Patents Examined by Audrey Klasterka
  • Patent number: 7877985
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to an exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine that performs high pressure PM filter regeneration process by decreasing the degree of opening of an exhaust throttle valve in regenerating the particulate matter trapping capacity of a particulate filter and has as an object to provide a technology that enables to perform the high pressure PM filter regeneration process while suppressing excessive temperature rise of the particulate filter even while the vehicle is moving. According to the invention, a prediction is made, when the high pressure PM filter regeneration process is performed, as to whether there is a possibility that the temperature of the particulate filter will reach a predetermined upper limit temperature, and the pressure inside the particulate filter is controlled in accordance with the prediction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Hashizume
  • Patent number: 7877986
    Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for generating a reductant in an exhaust gas feedstream of a compression-ignition internal combustion engine upstream of a hydrocarbon-selective catalytic reduction catalyst. The method comprises injecting a quantity of fuel into the exhaust gas subsequent to a combustion event whereat a temperature of the exhaust gas is in a range of 670 K to 1100 K at a start of the injection. The generated reductant comprises an active species including an oxygenated fuel species.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Thompson M. Sloane
  • Patent number: 7874147
    Abstract: A method of reducing NOx in exhaust gases generated by an internal combustion engine includes advancing the exhaust gases along an exhaust path to a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst positioned downstream from the internal combustion engine. The method further includes activating a heat source if the exhaust gases are below a predetermined temperature, such that the exhaust gases along a segment of the exhaust path are heated to a temperature of 700-1000° C. The method further includes injecting a reductant into the segment of the exhaust path upstream of the SCR catalyst to react in the segment with NOx in the exhaust gases. The method further includes deactivating the heat source if the temperature of the exhaust gases at the catalyst rises above the first predetermined temperature. An emission abatement assembly is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Inventor: Navin Khadiya
  • Patent number: 7874143
    Abstract: An air-fuel ratio control apparatus and control method thereof performs air-fuel ratio feedback control based on an estimated value (i.e., an upstream side estimated air-fuel ratio) of an air-fuel ratio of gas discharged from a combustion chamber into an exhaust passage and an output value of an air-fuel ratio sensor downstream of a catalyst. This upstream side estimated air-fuel ratio is accurately estimated based on an operating state of the engine and a combustion state (i.e., the degree of misfire in the combustion chamber) of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masahiro Wanibe
  • Patent number: 7874145
    Abstract: Control is performed such that when an HC adsorption catalytic converter having an oxygen storage capacity is in a specified temperature range, fuel supply quantity is increased with a first increase ratio relative to basic fuel quantity based on the operating state of an internal combustion engine, in a first specified period after the end of fuel cut, and increased with a second increase ratio smaller than the first increase ratio, in a second specified period succeeding the first specified period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mitsutaka Kojima, Kojiro Okada, Kazuma Sanada, Yuji Sato, Hiroshi Tanada, Kouichi Tomida, Keisuke Tashiro
  • Patent number: 7866147
    Abstract: A method of improving scavenging operation of a two-stroke internal combustion engine. The exhaust pressure of the engine is analyzed to determine if there is a pulsation frequency. Acoustic modeling is used to design an absorber. An appropriately designed side branch absorber may be attached to the exhaust manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Ralph E. Harris, Eugene L. Broerman, III, Gary D. Bourn
  • Patent number: 7861514
    Abstract: During deterioration detection of a catalyst, exhaust gas of a lean air/fuel ratio and exhaust gas of a rich air/fuel ratio are alternately supplied to the catalyst, and decrease of the O2 storage function is detected by obtaining the oxygen occlusion amount in the catalyst, based upon the timing at which, after changeover of the air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the catalyst, the air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas passed through the catalyst changes to track that air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the catalyst. At this time, the rich air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas and the lean air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas supplied to the catalyst are set closer to the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio, the larger is the exhaust flow amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiko Fujiwara, Yasuyuki Takama
  • Patent number: 7854113
