Patents Examined by Elizabeth Hadley
  • Patent number: 8762027
    Abstract: Disclosed is an apparatus for controlling a motor that determines whether or not to control the motor in order to control a variable valve lift device by using a measurement value of a valve lift and a target value of the valve lift; compares a predetermined base temperature with a temperature of an engine room in order to control the motor; determines a temperature factor corresponding to the temperature of the engine room when the temperature of the engine room is larger than the base temperature; and determines a driving signal value for the motor by applying the temperature factor to a predetermined base signal value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Chongwon Kim
  • Patent number: 8751138
    Abstract: Provided is an automatic stop and restart device for an engine that is capable of suppressing occurrence of an abnormal condition even if a transmission state is changed during an engine restart process after an engine restart condition is satisfied in an automatic engine stop process. A controller performs the automatic engine stop process and the engine restart process. If a determined state of a transmission is a drive range, a transmission state determination unit drives a pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a first pinion gear thrust timing determination unit. If the determined state of the transmission is a non-drive range, the transmission state determination unit drives the pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a second pinion gear thrust timing determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Hayashi, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda
  • Patent number: 8746213
    Abstract: An injector including a nozzle that includes an opening and a seat, a needle movably mounted in the nozzle and having an end defining a valve in a contact area with the seat, a mechanism for vibrating the valve, a first acoustic-impedance breaking area at a first distance from the valve along the nozzle, and another first acoustic-impedance breaking area at a second distance from the valve along the needle. Each of the first and second distances is such that the respective propagation time of acoustic waves along the distance is: Ti=ni*[?/2], where ni is a positive integer coefficient different from zero with i=3 for the first distance and i=4 for the second distance, ? being a period of the vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Renault S.A.S.
    Inventors: Andre Agneray, Nadim Malek, Marc Pariente, Laurent Levin
  • Patent number: 8744727
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine which can highly precisely realize required torque including a high-frequency component with high responsiveness. The control device sets torque with a low frequency included in the required torque as an air quantity controlling torque, and calculates a target air quantity for realizing the air quantity controlling torque based on data in which a relationship of the air quantity and torque is set. The control device controls the air quantity in accordance with the target air quantity. Further, the control device sets torque including both a low frequency and a high frequency as air-fuel ratio controlling torque, and calculates an air-fuel ratio corresponding to the air-fuel ratio controlling torque and a present air quantity as a target air-fuel ratio. The control device controls a fuel injection amount in accordance with the target air-fuel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoto Kato
  • Patent number: 8738272
    Abstract: Provided is a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine that can suppress deterioration of a catalyst that is ascribable to a control delay of a variable valve operating apparatus when transitioning to a valve stopped state accompanying a fuel-cut operation, or when transitioning from the valve stopped state to a combustion limit operating state. An intake variable valve operating apparatus capable of changing the operating state of an intake valve to a valve stopped state by continuously changing a lift amount and working angle of the intake valve is included.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shuichi Ezaki
  • Patent number: 8720415
    Abstract: An output control device of a vehicle is provided. A flow speed ratio calculator obtains a flow speed ratio which is a ratio between a flow speed of an intake air of the internal combustion engine realizing a current base request torque which is currently calculated and a flow speed of the intake air of the internal combustion engine realizing a previous request torque which is previously calculated. A base request torque corrector corrects the base request torque based on the flow speed ratio. A controller controls a driving parameter of the internal combustion engine according to the current request torque which is currently calculated based on the current base request torque corrected by the base request torque corrector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Miyata, Katsunori Ueda, Hitoshi Toda, Koji Shibata, Koji Maema
  • Patent number: 8718904
    Abstract: Provided is an automatic stop and restart device for an engine that is capable of suppressing occurrence of an abnormal condition even if a transmission state is changed during an engine restart process after an engine restart condition is satisfied in an automatic engine stop process. A controller performs the automatic engine stop process and the engine restart process. If a determined state of a transmission is a drive range, a transmission state determination unit drives a pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a first pinion gear thrust timing determination unit. If the determined state of the transmission is a non-drive range, the transmission state determination unit drives the pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a second pinion gear thrust timing determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Hayashi, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda
  • Patent number: 8707930
