Patents Examined by Hai Huynh
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Patent number: 10054095Abstract: A method and start-stop device for initiating an automatic shutdown of an engine, in particular a combustion engine, in a motor vehicle are provided, wherein an automatic shutdown of the engine is initiated if a condition triggering a stop has been met and no shutdown preventer has been met. A first condition triggering a stop is determined depending on a delay request, when with the triggered delay request a braking value is requested that exceeds a predetermined first shutdown braking threshold without exceeding a predetermined second shutdown braking threshold that is greater than the predetermined first shutdown braking threshold. A second condition triggering a stop is determined depending on a delay request, if with the triggered delay request a braking value is requested that exceeds the predetermined second shutdown braking threshold.Type: GrantFiled: December 1, 2016Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke AktiengesellschaftInventors: Johann Schweikl, Hubertus Doepke
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Patent number: 10047705Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing fuel vapor in a vehicle evaporative emissions system configured with a fuel vapor canister for capturing and storing vapors from a vehicle fuel tank. In one example, a three-way valve is positioned between the fuel vapor canister and atmosphere, and may function during engine-off conditions to direct fuel tank vapors through the fuel vapor canister where they may be adsorbed, and then to an intake manifold of the engine where a second adsorbent for capturing and storing fuel vapors is positioned. In this way, fuel vapors that are not adsorbed by the fuel vapor canister, or fuel vapors that are freed from the canister during engine-off conditions may be routed to the second adsorbent prior to exiting to atmosphere, thus reducing undesired bleed emissions.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2016Date of Patent: August 14, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Aed M. Dudar, Dennis Seung-Man Yang
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Patent number: 10041454Abstract: Present embodiments provide a disruptive air flow assembly which connects to a vacuum line and utilizes a valve to open and close and thereby vary the vacuum pressure in the vacuum line. This affects air flow into the engine which is utilized for combustion and therefore causes the engine to vary the engine sound by running roughly at a preselected engine speed. A vacuum fitting may house the valve to vary air flow by opening and closing inlets in the fitting. A motor may be utilized to move the valve between the open and closed positions.Type: GrantFiled: October 17, 2016Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: Disruption Performance LLCInventor: Eric M. Lichtenwalter
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Patent number: 10041464Abstract: A controller of a laser ignition engine configured to perform ignition by using a laser ignition device configured to emit a laser beam condensed by a lens includes: a combustion state related value acquiring portion configured to acquire a combustion state related value related to a combustion state of the engine; and a contamination determining portion configured to compare the combustion state related value acquired by the combustion state related value acquiring portion with a combustion state determining value to determine whether or not the laser ignition device is contaminated, the combustion state determining value being defined based on the combustion state of the engine when the laser ignition device is not contaminated.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2015Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: Mazda Motor CorporationInventors: Takashi Youso, Masahisa Yamakawa, Tatsuya Fujikawa, Atsushi Inoue
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Patent number: 10041440Abstract: An insert for a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine that has a bore for receiving a fuel injector to deliver fuel through an injector nozzle into a combustion chamber. The insert comprises a generally tubular body having a longitudinally oriented passageway therethrough and receivable within the bore in the cylinder head. The generally tubular body has an inner end and an outer end, with the inner end in proximity to the combustion chamber when said insert is received within the bore. The passageway is tapered such that its diameter increases from the inner end toward the outer end. The longitudinal passageway is dimensioned to sealingly receive the nozzle of the fuel injector when the fuel injector is received within the bore. The insert limits blow-by between the insert and the nozzle of the fuel injector during operation of the internal combustion engine.Type: GrantFiled: November 30, 2016Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Inventor: Aaron Di Pietro
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Patent number: 10041501Abstract: A vortex pump may include a motor portion and a pump portion. The pump portion includes an impeller that rotates integrally with an output shaft of a motor. The motor portion and the pump portion are separated by a separation wall. A vane-groove region including vane grooves is provided on a surface of the impeller facing the separation wall. The separation wall includes a facing groove facing the vane-groove region and extending along a rotation direction of the impeller. A communication hole that communicates the motor portion and the pump portion is provided on the facing groove. The communication hole extends in a direction along swirling flow formed by the vane grooves and the facing groove when the vortex pump is operating.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2017Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Hidemasa Torii, Atsushi Sugimoto, Shinya Suzuki
