a back side of the rotor blade member; a first pressing section provided in the body section and pressing an erosion shield member to be placed at a leading edge of the rotor blade member from the back side; a second pressing section supported by the body section and pressing a trailing edge of the rotor blade member from the back side; and a third pressing section supported by the body section. The third pressing section is disposed to bypass the trailing edge from the back side to a belly side thereof, is pivotable around a pivot shaft provided in the body section, and presses a portion between the leading and trailing edges in a pivoting direction from the belly side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI POWER, LTD.
    Inventor: Kazuyoshi Kitamura
  • Patent number: 10982622
    Abstract: A sliding member includes a base substrate and a coating layer formed on the base substrate. The coating layer includes a steel portion derived from austenitic stainless steel particles and a copper portion derived from copper particles or copper alloy particles. The steel portion and the copper portion are bonded to each other via an interface between the steel portion and the copper portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignees: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD., RENAULT S.A.S.
    Inventors: Yoshinori Izawa, Yutaka Mabuchi, Junichi Arai, Christian Grente, Elodie Bonay, Carolina Specht, Jean Marie Mahlaire
  • Patent number: 10975755
    Abstract: A structure is mounted in a water jacket for a cylinder block of an engine. The structure includes a body forming a housing mounting portion including a panel formed in an arc shape so as to have inner and outer curved surfaces to be surrounded by a block bore. A pad-housing is formed in a plate shape to have curved surfaces with a curvature equal to the inner and outer curved surfaces of the housing mounting portion. The pad-housing is inserted into a housing mounting hole and is formed in a shape to correspond with the housing mounting hole. A pad is formed in a shape to correspond with a pad mounting hole which is bored through the pad-housing through. The pad has a curved surface and is inserted into the pad mounting hole to achieve water tightness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 27, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Il Suk Yang
  • Patent number: 10977968
    Abstract: A kit for securing advertising space to a horizontal wind turbine at a blade height of the horizontal wind turbine, a horizontal wind turbine including the kit, and methods of making and using the same are disclosed. The horizontal wind turbine has blades on a blade side of the turbine, a non-blade side opposite the blade side of the turbine, a tower and a nacelle capable of turning during normal function. The kit comprises (i) an advertisement and/or advertising space and (ii) a structure that facilitates the turning of a base of the advertisement and/or advertising space to mirror the nacelle. The advertisement and/or advertising space is on the non-blade side of the horizontal wind turbine. The base of the advertisement and/or the advertising space is joined, connected or affixed to the tower and/or the nacelle and can store a plurality of ads in the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2021
    Inventor: Patrick V. Cleeves
  • Patent number: 10968873
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to the use of an improved hydrocarbon adsorption system for the treatment of evaporative emissions from a motor vehicle. More specifically, the system includes one or more hydrocarbon adsorption elements being housed within a frame, the frame being permanently affixed within the air intake housing of engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: MANN+HUMMEL GmbH
    Inventor: Mathias Hoesl
  • Patent number: 10960930
    Abstract: There is provided an assembling structure of an engine. An oil control valve unit is configured to control oil pressure in a variable valve timing device of the engine. The oil control valve unit is installed on a cylinder head. The cylinder head is assembled to a crankcase. An outer wall of the cylinder head is formed with an opening into which the oil control valve unit is partially inserted. A mating surface of the cylinder head and the crankcase is fastened by at least a pair of bolts spaced apart across the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 20, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hisashi Ozeki
  • Patent number: 10947874
    Abstract: An oil container of a combustion engine. Oil collected in the oil container can be, conveyed to the combustion engine and back into the oil container, having a central oil chamber out of which oil can be suctioned and lateral oil chambers positioned either obliquely above or obliquely below the central oil chamber depending on an oblique position of the oil container. Oil is directed to the lateral oil chambers from the combustion engine, and, depending on the oblique position of the oil container, the central oil chamber can be coupled to a first lateral oil chamber that is adjacent to the central oil chamber on a first side of the central oil chamber, or to a second lateral oil chamber that is adjacent to the central oil chamber on a second side of the central oil chamber, via a respective passively controlled check valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: MAN Energy Solutions SE
    Inventors: Daniel Hartmann, Peter Druckmiller
  • Patent number: 10947925