    Abstract: The hold-down device for a fuel injection device has a design which is simple in particular, which nonetheless enables a fuel injector (1) to be held down very effectively. The fuel injection device includes at least one fuel injector (1), a receptacle bore for the fuel injector (1) and a connecting fitting (6) of a fuel distributor line (4), the hold-down device (10) being clamped between a shoulder (12) of the fuel injector (1) and an end surface (14) of the connecting fitting (6). The hold-down device (10) has a base element (11) in the shape of a partial ring, from which an axially flexible hold-down clip (13) extends in a bent-away fashion, the clip having at least two webs (21), two oblique segments (22), and two contact segments (23). The fuel injector (1) is suitable in particular for use in fuel injection systems of mixture-compressing, externally ignited internal combustion engines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thilo Bolz, Thomas Fuerst
  • Patent number: 8712672
    Abstract: Provided is an automatic stop and restart device for an engine that is capable of suppressing occurrence of an abnormal condition even if a transmission state is changed during an engine restart process after an engine restart condition is satisfied in an automatic engine stop process. A controller performs the automatic engine stop process and the engine restart process. If a determined state of a transmission is a drive range, a transmission state determination unit drives a pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a first pinion gear thrust timing determination unit. If the determined state of the transmission is a non-drive range, the transmission state determination unit drives the pinion gear thrust unit at timing determined by a second pinion gear thrust timing determination unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Kensuke Hayashi, Osamu Ishikawa, Tomohisa Shoda
  • Patent number: 8701633
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of operating an internal combustion engine. With reference to FIGS. (1), (2) and (5), fluid is supplied to charge air using an injector (116, 3116a, 3116b) which in each operation delivers a set amount of fluid. The amount of fluid supplied to the charge air in each engine cycle is controlled by how many times the injector (116, 3116a, 3116b) operates in each cycle. A desired fluid demand is calculated as a number of operations of the injector per cycle, calculated to at least one decimal place. The desired fluid demand is always rounded down or always rounded up to a near integer to provide an output fluid demand for the injector as a number of operations of the injector for the next operating cycle in varying operating conditions of the engine. The rounding difference is aggregated and when the aggregate passes an integer then the fluid demand is adjusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Timothy Guy Drake, Benjamin David Smither
  • Patent number: 8689757
    Abstract: A Belt Driven Electric Starter System (BES) may have an idle pulley is composed of pivot point idle pulley forming pivot points at both sides of driving belt, which is wound on starter generator pulley and crank pulley, and driven idle pulley forming the fixing point, and a side of tension controller is fixed to engine and the opposite side is fixed to starter generator combined with starter generator pulley, such that it is possible to more effectively use the empty space without interference with the other portions in the entire layout of the BES. Further, excessive tension of driving belt due to starter generator when the engine is started can be attenuated by retraction of tension controller that moves with starter generator, while the excessive tension of driving belt due to crank pulley when electricity is generated can also be attenuated by extension of tension controller that moves with starter generator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Company
    Inventors: Jongwon Lee, Hyounghyoun Kim
  • Patent number: 8683979
    Abstract: A dual fuel system for an engine includes a plurality of fuel injectors that each include an injector body with a tip component defining a plurality of gas nozzle outlets and a plurality of liquid nozzle outlets positioned for direct injection into one of the engine cylinders. Each of the fuel injectors is fluidly connected to a gaseous fuel common rail through a quill and an outer passage defined between an inner tube and an outer tube. Each of the fuel injectors is fluidly connected to a liquid fuel common rail through the quill and an inner passage defined by the inner tube. Each combination of an inner tube and outer tube extend into the engine housing between the quill and one of the fuel injectors. Each of the inner tubes extends through one of the outer tubes and is compressed between a conical seat on the quill and a conical seat on one of the fuel injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Hoisan Kim, Mark F. Sommars
  • Patent number: 8683977
    Abstract: In an internal combustion engine with separate cylinder banks, separate exhaust passages are connected to each cylinder bank of an engine and a shared intake passage is connected to both cylinder banks. One end of an EGR passage is connected to the separate exhaust passage of one cylinder bank, and the other end of the EGR is connected to the shared intake passage. If it is determined that an EGR valve in the EGR passage is stuck in an open state, a fuel-cut control is executed in the cylinder bank that is connected to the separate exhaust passage to which the EGR passage is connected. Thus, even when the EGR valve is stuck in an open state, it is possible to prevent the internal combustion engine from operating unstably.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shigeki Miyashita
  • Patent number: 8688353