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Patent number: 10041425Abstract: An air-fuel ratio controller of an internal combustion engine includes an open-loop processor setting a base injection amount, a feedback processor calculating a feedback operation amount, an increase processor performing an increase correction on the base injection amount when a temperature of the internal combustion engine is a specified temperature or lower, an operation processor operating a fuel injection valve based on the corrected base injection amount and that is corrected using the feedback operation amount and a learning value, and an update processor updating the learning value. If the increase processor performs the increase correction, the update processor updates the learning value to increase an increase correction rate of the base injection amount when a temperature of the cylinder wall surface is high.Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2017Date of Patent: August 7, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Masanao Idogawa
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Patent number: 10036338Abstract: A system and approach for development of setpoints for a controller of a powertrain system. The controller may be parametrized as a function of setpoints to provide performance variables that are considered acceptable by a user or operator for current operating conditions of the engine or powertrain. The controller may determine set point trajectories in real time during operation of the powertrain system and determine positions of manipulated variables do drive controlled variables to associated and determined set point trajectories. The present system and approach may determine set point trajectories for powertrain conditions on-line and in real time, whereas set point trajectories have previously been determined off-line for powertrain control.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2016Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.Inventors: Adrian Matias Fuxman, Daniel Pachner
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Patent number: 10036352Abstract: A fluid injector for a combustion engine is disclosed, including an injector housing having a fluid path wherein the fluid path extends along a longitudinal axis from an injector inlet to an injector outlet; a coil; a pole piece; a first valve adapted to act on the fluid path and having a first armature; a second valve adapted to act on the fluid path and having a second armature. The first armature and the second armature are arranged proximate to the pole piece on antipodal sides of the pole piece along a longitudinal direction.Type: GrantFiled: October 7, 2016Date of Patent: July 31, 2018Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbHInventor: Mauro Grandi
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Patent number: 10030617Abstract: Various methods for controlling EGR rate are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method comprises routing at least a portion of exhaust from a first exhaust manifold to an intake manifold, and not to atmosphere, the first exhaust manifold exclusively coupled to a first cylinder group. The method further includes routing exhaust from at least one additional exhaust manifold coupled to a corresponding at least one additional cylinder group to atmosphere, and during a first engine operating condition where an engine fuel demand is below a threshold demand, not injecting fuel to each of a subset of cylinders in the first cylinder group while injecting fuel to a subset of all cylinders coupled to the at least one additional exhaust manifold, where a number of cylinders of the subset of cylinders in the first cylinder group decreases in response to an increase in a target EGR rate.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2016Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventors: Omowoleola Chukuwuemeka Akinyemi, Adam Klingbeil, Neil Xavier Blythe, Shawn Michael Gallagher, James Robert Mischler, Luke Henry, Jennifer Lynn Jackson
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Patent number: 10024293Abstract: In a system for controlling rotation of torque applied to a rotating shaft of an engine of a vehicle that uses the engine as a drive source thereof, a motor is provided. A main controller controls the engine and the motor. The main controller selectably activates the motor that applies first torque to the rotating shaft of the engine, and deactivates the motor. A rotary electric machine includes a rotor connected to the rotating shaft of the engine. A rotation parameter detector measures a rotation parameter associated with rotation of the rotor of the rotary electric machine. A sequence controller performs, in response to an occurrence of a trigger situation, a control sequence that controls, independently of the main controller, the rotary electric machine based on the rotation parameter measured by the rotation parameter detector, thus applying second torque to the rotating shaft of the engine.Type: GrantFiled: May 11, 2017Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Tatsuya Fujita, Ryosuke Utaka, Mitsuhiro Murata
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Patent number: 10024264Abstract: A method is provided for determining the point in time of a predetermined open state (e.g., start or stop time of an opening or closing process) of a fuel injector having a coil drive for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle. The method includes applying a first voltage pulse to the magnetic coil drive of the fuel injector, detecting a first temporal progression of the current intensity of a current flowing through the coil drive, applying a second voltage pulse to the magnetic coil drive of the fuel injector, detecting a second temporal progression of the current intensity of the current flowing through the coil drive, determining a differential progression based on the first and second temporal progressions of the current intensity, and determining a point in time at which the differential progression exhibits an extremum, which corresponds with the point in time of the predetermined open state.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2014Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBHInventor: Frank Denk
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Patent number: 10024291Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine and a brake system. The vehicle includes a controller configured to maintain an ignition state of the engine such that changes in an ignition state between engine start and engine stop are inhibited during a pressurization of the brake system that is prompted by the indication and initiated prior to brake pedal application. The maintained ignition state is responsive to receiving an indication of a degraded road condition from a source in a vicinity of the vehicle.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2017Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Hafiz Shafeek Khafagy, Mohannad Hakeem, Mahmud Salam
