Patents Assigned to CONTINENTAL
  • Patent number: 10273918
    Abstract: A fuel injector has a seat and at least one seat passage. The seat includes an outer tip surface through which the seat passage extends. Fin structure is provided in the outer tip surface and is constructed and arranged to increase a surface area of the outer tip surface as compared to a surface area of the outer tip surface absent the fin structure. The outer tip surface, including the fin structure, is constructed and arranged to be heated by combustion gases so that the outer tip surface reaches a temperature greater than a temperature that the outer tip surface would reach absent the fin structure, so as to cause evaporation of fuel that contacts the outer tip surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL POWERTRAIN USA, LLC
    Inventor: William James Imoehl
  • Patent number: 10267251
    Abstract: A method for determining an air mass air in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine is disclosed. A first filling equivalent is determined during a compression phase of the cylinder, wherein the first filling equivalent corresponds to a first average pressure difference in a first angle range of a crank angle in the compression phase. A second filling equivalent is determined during an expansion phase of the cylinder, wherein the second filling equivalent corresponds to a second average pressure difference in a second angle range of the crank angle of the expansion phase. A differential filling equivalent is calculated by subtracting the first filling equivalent from the second filling equivalent. The air mass in the cylinder is determined based on the differential filling equivalent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Harry Schuele, Bjoern Knorr
  • Patent number: 10270175
    Abstract: Disclosed is a battery having a positive terminal and a negative terminal and two electrical connection tongues, each tongue secured to one of the terminals thereof. The battery also includes at least one additional connection tongue secured to one of the terminals thereof, forming a radiating element with the electrical connection tongue secured to the same terminal of the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Rachid Benbouhout, Sebastien Kessler, Stephane Billy
  • Patent number: 10261720
    Abstract: A method for optimizing the use of the non-volatile memory of a motor vehicle computer, used for monitoring a functional member of the vehicle by the computer which is programmed to carry out in the course of a given cycle, during the wake-up thereof, a start-up monitoring stage, and before being put into sleep mode, a shut-down monitoring stage, the computer including a standard counter suitable to be stored in a standard unit and an on-the-fly counter suitable to be stored in an on-the-fly unit, the method including the steps of: incrementing the on-the-fly counter in order to identify a potential malfunction of the monitored functional member; comparing the on-the-fly counter with the standard counter in the course of a next monitoring stage of the computer; and generating information representing a malfunction in the case of detecting a deviation between the counters.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Stephane Eloy
  • Patent number: 10253705
    Abstract: A method for determining an amount of energy released in the working cycle of an internal combustion engine cylinder includes: (a) recording a time curve of the rotational speed of the engine crankshaft using tooth timings measured using a toothed sensor disc, (b) assigning each tooth timing to a working cycle of a selected cylinder, (c) determining a cylinder-specific average value from the tooth timings assigned to the selected cylinder, (d) determining cylinder-specific tooth timing deviations from the determined cylinder-specific average value, for the tooth timings assigned to each working cycle of the selected cylinder, (e) determining a cylinder-specific characteristic tooth timing by summing the determined tooth timing deviations, and (f) specifying the amount of energy released in the working cycle of the selected cylinder as a function of the determined cylinder-specific characteristic tooth timing, the amount of energy released being indirectly proportional to the determined cylinder-specific chara
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Gerhard Eser, Dirk Heinitz
  • Patent number: 10253739
    Abstract: A fuel injection valve includes a housing with a cavity, a valve needle, an actuator including a magnetic coil arranged in a coil casing, and an armature in the cavity. The housing includes a separation ring positioned between the armature and the coil casing and configured to lead the electromagnetic flux to the armature. The separation ring includes a first part and a second part. The first part is made of a first material and the second part is made of second material that differs from the first material. The first material and the second material are magnetic materials.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Stefano Filippi, Mauro Grandi, Francesco Lenzi, Valerio Polidori
  • Patent number: 10253719
    Abstract: A method for starting a direct-injection internal combustion engine of a vehicle includes: rotating the high-pressure injection pump by a starter; measuring fuel pressure delivered by the pump, taken at two successive compression top dead centers of the pump operating in maximum output mode; establishing the pressure gradient of the fuel, on an angular reference system, based on the two successive pressure measurements; comparing the established gradient with a predefined bijective table that respectively matches a plurality of quantities of fuel to be injected and a plurality of pressure gradients; and adapting the quantity of fuel injected during the starting phase before the engine reaches steady operating speed, depending on the result of the comparison, in order to inject a quantity of fuel that corresponds, in the predefined bijective table, to the established pressure gradient, upon authorization of the first injection given by the engine control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Claude Courtiel, Philippe Serrecchia, Renaud Andre
  • Patent number: 10253712
