Patents Examined by Hyder Ali
  • Patent number: 7213545
    Abstract: The invention relates to a reciprocating engine in a motor vehicle, comprising a coupling arrangement for transmission of a torque, from a crank shaft end, to a crank shaft flange supported in a cylinder block, the crank shaft end being movable in the radial direction with respect to the crank shaft flange, characterised in that the crank shaft end and the crank shaft flange together form an axially extended cavity adapted to contain the coupling arrangement.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2007
    Assignee: Saab Automobile AB
    Inventors: Hans Göransson, Hans Drangel
  • Patent number: 7210436
    Abstract: The invention relates to a four-stroke internal combustion engine (10), especially for lawnmowers, comprising at least one cylinder for a reciprocating piston which acts via a connecting rod on a crankshaft (12) and at least one overhead camshaft (16) for driving overhead gas exchange valves and a transmission (60) between crankshaft (12) and camshaft (16) with a motion plane within a transmission chamber (70) which is perpendicular to the crankshaft axis (14). It is proposed that at least one camshaft bearing (91) for bearing the camshaft (16) is configured as a tunnel bearing, with preferably one bore (93) of a bearing block (92) of at least one camshaft bearing (91) comprising substantially at least one recess (94) corresponding to the shape of the cam. The internal combustion engine (10) is easy to make and comes with reliable lubrication for the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Nikolaus Oberleitner, Rudolf Gande
  • Patent number: 7210430
    Abstract: An apparatus and method for extracting energy from an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a chamber having a primary piston and a secondary piston with a combustion portion of the chamber situated adjacently between the primary piston and secondary piston. The secondary piston includes a substantially lesser mass than that of the primary piston. The chamber includes at least one fluid port for supplying fuel to the combustion portion and an out-take port for releasing combustive exhaust. The chamber includes a controller for controlling the combustion therein at selected cycles of the primary piston. With this arrangement, the secondary piston is configured to draw a portion of energy from combustion controlled by the controller in the chamber. Such portion of energy is provided with a rapid response to an energy transferring portion interconnected to the secondary piston, which in turn, transfers and/or converts the energy for acting on a load or external application.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Assignee: Sarcos Investments LC
    Inventors: Stephen C. Jacobsen, Marc Olivier, Michael Morrison, Shane Olsen
  • Patent number: 7210472
    Abstract: This invention is a nitrous oxide delivery system to improve engine power in which the nitrous oxide leaves its storage bottle as a vapor rather than conventional liquid delivery systems in which it leaves as a liquid. This system can therefore use a relatively simple pressure regulator and fixed orifice to maintain an essentially constant nitrous oxide mass flow rate over a wide range of storage bottle pressure. The nitrous oxide which enters the engine does not contain any ice crystals and will not cause icing, therefore allowing introduction of the nitrous virtually anywhere in the engine's induction tract.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2007
    Inventor: Barry Lyn Holtzman
  • Patent number: 7207309
    Abstract: An engine that is operating with a combustible intake mixture may begin in to runaway, or in other words, uncontrollably operate at excessive speeds. In order to shutdown a runaway engine, the present disclosure determines whether an engine is operating in a runaway condition. If the engine is operating in the runaway condition, a compression inhibiting mechanism is moved from a first position in which compression ignition can occur within at least one combustion chamber and a second position in which compression ignition cannot occur within the at least one combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc
    Inventors: Todd M. Adams, Scott M. Schwartz, John T. Allington
  • Patent number: 7207299
    Abstract: Embodiments in accordance with the present invention provide an opposed piston, opposed cylinder (OPOC) internal combustion engine. The OPOC engine comprises two cylinders opposed at 180 degrees. A linking element connects two outer pistons so that they move in tandem. A central piston is disposed between and moves in opposition to the outer pistons. The linking element is adapted to drive secondary mechanisms in accordance with embodiments of a drive shaft, electric generator, hydraulic pump, pneumatic pump, and gear-driven mechanisms, among others.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced Propulsion Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Hofbauer
  • Patent number: 7204223
    Abstract: A structure of a cylinder block includes the cylinder block having a number of cylinders; a plurality of bearing caps supporting a crankshaft along with the cylinder block; a bearing cap beam supporting each of the plural bearing caps; a number of cap bolts fastening the plural bearing caps and the bearing cap beam to the cylinder block; and beam bolts fixing the bearing cap beam to a skirt portion of the cylinder block; a plurality of baffles each of which protruding from the bearing cap beam along a rotation path of a part of the crankshaft; and a number of vertical walls engaging the plural bearing cap beam with the baffles in a vertical direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2007
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Jidosha Engineering Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kunitoshi Kajiwara, Yoshifumi Yamashita, Tomoya Bokkai, Tetsuro Miyashita, Masayuki Kamo, Shinichi Murata
  • Patent number: 7201133
    Abstract: A device for transforming an alternating motion of a piston into a circular motion of a shaft is provided. The device includes an assembly of two pistons connected by two racks alternatively in mesh with a toothed cam set on a shaft. Movement in one direction of the assembly formed by piston and racks, following an explosion in one of the cylinders, causes one of the racks to mesh with the toothed sector and to rotate the shaft. At the end of this meshing period, the cam cooperates with a roller of one of the pistons so as to ensure continuity of the drive. Then, the explosion occurs in the other cylinder causing movement of the assembly in an opposite direction and so meshing of the other rack with toothed cam set, continuing the transformation of power to the shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2007
    Assignee: 3rd Millennium Solutions, Ltd.
