Patents Examined by Sizo B Vilakazi
  • Patent number: 11976583
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a reservoir tank for coolant that stores the coolant for cooling an internal combustion engine. The reservoir tank includes: a tank chamber that stores the coolant; an opening, which is disposed in an upper part of the tank chamber, through which the coolant flows in and flows out, and in a circumferential wall of which a breathing hole is formed; and a first communication passage, a second communication passage, and a third communication passage that respectively communicate with the opening and the tank chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2023
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Miyo Kitamura, Shinji Shimoyama, Keijiro Koide, Masahiro Kato, Tatsuya Kurimoto, Tatsuki Tanaka, Koji Sato, Takumi Tokinoya
  • Patent number: 11976621
    Abstract: A start control device for a hybrid vehicle includes a battery, first and second rotary electric machines, an engine, a first determination unit configured to determine whether the battery is in a low output state, a cranking control unit configured to perform a cracking of the engine, and a second determination unit configured to perform a cranking completion determination. In a case where a maximum output of the battery is in the low output state, the cranking control unit causes the first rotary electric machine to run at a low output target rotation speed, and the second determination unit determines that the cranking is completed when a condition that an actual rotation speed of the first rotary electric machine continues to be within a target range for a predetermined time is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2024
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Sosuke Nambu, Norihiko Ikoma, Takanori Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11972645
    Abstract: A system includes a first most probable cause (MPC) module, a second MPC module, and an integrated MPC module. The first MPC module is configured to determine a first most probable cause of an issue on a vehicle based on at least one service procedure for the vehicle. The second MPC module is configured to determine a second most probable cause of the issue based on repair data for other vehicles. The integrated MPC module is configured to determine an integrated most probable cause of the issue based on the first and second most probable causes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Shengbing Jiang, Zifeng Peng, Chaitanya Sankavaram, Michael B. Gastmeier, Brian Buck, John J. Flood, IV
  • Patent number: 11965455
    Abstract: The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, a method of igniting an air/fuel mixture in an internal combustion engine includes receiving an air/fuel mixture into a pre-combustion chamber, the pre-combustion chamber enclosing a portion of an igniter, igniting the air/fuel mixture in in the pre-combustion chamber with the igniter to produce a flame, directing the flame to eject the pre-combustion chamber through a collection of passages in a wall of the pre-combustion chamber, toward a peripheral wall of a main combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, igniting, by the flame, air/fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber adjacent the peripheral wall, and then igniting air/fuel mixture in the main combustion chamber in a central region of the main combustion chamber with a propagating flame front of the ignited air/fuel mixture or a portion of the directed flame adjacent the peripheral wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2024
    Assignee: Woodward, Inc.
    Inventors: Domenico Chiera, Charles Brennecke, Samuel James McCreery, Jeffrey Carlson, Suraj Nair, Gregory James Hampson
  • Patent number: 11959449
    Abstract: A control device for a hybrid electric vehicle includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to perform a start-up control of shifting the connection and disconnection clutch to a coupled state at the time of starting the internal combustion engine to rotate the internal combustion engine by the driving torque of the electric motor, and starting the first fuel injection mode using the direct injection injector. The electronic control unit is configured to switch from the first fuel injection mode to a second fuel injection mode for using the port injector prior to an end of the start-up control when the number of times of combustion cycles of the internal combustion engine with the first fuel injection mode reaches a predetermined first target number of times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takahiro Yoshida, Masanao Idogawa, Masahiro Kachi, Koji Ichikawa, Satoshi Masuda
  • Patent number: 11959433
    Abstract: At least one server comprising at least one processor coupled to at least one memory storing instructions. The server can receive a first signal from a first monitored system comprising an internal combustion engine and a first sensor, the first signal associated with a first occurrence of an internal combustion engine event, a second occurrence of the internal combustion engine event, and first measurement data of the first sensor. The server can determine a first measurement from the first measurement data. The server can determine a second measurement from the first measurement data. The server can determine a measurement deviation between the first measurement and the second measurement. The server can compare the measurement deviation to a stored measurement threshold. The server can determine a first exhibited useful life of the first sensor based on the measurement deviation and at least one of the first measurement or the second measurement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: Cummins Emission Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Swapnali Gujar, Kapil Rajkumar Dhanwani, Kwadwo O. Owusu, Premjee Sasidharan, Alan H. Zhao, Jinqian Gong, Jeffrey Diwakar Abraham, Thomas C. Smith, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11959430
