Patents Examined by Erick R. Solis
  • Patent number: 11486324
    Abstract: A drive circuit is controlled when power is interrupted. When power is turned off, a main power supply is switched to a sub-power supply, and a residual charge of a step-up circuit is lowered to a drive voltage of a drive circuit using a step-down circuit is used as the sub-power supply.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yuta Mifune, Koichi Tsukio
  • Patent number: 11486327
    Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine including an electronic control unit configured to execute: a base injection amount calculation process of calculating a base value; an injection valve operation process of operating the fuel injection valve; a feedback process of correcting an injection amount in the injection valve operation process; and a determination process of determining whether or not the amount of fuel flowing into the cylinders other than fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is equal to or larger than a threshold value. When it is determined as a result of the determination that the amount of fuel flowing into the cylinders other than the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve is equal to or larger than the threshold value, the electronic control unit (does not execute the process of injecting fuel from the fuel injection valve with the feedback process stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuto Ikeda, Yuki Nose, Takanobu Gotoh
  • Patent number: 11480124
    Abstract: A CPU increases an injection amount when a coolant temperature of an internal combustion engine is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. The CPU corrects the injection amount to control an air-fuel ratio to a target value in a feedback manner. The CPU performs a temperature raising process for a GPF, by stopping fuel injection in a second cylinder and making the air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture in first, third, and fourth cylinders richer than a theoretical air-fuel ratio. In performing the temperature raising process, the CPU stops a feedback process of the air-fuel ratio. In performing the temperature raising process, the CPU corrects the injection amount in a decreasing manner in accordance with an operation amount of the feedback process before the performance of the temperature raising process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuto Ikeda, Yuki Nose, Takanobu Gotoh
  • Patent number: 11480142
    Abstract: In at least some implementations, a device includes a fuel system component having a body through which fuel flows, and a retention member body connected to the body of the fuel system component, the retention member body having one or more retainers that are flexible and resilient, and that extend outwardly from the retention member body and that are arranged to engaged spaced apart portions of an interior of a fuel tank to retain the position in the fuel tank of the fuel system component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Walbro LLC
    Inventors: William E. Galka, Bryan K. Gangler, Bradley J. Roche
  • Patent number: 11473542
    Abstract: A bracket for clamping an injector onto a cylinder head of an internal combustion engine, comprising a clamp section, arranged for providing a clamping force onto the injector to clamp the injector onto the cylinder head; a mount section, extending from the clamp section and arranged for mounting the bracket to the cylinder head adjacent the injector; and a support section, extending from the mount section opposite the clamp section and arranged for supporting the bracket onto the cylinder head at a lever distance from the clamp section, to define the clamping force; wherein the support section comprises a plurality of support elements, each of said support elements arranged at a different lever distance, such that a selected support element from the plurality of support elements engages, in use, with the cylinder head at a selected lever distance, such that the bracket is supported on the selected support element only, to control a magnitude of the clamping force.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: DAF Trucks, N.V.
    Inventors: Joost Petrus Johannes Vermeeren, Bert Van Nijlen
  • Patent number: 11473517
    Abstract: To provide a controller and a control method for internal combustion engine which can set appropriately an angle interval for estimating the combustion state in accordance with change of a burning angle interval, and can reduce calculation processing load for estimation of the combustion state. A controller for internal combustion engine changes the estimation crank angle interval based on an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; calculates an increment of gas pressure torque by burning at each crank angle of the estimation crank angle interval; and estimates the combustion state of the internal combustion engine, based on the increment of gas pressure torque by burning in the estimation crank angle interval.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Yuhei Matsushima, Tatsuhiko Takahashi, Junichi Inoue, Toshikatsu Saito, Kazuyo Kako
  • Patent number: 11473513
    Abstract: A piston engine is provided; the piston engine has a cylinder, a main piston and an auxiliary piston; a combustion chamber is formed between the main piston and the auxiliary piston within the cylinder; the main piston has an crankpin offset L0, the auxiliary piston and the main piston move in different frequencies, an extended constant V?Vc of the combustion chamber is formed from ? to >10° CA; when at a=?=arc sin[L0/(L+R)] the main piston is at its top dead center; at a=arc sin(L0/R) the side force on the main piston is 0; when peak pressure of combustion is located at PPmax by choosing ignition timing, the most effective torque can be obtained; the torque is controlled by the amount of fuel injected; engine knocking can be prevented by retarded ignition at a>?.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2022
