Patents by Inventor Kota Matsumoto

Kota Matsumoto has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 11105255
    Abstract: The invention is provided with an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes an injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Ignition timing of the preceding ignition is set to be more retarded when fuel concentration specified by a fuel concentration specification section is low than when the fuel concentration is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kota Matsumoto, Tomonori Urushihara, Keiji Maruyama, Masanari Sueoka, Ryohei Ono, Yuji Harada, Toru Miyamoto, Atsushi Inoue, Tatsuhiro Tokunaga, Takuya Ohura, Yusuke Kawai, Tomohiro Nishida, Keita Arai, Yodai Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20210239067
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a compression-ignition type engine is applied to an engine capable of carrying out partial compression ignition combustion in which an air-fuel mixture is subjected to CI combustion by self-ignition. The control apparatus creates a lean A/F environment where an air-fuel ratio as a ratio between air and fuel in a cylinder exceeds 20 and is lower than 35, or a lean G/F environment where a gas air-fuel ratio as a ratio between entire gas and the fuel in the cylinder exceeds 18 and is lower than 50 and the air-fuel ratio substantially matches a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. Prior to planned timing of the CI combustion, in the lean A/F environment or the lean G/F environment, the control apparatus causes an ignition plug to generate a spark and to generate a high-temperature portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210239069
    Abstract: Provided is an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes an injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Ignition timing of the preceding ignition is set to be more advanced when an in-cylinder temperature specified by an in-cylinder temperature specification section is high than when the in-cylinder temperature is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210239068
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus includes an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of a expansion stroke to initiate the SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes the injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Energy of the preceding ignition is set to be lower when an in-cylinder temperature specified by an in-cylinder temperature specification section is high than when the in-cylinder temperature is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: August 5, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210231077
    Abstract: An engine apparatus includes an ignition control section and an injection control section. When the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate the SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes the injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Energy of the preceding ignition is set to be lower when a swirl flow is gentle than when the swirl flow is intense.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210231078
    Abstract: Provided is an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes an injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Ignition timing of the preceding ignition is set to be more retarded when an in-cylinder pressure specified by an in-cylinder pressure specification section is high than when the in-cylinder pressure is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210231076
    Abstract: A control apparatus for a compression-ignition type engine is applied to an engine capable of carrying out partial compression ignition combustion. When the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, an ignition control section of the control apparatus causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated to initiate the SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at an earlier time point than the main ignition. An injection control section causes the ignition plug to inject fuel in an intake stroke. The ignition control section sets energy of the preceding ignition to be lower than energy of the main ignition and causes the ignition plug to carry out the preceding ignition after the fuel injection in the intake stroke or an early period or a middle period of a compression stroke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 19, 2019
    Publication date: July 29, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 11073102
    Abstract: A structure of a combustion chamber for an engine includes a crown surface of a piston, a cylinder wall surface, a combustion chamber ceiling surface, and an ignition plug which includes an ignition portion. The crown surface of the piston includes: a cavity recessed in the cylinder axis direction; a parallel surface portion which is in parallel to a corresponding region on the combustion chamber ceiling surface at a position above the cylinder axis direction with a gap, when the piston is at a compression top dead center; and an inclined surface portion formed to continue to the parallel surface portion in such a way as to be directed to the ignition plug, when the piston is at a compression top dead center. The parallel surface portion and the corresponding region, in combination, constitute a squish flow generation portion generating a squish flow when the piston is lifted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 27, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Imamura, Masaki Fukuma, Yasushi Nakahara, Atsushi Inoue, Kota Matsumoto, Yoshiharu Ueki, Michiharu Kawano, Yuya Honda, Kento Onishi
