Patents Examined by Douglas J. Duff
  • Patent number: 8020381
    Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine with a variable geometry turbocharger whereby the turbocharger is cleaned of accumulated soot on a time based periodic basis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 21, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2011
    Assignee: Detroit Diesel Corporation
    Inventors: Mark A. Zurawski, David J. Dronzkowski
  • Patent number: 7980076
    Abstract: A condensate extractor assembly is provided for collecting and evacuating condensate from inside a charge air cooler in an internal combustion engine assembly. The condensate extractor assembly includes a sump that is attached to or formed in the charge air cooler. The sump is adapted to drain and collect condensate from the charge air cooler. A hose is fluidly coupled at one end to the sump, and fluidly coupled at a second end to the intake manifold. The hose is configured to evacuate condensate from the sump and distribute it directly to the intake manifold in response to the pressure gradient generated by the engine assembly when in an on-state. The hose defines an orifice that restricts the flow of air and condensate through the hose. A filter is fluidly coupled to the hose, fluidly intermediate the orifice and the sump member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2011
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Christian John-Augustin Buia, Darren Lee Bohne, Ryan A. Kuhlenbeck, Paul S. Czarnowczan, Thomas Porter Rutherford
  • Patent number: 7958727
    Abstract: An exemplary system for an internal combustion engine includes an exhaust turbine operably coupled to a generator, an intake air compressor operably coupled to an electric motor and mechanically decoupled from the exhaust turbine and a controller to direct electricity generated by the generator to one or more members of the group consisting of the electric motor, an additional electric motor, and a power storage. Various other exemplary technologies are also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2011
    Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
    Inventor: Steven Don Arnold
  • Patent number: 7946116
    Abstract: A turbocharger comprises a variable nozzle device and an exhaust housing being mechanically and/or thermally decoupled from the variable nozzle device. Additional optional advantageous features are provided, including various axial and radial clearances and various sealing elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Honeywell International, Inc.
    Inventors: Lorrain Sausse, Denis Jeckel, Giorgio Figura, Eric Dechanet
  • Patent number: 7942657
    Abstract: A combustion apparatus having a housing including an inner surface that defines at least one chamber, a rotor, a rotor shaft, an intake shaft, an exhaust shaft, and a gearing mechanism. The chamber includes an intake valve port and an exhaust valve port, and the rotor shaft is coupled to a gear at one end and has at least two opposing flat surfaces received by an opening in the rotor. The intake and exhaust shafts are geared to the rotor shaft and have at least one opening each that is aligned with the intake and the exhaust valve ports. A gearing mechanism selectively controls the duration in which the openings are aligned with the ports. Two or more rotors may be utilized to produce more power and reduce vibration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Inventor: David DuSell Gray
  • Patent number: 7942655
    Abstract: Modifications of a scroll compressor provide a bellows suitable for liquid cooling and a plunger actuated seal for the scroll tips of various equipment. A bellows spans the fixed and the orbiting scrolls and hermetically seals the scroll device. Using two bellows, the present invention allows for liquid cooling of a compressor with an inlet and an outlet to exhaust heated coolant to a heat exchanger. Then the scrolls have a spiral upon a plate that ends in a tip. A seal upon the tip that abuts the fixed scroll upon a biased plunger modifies existing scroll designs to maintain the seal in contact with the fixed scroll. The modifications also provide an improved coating that seals the fixed and orbiting scrolls to each other without the use of epoxy, disassembly, and cleaning.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Air Squared, Inc.
