Patents Examined by Jacob Amick
  • Patent number: 9938947
    Abstract: A decoupling element is described for a fuel injection device which is characterized in particular by a low-noise design. The fuel injection device includes at least one fuel injector, a receiving bore in a cylinder head for the fuel injector, and the decoupling element between a valve housing of the fuel injector and a wall of the receiving bore. The decoupling element is designed as a decoupling system having a spring ring and a conical washer. The fuel injection device is suitable for injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of a mixture-compressing spark-ignition internal combustion engine in particular.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Jens Pohlmann, Michael Fischer, Andreas Glaser, Markus Friedrich, Martin Scheffel, Stefan Woerz, Martin Buehner, Thomas Gerschwitz, Anh-Tuan Hoang
  • Patent number: 9938948
    Abstract: A fluid injection assembly for a combustion engine includes an injector body having a notch, an injector cup, which radially encloses an axial end of the injector body and has a projecting part, and a spring clip arranged between the injector body and the injector cup. The spring clip includes a ground plate, at least one spring element, and at least one holding element engaging behind the projecting part of the injector cup. The ground plate is arranged in the notch of the injector body. The injector body and the injector cup are coupled together by the spring clip by mechanical interaction via the projecting part and the notch, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Giandomenico Serra, Daniel Marc, Andrea Puccini
  • Patent number: 9938925
    Abstract: A cylinder liner assembly for inclusion in the cylinder bore of an internal combustion engine includes a sleeve-like cylinder liner and an anti-polishing ring to scrape combustion deposits from a piston reciprocally movable along an axis line of the cylinder liner. A fire dam may axially protrude from a first liner end of the cylinder liner and may have an obliquely angled chamfer disposed therein circumscribing the axis line. To locate the anti-polishing ring proximate to the top land of the piston when at the top dead center position, the anti-polishing ring can include a cuff header disposed at the first cuff end that is generally triangular and has an angled undercut corresponding to the obliquely angled chamfer. When mated, the chamfer and angled undercut abut against each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Brad Morgan, Shu Zhang, Thomas R. McClure, Michael R. Bochart
  • Patent number: 9932880
    Abstract: A vehicle comprising an engine having a cylinder block, a cylinder head and a gasket disposed between the cylinder block and the cylinder head. The cylinder block and the cylinder head each comprising at least one bore opening leading to a casting bore within the cylinder block and cylinder head respectively. The gasket comprising a gasket opening having a control gap, said gasket opening being sized and arranged to provide a fluid pathway between the bore opening in the cylinder block and the bore opening in the cylinder head. The control gap being configured and arranged to selectively restrict that fluid pathway such that gas may freely pass through the cylinder block bore opening and into the bore opening in the cylinder head whereas coolant can only restrictively pass through the cylinder block bore opening and into the bore opening in the cylinder head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2018
    Assignee: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED
    Inventor: William Hutchins
  • Patent number: 9926895
    Abstract: Disclosed is an intake apparatus for an engine transversely mounted within an engine compartment at a front of a vehicle. The intake apparatus comprises: an intake manifold made of a synthetic resin and disposed on a front side of the engine, the engine front side being a front side of the vehicle; and a fuel distribution pipe disposed between the engine and the intake manifold to extend in the cylinder row direction and capable of delivering fuel to respective cylinders of the engine; wherein the intake manifold has a protruding portion provided on a front surface thereof to protrude from the front surface in a vehicle forward direction, wherein the protruding portion is provided at a position capable of allowing a member disposed in front of the intake manifold to come into collision therewith in the event of a vehicle frontal collision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Daiki Sudo, Takao Kadoishi, Fusatoshi Tanaka
  • Patent number: 9925974
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling hybrid vehicle engine operation, where the vehicle engine comprises one or more cylinders dedicated to recirculating exhaust to an intake manifold. In one example, during an engine cold-start event or other event where temperature of one or more exhaust catalysts are below a temperature needed for catalytic activity, fuel injection to the dedicated exhaust gas recirculation cylinder(s) is maintained shut off, while its intake and exhaust valves are maintained activated, thus enabling the dedicated exhaust gas recirculation cylinder(s) to route air to the intake manifold of the engine, resulting in exhaust gas lean of stoichiometry that may serve to heat the catalyst. In this way, during cold start events and other events where temperature of one or more exhaust catalysts are below a temperature for catalytic activity, combustion stability issues may be avoided, and exhaust catalyst(s) rapidly heated, thereby reducing undesired tailpipe emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Leone, Kenneth James Miller, Douglas Raymond Martin
  • Patent number: 9926821
