Patents Examined by Marguerite McMahon
  • Patent number: 10184408
    Abstract: A device for changing a compression ratio of a cylinder unit of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine has an eccentric bushing which is rotatably arranged in a bore of a connecting rod eye. Said eye encloses a crank pin of a crankshaft, and the bushing is rotatably guided in the bore and can be locked via locking openings, which are arranged to be offset from each other by preferably approximately 180°. The connecting rod has a locking apparatus which interacts optionally with the locking openings and via which the eccentric bushing can only ever be transferred from one position to the next. The locking apparatus has a sliding guideway extending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bore of the connecting rod bearing eye. The sliding guide interacts with actuating pins arranged in the locking openings and can be displaced radially with respect to the bushing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventors: Markus Popp, Andreas Moeller, Swen Doerrie
  • Patent number: 10184421
    Abstract: A piston for an internal combustion engine is provided. The piston includes a piston body of steel and including a crown portion, a pair of skirt portions and a pair of pin boss panels. The crown portion has an upper combustion surface, a lower surface having an undercrown surface area and an outer annular ring belt with at least one ring groove. The pin boss panels depend from the crown portion and extend in spaced relationship with one another between the skirt portions. Each pin boss panel includes a pin boss having a pin bore, and the pin bores are aligned with one another for receiving a wrist pin. Each pin boss panel also has at least one recess located vertically between the associated one of the pin bores and the crown portion to increase the undercrown surface area for improved cooling of the crown portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Tenneco Inc.
    Inventors: Marc Brandt, Andrew J. Miller
  • Patent number: 10180091
    Abstract: A breather apparatus for an engine includes a breather chamber, one side portion and other side portion of the breather chamber, and a bottom face of the other side portion. The breather chamber is formed, along substantially half a circumference of a cylinder bore, in a cylinder block. The one side portion of the breather chamber is provided with a blow-by gas introduction hole leading blow-by gas in the crank chamber to the breather chamber and a one-way valve opening and closing the blow-by gas introduction hole. The other side portion of the breather chamber has a pipe connection hole connecting a breather pipe to the breather chamber and with a breather oil return passage. The bottom face of the other side portion projects into the crank chamber to a level lower than a bottom face of the one side portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yasuomi Ishihara, Hideto Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10174727
    Abstract: An intake air control apparatus for a vehicle may include a valve flap provided in an air intake passage, the valve flap having a rotation shaft facing opposite sides of the air intake passage, to control a cross-sectional area of air intake flow according to a rotation angle thereof about the rotation shaft; a driving device supplying a driving force to the valve flap; and a port plate being provided in the air intake passage, with a longitudinal direction thereof being in parallel to a longitudinal direction of the air intake passage, the port plate dividing the air intake passage into an upper passage and a lower passage, wherein based on a width direction, at least a portion of the port plate has a height changing portion that changes a height of the port plate from a lower internal wall of the air intake passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Dong Ho Chu, Yang Geol Lee, Yong Hoon Kim, Sung Jun Kim
  • Patent number: 10174729
    Abstract: An injector for a fuel supply system of an internal combustion engine, namely for a common rail fuel supply system of an internal combustion engine which is formed in particular as a large diesel internal combustion engine or ship's diesel internal combustion engine, having an injection nozzle, a control valve and a retaining body. The injection nozzle and the control valve form a clamped composite, and the composite formed of the injection nozzle and control valve can be mounted on the retaining body as a unit and disassembled from the retaining body as a unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: MAN Energy Solutions SE
    Inventors: Thomas Atzkern, Maximilian Indrich, Stefan Kern, Claudius Weber, Ludwig Maier, Holger Schaar, Wolfgang Wagner, Thomas Klaua, Harald Wellenkötter, Werner Wörle
  • Patent number: 10167819
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for coordinating water usage with spark usage based on the effect on an engine torque ratio. Water is injected based on torque ratio at a current spark timing relative to torque ratio at borderline knock to improve the impact of the water injection on the engine performance. Manifold water injection and direct water injected are coordinated based on intake manifold humidity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Howard Shelby, Gopichandra Surnilla, Mohannad Hakeem
  • Patent number: 10167810
    Abstract: An engine cylinder head is provided. The engine cylinder head includes a portion of a first combustion chamber, an upper coolant jacket portion, and a lower coolant jacket portion directing heat from the first combustion chamber and including a first coolant passage and a second coolant passage, the first coolant passage and the second coolant passage laying along a lateral axis, at least a portion of the first coolant passage separated from the second coolant passage via first and second walls.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Theodore Beyer, Jody Michael Slike, Xingfu Chen
  • Patent number: 10161371
    Abstract: A piston may include an outer peripheral surface and a crown. The outer peripheral surface may include first and second openings spaced about and extending through the outer peripheral surface. The crown may include a recess at least partially defined by a first lobe in fluid communication with the first opening and a second lobe in fluid communication with the second opening. Each of the first and second lobes may be recessed relative to an adjacent portion of the recess of the crown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: AVL POWERTRAIN ENGINEERING, INC.
