Patents by Inventor Takenori Saoda

Takenori Saoda 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: 9163551
    Abstract: The character or nature of cooling water is correctly estimated. A cooling system for an internal combustion engine includes a radiator, a bypass passage which bypasses the radiator, a thermostat, and a control unit which changes a valve opening temperature of the thermostat. The cooling system for the internal combustion engine further includes an estimating unit which forbids valve opening of the thermostat and which estimates the character of the cooling water on the basis of temperature transition of the cooling water provided in this state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2015
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichiro Nakatani, Akira Yamashita, Takenori Saoda
  • Publication number: 20130298850
    Abstract: The character or nature of cooling water is correctly estimated. A cooling system for an internal combustion engine includes a radiator, a bypass passage which bypasses the radiator, a thermostat, and a control unit which changes a valve opening temperature of the thermostat. The cooling system for the internal combustion engine further includes an estimating unit which forbids valve opening of the thermostat and which estimates the character of the cooling water on the basis of temperature transition of the cooling water provided in this state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2011
    Publication date: November 14, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichiro Nakatani, Akira YAMASHITA, Takenori Saoda
  • Patent number: 8555615
    Abstract: In a control method of an internal combustion engine exhaust gas control system which is applied to a hybrid vehicle that is powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, an exhaust throttle valve, provided downstream of an exhaust gas control catalyst, is controlled to reduce its opening amount to a target opening amount when it is determined that warm-up control of the internal combustion engine needs to be executed. Next, a target injection quantity of fuel necessary to increase the temperature of exhaust gas flowing into the internal combustion engine to a target exhaust gas temperature is calculated. Then, assist torque from the electric motor is adjusted so that the sum of torque from the internal combustion engine when the fuel injection quantity has been set to the target injection quantity and the assist torque substantially equals a required torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Murata, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda
  • Publication number: 20130220242
    Abstract: An opening and closing condition of a thermostat is optimized. In a cooling system for an internal combustion engine in which a cooling water, in which its specific heat becomes larger at a predetermined temperature than at other temperatures, is caused to circulates through a cooling water passage, there are provided a radiator, a bypass passage that bypasses the radiator, and a thermostat that interrupts the circulation of the cooling water to the radiator and circulates the cooling water to the bypass passage when it closes, and circulates the cooling water to at least the radiator when it opens, wherein the thermostat is set to open at the time when the temperature of the cooling water is higher than a predetermined temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Publication date: August 29, 2013
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichiro Nakatani, Akira Yamashita, Takenori Saoda
  • Patent number: 8494698
    Abstract: A hybrid system control apparatus is provided in which an intercooler is disposed upstream of the motor cooling radiator in a flow path of the ambient air flowing in an engine compartment, and/or is disposed such that at least a portion of the intercooler and a portion of the motor cooling radiator contact each other. The hybrid system control apparatus includes a warm-up portion that increases temperature of the boost air by controlling a load of the engine in cold start of a hybrid system such that the boost pressure from the forced air induction device is equal to or higher than a target boost pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Murata, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda
  • Patent number: 8291697
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control device includes a NOx adsorber catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage, an EGR passage, a reducing agent adding device, a torque fluctuation reducing device, and a fuel injection device. The EGR passage draws a portion of exhaust gas from the exhaust passage downstream of the NOx adsorber catalyst and recirculates the exhaust gas into the intake passage. The reducing agent adding device adds a reducing agent to exhaust gas upstream of the NOx adsorber catalyst to reduce substances adsorbed by the NOx adsorber catalyst. When or after the reducing agent adding device adds the reducing agent, the torque fluctuation reducing device advances the timing of the fuel injection device or carries out a pilot injection to reduce a fluctuation in engine torque. The reducing agent adding device adds less reducing agent while the torque fluctuation reducing device is operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isao Matsumoto, Takenori Saoda, Naofumi Magarida, Hiroki Murata, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga
  • Patent number: 8051659
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an exhaust gas recirculation unit; an intercooler that is provided in the intake passage, at a position downstream of a position to which the exhaust gas is recirculated back; a bypass passage through which an intake air flow bypasses the intercooler. When it is determined that the pH of the condensed water obtained from the exhaust gas is at the level at which the intercooler corrodes in the state where the exhaust gas is recirculated back by the exhaust gas recirculation unit, the control apparatus executes a control for cutting off an intake air flow toward the intercooler to direct the intake air flow only to the bypass passage. Thus, it is possible to ensure reliability of the intercooler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 8, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akira Yamashita, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Hiroki Murata, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda
  • Publication number: 20100126142
    Abstract: In a control method of an internal combustion engine exhaust gas control system which is applied to a hybrid vehicle that is powered by an internal combustion engine and an electric motor, an exhaust throttle valve, provided downstream of an exhaust gas control catalyst, is controlled to reduce its opening amount to a target opening amount when it is determined that warm-up control of the internal combustion engine needs to be executed. Next, a target injection quantity of fuel necessary to increase the temperature of exhaust gas flowing into the internal combustion engine to a target exhaust gas temperature is calculated. Then, assist torque from the electric motor is adjusted so that the sum of torque from the internal combustion engine when the fuel injection quantity has been set to the target injection quantity and the assist torque substantially equals a required torque.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Publication date: May 27, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroki Murata, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda
  • Publication number: 20100121508
    Abstract: A hybrid system control apparatus is provided in which an intercooler (15) is disposed upstream of the motor cooling radiator (70) in a flow path of the ambient air flowing in an engine compartment, and/or is disposed such that at least a portion of the intercooler and a portion of the motor cooling radiator contact each other. The hybrid system control apparatus includes a warm-up portion (60) that increases temperature of the boost air by controlling a load of the engine in cold start of a hybrid system (1) such that the boost pressure from the forced air induction device is equal to or higher than a target boost pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2008
    Publication date: May 13, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroki Murata, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda
  • Publication number: 20100018187
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control device includes a NOx adsorber catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage, an EGR passage, a reducing agent adding device, a torque fluctuation reducing device, and a fuel injection device. The EGR passage draws a portion of exhaust gas from the exhaust passage downstream of the NOx adsorber catalyst and recirculates the exhaust gas into the intake passage. The reducing agent adding device adds a reducing agent to exhaust gas upstream of the NOx adsorber catalyst to reduce substances adsorbed by the NOx adsorber catalyst. When or after the reducing agent adding device adds the reducing agent, the torque fluctuation reducing device advances the timing of the fuel injection device or carries out a pilot injection to reduce a fluctuation in engine torque. The reducing agent adding device adds less reducing agent while the torque fluctuation reducing device is operating.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 4, 2008
    Publication date: January 28, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Isao Matsumoto, Takenori Saoda, Naofumi Magarida, Hiroki Murata, Akira Yamashita, Hiroyuki Haga
  • Publication number: 20090308071
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an exhaust gas recirculation unit; an intercooler that is provided in the intake passage, at a position downstream of a position to which the exhaust gas is recirculated back; a bypass passage through which an intake air flow bypasses the intercooler. When it is determined that the pH of the condensed water obtained from the exhaust gas is at the level at which the intercooler corrodes in the state where the exhaust gas is recirculated back by the exhaust gas recirculation unit, the control apparatus executes a control for cutting off an intake air flow toward the intercooler to direct the intake air flow only to the bypass passage. Thus, it is possible to ensure reliability of the intercooler.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 5, 2008
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akira Yamashita, Isao Matsumoto, Naofumi Magarida, Hiroki Murata, Hiroyuki Haga, Takenori Saoda