Patents by Inventor Masaaki Yamaguchi

Masaaki Yamaguchi 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).

  • Publication number: 20210115882
    Abstract: A vehicle including: an engine; an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communication pipe by which an exhaust pipe of the engine and an intake pipe of the engine communicating, and a valve that is provided in the communication pipe; and a control device configured to control the engine, to control the valve based on a target opening of the valve, to perform automatic stopping of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic stopping condition, and to perform automatic starting of the engine based on satisfaction of an automatic starting condition. The control device is configured to prohibit automatic stopping of the engine when it is determined that foreign matter is caught in the valve through catching diagnosis which is diagnosis of whether foreign matter is caught in the valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: April 22, 2021
    Inventors: Hisayuki ITOH, Koji ICHIKAWA, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu KATO
  • Patent number: 10961898
    Abstract: A cooling device includes an inner passage, an outer passage, an engine-driven pump, an electromagnetic control valve, and a driving circuit that regulates current flowing through the electromagnetic control valve by activating and deactivating a switching element. A cooling controller for the cooling device includes a processing circuit configured to execute an operation process for operating, when the engine-driven pump is driven, the switching element by setting a duty cycle of an activation time to a switching cycle, which is a reciprocal of a switching frequency of the switching element, to be a larger value when a temperature of the internal combustion engine is low than when the temperature is high and a cycle varying process for setting a longer switching cycle when the temperature of the internal combustion engine is less than a preset temperature than when the temperature is greater than or equal to the preset temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignees: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Naoto Hisaminato, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Ando, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Takahiko Aoyagi, Hirotaka Watanabe
  • Publication number: 20210087964
    Abstract: An engine cooling device has a mechanical water pump, a flow rate control valve having a valve body of which a relative rotational position is changed by a motor, and a control unit that performs drive control of the motor to change the relative rotational position of the valve body to a target relative rotational position. The control unit performs protection control for setting the relative rotational position where a withstanding pressure limit rotational speed is equal to or higher than a current engine rotational speed, as a target operating position of the valve body of the flow rate control valve when the engine rotational speed rises, and performs retreat control for reducing a set range of the target relative rotational position to a prescribed retreat operation range when the supply voltage of the in-vehicle electric power supply has dropped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 19, 2020
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru TAKAGI, Kazuki KATO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Toshio TAKAOKA
  • Patent number: 10927747
    Abstract: A cooling system of an internal combustion engine includes an adjustment valve configured to adjust a flow rate of a cooling liquid discharged from a water jacket. A controller for the cooling system includes circuitry configured to execute flow-restriction control that controls the adjustment valve to restrict discharge of the cooling liquid from the water jacket, thereby increasing temperature of an engine body. The circuitry is configured to execute the flow-restriction control so that temperature of the cooling liquid in the water jacket at which the flow-restriction control is terminated is lower when an ambient pressure is low than when the ambient pressure is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Naoto Hisaminato, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Andoh, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Furuya
  • Patent number: 10927748
    Abstract: A flow passage device includes a circulation flow passage, a swing valve provided in the circulation flow passage, an energizing part, and a lock mechanism including a lock pin. The lock pin is configured so as to hinder the swing valve from opening, and to allow the swing valve to open. The swing valve is configured so as to rotate from a first valve position to a second valve position. The lock mechanism is configured so as to set a locked state and to set an unlocked state. The lock pin is configured so as to protrude as being energized by pressure of the fluid on an upstream side of the swing valve, and to retract as being energized by pressure of the fluid on a downstream side of the swing valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignees: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi Yoshida, Naoto Yumisashi, Koji Nunami, Masahiro Yoshida, Hirotaka Watanabe, Takahiko Aoyagi, Noboru Takagi, Hirokazu Kato, Rihito Kaneko, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Publication number: 20210033059
    Abstract: An engine controller includes an ignition timing control unit and a rich imbalance determining unit. The rich imbalance determining unit designates one of multiple cylinders as a subject cylinder for determination and executes lean active control that commands a smaller amount of fuel injection for the subject cylinder than for the other cylinders. The rich imbalance determining unit determines whether an air-fuel ratio of the subject cylinder deviates to be richer based on a rotational fluctuation amount of a crankshaft during the execution of the lean active control. The ignition timing control unit executes an advancement limiting process that limits advancement of the ignition timing by the knock control during the execution of the lean active control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 29, 2020
    Publication date: February 4, 2021
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Norihito HANAI, Takayuki HOSOGI, Kenji SENDA, Rihito KANEKO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Patent number: 10851757
    Abstract: A CPU advances ignition timing within a range in which knocking can be suppressed by feedback control based on an output signal of a knocking sensor. The CPU sets the igniting timing based on a feedback adjustment amount and a learning value. The CPU limits timing advancing update of the learning value when an exhaust pressure is higher than or equal to a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki Hosogi, Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Senda, Norihito Hanai, Hisayuki Ito, Masaaki Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 10808597
