Patents Examined by Hieu T. Vo
  • Patent number: 10197033
    Abstract: A fuel-injection device has a low-noise and pivotable structure. The fuel-injection device includes at least a fuel injector and a receiving bore in a cylinder head for the fuel-injector, and a decoupling element between a valve housing of the fuel injector and a wall of the receiving bore. The decoupling element is captively situated on the fuel injector prior to its installation in the receiving bore in that a securing ring is mounted below the decoupling element at the outer periphery of the fuel injector and the securing ring is a closed plastic ring. The fuel-injection device is particularly suited for the direct injection of fuel into a combustion chamber of a mixture-compressing internal combustion engine having externally supplied ignition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Johann Bayer, Wilhelm Reinhardt
  • Patent number: 10197002
    Abstract: An engine includes a fuel injector. The fuel injector includes a valve body and an electromagnetic part that moves by energizing the valve body from a valve-closed position to a valve-open position. The fuel injector injects fuel when the valve body is moved to the valve-open position. In fuel injection, an ECU feeds a pre-charge current smaller than a current for operating the valve body, to the electromagnetic part in a pre-charge period at the beginning of a start of energization, and subsequently feeds a drive current for operating the valve body, to the electromagnetic part. Further, the ECU acquires a current change parameter as a parameter correlated with a speed of a rising change in drive current, and controls the feed of the pre-charge current to the electromagnetic part of the fuel injector, based on the acquired current change parameter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Makoto Tanaka
  • Patent number: 10197037
    Abstract: The invention, while reducing noise, suppresses a load increase in a processor and a delay in drive control. An engine control unit includes a processor, a driving circuit including a switching element to drive a load such as a fuel injector and an ignition device, and a communication circuit that transmits control signals from the processor to the driving circuit via serial communication. The control signals each include a command frame for controlling the driving circuit and a data frame for driving the load. If a predetermined bits in each of the data frames received from the processor at predetermined time intervals are determined to be the same twice in succession, the engine control unit changes a state of a driving signal ‘Drive’ for driving the load and thereby changes an operating state of the switching element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsuya Oyama, Chihiro Sato, Mitsuhiko Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10196963
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes: a main combustion chamber; an intake port connected to the main combustion chamber; an exhaust port connected to the main combustion chamber; a sub-chamber; and a spark plug in the sub-chamber. The sub-chamber is provided between the intake opening portion and the exhaust opening portion and connected to the main combustion chamber through a plurality of communication holes. The communication holes include a first communication hole provided on the intake opening portion side, and a second communication hole provided on the exhaust opening portion side. The first communication hole is closer to a piston than the second communication hole is. The first communication hole is inclined to be closer to the piston as the first communication hole is positioned toward the inside from the outside of the sub-chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Sachio Mori
  • Patent number: 10197029
    Abstract: A drive current applied to a coil is reduced from a time at which a first collision signal indicating collision of a movable core with a valve element is input to a time at which a second collision signal indicating collision of the movable core with a stationary core is input.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: KEIHIN CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takayuki Shimatsu, Masamitsu Mori, Masateru Moriya, Gaku Sato, Ikuhiro Uemura
  • Patent number: 10196974
    Abstract: A first-half combustion period, for example, is estimated/evaluated, with a required accuracy, more simply than the conventional art, while reducing man-hours to produce a heat generation rate waveform of an internal combustion engine. Within a combustion period of an air-fuel mixture, a period from an ignition time FA to a heat generation rate maximum time dQpeakA where the heat generation rate is maximum is defined as the first-half combustion period a that is one of characteristic values of the heat generation rate waveform. The first-half combustion period a is estimated based on an in-cylinder volume at the heat generation rate maximum time, and furthermore by being corrected using an exponential function of the engine rotation speed with a value depending on a tumble ratio as exponent. Thus, the heat generation rate waveform is produced using the estimated first-half combustion period a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Munenori Imaeda
  • Patent number: 10197024
    Abstract: A fuel supply apparatus able to stop actuating of a fuel supply pump when the fuel supply is stopped or becomes slow, includes a control section which calculates an amount of the fuel in the fuel tank based upon a signal from a fuel gauge, and outputs the result to a fuel meter. The control section also calculates from the fuel gauge signal the amount of the fuel supplied into the fuel tank per unit of time, and if the amount of the fuel supplied per unit of time is determined to be less than a set supply rate, the fuel supply pump is stopped so that a malfunction of the fuel supply can be detected without mounting a special fuel supply sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar SARL
    Inventors: Jun Tanaka, Daizo Morita, Atsunori Shimamoto, Atsushi Kawaguchi
  • Patent number: 10190525
    Abstract: A method of calculating an angular position of a crankshaft at the occurrence of a fuel injection event includes integrating a first polynomial function, and integrating a second polynomial function. The integrated second polynomial function is then divided by the integrated first polynomial function to calculate the angular position of the crankshaft at the occurrence of the fuel injection event. The calculated angular position of the crankshaft at the occurrence of the fuel injection event may then be correlated to an absolute angular position of the crankshaft, relative to a Top Dead Center position of the crankshaft. The calculated angular position of the crankshaft at the occurrence of the fuel injection event may be used to adjust the injection timing of future fuel injection events.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Stefano Nieddu
  • Patent number: 10190542
    Abstract: A canister close valve device for opening or closing a passage provided between a canister, which collects evaporation gas evaporated from a fuel tank and the atmosphere may include a plunger configured to selectively move up or down through magnetization with a core inside a valve housing when a solenoid is activated, a rod configured to perform a rectilinear reciprocating movement toward or away from the passage due to the upward/downward movement of the plunger, and a diaphragm valve body, which is inserted into the plunger, is connected to the valve housing, and is configured to be deformed by the upward/downward movement of the plunger and to generate force for impeding the upward/downward movement of the plunger using a pressure difference generated between the plunger and the valve housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Jin Ug Lee, Jung Su Park
  • Patent number: 10190516
    Abstract: An engine includes an exhaust gas recirculation system with a high pressure exhaust gas recirculation loop and a low pressure exhaust gas recirculation loop, and an air charging system. A method of controlling the air charging system includes monitoring an actual exhaust gas recirculation rate, operating conditions of a compressor and turbine in the air charging system. A compressor flow is determined based on a target exhaust gas recirculation rate, a target intake manifold pressure and the actual exhaust gas recirculation rate. A power requested by the compressor is determined based on the compressor flow, the target intake manifold pressure, and the monitored operating conditions of the compressor. A power to be generated by the turbine is determined based upon the power requested by the compressor. A turbine flow is determined based upon the power to be generated by the turbine and the monitored operating conditions of the turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang
  • Patent number: 10190487
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a variable inlet device of a compressor. In one example, a compressor may include the variable inlet device arranged within an inlet conduit of the compressor. The variable inlet device may be adjustable to control the gas flow through the compressor, the variable inlet including a pair of semi-cylindrical shells that are pivotable, about a set of hinges, between an open and closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tao Zeng, Leon Hu
  • Patent number: 10184436
    Abstract: A fluid injection system includes a fluid injector assembly; a fluid conditioning module having an outlet port that is fluidly coupled to an inlet port of the fluid injector assembly; an injector assembly outlet conduit fluidly coupled to an outlet port of the fluid injector assembly and disposed downstream of the fluid injector assembly, the injector assembly outlet conduit defining a pressure measurement port and a flow-restricting orifice, the pressure measurement port being disposed upstream of the flow-restricting orifice along the direction of fluid flow through the fluid injector assembly; a pressure sensor fluidly coupled to the pressure measurement port; and a controller operatively coupled to the fluid conditioning module and the pressure sensor. The controller is configured to adjust a flowrate of a fluid through the injector assembly inlet conduit based on a pressure signal from the pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Scott F. Shafer, Martin Lehman, Lifeng Wang, David E. Hackett, Taylor Tang, Andrew Marrack, Dennis H. Gibson
  • Patent number: 10184441