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus which may be employed in automotive vehicles. The engine control apparatus is equipped with a controlled variable arithmetic expression which defines correlations between a plurality of combustion parameters and a plurality of controlled variables of actuators for control of an operation of the engine to calculate a combination of command values to be outputted to the actuators for regulating the controlled variables needed to achieve target values of the combustion parameters. When one of the command values is produced outside an allowable operation range of a corresponding one of the actuators, the engine control apparatus corrects or limits the one of the command values to an upper or a lower limit of the allowable operation range, thereby ensuring the stability in bringing engine output characteristics close to desired values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2014
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Koji Ishizuka, Yoshimitsu Takashima, Kazuhiro Higuchi, Sumitaka Ikeda, Mitsuhiro Nishimura, Masahiro Asano, Satoru Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8662054
    Abstract: An ECU 70 is provided to an engine 50 including a TCV 57 that changes a tumble flow generated inside a cylinder and being configured to be capable of securing a cooling of a cylinder block 51 and suppressing an occurrence of a cooling loss in a cylinder head 52. The ECU 70 includes a control unit that feedback-controls the TCV 57 based on a primary blow-off voltage Vi so that a flow velocity of air flowing along a surface on the cylinder head 52 side becomes greater than a flow velocity of air flowing along a surface on the piston 53 side in a case where a flow velocity of air flowing along a surface on one of the cylinder head 52 side and the piston 53 side becomes greater than a flow velocity of air flowing along a surface on another side in the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tetsuo Omura
  • Patent number: 8656892
    Abstract: A high-pressure pump for supplying fuel to a fuel rail includes a pressurizing unit, a discharging unit, a return flow channel, a mechanical pressure relief valve, a cup-like shaped spring seat, and a constant residual pressure valve. The return flow channel is closed when pressure of fuel in the fuel rail becomes equal to or less than a predetermined pressure. The spring seat has a guide portion that is formed along an outer shape of a constant residual pressure valve element of the constant residual pressure valve such that the guide portion limits a vortex flow generated at a position downstream of the constant residual pressure valve element in the second flow direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Inoue
  • Patent number: 8649955
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus which may be employed in automotive vehicles. The engine control apparatus is equipped with at least one of a combustion parameter or a controlled variable arithmetic expression. The combustion parameter arithmetic expression defines combustion conditions of the engine needed to achieve required values of engine output-related values such as exhaust emissions. The controlled variable arithmetic expression defines how to operate actuators for an operation of the engine to meet desired combustion conditions of the engine. The use of the combustion parameter or controlled variable arithmetic expression achieves simultaneous agreement of the engine output-related values with required values without mutual interference between combustion parameters associated with the combustion conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Sumitaka Ikeda, Koji Ishizuka, Yoshimitsu Takashima, Satoru Sasaki, Kazuhiro Higuchi, Youhei Morimoto, Mitsuhiro Nishimura, Masahiro Asano
  • Patent number: 8645044
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine includes determining an actual combustion heat release during ongoing engine operation, calculating an expected combustion heat release corresponding to engine operation associated with the actual combustion heat release during ongoing engine operation, determining a difference between the actual combustion heat release and the expected combustion heat release, and operating the internal combustion engine in a homogeneous-charge compression-ignition combustion mode to achieve a preferred combustion phasing during each combustion cycle in response to the difference between the actual combustion heat release and the expected combustion heat release.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Nicole Wermuth, Paul M. Najt, Orgun A. Guralp, Hanho Yun, Jun-Mo Kang
  • Patent number: 8635986
    Abstract: Angle sensor device has magnetic force detectors detecting alternation of magnetic force caused by rotation of a throttle gear. The magnetic force detectors are buried in a molded body of the angle sensor device constructed of foamed resin. The magnetic force detectors each has a sensing unit detecting alteration of magnetic force and a computing unit computing based on signals from the sensing unit and outputting signals depending on the alteration of magnetic force and is formed in L-shape. Two of the magnetic force detectors are placed opposite each other such that one of the sensing units is disposed on the other sensing unit. The molded body has a cavity surrounded by the magnetic force detectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 28, 2014
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Tsutomu Ikeda, Katsumi Ishida, Makoto Mase, Shuji Yamamoto, Tetsuo Suzuoki, Masashi Ozeki
  • Patent number: 8627804
    Abstract: A method for controlling a multi-cylinder direct-injection internal combustion engine includes establishing an external exhaust gas recirculation valve from a present position to a target position to achieve a target exhaust gas recirculation, and synchronizing combustion initiation timing with actual exhaust gas recirculation as actual exhaust gas recirculation changes from a first exhaust gas recirculation value corresponding to the present position of the external exhaust gas recirculation valve to a second exhaust gas recirculation value corresponding to the target position of the external exhaust gas recirculation valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Jun-Mo Kang, Hanho Yun, Chen-Fang Chang