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a water jacket, a cooling water pump as a cooling liquid pump, and an adjusting valve. A control device for the internal combustion engine executes the water stoppage control of increasing the temperature of the engine body by limiting the discharge of the cooling liquid from the water jacket by the adjusting valve, and an automatic stop and automatic startup control of automatically stopping and automatically starting the internal combustion engine. The control device increases the fuel injection amount for automatically starting the internal combustion engine in a case where the water stoppage control is being executed when the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped as compared with a case where the water stoppage control is not being executed when the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshihiro Furuya, Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Ando, Mitsuru Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 10794478
    Abstract: A washer having such a thickness t that a value (L3?(L1+L2+t)) obtained by subtracting the sum of a first distance L1 in an axial direction between a leading end face of a friction member and a face of a lockup piston, a second distance L2 in the axial direction between a shell-side abutting face of a pump shell and a face of an outside extended portion of an output hub, and the thickness t in the axial direction of the washer, from a third distance L3 in the axial direction between an opposed face of a front cover and a cover-side abutting face of a tubular portion, is in a predetermined range larger than zero, is selected and placed between the lockup piston and the outside extended portion of the output hub.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignees: AISIN AW INDUSTRIES CO., LTD, AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi Muneda, Takao Shimada, Fumimasa Kasashima, Keigo Goto, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Kazuyoshi Ito, Kensuke Sakamoto, Takayuki Miyaoka
  • Publication number: 20200158000
    Abstract: A flow passage device includes a circulation flow passage, a swing valve provided in the circulation flow passage, an energizing part, and a lock mechanism including a lock pin. The lock pin is configured so as to hinder the swing valve from opening, and to allow the swing valve to open. The swing valve is configured so as to rotate from a first valve position to a second valve position. The lock mechanism is configured so as to set a locked state and to set an unlocked state. The lock pin is configured so as to protrude as being energized by pressure of the fluid on an upstream side of the swing valve, and to retract as being energized by pressure of the fluid on a downstream side of the swing valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 15, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicants: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masafumi YOSHIDA, Naoto YUMISASHI, Koji NUNAMI, Masahiro YOSHIDA, Hirotaka WATANABE, Takahiko AOYAGI, Noboru TAKAGI, Hirokazu KATO, Rihito KANEKO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20200157999
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a pump, a radiator, a flow rate adjustment valve, a bypass passage, and a controller. The flow rate adjustment valve includes a valve member that rotates to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve and a valve member biasing component that biases the valve member in a valve-closing direction in which the open degree decreases. The valve member rotates in a valve-opening direction in which the open degree increases when a pressure difference increases between positions upstream and downstream of the valve member in a flow direction of coolant in the circulation circuit and rotate in the valve-closing direction when the pressure difference decreases. The controller increases the pump discharge amount as a target radiator flow rate that is a target of an amount of coolant passing through the radiator increases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru TAKAGI, Hirokazu KATO, Rihito KANEKO, Naoto HISAMINATO, Hirokazu ANDO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Hirotaka WATANABE, Masahiro YOSHIDA, Koji NUNAMI, Naoto YUMISASHI, Masafumi YOSHIDA, Takahiko AOYAGI
  • Publication number: 20200158254
    Abstract: A cooling apparatus includes a circulation circuit, a pump, a flow rate adjustment valve, and a controller. The flow rate adjustment valve includes a valve member that rotates to change an open degree of the flow rate adjustment valve and a stopper that moves between a restriction position and a retraction position. The controller is configured to execute, when maintaining the open degree of the flow rate adjustment, a preparatory process of moving the stopper to the restriction position after arranging the stopper at the retraction position and arranging the valve member further in the valve-closing direction than the stopper through control of the pump discharge amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2019
    Publication date: May 21, 2020
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru TAKAGI, Hirokazu KATO, Rihito KANEKO, Naoto HISAMINATO, Hirokazu ANDO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Hirotaka WATANABE, Takahiko AOYAGI, Masahiro YOSHIDA, Koji NUNAMI, Naoto YUMISASHI, Masafumi YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 10619554
    Abstract: A coolant circuit of an engine cooling apparatus includes a first passage where coolant flows through a radiator and a second passage where coolant flows without passing through the radiator. A coolant control valve controls a first passage flow rate Frad and a second passage flow rate Fsec. An outlet coolant temperature sensor detects an outlet coolant temperature Tout, which is a coolant temperature before a branching point of the first passage and the second passage. An inlet coolant temperature sensor detects an inlet coolant temperature Tin, which is a coolant temperature after a merging point of the first passage and the second passage. A coolant temperature estimator calculates a radiator coolant temperature Trad, which is a coolant temperature at a coolant exit of the radiator, when the first passage flow rate Frad is greater than or equal to a specified flow rate using equation (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Takagi, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Rihito Kaneko, Hirokazu Ando, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Furuya
  • Publication number: 20200032762
    Abstract: A CPU advances ignition timing within a range in which knocking can be suppressed by feedback control based on an output signal of a knocking sensor. The CPU sets the igniting timing based on a feedback adjustment amount and a learning value. The CPU limits timing advancing update of the learning value when an exhaust pressure is higher than or equal to a threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Publication date: January 30, 2020