  • Publication number: 20210222642
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus includes an ignition control section and an injection control section. When the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of a expansion stroke to initiate the SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes the injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. The energy of the preceding ignition is set to be higher when fuel concentration specified by a fuel concentration specification section is low than when the fuel concentration is high.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210222610
    Abstract: The invention is provided with an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes an injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Timing of the preceding ignition is set to be more retarded when an engine speed is high than when the engine speed is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20210189945
    Abstract: The invention is provided with an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes an injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Ignition timing of the preceding ignition is set to be more retarded when fuel concentration specified by a fuel concentration specification section is low than when the fuel concentration is high.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 17, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 11041457
    Abstract: A structure of a combustion chamber for an engine includes: a crown surface of a piston; a combustion chamber ceiling surface formed on a cylinder head; and an ignition plug mounted on the combustion chamber ceiling surface, and including an ignition portion disposed in such a way as to face the combustion chamber. The crown surface of the piston includes a cavity which is recessed in a cylinder axis direction in a region including a position below the ignition portion of the ignition plug in a plan view from the cylinder axis direction. A rim portion of the cavity includes a guide portion, raised in the cylinder axis direction with respect to an inner region of the rim portion, interposing the ignition portion when the piston is at a compression top dead center, and configured to guide an air-fuel mixture within the combustion chamber to the ignition portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi Imamura, Masaki Fukuma, Yasushi Nakahara, Atsushi Inoue, Kota Matsumoto, Yoshiharu Ueki, Michiharu Kawano, Yuya Honda, Kento Onishi
  • Patent number: 11015515
    Abstract: A combustion chamber structure for an engine includes a combustion chamber where SI combustion by spark ignition and CI combustion by self-ignition are conducted. A crown surface includes a cavity recessed to have a bowl-shape; a pair of first raised portions having a mound-shape along a pent roof shape; and a second raised portion provided to protrude at a position orthogonal to a ridge extending direction of the pair of first raised portions. With a height of the first raised portion relative to a height position of a deepest portion of the cavity being represented as H1 and a height of the second raised portion being represented as H2, H1/H2 as a ratio of the height H1 of the first raised portion to the height H2 of the second raised portion is set to be in a range of 1.92 or more and 2.75 or less.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 25, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Satoshi Imamura, Masaki Fukuma, Yasushi Nakahara, Atsushi Inoue, Kota Matsumoto, Michiharu Kawano, Yuya Honda, Futa Nishi
  • Publication number: 20210115839
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus includes an ignition control section and an injection control section. When partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the ignition control section causes an ignition plug to carry out: main ignition in which a spark is generated in a late period of a compression stroke or an initial period of an expansion stroke to initiate the SI combustion; and preceding ignition in which the spark is generated at earlier timing than the main ignition. Also, when the partial compression ignition combustion is carried out, the injection control section causes the injector to inject fuel at such timing that the fuel exists in a cylinder at an earlier time point than the preceding ignition. Energy of the preceding ignition is set to be higher when an engine speed is high than when the engine speed is low.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2019
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Kota MATSUMOTO, Tomonori URUSHIHARA, Keiji MARUYAMA, Masanari SUEOKA, Ryohei ONO, Yuji HARADA, Toru MIYAMOTO, Atsushi INOUE, Tatsuhiro TOKUNAGA, Takuya OHURA, Yusuke KAWAI, Tomohiro NISHIDA, Keita ARAI, Yodai YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 10982615
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an engine includes an engine, a state quantity setting device, a spark plug, and a controller. The spark plug ignites air-fuel mixture at predetermined ignition timing so that unburned air-fuel mixture combusts by autoignition after start of combustion of the air-fuel mixture by the ignition, and the controller adjusts a heat amount ratio in accordance with an operation state of the engine through change of the ignition timing, the heat amount ratio representing an index associated with a ratio of an amount of heat generated when the air-fuel mixture combusts by flame propagation with respect to a total amount of heat generated when the air-fuel mixture combusts in the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kota Matsumoto, Tomonori Urushihara, Atsushi Inoue, Yusuke Kawai, Toru Miyamoto, Yudai Koshiro
  • Patent number: 10914244
    Abstract: A control device of an engine including a cylinder, a piston, a cylinder head, and a combustion chamber is provided, which includes intake and exhaust ports, a swirl control valve provided in an intake passage connected to the intake port, a fuel injection valve attached to the cylinder head to be oriented into the center of the combustion chamber in a plan view thereof, and having first and second nozzle ports, and a control unit. The control unit includes a processor configured to execute a swirl opening controlling module to output the control signal to the swirl control valve to have a given opening at which a swirl ratio inside the combustion chamber becomes 2 or above, and a fuel injection timing controlling module to output the control signal to the fuel injector to inject fuel at a given timing at which the swirl ratio becomes 2 or above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kota Matsumoto, Tomonori Urushihara, Masanari Sueoka, Keiji Maruyama, Toru Miyamoto, Yudai Koshiro, Gyetae Pak
  • Patent number: 10907550
    Abstract: This control apparatus of an engine includes an engine, a state quantity setting device, an injector, a spark plug, and a controller. The controller outputs a control signal to the spark plug at a predetermined ignition timing such that, after air-fuel mixture is ignited and combustion is started, unburned air-fuel mixture is combusted by autoignition, and the controller advances an ignition timing when the temperature before start of compression in a combustion chamber is to be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inoue, Masanari Sueoka, Kota Matsumoto, Tomonori Urushihara
  • Patent number: 10895208
    Abstract: A control system for a compression-ignition engine is provided, which includes an engine configured to combust a mixture gas inside a combustion chamber by compression ignition, a fuel injector attached to the engine, a state function adjusting part attached to the engine and configured to adjust at least introduction of fresh air into the combustion chamber, a three-way catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the engine, a wall temperature acquiring part configured to acquire a parameter related to a temperature of a wall of the combustion chamber, and a controller. A swirl flow is generated inside the combustion chamber to circle along the wall. When the wall temperature of the combustion chamber is below a given wall temperature, the controller sets an air-fuel ratio of the mixture gas substantially to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio so as to remain within a purification window of the three-way catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inoue, Masanari Sueoka, Kota Matsumoto, Keiji Maruyama
  • Patent number: 10895214
    Abstract: A control system for a compression-ignition engine is provided, which includes the engine, a spark plug, a fuel injection valve, an air-fuel ratio control valve, and a control unit. A geometric compression ratio of the engine is 14:1 or above. The control unit includes a processor configured to execute an air-fuel ratio controlling module for, when the engine being in a given operating state is detected, controlling the air-fuel ratio control valve to bring the air-fuel ratio of the entire mixture gas to a given lean air-fuel ratio that is larger than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and an spark plug controlling module for, after this control, outputting the control signal to the spark plug to perform the ignition at a given ignition timing so that the mixture gas starts combustion by flame propagation and then unburned mixture gas self-ignites. The given ignition timing is stored in a memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inoue, Masanari Sueoka, Kota Matsumoto, Keiji Maruyama
  • Publication number: 20200378335
    Abstract: A structure of a combustion chamber for an engine includes a crown surface of a piston, a cylinder wall surface, a combustion chamber ceiling surface, and an ignition plug which includes an ignition portion. The crown surface of the piston includes: a cavity recessed in the cylinder axis direction; a parallel surface portion which is in parallel to a corresponding region on the combustion chamber ceiling surface at a position above the cylinder axis direction with a gap, when the piston is at a compression top dead center; and an inclined surface portion formed to continue to the parallel surface portion in such a way as to be directed to the ignition plug, when the piston is at a compression top dead center. The parallel surface portion and the corresponding region, in combination, constitute a squish flow generation portion generating a squish flow when the piston is lifted.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: December 3, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Satoshi IMAMURA, Masaki FUKUMA, Yasushi NAKAHARA, Atsushi INOUE, Kota MATSUMOTO, Yoshiharu UEKI, Michiharu KAWANO, Yuya HONDA, Kento ONISHI