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a method for operating an injector of an internal combustion engine, the nozzle needle of said injector being operated by a piezo actuator by means of a servo valve. The method may include eliminating the idle travel of the piezo actuator by maintaining a permanent direct force connection between the piezo actuator and the servo valve, so that a change in force on the servo valve due to a change in pressure in the valve chamber when the servo valve is opened and closed and when the nozzle needle of the injector is closed is always transmitted to the piezo actuator as a change in force, detecting the resulting change in voltage and/or capacitance of the piezo actuator, and ascertaining parameters with which the injection quantity which is output by the injector is regulated based on the result of the detection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Hong Zhang
  • Patent number: 10253713
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines and the teachings thereof may be embodied in methods and apparatus for detecting a malfunctioning rail pressure sensor. Some embodiments may include a method for detecting a malfunctioning rail pressure sensor comprising: delivering an analog output signal characterizing the rail pressure to a control unit; generating a differential rail pressure signal as a digital output signal; delivering the differential rail pressure signal of the rail pressure sensor to the control unit; analyzing the analog output signal and the differential rail pressure signal in the control unit; and detecting a malfunctioning rail pressure sensor based on the analysis by the control unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Hans Riepl
  • Patent number: 10247141
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for determining a flow rate (Q) through an on-off valve (1) controlled by means of a pulse width modulated control signal (C) comprising a period (c) of updating the control signal and a control cycle (D), characterized in that, said control signal updating period (c) being a divisor of said control cycle (D), said method of determination comprises a determination period (d), the determination period (d) being shorter than or equal to the updating period (c) of the control signal (C) and being synchronized with the control signal (C), said determination period (d) being a period of refreshment of a determination of said flow rate (Q) through said on-off valve (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Thierry Collet
  • Patent number: 10249107
    Abstract: A method of managing faults for a vehicle engine control system, includes a plurality of monitoring or observation strategies monitoring a plurality of components and using diagnostics to detect the presence of faults in the plurality of components. For each monitoring or observation strategy, referred to as a diagnosis, if it diagnoses the presence of a fault in a component, the fault detected in the diagnosed component is stored and all the monitoring or observation strategies continue to detect the presence of faults in all of the components that they respectively monitor, but the presence of the fault in the diagnosed component is ignored so as to enable the detection of the presence of other faults, if any, in components other than the diagnosed component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Stephane Eloy, Lionel Cailler
  • Patent number: 10246067
    Abstract: A method for operating a brake system for motor vehicles comprises in a normal control mode of the system, a displacement of a piston for a pressure supply device is terminated, and inlet valves of the wheel brakes are closed in the event of a specified brake condition. The normal control mode is switched to a special control mode in the event of a specified condition for the pressure supply device. In the event of the specified brake condition in the special control mode, a displacement of the piston of the pressure supply device is terminated by outputting an actuation signal to the pressure supply device, and for at least one selected wheel brake, the corresponding inlet valve is kept open and the corresponding outlet valve is opened at least temporarily while the inlet valves of the remaining wheel brakes are closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO. OHG
    Inventor: Dieter Burkhard
  • Patent number: 10243495
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to motor vehicles. The teachings thereof may be embodied in the operation and control of an externally excited electrical generator in an on-board electrical system of a motor vehicle. An example method may include: setting the excitation voltage within the scope of regulating an actual output voltage of the generator at a predetermined setpoint output voltage of the generator; evaluating load requirements of at least one peak load consumer supplied from the on-board electrical system; identifying exceptional situations based on the load requirements; and in the event of an exceptional situation, setting an associated temporary excitation output voltage of the generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL TEVES AG & CO OHG
    Inventors: Hans Schroth, Michael Kutzner
  • Patent number: 10240546
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines in general. The teachings may be embodied in methods and devices for operating an internal combustion engine having one or more cylinders which are each assigned gas inlet valves. The method may include: in a first operating state, determining a model temperature of a gas in the intake tract cyclically for a present point in time using a predefined intake pipe model without reference to a present temperature measurement value of the gas; determining a cylinder air mass situated in a respective cylinder after closing the gas exchange valves based at least in part on the model temperature determined for the present point in time; and metering fuel into the respective cylinder based at least in part on the determined cylinder air mass. The model temperature for the present point in time depends at least in part on a model temperature determined for a preceding point in time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 29, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Thomas Burkhardt, Juergen Dingl
  • Patent number: 10241196
    Abstract: A ladar sensor assembly includes a semiconductor laser and a diffusing optic for illuminating a field of view utilizing modulated laser light from the semiconductor laser. A lens is configured to receive the modulated laser light reflected off at least one object. An array of light sensitive detectors are configured to receive the modulated laser light received by the lens. The assembly further includes at least one piezoelectric actuator operatively connected to the lens for dynamically positioning a focal plane of the received modulated laser light on the array of light sensitive detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL ADVANCED LIDAR SOLUTIONS US, LLC.