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takayuki HOSOGI, Rihito KANEKO, Kenji SENDA, Norihito HANAI, Hisayuki ITO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20190383202
    Abstract: A cooling device includes an inner passage, an outer passage, an engine-driven pump, an electromagnetic control valve, and a driving circuit that regulates current flowing through the electromagnetic control valve by activating and deactivating a switching element. A cooling controller for the cooling device includes a processing circuit configured to execute an operation process for operating, when the engine-driven pump is driven, the switching element by setting a duty cycle of an activation time to a switching cycle, which is a reciprocal of a switching frequency of the switching element, to be a larger value when a temperature of the internal combustion engine is low than when the temperature is high and a cycle varying process for setting a longer switching cycle when the temperature of the internal combustion engine is less than a preset temperature than when the temperature is greater than or equal to the preset temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 12, 2019
    Publication date: December 19, 2019
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru TAKAGI, Naoto HISAMINATO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu ANDO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Takahiko AOYAGI, Hirotaka WATANABE
  • Patent number: 10508588
    Abstract: A cooling device includes: an air blast passage; a heater core that is disposed in the air blast passage; an air blast volume adjusting member that is opened and closed to adjust an air blast volume which flows in the heater core; a flow rate adjuster that adjusts a flow rate of the coolant which is introduced into the heater core; and a controller. The controller sets the flow rate of the coolant which is adjusted by the flow rate adjuster to be less than a lower limit value of an adjustable range of the flow rate of the coolant which is adjusted by the flow rate adjuster in a vehicle compartment air-conditioning state in which the air blast volume adjusting member allows an air blast to flow to the heater core when the air blast volume adjusting member fully closes the heater core side of the air blast passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Naoto Hisaminato, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Andoh, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Furuya
  • Publication number: 20190186630
    Abstract: A washer having such a thickness t that a value (L3?(L1+L2+t)) obtained by subtracting the sum of a first distance L1 in an axial direction between a leading end face of a friction member and a face of a lockup piston, a second distance L2 in the axial direction between a shell-side abutting face of a pump shell and a face of an outside extended portion of an output hub, and the thickness t in the axial direction of the washer, from a third distance L3 in the axial direction between an opposed face of a front cover and a cover-side abutting face of a tubular portion, is in a predetermined range larger than zero, is selected and placed between the lockup piston and the outside extended portion of the output hub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicants: AISIN AW INDUSTRIES CO., LTD, AISIN AW CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kenichi MUNEDA, Takao SHIMADA, Fumimasa KASASHIMA, Keigo GOTO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Kazuyoshi ITO, Kensuke SAKAMOTO, Takayuki MIYAOKA
  • Publication number: 20190093546
    Abstract: A coolant circuit of an engine cooling apparatus includes a first passage where coolant flows through a radiator and a second passage where coolant flows without passing through the radiator. A coolant control valve controls a first passage flow rate Frad and a second passage flow rate Fsec. An outlet coolant temperature sensor detects an outlet coolant temperature Tout, which is a coolant temperature before a branching point of the first passage and the second passage. An inlet coolant temperature sensor detects an inlet coolant temperature Tin, which is a coolant temperature after a merging point of the first passage and the second passage. A coolant temperature estimator calculates a radiator coolant temperature Trad, which is a coolant temperature at a coolant exit of the radiator, when the first passage flow rate Frad is greater than or equal to a specified flow rate using equation (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 12, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Noboru TAKAGI, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Rihito KANEKO, Hirokazu ANDO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI, Yoshihiro FURUYA
  • Publication number: 20190078496
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a water jacket, a cooling water pump as a cooling liquid pump, and an adjusting valve. A control device for the internal combustion engine executes the water stoppage control of increasing the temperature of the engine body by limiting the discharge of the cooling liquid from the water jacket by the adjusting valve, and an automatic stop and automatic startup control of automatically stopping and automatically starting the internal combustion engine. The control device increases the fuel injection amount for automatically starting the internal combustion engine in a case where the water stoppage control is being executed when the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped as compared with a case where the water stoppage control is not being executed when the internal combustion engine is automatically stopped.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 7, 2018
    Publication date: March 14, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshihiro FURUYA, Rihito KANEKO, Noboru TAKAGI, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu ANDO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI
  • Publication number: 20190017451
    Abstract: An ignition timing control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit configured to i) perform determination as to whether knocking has occurred in the engine; ii) update a first learning value and a second learning value such that the ignition timing is retarded when determining that knocking has occurred; and iii) derive, as a required ignition timing, a timing obtained by retarding a base ignition timing based on the first and second learning values. The electronic control unit is configured to update the second learning value within a range in which an update amount of the second learning value within a prescribed period set in advance does not exceed a prescribed amount, when updating the second learning value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 10, 2018
    Publication date: January 17, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kenji SENDA, Rihito KANEKO, Masaya SUNAGO, Takayuki HOSOGI, Norihito HANAI, Hisayuki ITO, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI