Patents Examined by Josh Campbell
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Patent number: 10428745Abstract: A plural port intake manifold with outlets aligned along a common cylinder head plane and each intake port containing, a valve unit including a valve plate that is rotatable by a shaft along an axis of rotation recessed within an inner wall as well as a welded connection encircling each intake port upstream of the axis. The system may allow the use of a plate CMCV that can fully retract into the intake runner when not in use.Type: GrantFiled: February 19, 2013Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Christopher William Newman, David Laurinec, Katherine Jane Randall
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Patent number: 10280860Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling an air/fuel ratio of a general-purpose internal combustion engine using mixed fuel containing alcohol and gasoline and operated at a desired engine speed inputted by the operator while a throttle opening is regulated such that a detected engine speed converges to the inputted desired engine speed, a fuel injection amount determined for mixed fuel based on fuel injection amount characteristics is increased/decreased when a load is kept constant and the output air/fuel ratio is estimated to correct the fuel injection amount by the estimated air/fuel ratio, while a switch (knob) is installed to be manipulated by the operator to switch the fuel injection amount characteristics.Type: GrantFiled: December 27, 2010Date of Patent: May 7, 2019Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Tomoki Fukushima, Tadayuki Yoneyama, Hayato Matsuda, Takashi Hashizume
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Patent number: 10227939Abstract: A cylinder control module: selects one of N predetermined cylinder activation/deactivation patterns as a desired cylinder activation/deactivation pattern for cylinders of an engine, wherein N is an integer greater than two; and activates and deactivates opening of intake and exhaust valves of first and second ones of the cylinders that are to be activated based on the desired cylinder activation/deactivation pattern, respectively. A fuel control module provides fuel to the first ones of the cylinders and disables fueling to the second ones of the cylinders. The cylinder control module further: determines M possible ones of the N cylinder activation/deactivation patterns, wherein M is an integer greater than or equal to one; selectively compares the M possible cylinder activation/deactivation patterns with the desired cylinder activation/deactivation pattern; and selectively updates the desired cylinder activation/deactivation pattern to one of the M possible cylinder activation/deactivation patterns.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: March 12, 2019Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventor: Allen B. Rayl
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Patent number: 10215130Abstract: A choke system for an internal combustion engine includes a carburetor having a choke valve disposed in a passage; a cooling fan providing a variable air flow; an air vane moveable in response to the variable air flow; an air vane linkage coupling the air vane to the choke valve, the air vane linkage operating the choke valve by the movement of the air vane; a manually operated choke control; an override linkage coupling the choke control to the choke valve; and a thermally responsive member configured to engage the override linkage to retain the choke in a partially open position above a threshold temperature. The choke control may be moved to a first position in which the choke control overrides the thermally responsive member and the air vane linkage to maintain the choke valve in a closed position.Type: GrantFiled: February 10, 2012Date of Patent: February 26, 2019Assignee: Briggs & Stratton CorporationInventors: Michael R. Visuri, Jeff J. Steenbergen, Timothy J. Kwiatkowski, Adam J. Hellman, Andrew J. Perez, Casey E. Groh
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Patent number: 10190518Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus includes a current sensor that detects a current value of a battery; and a processing device that suppresses initiation of idling stop control in a vehicle non-stop state with a vehicle speed higher than 0, in the case where an abnormal state of the battery is detected based on an output signal of the current sensor in the vehicle non-stop state.Type: GrantFiled: March 11, 2015Date of Patent: January 29, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Koji Ito
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Patent number: 10184389Abstract: A vehicle engine includes a cylinder block, a cylinder head installed at an upper portion of the cylinder block and forming a combustion chamber therein, a piston installed at the cylinder block and reciprocating in the cylinder block so that the volume of the combustion chamber is compressed or expanded, an injector installed at the cylinder head for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber, a spark plug installed at the cylinder head for igniting the fuel injected from the injector, and a voltage generating member installed inside the piston so that a voltage is generated by a pressure generated during a compression stroke of the piston.Type: GrantFiled: April 26, 2016Date of Patent: January 22, 2019Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANYInventor: Tae Kwang Eom
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Patent number: 10180212Abstract: A method and a system control flow of fluid from a storage tank through a supply line to an end user. The system includes a valve that in its open position allows fluid flow from the storage tank to the end user and closes when the pressure in the fluid supply line drops below a predetermined set point. The storage tank is thereby isolated because the valve prevents fluid from flowing from the storage tank to the supply line when the pressure in the supply line is lower than a predetermined upper limit of the storage tank pressure. An end use that is particularly suited to the present system and method is a fuel storage and supply system for a natural gas powered internal combustion engine.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2012Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: WESTPORT POWER INC.Inventor: Gregory C. Harper