    Inventor: Steve McKeown
  • Patent number: 7198019
    Abstract: A lubricating system for a marine engine provides a lubrication deflector which extends from the cylinder block of the engine toward rotating surfaces of a crankshaft and/or connecting rod. A lubrication passage is provided as an integral part of a cylinder block of the marine engine to direct a flow of liquid lubricant away from the lubrication deflectors and downwardly toward a lubrication reservoir, or sump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventor: David J. Belter
  • Patent number: 7198011
    Abstract: There is provided a two stroke internal combustion engine comprising a cylinder and a piston. The cylinder has a cylinder head, a wall and a crankcase. The wall extends between the cylinder head and the crankcase. The cylinder head has a first opening and a second opening. The piston is mounted for reciprocation in the cylinder. The cylinder head, the wall and the piston form a combustion chamber. The engine further includes a direct injector and a spark plug. The direct injector is mounted in the first opening for injecting fuel into the combustion chamber. The spark plug is mounted in the second opening for igniting a fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber. The engine also includes an inlet port and an exhaust port. The inlet port and the exhaust port are in the wall of the cylinder. The exhaust port is exposed by the piston before the inlet port on an exhaust cycle so a pressurized exhaust gas is substantially exhausted before the inlet port opens.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Inventor: M. Nhut Truong
  • Patent number: 7198022
    Abstract: A response time compensation system for controlling engine operation in activated and deactivated modes in a displacement on demand engine includes a LOMA system that regulates pressurized fluid flow to switch engine operation between the activated and the deactivated modes and a count module that monitors a cycle count of the LOMA system. A response factor module determines a response factor of the LOMA system based on the cycle count and a compensation module generates a compensated response time of the LOMA system based on the response factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2007
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Albertson, Mike M. Mc Donald
  • Patent number: 7194995
    Abstract: In one embodiment according to the invention, there is disclosed a bearing for surrounding a rotating shaft. The bearing comprises at least one external opening communicating with an exterior of the bearing; and at least one ramped internal cavity, each cavity communicating with one of the at least one external openings and an interior of the bearing. In another embodiment, there is disclosed a method for urging a lubricating fluid into an internal pressure gallery of a rotating shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2007
    Assignee: Menard Competition Technologies, Ltd.