    Inventor: Defang Yuan
  • Patent number: 11466653
    Abstract: A control device controls a drive current that flows through a drive coil of a fuel injection valve that is electromagnetically driven. A control device includes a determination unit configured to determine whether a supply fuel pressure, which is a pressure of fuel supplied to the fuel injection valve, is higher than a determination pressure at which the fuel pressure is determined abnormally high; a first control unit configured to control the drive current in a first mode when the determination unit determines that the supply fuel pressure is not higher than the determination pressure; and a second control unit configured to control the drive current in a second mode that facilitates maintaining of the fuel injection valve in an open state more than in the first mode when the determination unit determines that the supply fuel pressure is higher than the determination pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: October 11, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Keisuke Yanoto
  • Patent number: 11459942
    Abstract: There is provided a control device for an internal combustion engine including a variable-capacity turbocharger, which has a turbine with a variable nozzle and an actuator that controls the variable nozzle opening degree, and a throttle disposed in an intake passage. The control device includes an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU include a first control mode as a control mode for the intake air amount. When an air amount range on the high flow rate side including a maximum value of a required air amount for the internal combustion engine is defined as a high air amount range, the ECU controls the actuator and the throttle so as to increase the throttle opening degree while maintaining the variable nozzle at a fully-closed opening degree as the required air amount is increased in the high air amount range on the side of the maximum value in the first control mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masato Ikemoto
  • Patent number: 11459941
    Abstract: An engine control device performs air-fuel ratio control of an engine through a main air-fuel ratio feedback process based on an output of a front air-fuel ratio sensor, a sub air-fuel ratio feedback process of alternately switching a target air-fuel ratio between a lean-side target air-fuel ratio and a rich-side target air-fuel ratio based on an output from a rear air-fuel ratio sensor. The engine control device performs a limiting process of setting an upper limit of a control range of an opening level of a waste gate valve to be less when a combustion operation of the engine continues to be performed for a long time without being stopped by fuel cutoff than otherwise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2022
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shinji Yoshioka, Shinichi Nakagoshi
  • Patent number: 11454183
    Abstract: A method of generating an ROI profile for a fuel injector using machine learning and a constrained/limited training data set is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first plurality of measurement sets for a fuel injector when operating at a first target set point. Preferably, at least two measurement sets of the first plurality of measurement sets are selected to generate a first averaged ROI profile for the first target condition. The at least two selected measurement sets are then used to train a machine learning model that can output a predicted ROI profile for a fuel injector based on a desired pressure value and/or desired mass flow rate value. Training of the machine learning model preferably includes a predetermined number of iterations that induces overfitting within the model/neural network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    Inventors: Khanh D. Cung, Zachary L. Williams, Ahmed A. Moiz, Daniel C. Bitsis, Jr.
  • Patent number: 11455845
    Abstract: A fuel property diagnostic device configured to diagnose properties of fuel for a vehicle includes a computer configured to diagnose the properties of the fuel for each region based on the number of vehicles with clogging. The number of vehicles with clogging is the number of vehicles in which an internal combustion engine provided with an exhaust gas control device in an exhaust passage is mounted, the exhaust gas control device includes a filter for capturing particulate matter contained in an exhaust gas, and the filter is clogged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshiya Yamashita, Tetsu Yamada
  • Patent number: 11448174
    Abstract: An electromagnetic valve driving device which drives a fuel injection valve having a solenoid coil, includes: a regenerative switching element disposed between a first end portion of the solenoid coil and the ground; and a control unit configured to control the regenerative switching element to be in an ON state or an OFF state, wherein the control unit includes: a voltage detection unit configured to detect a voltage of the first end portion of the solenoid coil; and an abnormality detection unit configured to detect an abnormality of the regenerative switching element on the basis of the voltage detected by the voltage detection unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignees: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD., NUVOTON TECHNOLOGY CORPORATION JAPAN
    Inventors: Motoaki Kato, Atsushi Ogawa, Kengo Nomura, Keisuke Kuroda
  • Patent number: 11448154
