Patents Examined by Brian Kirby
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Patent number: 10473049Abstract: This control device for an internal combustion engine is equipped with: an air/fuel ratio sensor; and an engine control device that controls the internal combustion engine according to the output of the air/fuel ratio sensor. The air/fuel ratio sensor is configured so that the applied voltage at which the output current reaches zero varies according to the exhaust air/fuel ratio, and the output current increases if the applied voltage is increased at the air/fuel ratio sensor when the exhaust air/fuel ratio is the stoichiometric air/fuel ratio.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2013Date of Patent: November 12, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Go Hayashita, Keiichiro Aoki
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Patent number: 10215123Abstract: The engine controlling apparatus includes a selector, a setter, and a controller. The selector selects one of a plurality of injection modes according to the operating condition of an engine, where injection rates of a plurality of injectors or the number of injections performed in one stroke of the engine differs among the injection modes. The setter sets a mode correction amount that reflects an output characteristic of a first sensor corresponding to the injection mode. The controller performs feedback control using both a detection signal from the first sensor and the mode correction amount.Type: GrantFiled: April 15, 2016Date of Patent: February 26, 2019Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Akihiro Tsuchiya, Mitsuhiro Yuasa, Kensuke Kondo, Yuji Sato
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Patent number: 10180109Abstract: An internal combustion engine 100 comprises an air-fuel ratio control device. The air-fuel ratio control device controls the amount of fuel fed to the combustion chamber by feedback control so that the air-fuel ratio detected by the upstream side air-fuel ratio sensor matches the target air-fuel ratio when a blow-through amount of air blown from the intake passage through a cylinder to the exhaust passage due to an occurrence of valve overlap is a reference blow-through amount or less. The air-fuel ratio control device sets the target air-fuel ratio of the inflowing exhaust gas based on the air-fuel ratio detected by the downstream side air-fuel ratio sensor and, without performing the feedback control, feeds the amount of fuel calculated from the target air-fuel ratio to the combustion chamber when the blow-through amount is greater than the reference blow-through amount.Type: GrantFiled: March 28, 2016Date of Patent: January 15, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Takuya Okubo, Norihisa Nakagawa, Koichi Kimura
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Patent number: 10161337Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit configured to switch a control algorithms for a calculation of a command value of the actuator between a first control algorithm and a second control algorithm. The electronic control unit is configured to calculate a value obtained by adding a value of a term of the second control algorithm changing in accordance with the deviation calculated in a present control cycle to the command value calculated in a previous control cycle in accordance with the first control algorithm as a value of the command value calculated in the present control cycle in a first control cycle after switching from the first control algorithm to the second control algorithm. The value of the term changing in accordance with the deviation includes an update amount of an I term of the I control calculated in the present control cycle.Type: GrantFiled: January 8, 2016Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Shinsuke Aoyagi
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Patent number: 10161370Abstract: An engine fuel delivery system includes a fuel pump having a pumping chamber to increase fuel pressure and a closeable inlet valve, and a fuel rail to communicate pressurized fuel received from the fuel pump to at least one engine cylinder. The engine fuel delivery system also includes a controller programmed to issue a control signal to periodically close the inlet valve to generate a setpoint fuel pressure within the pumping chamber. The controller is also programmed to adjust a control signal gain value in response to deviation in an outlet fuel pressure relative to the setpoint fuel pressure. The controller is further programmed to issue a warning message in response to the control signal gain being adjusted by more than a predetermined threshold from a calibrated gain value.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2016Date of Patent: December 25, 2018Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Azeem Sarwar, Chaitanya Sankavaram, Rafat Hattar, Matthew Hamilton, Jonathan Pung
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Patent number: 10100769Abstract: A method actuates a fuel injector having a coil drive with a solenoid and a magnet armature. The magnet armature can be moved along a longitudinal axis by a magnetic field generated by the solenoid. In the method, an amplification voltage is applied to the solenoid at a predefined point in time to move the magnet armature from a closed position into an open position. The amplification voltage is made available by a voltage-regulated direct voltage transformer from a supply voltage. The direct voltage transformer has a storage capacitor for supporting the voltage made available at the output of the direct voltage transformer. The storage capacitor is charged to a pilot control voltage by the amplification voltage before the given point in time, with the result that the voltage present at the solenoid is higher than the amplification voltage at the predefined point in time.Type: GrantFiled: October 14, 2014Date of Patent: October 16, 2018Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbHInventors: Jens Maase, Volker Hertes
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Patent number: 10054101Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for determining a type of spark plug fouling. In one example, a method may include differentiating spark plug fouling due to soot accumulation from spark plug fouling due to fuel additive accumulation based on a current on a control wire of the spark plug following application of a dwell command. Further, exhaust oxygen sensor degradation and/or exhaust catalyst degradation may be determined based on switching frequencies of one or more exhaust oxygen sensors and the type of spark plug fouling.Type: GrantFiled: October 2, 2017Date of Patent: August 21, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Chris Paul Glugla, Garlan J. Huberts, Nelson William Morrow, Qiuping Qu