    Inventors: Howard Bailey, Patrick Gilliland, Barton Goldstein, Laurent Heughebaert, Brad Short, Joseph Spagnolia, Roger Stettner
  • Patent number: 10244187
    Abstract: A hybrid three dimensional imaging camera comprises a 2-D video camera utilizing a focal plane array visible light detector and a 3-D flash laser radar utilizing an infrared focal plane array detector. The device is capable of capturing a complete 3-D scene from a single point of view. A production system combining multiple hybrid 3-D cameras around a subject provides 3-D solid models of an object or scene in the common field of view.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL ADVANCED LIDAR SOLUTIONS US, LLC.
    Inventors: Roger Stettner, Brad Short, Patrick Gilliland, Thomas Laux, Laurent Heughebaet
  • Patent number: 10233858
    Abstract: A method and a device for determining the minimum hydraulic injection interval of a piezo-servo injector are described. The closing time of the nozzle needle of the injector is determined on the basis of the characteristic pressure profile in the control spring chamber of the injector. By incrementally reducing the injection interval of a subsequent injection by successively advancing the timing of the start of actuation of a subsequent injection and continuing to observe the pressure profile in the control spring chamber, the smallest injection interval is obtained from the last iteration step in which closing of the nozzle needle of the preceding injection could still be detected in the characteristic pressure profile. Particularly precise determination of the minimum injection interval is possible with this method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Janos Radeczky, Christian Bauer, Janos Kerekgyarto
  • Patent number: 10234262
    Abstract: Method for compensating a reference measurement including a measurement of angular position ? and a measurement of time T1 that are simultaneous at the time t1, for an angular position sensor of the type including a toothed wheel, includes the following steps: determination of a first measurement ? of corresponding angular position at the moment in time t1 when a reference measurement is desired; triggering of a software acquisition function; substantially simultaneous acquisitions of a second measurement ?? of the angular position and of a measurement T2 of the time by software acquisition at a time t2; estimation of an error ?T; and calculation of the compensated measurement of time, T1=T2??T. A Sensor for measuring angular position, of the type including a toothed wheel, implementing such a compensation method is described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Jean-Marc Baissac
  • Patent number: 10233886
    Abstract: A measurement device for measuring a flow distribution of a liquid spray stream which has been atomized by a nozzle may comprise: a sensing wire; at least one further sensing wire; an electric power supply; a measurement unit; and a second grid of parallel sensing wires. The sensing wires may be positioned within a spray volume of the liquid spray stream and arranged in parallel with respect to each other to form grids of parallel sensing wires. The electric power supply unit may supply an electric current to the sensing wires. The measurement unit may measure an ohmic resistance change of the sensing wires. The first axis defined by the parallel sensing wires of the first grid and a second axis defined by the parallel additional sensing wires of the second grid may enclose a slanted angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Marco Maragliulo
  • Patent number: 10233885
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines. The teachings thereof may be embodied in injection valves with servo-valve control for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber. For example, an injection valve may include a valve pin connected to a valve body and an actuator preloaded by an actuator spring. The valve pin is fitted with a very small clearance to form a sealing gap between the valve pin and the valve body which includes bores. The lower end of the valve pin forms a coupling volume between the valve pin and the valve body, connected via the sealing gap and the bores to the valve chamber. The sealing gap provides a fluidic connection between the coupling volume and the valve chamber, but, during the short time of valve actuation, practically no exchange of fluid can take place between coupling volume and valve chamber so that the coupling volume does not substantially change in said short time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 19, 2019
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Willibald Schuerz