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling automatic start/stop operations for an engine. While the engine is shutdown, operation of the engine may be automatically started upon expiration of a threshold time limit or in response to one or more adverse or deteriorated conditions of a power storage device, such as, for example, a state of health, state of function, or state of charge of the power storage device. After the engine has been automatically started, the ability of the controller to subsequently automatically stop the operation of the engine may be disabled until at least one secondary condition is satisfied. Upon satisfaction of the at least one secondary condition, the controller may again be enabled to at least automatically stop the operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Martin T. Books, Erik L. Piper, Brian R. Alderfer, Jaideep Prasad, John P. O'Brien
  • Patent number: 10184412
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to methods of stop/start of an internal combustion engine provided with a CVVL system; also a control unit and a vehicle for employing the methods.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED
    Inventors: Ian Edington, Adam Moorcroft
  • Patent number: 10184418
    Abstract: A method of predicting a cylinder pressure of a diesel engine by a pressure predicting device may include predicting a pilot injection combustion pressure by pilot injection; predicting main combustion duration of main injection; and predicting a main injection combustion pressure after the main injection by using the pilot injection combustion pressure and the main combustion duration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Seoul National University R&DB Foundation
    Inventors: Kyoungchan Han, Jun Yu, Kyoung Min Lee, Kyoungdoug Min, Seungha Lee, Youngbok Lee
  • Patent number: 10184431
    Abstract: A fuel vapor processing apparatus may include a first adsorption chamber, a second adsorption chamber and a third adsorption chamber that are arranged in series with respect to a flow of gas. A ratio of a length to a diameter of the second adsorption chamber may be larger than a ratio of a length to a diameter of the first adsorption chamber. A filling ratio of an adsorbent within the second adsorption chamber may be smaller than a filling ratio of an adsorbent within the first adsorption chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Ryuji Kosugi
  • Patent number: 10179589
    Abstract: Disclosed is an exemplary method for optimizing vehicle performance. The method includes determining an optimized drive torque for maximizing vehicle fuel economy and detecting a driver requested drive torque. A determination is made on whether the driver requested drive torque is performance related or safety related. The arbitrated drive torque is set to the optimized drive torque when it is determined that the driver requested drive torque is not performance and safety related. The arbitrated drive torque is set to the driver requested drive torque when it is determined that the driver requested drive torque is either performance or safety related.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Zhijun Tang, Michael P. Nowak, Benjamin Saltsman, Dnyaneshwar Ambhore, Benjamin Morris, Vasilios Tsourapas, Chinmaya Patil, Hassan Al-Atat
  • Patent number: 10174703
    Abstract: Disclosed is a homogeneous charge compression ignition and diffusion compression ignition combined ignition control method for low-octane gasoline, using a diffusion compression ignition control mode as a forced ignition measure, to ignite a premixed homogeneous lean oil and gas mixture, and meanwhile to achieve homogeneous charge compression ignition of the oil and gas mixture. During an intake stroke, a fuel is partially injected into the cylinder or an intake manifold, to form a low-concentrated, homogeneous, premixed oil and gas mixture. Before the piston reaches a top dead center during the compression stroke, the remaining part of fuel is injected into the cylinder, diffuses in the air, and spontaneously ignites, thus achieving diffusion compression ignition. A flame is generated in the diffusion compression ignition, and ignites the premixed oil and gas mixture in the cylinder, to achieve ignition and combustion of the homogeneous lean fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Inventor: Xiangjin Zhou
  • Patent number: 10177537
    Abstract: An ignition system (10) comprises a high voltage transformer (12) comprising a primary winding (12.1) and a secondary winding (12.2). A primary resonant circuit (26) is formed by the primary winding (12.1) and a primary circuit capacitance (24). A secondary resonant circuit (16) is formed by an ignition plug (14), as a load, the secondary winding (12.2); the ignition plug (14) being represented by a secondary circuit capacitance (18) and a secondary circuit load resistance (Rp) put in parallel. Said load resistance value varies during an ignition cycle. The primary resonant circuit (26) and the secondary resonant circuit (16) have a common mode resonance frequency (fc) and a differential mode resonance frequency (fd).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: NORTH-WEST UNIVERSITY
    Inventors: Petrus Paulus Krüger, Barend Visser
  • Patent number: 10174705
    Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine includes an estimating means adapted to estimate an amount of a mixture of fuel and oil dispersing according to a movement of a piston within a cylinder; and a limiting means adapted to limit an upper limit torque (UT) of an internal combustion engine according to the estimated amount of the mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2019
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaharu Kassai, Kentarou Yamano