    Abstract: An injection control device of capable of correcting an energization time even in an S/N non-guaranteeable situation includes: an energization controller calculating an energization time correction amount based on an area correction performed by an energization time correction amount calculator regarding electric current flowing in a fuel injection valve when the fuel injection valve is electrically driven for injecting fuel; and an energization instruction time calculator correcting an energization instruction time for fuel injection in a next cycle and thereafter by using the energization instruction time correction amounts in or before a current cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Yohei Suganuma, Masashi Inaba
  • Patent number: 11448151
    Abstract: Systems and methods for improving accuracy of an amount of fuel injected to an engine are disclosed. In one example, a maximum fuel injector holding current value is adjusted from a higher value to a lower value within a predetermined amount of time of an end of fuel injection. By adjusting the maximum fuel injector holding current value, it may be possible to reduce variation in an amount of fuel that is injected via the fuel injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 20, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ian D. Campbell, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Rani Kiwan, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 11441523
    Abstract: A fuel pump includes a pump holder having a sidewall extending from a first end to a second end which is closed off by an end wall, the pump holder having a fuel inlet. An upper plate located within the sidewall has an upper plate flow channel. A lower plate located within the sidewall has a lower plate flow channel and an outlet chamber is formed between the lower plate and the end wall. An outlet passage extends from the lower plate flow channel to a lower surface of the lower plate. A pumping element located between the upper plate and the lower plate is rotated by an electric motor such that fuel is drawn through the fuel inlet into, and pressurized within, the upper plate flow channel and the lower plate flow channel and discharged into the outlet chamber through the outlet passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES IP LIMITED
    Inventor: John G. Fischer
  • Patent number: 11441477
    Abstract: Disclosed is a lubricating engine oil composition for use in down-sized boosted engines comprising a lubricating oil base stock as a major component, and at least one silane-containing compound. Also disclosed is a method for preventing or reducing low speed pre-ignition in a direct injected, boosted, spark ignited internal combustion engine, and the use of at least one silane-containing compound in a lubricating engine oil composition for preventing or reducing low speed pre-ignition in a direct injected, boosted, spark ignited internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignees: CHEVRON ORONITE COMPANY LLC, CHEVRON U.S.A. INC.
    Inventors: John Robert Miller, Richard Eugene Cherpeck, Ian G. Elliott, Theresa Liang Gunawan, Amir Gamal Maria
  • Patent number: 11441511
    Abstract: An engine controller controlling an engine including an occlusion reduction catalyst in an exhaust device includes a fuel injection controller that controls a fuel injection amount of an injector, an EGR controller that controls an EGR device, a sulfur purge determiner that determines whether sulfur purging of the catalyst is to be performed, and a sulfur purge controller that executes sulfur purge control if the sulfur purging is performed. The sulfur purge control involves performing a fuel injection to achieve a rich air-fuel ratio at an inlet of the catalyst and prohibiting the exhaust-gas introduction. The sulfur purge controller executes sulfur-purge standby control when a sulfur-purge standby condition is satisfied, and resumes the sulfur purge control when the condition becomes non-satisfied after starting the sulfur-purge standby control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroki Kasuya, Shotaro Harimoto, Masaaki Watanabe
  • Patent number: 11441504
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine includes processing circuitry that executes a richening process until an exhaust sensor detects exhaust gas having a rich air-fuel ratio. The processing circuitry executes an air supplying process to supply a catalytic converter with air until the exhaust sensor detects that the exhaust gas has a lean air-fuel ratio. The processing circuitry cumulates the amount of air supplied to the catalytic converter until the exhaust sensor detects that the exhaust gas has a lean air-fuel ratio in the air supplying process. The air supplying process includes stopping fuel supplied to the one or more of the cylinders and performing combustion at an air-fuel ratio that is less than or equal to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in the remaining one or more of the cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11434856
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine and a fuel system. The fuel system includes a fuel tank that stores liquefied petroleum (LP) fuel. The fuel tank includes a tank outlet port and a tank return port. The fuel distribution system supplies fuel from the fuel tank to the engine and returns unused fuel to the fuel tank. The fuel distribution system includes an engine supply line coupled to the tank outlet port, and a fuel rail disposed on the engine and coupled to the engine supply line. The fuel system includes a fuel discharge valve disposed on the fuel distribution system for removing fuel from the fuel distribution system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2020
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2022
    Assignee: Blossman Services, Inc.
    Inventors: David Alexander Kennedy, Jessie W. Johnson