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Patent number: 10024289Abstract: According to some aspects, methods and systems are presented to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness during start or restart of an engine. In some embodiments, a torque source such as an electric machine provides a torque to an internal combustion engine during restart to counteract vibrations of the system caused by the output torque of the internal combustion engine. The torque provided by the torque source can be expressed as a sum of a non-linear component and an input shaped component. A perturbation technique can be utilized for separating the scales and isolating the non-linear response of the system. Command shaping can be applied to the remaining, linear response of the system. Parameters used in the modeling of the internal combustion engine and the system may be pre-determined based on vehicle design and operating conditions, or may be iteratively estimated based on previous restarts during vehicle operation.Type: GrantFiled: May 8, 2017Date of Patent: July 17, 2018Assignee: Georgia Tech Research CorporationInventors: Michael Joseph Leamy, James Justin Wilbanks
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Patent number: 10018159Abstract: A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a canister capable of adsorbing fuel vapor produced in a fuel tank, a closing valve provided in a vapor passage connecting the canister and the fuel tank, a purge passage connecting the canister and an intake passage of an engine, and a control device. The closing valve may include a movable valve member movable along a linear path and an actuator coupled to the movable valve member. The control device may be coupled to the actuator and may be configured to control the actuator such that the position of the movable valve member along the linear path changes according to a deviation of an actual tank internal pressure of the fuel tank from a target tank internal pressure.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2014Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Minoru Akita, Yoshikazu Miyabe, Naoyuki Tagawa
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Patent number: 10018137Abstract: A control device for a fuel injection system includes a CPU which generates a drive signal for instructing execution of compression by a fuel pump; a fuel pump drive circuit which controls application of electric power to a solenoid of the fuel pump based on the drive signal; a boost circuit provided with a capacitor for storing electric power to be used for driving an injector; a charging circuit which leads a current generated when the application of electric power to the solenoid is stopped to the capacitor; and an excess electric power consumption circuit which consumes excess electric power of the capacitor. While fuel injection from the injector is stopped, the CPU counts the number of times the fuel pump is driven and turns off the drive signal so as to stop driving the fuel pump as soon as the drive count has exceeded a predetermined count value.Type: GrantFiled: November 19, 2015Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTDInventor: Tatsuo Yamanaka
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Patent number: 10018136Abstract: A method for controlling a marine engine for propelling a marine vessel includes receiving user input as a user input device to control acceleration of a marine vessel, detecting a rapid acceleration command based on the user input, and determining an advanced spark timing based on at least one of engine speed and engine load, wherein the advanced spark timing adjusts a base spark time by a spark advance offset. A fuel increase is then determined based on the spark advance offset, and then an increased fuel injection amount is determined by increasing a base fuel injection amount by the fuel increase. Spark and fuel delivery are then controlled for one or more cylinders of the marine engine based on the advanced spark timing and the increased fuel injection amount.Type: GrantFiled: May 17, 2017Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Brunswick CorporationInventors: Steven M. Anschuetz, Michael A. Purdy, Robert Raymond Osthelder, David J. Hilbert
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Patent number: 10018104Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber formed by cooperation of a cylinder bore formed in a cylinder block, a cylinder head and a piston. A combustion ignition device is disposed in the combustion chamber and includes a nozzle defining a pre-chamber, a barrier discharge plasma igniter, including a tip portion disposed in the pre-chamber and a plurality of apertures disposed in the nozzle. The pre-chamber is in fluidic communication with the combustion chamber via the plurality of apertures. A controller is in communication with the engine and the barrier discharge plasma igniter.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2016Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Ronald O. Grover, Jr., Cherian A. Idicheria, Paul M. Najt
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Patent number: 10018169Abstract: A nozzle assembly for a fuel injector includes a nozzle needle (1), which is accommodated in a high-pressure bore (2) of a nozzle body (3) in such a way that the nozzle needle can be moved in a reciprocating manner in order to open and close at least one injection opening (4) and to which a spring force of a spring (5) is applied at least indirectly in a closing direction. The nozzle needle (1) is at least partially surrounded by a throttle bore body (7) in order to form at least one closing throttle (6). The throttle bore body (7) has a multi-part design and comprises at least two sleeves (7.1, 7.2), which are at least partially guided in each other.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2015Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbHInventor: Andreas Koeninger
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Patent number: 10018161Abstract: A vehicle fuel system includes a vapor recovery canister containing a primary carbon bed and a secondary carbon bed. Each carbon bed is configured to capture hydrocarbon material associated with fuel vapor discharged from a vehicle fuel tank.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 2016Date of Patent: July 10, 2018Assignee: Stant USA Corp.Inventors: John B. Anderson, Matthew F. Bischoff, John C. Long, II, Michael S. Brock