    Abstract: In a fuel cut period, an adsorbed CO quantity calculation section calculates the amount CATco of CO adsorbed on a catalyst, and an exhaust O2 quantity calculation section calculates the amount GASo2 of O2 in exhaust gases. CO oxidation reaction heat ?Hr produced when the calculated amount CATco of adsorbed CO reacts with the calculated amount GASo2 of O2 in the exhaust gases is calculated by a ?Hr calculation section, and used in estimation of the temperature of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Kawakita, Katsunori Ueda, Toshiyuki Miyata, Katsuhiro Furuta
  • Patent number: 7845338
    Abstract: An exhaust gas cooler assembly (10) with an internally located bypass tube (50), spaced apart from and disposed within a core passage (60), with an exhaust gas inlet manifold (40) directing exhaust gas to a plurality of cooling passages (52, 54, 56, 58) or to the bypass tube (50) by means of control valves (42, 44). Further provided is a detachable valve cartridge (84) with an actuator (16), with all moving components being included within the valve cartridge (84) and actuator (16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Will J. Smith, Jon A. Sayers
  • Patent number: 7845164
    Abstract: A method for storing an additive and injecting the additive into exhaust gases of an engine supplied with fuel from a fuel tank and returning unused excess hot fuel to the tank via a return line. The method heats the additive using a section of the return line when the additive temperature is below or equal to a threshold value, and short circuits the heating section when the additive temperature exceeds the threshold value. A system for implementing such a method includes an additive heating section including a section of the return line; a temperature sensor; and a device allowing the heating section to be short circuited when the temperature measured by the sensor exceeds the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Inergy Automotive Systems Research (Société Anonyme)
    Inventor: Stephane Leonard
  • Patent number: 7841168
    Abstract: The aim of the invention is to estimate a temperature jump (?T) of a catalytic converter of an internal combustion engine in the event of a change in the composition of the exhaust gas. To this end, a quantity of a reactand (SI) stored in the catalytic converter is monitored (2-7), and the heating (?T) of the catalytic converter resulting from the reaction heat released during the reaction of the stored reactand is assumed (13, 14, 16, 17) as the temperature jump (?T).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: Helmut Oswald, Frank Schwerin
  • Patent number: 7841172
    Abstract: A method is provided for compensating for variability in ash accumulation rates within an aftertreatment element of an engine exhaust system. The method includes determining flow resistance values through the aftertreatment element and tracking minimum flow resistance values over time. The method also includes correlating the tracked minimum flow resistance values over time, with a model of engine oil consumption rate that is based on predetermined values for model engine oil consumption. The method further includes adjusting the predetermined values based on the tracked minimum flow resistance values over time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventors: Mark Scaife, Trent Cleveland, Michael Lowe, Cornelius Opris, Evan Jacobson
  • Patent number: 7832199
    Abstract: Art is provided for an exhaust purification system for an internal combustion engine, which decreases an amount of exhaust flowing to a storage-reduction type NOx catalyst and supplies a reducer to the NOx catalyst so as to reduce NOx stored in the NOx catalyst, wherein the manner in which the reducer is dispersed in the NOx catalyst can be controlled to achieve more reliable execution of a NOx reduction treatment. Air-fuel ratio detecting unit is disposed upstream and downstream of the storage-reduction type NOx catalyst. During a predetermined period subsequent to decreasing an amount of exhaust flowing to the NOx catalyst and adding the reducer to the exhaust, a reducer-adding timing is changed such that a difference between an air-fuel ratio detected by the air-fuel ratio detecting unit disposed upstream of the NOx catalyst and an air-fuel ratio detected by the air-fuel ratio detecting unit disposed downstream of the NOx catalyst becomes a predetermined target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shunsuke Toshioka
  • Patent number: 7832202
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purification device senses an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into a catalyst and performs rich purge control for supplying fuel for reduction to the catalyst. The device calculates a total reducing agent amount consumed for the reduction during the rich purge control based on the air-fuel ratio and a fresh air amount as of the rich purge control. The device sets a specified air-fuel ratio state for controlling the air-fuel ratio in a certain range enabling more precise measurement of the air-fuel ratio than in the rich purge control. The device corrects the total reducing agent amount based on a difference between an injection amount command value as of the rich purge control and the injection amount command value in the specified air-fuel ratio state and the air-fuel ratio sensed in the specified air-fuel ratio state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazuo Kojima, Jun Kawamura, Masumi Kinugawa