    Abstract: A vehicle controller includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to perform an intermittent stop of an engine in accordance with a traveling state of a vehicle, cause the engine to restart by self-sustaining resumption when restart of the engine is requested in a state in which the engine is rotating during the intermittent stop, and perform a retarded injection control that retards, in a combustion cycle of the engine, a starting time of a first fuel injection at the time of the restart of the engine by the self-sustaining resumption as compared to a starting time of a second fuel injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Fukuda, Eiichiroh Kido, Masanao Idogawa
  • Patent number: 11952024
    Abstract: A controller outputs, to a transport vehicle, a forward movement command for moving in the forward direction along a transport path toward a destination, and a reverse movement command for moving in a reverse direction along the transport path toward the destination. When a target task occurs, the controller determines a transport vehicle to execute the target task among a plurality of transport vehicles, while also including, as a candidate, a transport vehicle located on a downstream side of the transport path relative to the destination at a timing when the target task occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2023
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: Daifuku Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazuya Namazue
  • Patent number: 11952952
    Abstract: A HST system for use in traveling of a vehicle includes a controller that controls a pump regulator that changes a displacement of a pump and a motor regulator that changes a displacement of a motor. The controller determines whether or not a particular downhill travel condition is satisfied based on a result of detection by a vehicle speed detector that detects a vehicle speed of the vehicle and a result of detection by a rotation number detector that detects a number of rotations of an engine per unit time. In a case where a depression amount of an accelerator pedal, which is detected by a depression amount detector, is zero and the particular downhill travel condition is satisfied, the controller controls the motor regulator to increase the displacement of the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiro Kondo, Ryosuke Kusumoto, Yuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 11951924
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a crash monitoring system for a vehicle, a vehicle comprising such a crash monitoring system, a method for monitoring a vehicle crash and a computer program element for such a crash monitoring system. The crash monitoring system comprises an environment sensor unit, a vehicle information supplying unit, a crash sensor unit and a control unit. The environment sensor unit is configured to generate field data of an impending crash event between at least a first vehicle and an obstacle. The vehicle information supplying unit is configured to provide operational information of at least the first vehicle to the control unit. The crash sensor unit is configured to generate crash data during the crash event of at least the first vehicle. The control unit is configured to execute a crash simulation based on the field data and the operational information and generate predictive attribute data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2024
    Assignee: VOLVO CAR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Björn Johansson
  • Patent number: 11946651
    Abstract: A portable air flow apparatus may include a base configured to be seated on a surface, a head comprising a suction inlet through which air is suctioned into the head and a discharge outlet through which the air suctioned in through the suction inlet is discharged, the suction inlet and the discharge outlet being horizontally spaced apart from each other at a right angle with respect to a vertical direction, and a column that connects the head and the base in such a manner that the head is vertically spaced from the base.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Yu Na Jo, Deukwon Lee, Taeyun Lee, Hyunbyung Cha, Sang Yoon Lee, Min Kyu Oh, Byunghoon Park, Yeon A Jo, Chang On Lee, Jihye Lee
  • Patent number: 11946423
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements are described for managing recharging of cylinders of an internal combustion engine during skip fire operation of the engine. In one method, a maximum allowed deactivation time for a cylinder is determined and the cylinder is recharged before the maximum allowed deactivation time is exceeded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2024
    Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Louis Joe Serrano, Xiaoping Cai, Yongyan Cao, Vijay Srinivasan, Kevin Shikui Chen, Andrea Marie Evans, Avra Brahma
  • Patent number: 11933236
    Abstract: The vehicle control device executes: a stop process for stopping fuel supply to two cylinders to be stopped; and a selection process of selecting one cylinder to be a stop instruction for stopping fuel supply from among the cylinders to be stopped. The selection process is a process of selecting a cylinder whose compression top dead center appears earliest among the stop target cylinders. The crank angle interval from when the cylinder to be the stop instruction target is selected until the stop instruction target cylinder is switched to the next cylinder among the stop target cylinders is the stoppable angle interval. The stop instruction for the selected cylinder is received before the fuel injection start time and at the stoppable angle interval. The control device executes a retard process of retarding the fuel injection start timing so that the stoppable angle interval includes the fuel injection start timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuto Ikeda, Ryota Sugiyama, Takanobu Gotoh
  • Patent number: 11933261