    Abstract: Components for reducing oil sticking on surfaces of an internal combustion engine are disclosed. The engine may include an engine block with a piston cylinder, a piston moveable in reciprocal motion within the piston cylinder, and a cylinder head mounted on the engine block. The engine block, the cylinder head, and the piston may define a combustion chamber. The engine may include an intake conduit mounted to the cylinder head, an intake valve port defined by the cylinder head, and an intake valve mounted in reciprocally movable fashion to the cylinder head for placing the intake valve port in fluid communication with the combustion chamber. The engine may include a first oleophobic coating provided on portions of the intake valve, and a valve seat insert secured to the cylinder head. The valve seat insert may define an oil passage in fluid communication with the intake valve port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Jaswinder Singh, Michael Bardell, Patrick J. Seiler, Paul S. Wang, David Ginter
  • Patent number: 10947999
    Abstract: A hydraulic-magnetic engine includes a two-stage piston having a middle section and a piston plunger, and a chamber with two separate chambers, a piston chamber and a piston plunger chamber containing fluid throughout. The cross-sectional area of the middle section is greater than the cross-sectional area of the piston plunger. The piston is magnetically propelled up and down and in the process fluid is transferred and exchanged between the two chambers and a hydraulic compensator. The reciprocal motion of the piston is activated and sustained by alternating magnetic attraction and repulsion between the piston and the chamber, while the engine power output is amplified by the hydraulic activity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Inventor: Stephen Rodney Fine
  • Patent number: 10947917
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for skip-firing an engine. As one embodiment, a method for an engine includes firing all cylinders of the engine and not altering the closing timing of the intake valves when fueling demands are greater than a threshold. The method further includes skip-firing the engine when fueling demands are less than a threshold, and holding open the intake valves of skipped cylinders for a greater duration than intake valves of firing cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2021
    Assignee: TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Pradheepram Ottikkutti, Alok Kumar, Michael Majewski, Seung-hyuck Hong, Kevin Scott McElhaney, Roy James Primus, Omowoleola Akinyemi, Thomas Michael Lavertu, Santosh Meghani
  • Patent number: 10941684
    Abstract: A cylinder head cover that prevents the gas outlet for the blow-by gas from being cooled by structural improvements so that the gas outlet does not freeze or become clogged in a cold condition. A cylinder head cover includes: a gas passage through which blow-by gas from a crankcase passes; and a gas outlet portion protruding upward from a head cover upper wall. The gas outlet portion includes a protruding case portion bulging upward from the head cover upper wall so as to form an outlet passage through which blow-by gas passes, and an air layer is formed outside the outlet passage in the protruding case portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2021
    Assignee: KUBOTA CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kentaro Nagai, Takahiro Yamazaki, Reo Yoshida, Tomoya Akitomo, Shoichi Okimi
  • Patent number: 10934899
    Abstract: A valve seat insert for a gas exchange valve controlling gas exchange of a cylinder includes an insert body having an inner peripheral surface, an outer peripheral surface, and a valve seating surface structured to contact the gas exchange valve at a closed position and profiled to limit valve recession thereof. The valve seating surface includes an arrangement of linear segments and curved segments forming crowns to contact the gas exchange valve at different wear states.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Ashwin Hattiangadi, Rong Qu, Sanjay Kumar, Kevin Yoder
  • Patent number: 10934967
    Abstract: An insert for a cylinder liner which is capable of trapping heat in the combustion chamber is provided. The insert extends circumferentially around a center axis and longitudinally from an upper end to a lower end. The insert includes an inner portion presenting an inner surface facing the center axis and an outer portion presenting an outer surface facing away from the center axis. The inner portion is formed of an iron-based material, such as steel, and the outer portion is formed of a material having a thermal conductivity of not greater than 3.5 W/mK, for example ceria stabilized zirconia. The inner and outer portions each present a thickness, and the thickness can form a gradient between the upper end and the lower end of the insert. For example, the thickness of the outer portion can be greater at the upper end than at the lower end of the insert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 2, 2021
    Assignee: Tenneco Inc.
    Inventors: Blair Matthew Jenness, Markus Aumiller
  • Patent number: 10927777
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for correcting relative error between a gaseous fuel torque estimate and a liquid fuel torque estimate in a multi-fuel engine. A system (e.g., a system for an engine) may include a controller with computer readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory that when executed during operation of the engine cause the controller to: operate the engine at a first substitution ratio of gaseous fuel and liquid fuel; correct for relative error between a gaseous fuel to torque conversion factor and a liquid fuel to torque conversion factor; and upon correcting for the relative error, operate the engine at a second substitution ratio, higher than the first substitution ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventors: Jacob Kenneth Pedder, Garth Wade Mathe, James Robert Mischler