    Inventor: Geoffrey Philip Virr
  • Patent number: 7191750
    Abstract: An intake manifold assembly (100) includes an inner shell (12) that is inserted into an outer shell (14), and a cover (25) that seals the open end (38) of the outer shell (14). The inner shell (12) includes dividers (16) that form air passages (18). A laser device (40) is traversed along the outer surface of the outer shell (14) along a path (44) corresponds with the inner shell (12) to form a laser weld joint (45). The intake manifold assembly (10) of this invention includes features and methods of assembly that improve the laser weld joints utilized to assemble the plastic intake manifold assembly (10). Both design details and clamping detail are described, every known configuration of U type manifolds can be made by this technique. The technique provides high value and low cost. High reliability is a well known feature of laser welding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2007
    Assignee: Siemens Canada Limited
    Inventors: Paul Daly, Bobbye Baylis, Bruce Harvey, Dennis Houle, Gowda Venugopala, James Vanderveen, Stephen Bloomer, Ki-Ho Lee
  • Patent number: 7188586
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for diesel engines, capable of carrying out a control operation for varying a mixing ratio of a fuel to water (inert material) arbitrarily in accordance with the magnitude of an engine load in a short period of time, and holding down the formation of nitrogen oxides to a level equal to that in a related art fuel injection system using an aqueous emulsion fuel, by uniformly mixing the fuel in the same manner as an aqueous emulsion fuel used in a related art fuel injection system, with water (inert material) in the combustion chamber. A fuel is injected from a fuel injection nozzle toward the water (inert material) held in water holding portions, or a fuel is injected from a fuel injection nozzle into the water (inert material) supplied from water supply passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2007
    Assignee: Komatsu Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazutaka Hattori, Taisuke Murotani
  • Patent number: 7178496
    Abstract: An intake manifold with variable intake tract configurations for an internal combustion engine is provided, wherein pairs of long and short intake runners are located between inlet plenum chambers and respective manifold outlets, and a rotary valve located between a manifold wall and a row of short intake runners is selectively movable between a first position isolating the short runners from the intake air and isolating the inlet plenum chambers from one another, a second position isolating the short runners from the intake air while permitting communication between the plenum chambers, and a third position permitting the short runners to draw air directly from the plenum chambers. The resulting manifold provides a space- and cost-efficient mechanism for providing variable intake tract configurations, and eases accommodation of other design requirements in the design of the manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2007
    Assignee: Mann & Hummel GmbH
    Inventor: Dan Huff
  • Patent number: 7174865
    Abstract: A VCR engine includes a crankshaft, a driveshaft, a plurality of crankshaft-driveshaft arm assemblies, a means to lift the crankshaft up and down, and a transmission assembly. The crankshaft-driveshaft arm assembly is a piece of metal to which a bearing that holds the crankshaft and another bearing that holds the driveshaft are affixed. The means to lift up and down the crankshaft of the preferred embodiment of this invention includes a plurality of jackscrew assemblies. When the crankshaft is lifted or lowered, the crankshaft will only move around the driveshaft with a fixed radius. The transmission assembly, which is generally a set of gears, transmits rotational movements of the crankshaft to the driveshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2007
    Inventor: Masami Sakita
  • Patent number: 7171937
    Abstract: An oil pan for internal combustion engine which is lightweight and has improved stiffness and vibration suppression, achieved by reducing the number of components. The oil pan includes an upper portion to be attached to the bottom portion of a cylinder block directly or through an adaptor plate and a lower portion provided on the bottom of the upper portion, with a baffle plate formed integrally downward of the upper portion. An oil supplying means which sucks the oil accumulated in the lower portion and supplies the sucked oil to portions of the internal combustion engine is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Aichi Machine Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Hada, Yasuki Ohta
  • Patent number: 7171934
    Abstract: In a branch pipe of an intake manifold, portion c in the central part is kept at relatively small constant inner diameter for an interval C, and portion e of which an end is connected to the surge tank is kept at relatively large constant inner diameter for an interval E, whereby the volumetric efficiency at the time of medium speed and high speed of engine is excellent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignees: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Mitsubishi Jidosha Engineering Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshinori Takabe, Atsuhito Ito
  • Patent number: 7171933
    Abstract: An intake system for a combustion engine has at least two rows of cylinder heads, each of which features an intake manifold with individual pipes leading to the cylinders. The intake manifolds are connected to one another through transverse ducts equipped with switching valves as well as to an air supply duct leading to one of the transverse ducts, which features a throttle valve to regulate the air volume. The air supply duct is preferably comprised of a double-fluted distributor pipe leading to one of the transverse ducts. A throttle valve housing is connected upstream of the distributor pipe, and an interior wall is integrated into the distributor pipe, thereby dividing the interior space thereof into two interior ducts of virtually equal cross section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 6, 2007
    Assignee: Dr. Ing h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Stefan Fegg, Thorsten Wunsch, Claudia Romberg
  • Patent number: 7165524
    Abstract: To reduce the number of component parts for supporting an air cleaner and facilitate the assembly work of the air cleaner in a V-type engine having part of an air intake device including the air cleaner arranged between a pair of banks. The air cleaner arranged on the side of the two banks is supported by cleaner supporting units integrally provided in the cylinder blocks or the cylinder heads in the two banks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2004
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hideo Amino