    Inventor: Robert W. Shaffer
  • Patent number: 7934379
    Abstract: In an internal combustion engine comprising an exhaust gas turbocharger, including a turbine with at least two inlet passages arranged in the exhaust gas tract of the internal combustion engine, via which exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine can be supplied to a turbine wheel of the turbine, and a valve arrangement being arranged in to the exhaust gas tract to the turbocharger to control the supply of exhaust gas to the inlet passages of the turbine, a valve and turbine inlet passage configuration is selectable providing for a maximum braking power with low thermal load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2011
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Alfred Küspert, Wolfram Schmid, Siegfried Sumser
  • Patent number: 7921646
    Abstract: A turbocharger is disclosed that includes a compressor, a turbine connected to the compressor by a mechanical shaft, and a fluidic drain valve in flow communication with an air bleed port of the compressor and an exhaust plenum to drain water accumulated inside the turbocharger such that water accumulated in the exhaust plenum is drained during shutdown when no air from the bleed port flows through the fluidic drain valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Kendall Roger Swenson, Anthony Holmes Furman, Peter Galie, Lukas Johnson
  • Patent number: 7908860
    Abstract: For an internal combustion engine having two cylinder banks forming a V-shaped cylinder block, a turbocharger system including a high pressure turbocharger disposed in a valley between the cylinder banks, a first low-pressure turbocharger disposed adjacent an outer side of one of the cylinder banks, and a second low-pressure turbocharger disposed adjacent an outer side of the second cylinder bank. Intake and exhaust ducts connect the components of the engine and turbocharger system to and electronically controlled valves associated with the ducts permit the system to operate either in a split series mode or a low-pressure-only mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Christopher Bernard Trombetta, Michael Leon Briggs, Norbert Andreas Schorn, Daniel Joseph Styles
  • Patent number: 7909025
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of controlling an indirect-injection engine, notably a supercharged engine, in particular a spark-ignition engine, comprising at least one cylinder (10) including a combustion chamber (12), at least two air intake means (14, 16) comprising each a pipe (18, 20) controlled by an intake valve (22, 24), at least one fuel injection means (26, 28) associated with each intake means and at least one burnt gas exhaust means (30) with an exhaust valve (32), said engine running according to two intake modes, a mode with burnt gas scavenging and a mode without scavenging, characterized in that it consists in: supplying, in intake mode with scavenging, non-carbureted air through one (16) of the intake means then, in the vicinity of the scavenging end, in supplying carbureted air through the other (14) intake means, supplying, in intake mode without scavenging, carbureted air through the two intake means (14, 16).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventor: Alexandre Pagot
  • Patent number: 7896627
    Abstract: A rotary type expander is provided with two rotary mechanism parts which differ from each other in displacement volume. The outflow side of the first rotary mechanism part of small displacement volume is fluidly connected to the inflow side of the second rotary mechanism part of large displacement volume. The processes by which the volume of a first low-pressure chamber in the first rotary mechanism part decreases and the volume of a second high-pressure chamber in the second rotary mechanism part increases are respectively in sync. Refrigerant at high pressure is first introduced into a first high-pressure chamber of the first rotary mechanism part. Thereafter, this high-pressure refrigerant passes through a communicating passage and then flows by way of the first low-pressure chamber into the second high-pressure chamber while expanding. The after-expansion refrigerant flows out to an outflow port from a second low-pressure chamber of the second rotary mechanism part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Daikin Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masakazu Okamoto, Michio Moriwaki, Eiji Kumakura, Tetsuya Okamoto, Katsumi Sakitani
  • Patent number: 7896631
    Abstract: An oil supply groove 12 in communication with a pump room 2A is formed above a bearing 2B of a housing 2, and an open air groove 14 in communication with an atmospheric air is formed at a position rotated around the bearing 2B by 90° from the oil supply groove. In a shank 3B of a rotor 3, a branch passage 11a branching from an oil passage 11 formed in its axial direction to the diametrical direction of the shank, and an open air passage 13 formed in the direction perpendicular to the branch passage are formed. Then, the branch passage and the oil supply groove communicate with each other, at the same time, the open air passage and the open air groove are arranged to also communicate with each other, and when the oil passage and the oil supply groove communicate with each other as the rotor stops, then an atmospheric air flowing in from the open air passage eliminates a negative pressure in the pump room, thereby the lubricating oil is prevented from flowing into the pump room in large quantities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Taiho Kogyo Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kishi, Kikuji Hayashida, Kiyotaka Ohtahara
  • Patent number: 7886726
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an arrangement for recirculation of exhaust gases of a supercharged combustion engine. The arrangement comprises an exhaust line intended to lead exhaust gases out from the combustion engine, an inlet line intended to lead air which is at above atmospheric pressure to the combustion engine, a compressor adapted to the inlet line so that it is possible, via the return line, to recirculate exhaust gases from the exhaust line to the inlet line. The arrangement comprises a first EGR cooler in which the recirculating exhaust gases in the return line are cooled by the air in a portion of the inlet line which is situated downstream of the compressor in the inlet line with respect to the direction of flow of the air in the inlet line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Scania CV AB (publ)
