Patents Examined by Hai Huynh
  • Patent number: 10167817
    Abstract: Disclosed is a compressed natural gas injector. The injector includes: a housing provided at a fuel supply pipe of an engine; a needle valve provided at a lower portion of the housing, and having an injection nozzle; a solenoid having a coil provided in the housing and generating a magnetomotive force by receiving power, and a core generating an attraction force due to the magnetomotive force; a reciprocating plunger provided below the solenoid; and an elastic member placed on the plunger and including a contact portion provided in parallel to a lower surface of the core, and a protruding portion inclinedly protruding upwards and outwards from the contact portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: DONGBANGTECH CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Dong Jo Kim, Jong Wan Lim
  • Patent number: 10167801
    Abstract: A system for managing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) based on floor vibration for a vehicle, may include a vibration sensor, which is disposed on a floor of a vehicle and detects a vibration value; and a control module, which controls an operation of a vibration generating device of the vehicle in response to the vibration value detected by the vibration sensor, wherein when the vibration value detected by the vibration sensor exceeds a predetermined first threshold value, the control module decreases the vibration by adjusting a driving parameter of the vibration generating device of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: In-Soo Jung
  • Patent number: 10161342
    Abstract: A control device for a high-pressure pump includes: a determination unit, an acquisition unit, and an electric power setting unit. The determination unit determines whether a movable portion of an electromagnetic valve has been moved to a closed position to close the electromagnetic valve when the electromagnetic valve is energized. The acquisition unit acquires, as an electromagnetic-valve response time, a period of time from a start of the energization of the electromagnetic valve until when it is determined that the electromagnetic valve has been closed. The electric power setting unit sets a supply power to the electromagnetic valve by repeating a process in which the supply power to the electromagnetic valve is reduced so as to be smaller than a previous value until the electromagnetic-valve response time reaches a predefined upper limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahisa Natori, Tomoyuki Takagawa, Hiroshi Yamaguchi, Yasuo Hirata
  • Patent number: 10161368
    Abstract: An outboard motor powerhead section includes an engine having vertically stacked cylinders. The engine includes intake passages extending through the cylinder head to the cylinders. A fuel rail extends along a vertical center axis alongside the cylinder head. Receiver cups are coupled to the fuel rail and vertically spaced from one another such that each receiver cup is associated with a respective cylinder. Each receiver cup has a respective connector passage providing fluid communication between the fuel rail and receiver cup. Fuel injectors are respectively coupled to the receiver cups. Each fuel injector has an inlet end located in a respective receiver cup and extends along a center axis toward a nozzle end that extends into a respective intake passage. A cowl covers the engine. The vertical center axis of the fuel rail is located relatively more inboard with respect to the engine than is at least one connector passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventors: Wesley D. Koplitz, Jody A. Peterson
  • Patent number: 10151263
    Abstract: An intake system may include a purge supply device; an exhaust gas recirculation device; and a pressure adjustor. The purge supply device may include a purge path connected to an intake path of an engine mounted on a vehicle, and be configured to supply evaporative fuel from a fuel tank to the intake path through the purge path. The exhaust gas recirculation device may include a circulation path connected to the intake path between a throttle valve and a first connecting position connecting the intake path and the purge path, and be configured to supply to the intake path a part of exhaust gas of the engine through the circulation path. The pressure adjustor may be disposed between the first connecting position and a second connecting position connecting the intake path and the circulation path, and be configured to adjust a pressure at the second connecting position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takehide Nakamura
  • Patent number: 10150479
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle having an engine and a battery includes a memory and a controller. The memory has a predicted current expected to be provided by the battery for restarting the engine during a cranking event. The controller is configured to predict a minimum voltage of the battery expected during the cranking event based on the predicted current and to update the predicted current in the memory as a function of the predicted current and an actual current actually provided by the battery for restarting the engine during the cranking event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Lear Corporation
    Inventors: Antoni Ferre Fabregas, David Gamez Alari, Jose Antonio Canals Esteve