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Patent number: 10030618Abstract: An exhaust recirculation valve includes: a valve housing including an exhaust gas path; a valve element provided to the exhaust gas path and configured to open and close the exhaust gas path; and a stem connected to the valve element and movable in an axial direction, in which the valve housing includes: an inlet from which fluid is supplied from the outside; a recess configured to flow the fluid flowed from the inlet toward the stem; and a throttle in a form of an opening extending from the inlet and oriented toward the stem.Type: GrantFiled: September 11, 2015Date of Patent: July 24, 2018Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.Inventors: Akihiro Miki, Hideyuki Seiyama, Masashi Karasawa
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Patent number: 10012167Abstract: An ECU loads detected values of a rotation angle sensor and a pressure sensor which are mounted to an electric throttle, and executes an abnormal-sensor determination control to determine whether one of the rotation angle sensor and the pressure sensor is abnormal. Specifically, the ECU determines that one of the rotation angle sensor and the pressure sensor is abnormal, in a case where a state that a tendency of the actual opening angle detected by the rotation angle sensor does not match a tendency of the pressure detected by the downstream pressure sensor has continued for a period greater than or equal to a predetermined period. Therefore, since the pressure sensor can replace the rotation angle sensor used for detecting abnormality in a conventional technology, two rotation angle sensors can be reduced to one rotation angle sensor, and a cost is reduced.Type: GrantFiled: October 3, 2014Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Satoru Hiramoto, Toru Shimizu, Yoshiyuki Kono
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Patent number: 10012160Abstract: It is possible to prevent the stability of an engine from deteriorating even when degrees of changes over time of injection characteristics are different in each fuel injection valve. An inter-cylinder air-fuel ratio variation detection unit 1100 calculates an air-fuel ratio variation index (Ind_imb) which indicates a degree of variation in an air-fuel ratio between cylinders from an exhaust air-fuel ratio, engine rotation speed, or the like. Unlike in a case where the air-fuel ratio variation index (Ind_imb) is lower than a set value, when the air-fuel ratio variation index (Ind_imb) is higher than the set value, a fuel injection pulse width limitation unit 2100 sets a (allowable) minimum value (Min_TI) of a fuel injection pulse width so as to be greater. In addition, a fuel injection pulse width calculation unit 3100 calculates fuel injection pulse widths (TI_1, TI_2, TI_3, and TI_4) of cylinders so as not to be lower than the minimum value (Min_TI).Type: GrantFiled: January 10, 2014Date of Patent: July 3, 2018Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.Inventors: Shinji Nakagawa, Akihito Numata, Eisaku Fukuchi
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Patent number: 10006413Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting and mitigating the presence of liquid fuel carryover in an evap system of a vehicle in response to a refueling event. In one example, during a first condition, a vacuum pump is activated to pressurize the fuel system responsive to a first fuel tank pressure decay rate being less than a threshold, and responsive to a second fuel tank pressure decay rate being greater than a threshold, the vacuum pump is maintained on until a fuel tank pressure decreases to atmospheric pressure. In this way, liquid fuel carryover can be quickly and accurately diagnosed, such that mitigating actions may be taken to ensure liquid fuel is returned to the tank prior to contacting the adsorbent material within the vapor canister.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 2015Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Aed M. Dudar, Dennis Seung-Man Yang, Robert Ognjanovski, Jr., Russell Randall Pearce
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Patent number: 9970401Abstract: A fuel cup including a central longitudinal axis and being fixable to an injector via a holder comprises a fuel cup body and a fixing element. This fuel cup is wherein said fixing element is a stamped tab affixed to said fuel cup body, and in that said stamped tab is designed to be engaged to said holder.Type: GrantFiled: November 15, 2012Date of Patent: May 15, 2018Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBHInventors: Daniel Marc, Andrea Puccini
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Patent number: 9970361Abstract: In response to a switching demand from an all-cylinder operation to a reduced-cylinder operation, the amount of air to be taken into each of cylinders 2A to 2D is made larger than the amount of air during the all-cylinder operation in a normal state. Preparatory control of changing the ignition timing of ignition device to a timing on the retard side with respect to the ignition timing during the all-cylinder operation in the normal state is executed. After termination of the preparatory control, the reduced-cylinder operation is started. During execution of the preparatory control, the valve closing timing of an exhaust valve 9 is changed to a timing on the advance side with respect to the valve closing timing thereof during the all-cylinder operation in the normal state so as to reduce the amount of internal EGR gas in at least a part of an operating range C.Type: GrantFiled: August 6, 2015Date of Patent: May 15, 2018Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATIONInventors: Yukio Haizaki, Naohiro Yamaguchi, Kazutoyo Watanabe, Yasunori Matoba
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Patent number: 9951742Abstract: An ignition device for an internal combustion engine (1) includes a superpose voltage generation circuit (47) that, after the initiation of a discharge with the application of a discharge voltage by a secondary coil, applies a superpose voltage between electrodes of an ignition plug (29) in the same direction as the discharge voltage to continue a discharge current, and performs a superposed discharge in a superposed discharge activation range of high exhaust recirculation rate. Upon shift from the superposed discharge activation range of high exhaust recirculation rate to a superposed discharge deactivation range of low exhaust recirculation rate, the deactivation of the superposed discharge is delayed by a delay time ?T. Although the exhaust gas recirculation rate becomes temporarily increased with decrease in intake air after the closing of an exhaust gas recirculation control valve, the superposed discharge is continued for the delay time ?T so as to avoid misfiring.Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2013Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Taisuke Shiraishi, Tatsuya Yaguchi, Hirofumi Maeda
