Patents by Inventor Rihito Kaneko

Rihito Kaneko 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: 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
  • Patent number: 10287968
    Abstract: An engine cooling system includes a coolant circuit, a multi-way valve, a relief route and a relief valve. The coolant circuit includes a first route and a second route into which the coolant circuit is branched off at a branched position. The first route passes through a radiator. The multi-way valve is provided at the branched position. The relief route sets a relief source to a portion downstream of a pump and upstream of the multi-way valve in the coolant circuit, sets a relief destination to a portion downstream of the radiator in the first route, and causes coolant to flow from the relief source to the relief destination so as to bypass the multi-way valve. The relief valve interrupts circulation of coolant through the relief route when the relief valve is closed, and permits circulation of coolant through the relief route when the relief valve is open.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Naoya Kawamoto, Kenji Kimura, Shinji Yumi
  • Patent number: 10253678
    Abstract: An engine cooling apparatus includes a mechanical water pump having a suction hole and N discharge holes (N is an integer not less than two), N water jackets that are arranged in an engine and correspond to the N discharge holes, N joint passages, each of which joins one of the N discharge holes to the associated water jacket, a return passage that returns coolant to the suction hole after the coolant has passed through the N water jackets and has merged in a merging portion, a coolant stopping mechanism that blocks return flow of coolant through the return passage, and N communication passages each of which allows the corresponding one of the N joint passages to communicate with the suction hole while bypassing the N water jackets and the coolant stopping mechanism.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Takashi Matsutani, Naoto Hisaminato, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Ando
  • 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
  • Patent number: 10227910
    Abstract: A cooling device for an engine includes a radiator route passing through a radiator, that are merged together after being branched on the downstream side from the inside of the engine in a coolant circuit configured to allow a coolant to flow from a pump through the inside of the engine and return to the pump. An at-stop control section provided in the cooling device controls a multiway valve that has three discharge ports, including a radiator port connected to the radiator route, so as to close the radiator port and open at least one of the other discharge ports when an ignition switch is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Hidetoshi Onoda
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20190010857
    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: Application
    Filed: June 6, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru TAKAGI, Naoto HISAMINATO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu ANDOH, Masaaki YAMAGUCHI, Yoshihiro FURUYA
  • Patent number: 10156199
    Abstract: A drive control circuitry and an electronic control circuitry for controlling energization of a plurality of fuel injection valves. The plurality of fuel injection valves including a second fuel injection valve currently injecting fuel and a first fuel injection valve which, of the plurality of fuel injection valves, was last energized before the second fuel injection valve. When an energization start interval between a start of energization of the first fuel injection valve and a start of energization of the second fuel injection valve is longer than or equal to a peak reaching time of the first fuel injection valve, an energization time of the second fuel injection valve is extended as the energization start interval reduces. When the energization start interval is shorter than the peak reaching time, the energization time of the second fuel injection valve is reduced as the energization start interval reduces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Eiji Murase, Rihito Kaneko, Masanao Idogawa
  • Publication number: 20180347445
    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: Application
    Filed: April 24, 2018
    Publication date: December 6, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Naoto Hisaminato, Mitsuru Yamaguchi, Hirokazu Andoh, Masaaki Yamaguchi, Yoshihiro Furuya
  • Publication number: 20180266305
    Abstract: An engine cooling system includes a coolant circulation path, which circulates coolant between the water jacket and the radiator of an internal combustion engine, a pump, a control valve, which is provided in the coolant circulation path, and a controller. The controller executes a warming-up promotion control and a pressure relaxation control. In the pressure relaxation control, the controller controls the aperture ratio of the radiator port such that the lower the temperature of the radiator, the lower becomes the engine rotational speed at which the aperture ratio of the radiator port is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 20, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoya KAWAMOTO, Rihito KANEKO, Hirokazu ANDO, Yusuke NIWA
  • Patent number: 9964018
    Abstract: When both a position sensor and a motor malfunction, an ECU limits the engine rotation speed to such a speed range that the pressure inside a circulation route remains at or below a predetermined value even when the opening degree of a control valve is a minimum opening degree. When the position sensor is malfunction but the motor is not malfunction, the ECU relaxes the limits on the engine rotation speed, compared with when both the position sensor and the motor are malfunction, by driving the motor to an end of a motion range thereof and increasing the opening degree of the control valve to an opening degree larger than the minimum opening degree.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Hidetoshi Onoda
