Patents by Inventor Kouzi Ohara

Kouzi Ohara 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: 7673615
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes: calculating 15-degrees integrated value integrating vibration intensity for each of six crank angle ranges; detecting an amount of change in the 15-degrees integrated value between ignition cycles; specifying two ranges having larger amounts of change; specifying a crank angle having intensity larger than that of a neighboring crank angle in a search range determined to be the same as the specified ranges; calculating a coefficient of correlation K corresponding to a difference between a vibration waveform and a knock waveform model while the specified crank angle is matched with a timing at which intensity peaks in the knock waveform model; and, if the coefficient of correlation K is larger than a threshold value K(0), determining that knock has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuhei Oe, Kouzi Ohara, Satoshi Masuda, Yuuichi Takemura, Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Norihito Hanai, Yasuhiro Yamasako
  • Publication number: 20080262705
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes: calculating 15-degrees integrated value integrating vibration intensity for each of six crank angle ranges; detecting an amount of change in the 15-degrees integrated value between ignition cycles; specifying two ranges having larger amounts of change; specifying a crank angle having intensity larger than that of a neighboring crank angle in a search range determined to be the same as the specified ranges; calculating a coefficient of correlation K corresponding to a difference between a vibration waveform and a knock waveform model while the specified crank angle is matched with a timing at which intensity peaks in the knock waveform model; and, if the coefficient of correlation K is larger than a threshold value K(0), determining that knock has occurred.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken Inc.
    Inventors: Shuhei Oe, Kouzi Ohara, Satoshi Masuda, Yuuichi Takemura, Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Norihito Hanai, Yasuhiro Yamasako
  • Patent number: 7206691
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including a step of calculating a knock intensity N as based on comparing a waveform detected as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking with a knock waveform model stored in a memory as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking for crank angles except for crank angles where a magnitude of a vibration not attributed to knocking is greater than a predetermined magnitude, a step of determining that the engine knocks if knock intensity N is larger than a predetermined reference value, and a step of determining that the engine does not knock if knock intensity N is not larger than a predetermined reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Kouzi Ohara, Kiyoshi Iwade, Shuhei Oe, Yuichi Takemura, Shigeru Kamio
  • Publication number: 20060142925
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including a step of calculating a knock intensity N as based on comparing a waveform detected as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking with a knock waveform model stored in a memory as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking for crank angles except for crank angles where a magnitude of a vibration not attributed to knocking is greater than a predetermined magnitude, a step of determining that the engine knocks if knock intensity N is larger than a predetermined reference value, and a step of determining that the engine does not knock if knock intensity N is not larger than a predetermined reference value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 22, 2005
    Publication date: June 29, 2006
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Kouzi Ohara, Kiyoshi Iwade, Shuhei Oe, Yuichi Takemura, Shigeru Kamio
  • Patent number: 5970963
    Abstract: An apparatus for preventing flow noise which suppresses the noise caused at the time of opening of a throttle valve provided in an intake passage of an internal combustion engine etc. At the downstream side of a pair of clearances formed at the top and bottom when the throttle valve opens, a means is provided acting on the flows of air passing through at least one of the clearances to reduce the flow rate and acting on the flows to cause the point of convergence of the flows of air passing through the pair of clearances to shift to the downstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 1998
    Date of Patent: October 26, 1999
    Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Nakase, Kouzi Ohara, Tokio Kohama, Kenji Kanehara, Kenichi Yamamoto, Yoshihiro Miyaji
  • Patent number: 5692052
    Abstract: An engine rotating speed sensor detects intake sound information due to the drive of an engine. A controller generates a signal having a frequency corresponding to a desired ratio of orders based on the detected intake sound information. Further, a phase and an amplitude the signal are controlled, and so a speaker arranged in a propagation path of the intake sound of the engine generates control sound to control the intake sound due to the drive of the engine. An engine noise control apparatus which is capable of effectively reducing or waveform-reshaping a wide range of engine noise. The apparatus has an engine rotating speed sensor for detecting an engine rotating speed and a waveform generator circuit for converting a rotation pulse signal to a periodic signal having a frequency which is a predetermined multiple of the detected engine rotating speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: November 25, 1997
    Assignees: Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Tanaka, Yoshitaka Nishio, Tokio Kohama, Satoshi Kameyama, Kouzi Ohara, Masanori Kato
  • Patent number: 5571239
    Abstract: A noise control apparatus has a thermal-type air flow meter for detecting engine load, an engine speed sensor for detecting engine speed, and an intake temperature sensor for detecting intake temperature. The engine load is detected based on the surging components of the signal from the air flow meter. An intake pipe is provided with a speaker that produces a noise control wave in accordance with a control signal from a controller. The controller has a memory that stores map data for noise control waves that are equal in sound pressure but opposite in phase with respect to intake noise. The map data regarding sound pressure and phase correspond to the engine load and speed on the basis of a reference temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yasutoshi Kameda, Yoshitaka Nishio, Katsuyuki Tanaka, Naoya Kato, Kouzi Ohara
  • Patent number: 5446790
    Abstract: A device for cancelling annoying sounds caused by operation of an internal combustion engine. An intake sound of the engine, and also a rotational speed of the engine, are obtained. The phase difference between the present intake sound and a desired intake sound is obtained using map data. The map data depends on the rotational speed of the engine and is specifically calculated so that at least the (n+0.5) harmonics (n integer.gtoreq.0) are cancelled. The phase data is used to drive a ceramic speaker or two oppositely directed ceramic speakers, to appropriately compensate the input sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 29, 1995
    Assignee: Nippondenso Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Katsuyuki Tanaka, Masanori Kato, Kouzi Ohara, Tokio Kohama, Yoshitaka Nishio