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Patent number: 9920701Abstract: It is determined whether the execution conditions for the injection quantity variation correction are met, based on whether all of following conditions are satisfied: the engine operation is the stationary operation, the injection quantity of a fuel injection valve falls within the predetermined range, and the fuel pressure falls within the predetermined range. When the execution conditions are met, the fuel pressure decrease caused by the fuel injection of the fuel injection valve for each cylinder is calculated based on the output of a fuel pressure sensor, and the injection quantity variation correction to correct the injection quantity variation of the fuel injection valve for each cylinder is performed based on the fuel pressure decrease caused by the fuel injection of each cylinder. Thus, the fuel pressure decrease can be accurately calculated, the injection quantity variation of each cylinder is precisely corrected.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2014Date of Patent: March 20, 2018Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Hiroyuki Fukuda, Akihiro Okamoto, Ryohei Takahashi
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Patent number: 9890730Abstract: When an air-fuel ratio detection performed by detecting an output of a downstream sensor, which is a limiting-current type air-fuel ratio sensor arranged at a downstream side of a catalyst in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine, and calculating an air-fuel ratio at the downstream side of the catalyst in accordance with the output, if the output is within a predetermined range including an output corresponding to a theoretical air-fuel ratio, a relationship between the output and an air-fuel ratio that is calculated by calculation means is shifted more to a rich side relative to a correspondence relationship between an output of an upstream sensor, which is a similar sensor to the downstream sensor arranged at an upstream side of the catalyst in the exhaust passage of the engine, and an air-fuel ratio.Type: GrantFiled: November 24, 2011Date of Patent: February 13, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Keiichiro Aoki
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Patent number: 9874170Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine is described in which a combustion air ratio (?) is determined and used to determine a deviation of this combustion air ratio from an in particular default or determined set point combustion air ratio. Spontaneous ignition of the internal combustion engine are detected based on the determined deviation (??) and used to control the operation of the engine.Type: GrantFiled: October 24, 2014Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Stefan Horst, Alexander Merz, Arnaud Schilly, Bastian Baeck, Florin Korn, Nils Oth
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Patent number: 9863358Abstract: A method for operating a common-rail system of a motor vehicle that includes a common-rail-pressure sensor configuration having at least two signal paths, and that can be operated at a maximally permissible common-rail pressure and at a minimally permissible common-rail pressure. Sensor signals are read out in each case in response to a pressure measurement in a common rail of the common-rail system via the at least two signal paths, and a signal deviation value is ascertained that characterizes a deviation between the pressure values that are each determined on the basis of the sensor signals. The method includes reducing the maximally permissible common-rail pressure by a correction value to a maximally permissible emergency common-rail pressure and/or increasing the minimally permissible common-rail pressure by a correction value to a minimally permissible emergency common-rail pressure in response to the signal deviation value exceeding a predefined value.Type: GrantFiled: March 12, 2014Date of Patent: January 9, 2018Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBHInventors: Bernd Becker, Rene Zieher, Andreas Sommerer, Kai Wipplinger, Guenter Veit
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Patent number: 9856816Abstract: When the temperature in a cylinder of an engine is low, the fuel injection amount of fuel that has a low vapor pressure and is less likely to be vaporized is increased, and the fuel injection amount of fuel that has a high vapor pressure and is more likely to be vaporized is reduced, so that the start timing of the engine can be kept constant. When the temperature in the cylinder is high, the fuel injection amount of the fuel that has a low vapor pressure and is more likely to be decomposed is reduced, and the fuel that has a high vapor pressure and is less likely to be burned (decomposed) is increased, so that the start timing of the engine can be kept constant. Thus, the start timing of the engine is kept constant irrespective of the fuel property, and deterioration of the drivability can be curbed.Type: GrantFiled: October 30, 2014Date of Patent: January 2, 2018Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Susumu Kojima, Yusuke Suzuki, Rui Onoda
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Patent number: 9850842Abstract: A controller for a common-rail injection system includes a plurality of fuel injectors, a common fuel supply line for the fuel injectors, a high-pressure pump for supplying the common fuel supply line with fuel, and a pressure sensor for determining the pressure in the common fuel supply line. A determination unit evaluates data of the pressure sensor and, from the pressure drop caused by an injection in the common fuel supply line, determines the fuel quantity actually injected during this injection or a value derived therefrom. An adaption unit uses the results of the determination unit in order to adapt the actuation of the fuel injectors. The determination unit carries out at least one test injection, and the actually injected fuel quantity or a value derived therefrom is effected by way of the test injection or injections.Type: GrantFiled: April 18, 2014Date of Patent: December 26, 2017Assignee: Liebherr Machines Bulle SAInventors: Konrad Christ, Francois Masson, Richard Pirkl