  • Patent number: 10145349
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine having an auto stop function, an electric pump motor drivably coupled to a transmission pump and a heat exchanger pump, and at least one controller. The controller is configured to control the pump motor to operate the transmission pump to supply hydraulic pressure to a transmission, and to operate the heat exchanger pump to provide flow from the engine to a heater core radiator in response to the engine being auto stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Mathew Alan Boesch
  • Patent number: 10145324
    Abstract: A step-down circuit is connected to an output of a step-up circuit that steps up a battery voltage, and an output of the step-down circuit is connected to a power supply input terminal of a CPU via an FET. The step-down circuit is normally maintained in an inactive state and, in response to an ignition switch being turned off, the CPU causes the step-down circuit to actuate and a stepped-down voltage (equal to a stabilized voltage) is output from the step-down circuit. The stepped-down voltage is further stepped down to a CPU power supply voltage, and the CPU power supply voltage is supplied to the power supply input terminal of the CPU. This allows the residual charge of the step-up circuit to be dissipated by the step-down circuit and the CPU.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yohei Kugumiya, Atsushi Kurauchi
  • Patent number: 10145326
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for performing mitigating actions in response to detecting a fuel injector leak. In one example, a method may include in response to detecting a fuel injector leak, performing first high pressure mitigating actions including increasing a fuel rail pressure, increasing a pulse width delivered to the leaking fuel injector, and commanding fuel injection during compression stroke; in response to the first mitigating actions not reducing the leak below a threshold rate, performing second high pressure mitigating actions including increasing the fuel rail pressure, increasing the pulse width delivered to the leaking injector, and commanding fuel injection during intake stroke for a cylinder receiving fuel from the leaking injector; and in response to the second mitigating actions not reducing the leak below the threshold rate, reducing the fuel rail pressure, and commanding intake stroke fuel injection to all cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technolgies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas James McEwan, Chris Paul Glugla
  • Patent number: 10138860
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements are described for controlling transitions between effective firing fractions during dynamic firing level modulation operation of an engine in order to help reduce undesirable NVH consequences and otherwise smooth the transitions. In general, both feed forward and feedback control are utilized in the determination of the effective firing fractions during transitions such that the resulting changes in the effective firing fraction better track cylinder air charge changing dynamics associated with the transition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaki Nagashima, Mohammad R. Pirjaberi, Louis J. Serrano
  • Patent number: 10138801
    Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: AeroVironment, Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
  • Patent number: 10137901
    Abstract: A sobriety ignition interlock system including an engine control device and a method for managing available vehicle engine power using the sobriety ignition interlock system. The engine control device includes an engine control processor (ECP) that is electronically connected in between an engine control unit (ECU), an engine sensor assembly, and a sobriety processor. The sobriety processor determines a sobriety level of a vehicle driver and sends a corresponding sobriety signal to the ECP. The ECP intercepts an engine signal transmitted from the engine sensor assembly to the ECU and manipulates the engine signal according to the sobriety signal, in order to manage the available power of the vehicle engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Inventor: Daniel Jones
  • Patent number: 10138818
    Abstract: Provided is an internal combustion engine control system capable of simultaneously and suitably carrying out the will of a driver to accelerate and modifications to the throttle opening degree characteristics. An internal combustion engine control system is provided with an accelerator pedal operation amount sensor for detecting the accelerator pedal operation amount, a storage unit for storing multiple different throttle opening degree characteristics of an engine relative to the accelerator pedal operation amount, a switch for selecting the throttle opening degree characteristic pertaining to a plus sports mode in response to an operation, and an engine control unit for controlling the throttle opening degree of the engine on the basis of the selected throttle opening degree characteristic and the detected accelerator pedal operation amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takeshi Hara, Terukazu Torikai, Eri Itou, Yuusuke Obata, Hideki Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10138826