    Inventors: Zoltan Kardos, Hans Wikström
  • Patent number: 7886536
    Abstract: The invention relates to an exhaust-gas turbocharger (1) as well as in particular a guide apparatus (13) for an exhaust-gas turbocharger (1). The guide apparatus (13) can have a ring of guide vanes (8), which are pivotable on a vane bearing ring (12) by vane studs (18). The vane studs (18) can be each attached to a vane lever (11). The vane levers (11) can have vane-lever-connectors (17, 10, 46, 47), which interact with unison-ring-connectors (16, 10, 57) of a unison ring (9) which is pivotable with respect to the vane bearing ring (12) in a way, that pivoting the unison ring (9) with respect to the vane bearing ring (12) results in a synchronous movement of one or more of the vane levers (11) and guide vanes (8). The unison ring (9) can be radially supported on axial bosses (14) of several vane levers (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: Hans-Josef Hemer
  • Patent number: 7882820
    Abstract: A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine in which a plurality of cylinders is divided into a first cylinder group (1a) and a second cylinder group (1b), the internal combustion engine being able to be selectively switched between operating in a partial cylinder operation mode in which only one of the first cylinder group (1a) and the second cylinder group (1b) is operated, and operating in a full cylinder operation mode in which both the first cylinder group (1a) and the second cylinder group (1b) are operated. This control apparatus includes a supercharger (8), as well as a controller (30) that selectively starts and stops operation of the supercharger (8) depending on a load on the internal combustion engine when the internal combustion engine is to be operated in the partial cylinder operation mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yasuyuki Irisawa
  • Patent number: 7866966
    Abstract: A method of designing rotors for a Roots blower comprising a housing having cylindrical chambers, the housing defining an outlet port (19). The blower includes meshed, lobed rotors (37,39) disposed in the chambers, each rotor including a plurality N of lobes (47,49), each lobe having first (47a,49a) and second (47b,49b) axially facing end surfaces. Each lobe has its axially facing surfaces defining a twist angle (TA), and each lobe defines a helix angle (HA). The method of designing the rotor comprises determining a maximum ideal twist angle (TAM) for the lobe as a function of the number N of lobes on the rotor, and then determining a helix angle (HA) for each lobe as a function of the maximum ideal twist angle (TAM) and an axial length (L) between the end surfaces of the lobe. A rotor designed in accordance with this method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventor: Matthew G. Swartzlander
  • Patent number: 7866296
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine having at least one working chamber limited by a piston and means for fuel injection, wherein said fuel injection means are arranged in a separate ignition chamber communicating with said working chamber, and means for tuning said ignition chamber and fuel injected by said fuel injection means such that substantially only burnt, expanding combustion gas enters the working chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: RKM-Rotationskolbenmaschinen GBR
    Inventor: Boris Schapiro
  • Patent number: 7862312
    Abstract: A scroll compressor including a hermetic housing with a motor-compressor unit disposed therein, including fixed and orbiting scrolls. The fixed scroll defines perpendicular axial and radial directions, and includes an outer wall having a suction inlet facing substantially in the radial direction. A baffle member is associated with the suction inlet of the fixed scroll, and in one embodiment, is attached to the fixed scroll with fasteners. The baffle member includes a first open end facing in the axial direction toward a suction port of the compressor housing, and a second open end facing in the radial direction in fluid flow alignment with the suction inlet of the fixed scroll. The baffle member directs a portion of the working fluid which enters the compressor housing substantially directly into the suction inlet of the fixed scroll to reduce turbulent flow of the working fluid within the compressor housing, improving the operating efficiency of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Tecumseh Products Company
    Inventor: Anil Gopinathan
  • Patent number: 7841845
    Abstract: A compressor assembly includes a planetary gear train located between an input shaft from the power unit and a drive shaft of the compressor. The planetary gear train is switchable between a high speed and a low speed condition. In the high speed condition, power is provided to the planetary gears, the ring gear is locked and output to the drive shaft is through the sun gear. In the low speed condition, a one-way clutch between the input shaft and the output shaft provides a one-to-one driving ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2010
    Assignee: Emerson Climate Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Kirill Ignatiev
  • Patent number: 7836693
    Abstract: An exhaust recirculation apparatus is provided to an engine. A high-pressure EGR passage branches from upstream of a turbine of a turbocharger in an exhaust system for recirculating exhaust gas to downstream of a compressor of the turbocharger in an intake system. A high-pressure EGR regulating unit controls exhaust gas through the high-pressure EGR passage. A low-pressure EGR passage branches from downstream of the turbine in the exhaust system for recirculating exhaust gas to upstream of the compressor in the intake system. A low-pressure EGR regulating unit controls exhaust gas through the low-pressure EGR passage. A control unit feedback-controls the high-pressure EGR regulating unit, and open-controls the low-pressure EGR regulating unit when exhaust gas is recirculated through the high-pressure EGR passage and the low-pressure EGR passage. The control unit feedback-controls the low-pressure EGR regulating unit when exhaust gas is recirculated through only the low-pressure EGR passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Fujita, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Eiji Takemoto