    Inventors: Gustav R. Johnson, Gary L. Hunter, Darrell Sparks
  • Patent number: 10160129
    Abstract: Tools and methods for forming modified mechanical roughening profiles are disclosed. In at least one embodiment, an engine block is provided including a body defining a cylinder bore having a bore surface. The bore surface may have defined therein a plurality of grooves extending from the bore surface and each groove may have a base and a top portion. The top portion may have opposing chamfered edges. The chamfered edges may be formed by a tool including at least one cutting element having triangular teeth and at least one cutting element having rectangular teeth. In another embodiment, a tool including at least one cutting element having curved teeth and at least one cutting element having rectangular teeth may be used to form grooves having a curved/radiused edge surface. The disclosed roughening profiles may reduce oxide growth when a coating is applied to the bore surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: William Edmunds Dowling, Jr., David Alan Stephenson, Timothy George Beyer
  • Patent number: 10161347
    Abstract: Methods and systems are providing for improving zero flow lubrication (ZFL) of a high pressure fuel pump coupled to direct fuel injectors via a direct injection fuel rail. A ZFL transfer function for the fuel pump is learned while fuel is at non-nominal fuel bulk modulus conditions and corrected for variations from a nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate. When zero flow lubrication of the pump is requested, the pump is operated with a duty cycle based on the learned transfer function and an instantaneous estimate of the fuel bulk modulus to compensate for differences in fuel condition from the nominal fuel bulk modulus estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Hao Zhang, Mark Meinhart
  • Patent number: 10161354
    Abstract: A combustion engine is provided that includes an engine block with a fiber material in a resin. The engine block defines a piston bore and a bore liner positioned within the piston bore and includes a substrate and a coating positioned on an interior surface of the substrate. An exterior surface of the substrate defines a retention feature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Donald Wicks
  • Patent number: 10161327
    Abstract: An engine system for a vehicle may include an engine including a plurality of cylinders connected to a crankshaft, a Cylinder Deactivation (CDA) apparatus provided to at least one cylinder among the plurality of cylinders of the engine, a first flywheel mounted on the crankshaft, a second flywheel having a rotation center formed eccentrically with respect to the crankshaft by being disposed at a position corresponding to the cylinder including the CDA apparatus, and a clutch provided to the crankshaft to selectively transmit a torque of the crankshaft to the second flywheel during operation of the CDA apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Kyoungchan Han
  • Patent number: 10156253
    Abstract: A engine connecting includes a large diameter end portion mounted to a crank of a crankshaft of an engine to be rotatable, a small diameter end portion into which a piston pin is inserted and which supports the piston pin to be rotatable, and a connecting portion connecting the large diameter end portion and the small diameter end portion at a longitudinal end portions thereof. The connecting portion has a plate-shape widened in a wide width direction thereof to be perpendicular to a center axis of the crank shaft, the connecting portion is provided with four vertical reinforcing portions projecting in four directions so as to extend in a longitudinal direction of the connecting rod from the small diameter end portion to the large diameter end portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takashi Nishihara, Yuki Tsukamoto
  • Patent number: 10145331
    Abstract: An internal-combustion engine has a crankcase, with at least one cylinder for accommodating a piston, the inner face of which cylinder is provided with a coating forming a running surface for the piston. The coating has a plurality of pores and the average size of the pores and/or the pore surface proportion varies over the length of the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Klaus Daiker, Markus Wittmann, Martin Kunst
  • Patent number: 10144179