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency or the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 10132251
    Abstract: A system and method for configuring parameters for a variable gaseous appliance, comprise a sensor for detecting a composition of the gaseous fuel in a fuel tank. A first set of instructions are executable on a processor for receiving a signal from the sensor and analyzing the gaseous fuel based on the Wobbe Index, methane index, and inert gas percentage, to produce a gaseous fuel analysis. A second set of instructions are executable on the processor for producing a signal for configuring parameters of the engine for running the engine based on the gaseous fuel analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: THE REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
    Inventors: Chan Seung Park, Partho Sarothi Roy
  • Patent number: 10132274
    Abstract: An internal EGR amount calculation device for an internal combustion engine, which, even when a timing position relationship between a valve overlap period and an exhaust top dead center has changed, can properly calculate an internal EGR amount according to the change and can improve a calculation accuracy of the internal EGR amount. The internal EGR amount calculation device for an internal combustion engine includes an ECU. The ECU calculates a basic blow back gas amount, calculates a crank angle position in the center between the starting point and the ending point of the valve overlap period as an overlap center position, calculates a blow back gas amount by correcting the basic blow back gas amount according to the overlap center position, and calculates the internal EGR amount, using the calculated blow back gas amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yosuke Kosaka, Koichiro Shinozaki
  • Patent number: 10125703
    Abstract: Based on an internal EGR ratio and desired external and internal EGR ratios, an EGR valve opening degree is feedback-controlled based on a desired EGR ratio, calculated in such a way as to perform correction so that a total EGR ratio becomes constant, and an EGR effective opening area obtained through learning of the relationship between an EGR valve opening degree and an effective opening area; thus, a correct characteristic of EGR valve opening degree vs. effective opening area can be maintained and hence it is made possible to absorb variations, changes with time, and even environmental conditions, while making an EGR valve and an intake/exhaust VVT collaborate with each other; therefore, an EGR flow rate can accurately be estimated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takuo Watanuki, Hideki Hagari, Tomokazu Makino
  • Patent number: 10125706
    Abstract: A boost power supply may be constructed of a number of smaller switching power supplies, each switching power supply providing a respective portion of a combined output current provided by the boost power supply to a load. A different respective control signal may be provided to each switching power supply to regulate the respective portion of the combined output current provided by the switching power supply. Each different respective control signal may be provided to the corresponding switching power supply out of phase with respect to each other different respective control signal to prevent the combined output current from exceeding a specified threshold current value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Matthew Viele, Carroll G. Dase
  • Patent number: 10125749
    Abstract: A pump has at least one pump element that comprises a pump piston that is driven in a reciprocating movement by a drive shaft having at least one cam and that defines a pump working chamber which, during the suction stroke of the pump piston is selectively filled with pumped medium via an inlet valve. The at least one cam is a multiple cam having multiple cam delivery areas for the delivery strokes of the pump piston. The inlet valve is configured to be electrically actuated. The inlet valve is closed when the pump piston is situated in the cam delivery area to be used for the delivery. The inlet valve is opened when the pump piston is situated in a cam delivery area that is not to be used for the delivery. Cam profiles of the cam delivery areas of at least one multiple cam are of different design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Otto Mueller, Georg Woesten, Juergen Schneck
  • Patent number: 10125731
    Abstract: The invention relates to an anti-rotation device of a fuel lance arranged in a bore extending through a cylinder head of a cylinder head from an intake opening until a hole provided for receiving a fuel injector, the lance allowing high-pressure fuel to circulate from an intake opening of the lance until the outlet opening of the lance engaging with the intake opening of the fuel injector, the fuel lance including a nut for being screwed into the intake opening of the bore and a tubular member compressed between the nut and the injector, the lance also including the anti-rotation device. The anti-rotation device is a resilient element which is deformed by rotation of the nut, such as to be blocked between the tubular member and an inner wall of the bore, and thus prevent rotation of the tubular member when the nut is screwed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES IP LIMITED
    Inventors: Emmanuel Autret, Fabrizio A. Bonfigli, Julien Nourisson