  • Patent number: 7832205
    Abstract: An exhaust manifold for an engine having at least one combustion chamber and multiple exhaust valves arranged on a first plane is provided with a housing formed to provide a longitudinally extending main exhaust gas passage on a second plane terminating in an outlet at one end. A plurality of discrete, laterally spaced, inlet branch passages include a floor and a ceiling which are initially level with the exhaust valve for a distance equal to one-half the width of the inlet branch passage prior to sloping downward toward the main exhaust gas passage. One of the inlet branch passages is positioned at an end of the housing opposite the exhaust gas passage outlet. The remaining inlet branch passages include integrally formed deflector members arranged to provide an angular change of flow direction requiring exhaust gas to enter the main exhaust gas passage in the downstream direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Chrysler Group LLC
    Inventor: Edward A. Ruehle
  • Patent number: 7832195
    Abstract: Super retard combustion is performed in which an ignition timing is set to be after a compression top dead center and fuel is injected before the ignition timing and after the compression top dead center, at cold start or the like which requires early warming-up of a catalyst. During an idle operation without the super retard combustion, a first ISC control is executed in which a feedback control is provided for the degree of opening of a throttle and the ignition timing so that an engine speed corresponds to a target idle speed (S14). On the other hand, during the super retard combustion, a second ISC control is executed in which the control of the degree of opening of the throttle is inhibited, but the ignition timing is advanced because a catalyst may be thermally damaged when the amount of intake air is increased in accordance with an increase in load of an auxiliary device and the like (S15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tomohiko Takahashi
  • Patent number: 7818964
    Abstract: An exhaust system for a motorcycle having an engine mounted on a front half of a body frame of the motorcycle includes a plurality of first exhaust pipes extending from exhaust ports of the engine, a collecting section at which the first exhaust pipes are collected, a second exhaust pipe including a substantially straight portion connected to a downstream side of the collecting section and disposed under a crankcase of the engine, an expansion chamber connected to a downstream side of the second exhaust pipe and located under a rear wheel suspension arranged behind the engine, an exhaust outlet disposed on a most downstream portion of the expansion chamber, and an exhaust throttle valve and an exhaust gas sensor disposed on the straight portion of the second exhaust pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 24, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tatsuhiro Muramatsu, Yoshisato Inayama, Kazutatsu Suzuki, Tomoaki Onagi
  • Patent number: 7818960
    Abstract: An exhaust system includes a heating element that is disposed downstream from an engine and that introduces thermal energy into an exhaust of the engine. A selective catalyst reduction (SCR) unit is disposed downstream from the heating element and filters nitrogen oxides (NOx) within the exhaust. A control module is in communication with and energizes the heating element based on temperature of the SCR unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Inventors: Eugene V. Gonze, Michael J. Paratore, Jr., Frank Ament
  • Patent number: 7818881
    Abstract: A vehicle exhaust system is provided that includes a first exhaust member having an end that includes an enlarged section. A second exhaust member is sized to receive a portion of the first exhaust member. The enlarged section of the first exhaust member has an outer diameter that is larger than an inner diameter of at least one section of the second exhaust member for creating an interference condition between the first and second exhaust member to prevent axial movement of the first exhaust member in at least one axial direction. The first exhaust member is secured to the second exhaust member by magnetic pulse welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Automotive Components Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Haimian Cai, Baoluo Chen, Hui Wang, Robert Schoenborn
  • Patent number: 7814746
    Abstract: An exhaust device for a diesel engine supplies liquid fuel (6) from a supply source (5) of the liquid fuel (6) to a gas generator (3) which converts the liquid fuel (6) to flammable gas (7) and from which a flammable-gas supply passage (8) is conducted, the flammable-gas supply passage (8) having a flammable-gas outlet (9) communicated with an exhaust-gas route (1) upstream of a diesel-particulate-filter (2), the flammable gas (7) flowed out of the flammable-gas outlet (9) being burnt in exhaust gas (10) to generate combustion heat which can burn fine particles of the exhaust gas (10) remaining at the filter (2). In this exhaust device for a diesel engine, a case (11) for containing the filter (2) accommodates at least part of the gas generator (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Kubota Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Aketa, Shuichi Yamada, Toshio Nakahira, Masahiko Sugimoto, Katsushi Inoue