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Patent number: 10161326Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting cylinder misfire in a vehicle engine via a plurality of sensors, based on dual mass flywheel (DMF) operating frequency. In response to detection of a misfire event, the misfiring cylinders may be deactivated and upon confirmation of DMF operation out of a resonant frequency range, the deactivated cylinder(s) may be sequentially reactivated.Type: GrantFiled: June 1, 2016Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Chris Paul Glugla, Robert Sarow Baskins, Jon Denis White
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Patent number: 10060393Abstract: A purge valve and a fuel vapor management system for use with an engine emission control system are disclosed. The purge valve may include a first inlet for receiving a first flow of air from an air cleaner, a second inlet for receiving a second flow of purge vapors from an evaporative canister, and an outlet directing a controlled mixture of the first and second flows to an engine, upstream of an intake throttle. Relative amounts of the first flow and second flow may be selectively controlled by varying a position of the valve.Type: GrantFiled: February 11, 2013Date of Patent: August 28, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventor: Niels Christopher Kragh
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Patent number: 10012195Abstract: A fuel supply device includes: a linear actuator; a reciprocating pump having a boosting piston driven by the linear actuator, configured to axially reciprocate, and configured to alternately repeat suction of the fuel and ejection of the fuel more boosted than the fuel at a time of suction by reciprocation of the boosting piston; and a controller to control driving of the linear actuator. When reciprocation amplitude of the boosting piston is A (A>0) and a reciprocating cycle time is T, the controller controls the linear actuator so a maximum value of an absolute value of acceleration when the reciprocating pump sucks the fuel with an absolute value of speed of the boosting piston increasing is smaller than A·(2?/T)2, and so a maximum value of the absolute value of the acceleration of the boosting piston when the reciprocating pump ejects the fuel is larger than A·(2?/T)2.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2016Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.Inventors: Makoto Kounosu, Seiichi Kitamura, Renzo Kanda
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Patent number: 9970369Abstract: Provided is a control unit (1) for setting, for respective electronic throttles (11) and (12) provided for respective cylinders, respective ranges of a difference between a target rpm and an engine rpm where the electronic throttles (11) and (12) are not operated as a first dead zone and a second dead zone, determining, for each of the electronic throttles (11) and (12), whether or not the difference between the target rpm and the engine rpm is in the dead zone, preventing the electronic throttle determined to have the difference in the dead zone from operating, and determining, for the electronic throttle determined to have the difference exceeding the dead zone, a control gain for the electronic throttle depending on the magnitude of the difference, thereby operating the electronic throttle.Type: GrantFiled: June 26, 2013Date of Patent: May 15, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric CorporationInventors: Shingo Takahashi, Masahiko Nomura
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Patent number: 9964053Abstract: In an embodiment, a combustion control device for an engine includes: a knocking determination unit to determine occurrence of knocking of each of the cylinders; a knocking reduction unit to halt or reduce supply of gas to a cylinder in which the knocking is occurring and reduce supply of the gas to other cylinders in which the knocking is not occurring; a first recovery unit configured to recover a state where the gas is at least reduced in the cylinder in which the knocking is occurring; and a second recovery unit configured to recover a state where the gas is reduced in other cylinders within which knocking is not occurring. In embodiments, a recovery time of the first recovery unit is shorter than a recovery time of the second recovery unit, and prioritizing recovery of the cylinder in which the knocking is occurring.Type: GrantFiled: February 20, 2014Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.Inventors: Hajime Suzuki, Hideki Nishio
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Patent number: 9932935Abstract: An ignition system of a combustion engine has a start-up adjustment curve with a maximum rotational speed, an operating adjustment curve and a switch-over device for switching between curves. The start-up adjustment curve is selected in the case of a start-up of the combustion engine. A rotational speed curve is divided into adjacent cycles. The start of the first cycle is the point in time of the second ignition after the start-up and the start of the subsequent cycles is in each case the point in time of ignition at which the rotational speed is less than in the case of the subsequent point in time of ignition. The criterion for switching to the operating adjustment curve is whether the average of the rotational speeds of successive cycles differs by less than a first tolerance value.Type: GrantFiled: March 5, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: PRUEFREX engineering e motion gmbh & co. kgInventor: Marek Lajda
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Patent number: 9856810Abstract: A fuel cut during deceleration is executed at time point t1. An oxygen storage amount (rOS) which increases with this fuel cut is estimated based on an exhaust air-fuel ratio and an intake air quantity. When the oxygen storage amount (rOS) reaches a threshold value (at time point t2), a target compression ratio (tCR) is corrected to become lower than a basic target compression ratio (tCR). Although a fuel recovery is executed at time point t4, a combustion temperature is lowered because of the lowering of the mechanical compression ratio, so that a production of NOx in a combustion chamber is suppressed. Therefore, worsening of NOx is suppressed even if the oxygen storage amount (rOS) of exhaust-emission purification catalyst (4) is excessive.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2013Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Eiji Takahashi, Shinobu Kamada
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Patent number: 9835514Abstract: An internal combustion engine knock determining device includes a vibration detector that produces a signal corresponding to engine vibration, an intensity computing unit that retrieves vibrational components in a plurality of frequency regions in which vibration intensity peaks are located when knock occurs, a background-noise computing unit that calculates background noise caused by factors other than knock, a frequency computing unit that determines specific frequency regions from which to determine whether knock is occurring by excluding certain frequency regions designated as frequency regions requiring exclusion due to the intensity of false-detection causing noise as a proportion of the background noise in the certain regions, and a knock determining unit that determines the occurrence of knock based on the vibration intensity in the specific frequency regions obtained by excluding the frequency regions requiring exclusion, wherein the number of specific frequency regions is increased to improve the acType: GrantFiled: December 20, 2010Date of Patent: December 5, 2017Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Yuji Sasaki
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Patent number: 9828932Abstract: A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a start-stop module, a pre-ignition risk module, and a cooling control module. The start-stop module stops and restarts an engine independent from an input received from an ignition system. The pre-ignition risk module monitors a risk of pre-ignition when the engine is restarted and generates a signal based on the risk of pre-ignition. The cooling control module controls a cooling system to circulate coolant through the engine when the engine is stopped in response to the risk of pre-ignition.Type: GrantFiled: March 8, 2013Date of Patent: November 28, 2017Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Halim G. Santoso, Eugene V. Gonze, James R. Yurgil
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Patent number: 9803590Abstract: Embodiments for diagnosing a humidity sensor are provided. One example method comprises, responsive to a humidity sensor test cycle, pumping air conditioning and windshield washer gas flows past a humidity sensor, and indicating humidity sensor degradation based on a response of the humidity sensor to the air conditioning and windshield washer gas flows. In this way, degradation of the humidity sensor may be indicated if the humidity sensed by the humidity sensor does not change responsive to the humidity sensor test cycle being initiated.Type: GrantFiled: February 22, 2013Date of Patent: October 31, 2017Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Imad Hassan Makki, Timothy Joseph Clark, Michael James Uhrich, Pankaj Kumar
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Patent number: 9765731Abstract: A canister arrangement structure for a saddle-ride type vehicle in which a canister for adsorbing evaporated fuel in a fuel tank is disposed below a step floor on which an occupant's foot is placed, the step floors are configured as a left and right pair and are supported from below by left and right step frames that extend back and forth at a position on the side of the main frame of the vehicle. The canister is supported by the one step frame.Type: GrantFiled: March 13, 2013Date of Patent: September 19, 2017Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Katsuyuki Okubo, Masanori Nakamura, Masashi Nagayama, Tetsunori Iwamoto, Takasumi Yamanaka, Matake Sugeno
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Patent number: 9752545Abstract: In a fuel injection control apparatus, an injector is driven to open its valve by supplying a coil of the injector with a current during a high-level period of a power supply command signal outputted from a microcomputer. A valve-closing time of the injector is detected based on a coil current, which decreases from a fall time of the power supply command signal. By comparing the coil current with plural equally-divided comparison threshold values by comparators, times are detected when the coil current decreases to the comparison threshold values, respectively. The valve-closing time is detected based on time differences among the detected times.Type: GrantFiled: June 20, 2013Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventor: Toshio Nishimura
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Patent number: 9752544Abstract: A fuel system in particular of a motor vehicle, includes a fuel tank and a ventilation device for ventilating the fuel tank. The ventilation device has at least one separation device which has a temporary accumulator for liquid fuel. The separation device is made at least in part of a porous material and/or is filled with the porous material.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2011Date of Patent: September 5, 2017Assignee: AUDI AGInventor: Harald Hagen