    Abstract: An automated sealing process (100) for sealing a casing, the casing comprising a first casing portion (107) having a first sealing surface (115), and a second casing portion having a second sealing surface configured to engage the first sealing surface (115), the first casing portion (107) being assembled from at least two components such that the first sealing surface (115) comprises a joint (100) between the components, the process (100) comprising: applying a surface treatment to the joint (117) of the first sealing surface (115) using an automated treatment apparatus (101); and applying a sealant to at least one of the first sealing surface (115) and the second sealing surface prior to bringing the first and second sealing surfaces into engagement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Tsunou Chang, Jonathan Richard Bishop
  • Patent number: 10145300
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for the design and manufacture of a crankshaft of a piston internal combustion engine. In one example, a crankshaft comprises a crankshaft throw, the crankshaft throw comprising a crankpin and crank webs. The crank webs are formed asymmetrically in a region of the crankpin with respect to a plane intersecting an axis of rotation of the crankshaft and a center axis of the crankpin, such that the breaking strength of the crankshaft throw is increased at a crankshaft angle of rotation which differs from the top dead center position of a piston to which the crankpin is coupled, and at which the piston exerts a maximum combustion-induced force on the crankpin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Markus Reith
  • Patent number: 10138797
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes: a cylinder block in which a cylinder is formed; a cylinder head including an intake port and an exhaust port, the cylinder head being integrally formed with the cylinder block; a water jacket covering circumferences of the cylinder, the intake port, and the exhaust port; a partition wall dividing the water jacket into a cylinder block side and a cylinder head side; and a knock sensor mounting boss provided on a side surface of the internal combustion engine, at a position on an extension line of the partition wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yu Kubo, Takao Ito
  • Patent number: 10138850
    Abstract: A cooling system for an internal combustion engine according to the principles of the present disclosure includes an engine block, a compression device, a cooling circuit, a first pump, and a fuel delivery device. The engine block at least partially defines a combustion chamber and a cooling passage. The cooling passage extends through the engine block. The compression device is received in the engine block to partially define the combustion chamber. The compression device is movable within and relative to the engine block. The cooling circuit is in fluid communication with the cooling passage. The first pump is in fluid communication with the cooling circuit and is configured to circulate a fuel through the cooling circuit and the cooling passage. The fuel delivery device is in fluid communication with the cooling circuit and is configured to deliver the fuel to the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: AVL POWERTRAIN ENGINEERING, INC.
    Inventors: Gustav R. Johnson, Julian Sherborne
  • Patent number: 10132216
    Abstract: A housing of a compressor for an internal combustion engine is provided. The housing includes a first air inlet portion. Further, housing includes a tubular wall defining an annular chamber along a circumference of the first air inlet portion. Tubular wall comprising a second air inlet portion. Housing further includes an opening formed in a wall of first air inlet portion, contiguously extending along the circumference of the first air inlet portion, to fluidly couple the annular chamber with the first air inlet portion. The opening being formed at an offset from the second air inlet portion. The opening defines a first edge and a second edge in the wall of the first air inlet portion. The first edge and the second edge are radially offset from each other with respect to a central axis of the first air inlet portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Progress Rail Locomotive Inc.
    Inventors: Raji Rexavier, Joshua Schueler, John Michael Carr, Patricia A Mcwade
  • Patent number: 10132237
    Abstract: The invention relates to a power unit, in particular for a hybrid vehicle, comprising a reciprocating piston engine and comprising a generator which can be in driving engagement therewith, wherein the reciprocating piston engine has at least two pistons, which are guided in at least two cylinders in tandem arrangement, and two counter-rotating crankshafts, which are connected to the pistons by connecting rods and which are mechanically coupled so as to be in phase, wherein a first generator can be driven by the first crankshaft and a second generator can be driven by the second crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: OBRIST TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Franz Laimboeck, Frank Obrist, Tsuneo Konno