    Abstract: A method for harnessing wave energy includes providing a vehicle to a body of water, the vehicle. The method includes submerging the vehicle to a depth in the body of water. The method includes operating the motor-generator of the vehicle in the first quadrant of the motor-generator. The method includes detecting a phase of a wave in the body of water based information from the processor of the detected phase. The method includes orienting the vehicle to lag the phase of the wave based on the detected phase of the wave. The method includes synchronizing an inertial acceleration of the vehicle to movement of the wave. The method includes switching the motor-generator to the second quadrant for generation mode to convert energy from the movement of the wave to electrical energy. The method includes storing the energy from the wave in the rechargeable battery source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: Aqua Satellite, Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew DeVore Weaver, George Edward Homsy, Travis Leland Manderson
  • Patent number: 11933238
    Abstract: A controller and a control method for an internal combustion engine, and a memory medium are provided. In a first combustion cylinder, first combustion is caused by control circuitry when the engine is restarted from a state where fuel combustion in cylinders is suspended. An automatic stopping process suspends the fuel combustion in the cylinders and controls a throttle valve to a closed state when a predetermined condition is satisfied. A first calculation process calculates an amount of fuel injected into the first combustion cylinder based on a position of the piston in the first combustion cylinder in a case where a rotation speed of a crankshaft obtained when the restart was requested is zero. A second calculation process calculates the injection amount based on the rotation speed in a case where the rotation speed obtained when the restart was requested is higher than zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2023
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2024
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Kachi, Takehiro Komatsu, Masanao Idogawa, Takahiro Uchida, Machiko Takahashi
  • Patent number: 11927125
    Abstract: A prediction device that predicts time for a reducing agent accommodated in a container mounted on a work vehicle to freeze includes a remaining amount information acquisition unit configured to acquire remaining amount information indicating a remaining amount of the reducing agent in the container, a wall surface temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire a detection result of a wall surface temperature of the container, a reducing agent temperature acquisition unit configured to acquire a detection result of a temperature of the reducing agent, and a time calculation unit configured to calculate the time for the reducing agent to freeze based on the wall surface temperature, the reducing agent temperature, and the remaining amount information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Oka, Tatsuya Yamakawa, Yohei Nishikawa
  • Patent number: 11929595
    Abstract: A plasma assisted spark ignition system includes an ignitor and a power supply. The first ignitor includes: a casing having a first end, a second end that forms a first electrode, and a longitudinally extending passage, a second electrode which protrudes longitudinally outward from an opening at the second end of the casing and laterally spaced inwardly to form a spark gap, and an electrical insulator (dielectric) surrounding a portion of the second electrode, and which has a terminus that is at least closely spaced to an interior surface of the end of the casing. The power supply supplies a plurality of voltage pulses to the ignitor per ignition event to generate a flash over on the dielectric. Subsequent pulses in an ignition event may be at lower amplitude than an initial pulse in the ignition event. Pulses may, for example, have a duration on the order of a nanosecond.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: Transient Plasma Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Joseph F. Fitzpatrick, Mark A. Thomas, Alonzo Gomez, Jason M. Sanders
  • Patent number: 11926307
    Abstract: A method for defining at least one characteristic curve which, in a pressure-actuated brake system of a vehicle, represents a relationship between a brake pressure and a brake demand), and for operating a pressure-actuated brake system of a vehicle, in which at least one brake cylinder can be supplied with a pressurized medium under a brake pressure, and in which the brake pressure is formed based on at least one such characteristic curve, and to a pressure-actuated brake system of a vehicle in which at least one brake cylinder can be supplied with a pressurized medium under a brake pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2024
    Assignee: KNORR-BREMSE SYSTEME FUER NUTZFAHRZEUGE GMBH
    Inventors: Jonas Leibbrand, Oliver Jundt, Soeren Muennig
  • Patent number: 11919503
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a vehicle that includes an electric machine as a propulsion source. In one example, a motor stall assessment level is generated based on an amount of time that the motor is stalled and an amount of torque that is generated by the motor. Mitigating actions may be performed if the motor stall assessment level exceeds a threshold level or value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Justin Campanaro, Carol Louise Okubo, Jonathan Butcher, Zachary March, Joshua Wilson
  • Patent number: 11920530
    Abstract: A method for delaying cylinder reactivation in a vehicle includes identifying, by a controller, a request to exit a cylinder deactivation state. The controller determines if the request is due to a transient condition. If the request is due to the transient condition, the controller analyzes at least one of the transient condition and a condition of the vehicle. The controller determines a first adjustment to the vehicle based on analyzing at least one of the transient condition and the condition of the vehicle. The first adjustment is configured to mitigate the transient condition. The controller implements the first adjustment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron William Beinborn, J. Steven Kolhouse, Jonathan A. Dickson