  • Patent number: 9938924
    Abstract: A control device for a fuel injection valve includes a drive circuit that controls open/close operation of the fuel injection valve by passing an exciting current through a solenoid of the fuel injection valve and an ECU that reduces a peak current value as a fuel pressure in a delivery pipe at timing of a start of energization of the fuel injection valve decreases. The ECU reduces the peak current value as an amount of fuel discharged from a high-pressure fuel pump to the delivery pipe reduces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Eiji Murase, Rihito Kaneko
  • Patent number: 9926879
    Abstract: An electronic control unit that calculates an injection standby period, which is a period from an energization start point of the solenoid to a point at which the fuel injection valve opens, and adjusts an energization period of the solenoid in accordance with the calculated injection standby period. The electronic control unit of the control apparatus for a fuel injection valve then measures a reference fall detection period, which is a period from the energization start point to a reference fall detection point, and sets the injection standby period to be longer as the reference fall detection period is longer. Here, the reference fall detection point is a point at which the excitation current detected by the current detection circuit falls below a reference current value, which is smaller than a peak current value, while the excitation current decreases after reaching the peak current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomohiro Nakano, Eiji Murase, Rihito Kaneko
  • Publication number: 20180066567
    Abstract: An ECU includes a motor control unit that controls energization to a motor, and a fixation determination unit that makes a determination on fixation of a valve body. The motor drives the valve body housed in a housing of a control valve. When the fixation determination unit has determined that the valve body is fixed, the motor control unit performs fixation-time control that energizes the motor so as to drive the valve body.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru TAKAGI, Isao TAKAGI, Naoto HISAMINATO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu ANDO, Hidetoshi ONODA, Hiroshi AKEYAMA
  • Patent number: 9765722
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for an engine, the fuel injection system includes injectors and an electronic control unit. The injectors include needle valves; and the ECU is configured to: (i) execute partial lift injection and full lift injection with the injectors, the partial lift injection being injection during which the needle valve does not reach a fully-open state and the full lift injection being injection during which the needle valve reaches the fully-open state; (ii) operate the engine in a partial lift injection region where the injection of a required injection amount of a fuel is shared by the partial lift injection and the full lift injection; and (iii) perform the amount of correction of the required injection amount with respect to the injection amount shared by the full lift injection when the required injection amount is corrected while the engine is operated in the partial lift injection region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akihiko Higuchi, Tomohiro Nakano, Rihito Kaneko, Eiji Murase
  • Publication number: 20170218879
    Abstract: An engine cooling apparatus includes a mechanical water pump having a suction hole and N discharge holes (N is an integer not less than two), N water jackets that are arranged in an engine and correspond to the N discharge holes, N joint passages, each of which joins one of the N discharge holes to the associated water jacket, a return passage that returns coolant to the suction hole after the coolant has passed through the N water jackets and has merged in a merging portion, a coolant stopping mechanism that blocks return flow of coolant through the return passage, and N communication passages each of which allows the corresponding one of the N joint passages to communicate with the suction hole while bypassing the N water jackets and the coolant stopping mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 18, 2017
    Publication date: August 3, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru TAKAGI, Isao TAKAGI, Takashi MATSUTANI, Naoto HISAMINATO, Mitsuru YAMAGUCHI, Hirokazu ANDO
  • Publication number: 20170096929
    Abstract: When both a position sensor and a motor malfunction, an ECU limits the engine rotation speed to such a speed range that the pressure inside a circulation route remains at or below a predetermined value even when the opening degree of a control valve is a minimum opening degree. When the position sensor is malfunction but the motor is not malfunction, the ECU relaxes the limits on the engine rotation speed, compared with when both the position sensor and the motor are malfunction, by driving the motor to an end of a motion range thereof and increasing the opening degree of the control valve to an opening degree larger than the minimum opening degree.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2016
    Publication date: April 6, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Hidetoshi Onoda
  • Publication number: 20170074153
    Abstract: A cooling device for an engine includes a radiator route passing through a radiator, that are merged together after being branched on the downstream side from the inside of the engine in a coolant circuit configured to allow a coolant to flow from a pump through the inside of the engine and return to the pump. An at-stop control section provided in the cooling device controls a multiway valve that has three discharge ports, including a radiator port connected to the radiator route, so as to close the radiator port and open at least one of the other discharge ports when an ignition switch is turned off.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Publication date: March 16, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Rihito KANEKO, Noboru Takagi, Isao Takagi, Hidetoshi Onoda