    Abstract: In a cylinder lubrication system for a two-stroke engine, a plurality of lubricating oil supply openings (78) open out in the inner circumferential surface of the cylinder (42) at a point lower than a top ring (22b) of a piston (22) located at a bottom dead center. The lubricating oil supply openings are configured to provide a larger amount of lubricating oil in the thrust side and anti-thrust side of the cylinder than in a remaining part of the cylinder. Thereby, the consumption of lubricating oil and the emission of undesired substances can be minimized while providing an optimum lubrication of the sliding part between the piston and the cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshikazu Yamada, Mashu Kurata
  • Patent number: 9926830
    Abstract: A two-stroke engine includes a crankcase defining a cylinder bore, a piston moveably disposed within the cylinder bore, and a cylinder head that covers the cylinder bore. A wall surface of the cylinder bore, a piston combustion surface of the piston, and a head combustion surface of the cylinder head, cooperate to define a combustion chamber for combusting a fuel therein. A thermal conductivity reducing mechanism is disposed in thermal connectivity with at least one of the crankcase, the piston, and the cylinder head for reducing heat transfer from combusted fuel within the combustion chamber to at least one of the crankcase, the piston, and the cylinder head. The thermal conductivity reducing mechanism may include a layer of low conductivity material coating one of the surfaces defining the combustion chamber, or a void in the cylinder head and/or the crankcase adjacent the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Alok Warey, Michael A. Potter, Venkatesh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 9926836
    Abstract: A system includes a compressed air system configured to couple to an engine. The compressed air system includes a compression device configured to compress an air flow, a heat exchanger configured to exchange heat with the air flow along a first flow path, and a bypass system configured to flow the air along a second flow path that bypasses the heat exchanger. The compressed air system is configured to selectively flow the airflow along the first flow path, the second flow path, or a combination thereof, to the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Diwakar Memangalam Vijayakumar, Rajesh Kumar Jayaram, Sreekanth James Madireddy
  • Patent number: 9920713
    Abstract: A reciprocating piston cryogenic pump has been suspended from stroking when process fluid discharge temperature from a vaporizer dropped below a threshold to prevent freezing of a heat exchange fluid circulating through the vaporizer and damage to downstream components. Suspension of the pump results in a decrease of process fluid pressure downstream of the vaporizer, which is undesirable. In the present technique, a temperature is monitored correlating to process fluid temperature downstream of the vaporizer. The amount of process fluid discharged from the pump in each cycle is adjusted as a function of the temperature such that the average residence time of the process fluid in the vaporizer is increased as the discharge amount decreases, increasing process fluid discharge temperature. The average mass flow rate of the process fluid through the vaporizer is unchanged regardless of pump discharge amount such that process fluid pressure downstream of the vaporizer is maintained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Westport Power Inc.
    Inventors: Gregory A. Batenburg, Jason J. Coatta
  • Patent number: 9920718
    Abstract: An air flow control system of a vehicle may include an engine mixing air and fuel and generating a rotation force by combusting the mixture of the air and the fuel in a combustion chamber, main ducts provided in a front side of the vehicle to transmit air to the combustion chamber of the engine, heat dissipation members provided adjacent to the main ducts to cool a fluid flowing inside thereof through heat exchange with external air, assistant ducts branched from the main ducts to transmit air flowing in the main ducts to the heat dissipation members, and control valves provided in the assistant ducts to control air supplied to the heat dissipation members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Jongwoo Nam, Hanshin Chung, Joonho Lee, Hyun Cho
  • Patent number: 9920680
    Abstract: A cooling system for a marine engine has a cooling jacket disposed in thermal communication with a heat-emitting portion of the marine engine. The cooling jacket has a water inlet, and a water outlet on an upper portion of the cooling jacket. A pump is connected in fluid communication with the water inlet and/or the water outlet that causes water to flow through the cooling jacket in order to cool the heat-emitting portion, wherein a flow velocity of water in the cooling jacket is low such that debris sinks to a lower portion of the cooling jacket. A debris outlet is in the lower portion of the cooling jacket that expels the debris from the cooling jacket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventors: Trevor George, Amir Abou-Zeid, Daniel Rothe
  • Patent number: 9915230
    Abstract: An engine system is provided that includes a cylinder, an exhaust flow part, a purifying system, a water injector for injecting supercritical/subcritical water into the cylinder, a water supply passage connected with the water injector and for supplying the water, a first temperature increasing device disposed at a position of the exhaust flow part and for increasing a water temperature, and a second temperature increasing device including a part of the exhaust flow part and a part of the water supply passage, and for increasing a water temperature. The first device increases the water temperature when an exhaust gas temperature passing through the position of the exhaust flow part exceeds a reference temperature. The second device increases the water temperature when an exhaust gas temperature passing through the part of the exhaust flow part is above a water temperature passing the part of the water supply passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2018
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiko Fujimoto, Hiroyuki Yamashita, Keiji Araki
  • Patent number: 9903280
    Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a control valve including a control valve body having an inlet passage, an outlet passage, a workport, and a chamber arranged in a fluid path between the workport and the outlet passage. The control valve further includes an annular poppet slidably received within the chamber and to selectively engage a poppet seat to inhibit fluid flow through the fluid path when a pressure in the fluid path is less than a predefined pressure level, and a valve element slidably received within the control valve body to selectively provide fluid communication between the inlet passage and the workport and selectively provide fluid communication between the workport and the outlet passage along the fluid path. The poppet is biased towards the poppet seat by an elastic element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: HUSCO Automotive Holdings LLC
    Inventor: Michael Layne
  • Patent number: 9903261
    Abstract: A vehicle cooling device includes: at least one of a radiator and a condenser; a fan cover including a fan configured to cool the at least one of the radiator and the condenser, the radiator, the condenser and the fan cover being positively charged; a connecting part that connects the at least one of the radiator and the condenser and the fan cover with each other; and a self-discharge static eliminator that is installed on a non-conductive wall surface of the connecting part, and is configured to decrease an electric charge amount of a part of the non-conductive wall surface within a limited range, centered on a location where the self-discharge static eliminator is installed, static elimination of the at least one of the radiator and the condenser being performed by the self-discharge static eliminator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toshio Tanahashi, Yoji Kanehara, Koshi Yamada
  • Patent number: 9903241
    Abstract: An engine assembly includes an engine, an external oil reservoir, a supply pump, and a return pump. The engine includes an oil gallery configured to distribute oil and a crankcase chamber. The external oil reservoir includes an oil tank defining an oil chamber and an oil filter assembly including a housing at least partially defining a filter chamber, and a filter positioned within the filter chamber. The supply pump is in fluid communication with the oil chamber and the oil gallery and the supply pump is configured to draw oil from the oil chamber and provide pressurized oil to the oil gallery. The return pump in fluid communication with the crankcase chamber and the filter chamber and the return pump is configured to draw oil from the crankcase chamber and provide pressurized oil to the filter chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 17, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation
    Inventors: Adam J. Hellman, John Schneiker, Tim Kwiatkowski, Casey Groh, Robert Price, Ryan Sullivan, Gary Johnson
  • Patent number: 9903311
    Abstract: An engine cam cover with integrated wiring provides quick-connect capability for electrical components in a manner that simultaneously establishes electrical interconnection and mechanical fastening. The cover comprises a shell with inner and outer layers defining a plurality of sockets with respective passages for receiving respective electrical components. A wire bundle has a plurality of wires extending from a connector end at a periphery of the shell to a terminal end disposed within a space between the layers. A plurality of retainers are disposed in respective passages, each having at least one helical track for rotationally receiving a connector pin extending radially from a respective electrical component. A plurality of metal cups installed at an end of each helical track are connected to respective wires at a respective terminal end. Each socket is configured to provide a latch to hold each respective connector pin at the respective track end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Hugh R. Campbell, Joseph Fondren
  • Patent number: 9896978
    Abstract: An intake valve for an engine supplies an intake gas to a combustion chamber of the engine, and an adiabatic coating layer including a polyamideimide resin and an aerogel dispersed in the polyamideimide resin and having thermal conductivity of 0.60 W/m or less may be formed on a surface portion that comes into contact with a flame during operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Seungwoo Lee, Jiho Kim, Hongkil Baek, Jiyoun Seo, Dongkyu Lee, Bokyung Kim, Inwoong Lyo, Minkyu Park
  • Patent number: 9897059
    Abstract: A diesel engine includes a piston, a cylinder head, and a fuel injector. The fuel injector has a valve body with bored nozzle holes in its tip part. A cavity having a circular shape in plan view is formed in a crown surface of the piston to concave to the counter cylinder head side. A wall surface constituting the cavity has a central ridge portion bulging toward the fuel injector while bulging larger toward the center of the cavity, a periphery concave portion formed radially outward of the central ridge portion to concave radially outward, and a lip portion formed between the periphery concave portion and the crown surface to convex radially inward. A lip radius R, a nozzle hole length L, a nozzle hole diameter D, and a bore radius B are designed to satisfy the following equation: 99.4D×(1?3D)×(L+2.7)?R?min{237.1D×(1?3D)×(0.8L+1),2B/3}.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 20, 2018
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Shimo, Sangkyu Kim, Kazunori Hirabayashi, Makoto Namba, Masahiro Miyazaki, Yudai Kato
  • Patent number: 9890686
    Abstract: An electrically motorized coolant pump includes a pump housing, a pump impeller being driven in a pump chamber, two suction-side intake ducts and a pressure-side outflow duct for the coolant. A control actuator that can be hydraulically actuated in response to a demand for coolant is disposed in a housing section of the pump housing between the suction side and the pressure side and the control actuator is coupled to a control element so as to open and close the intake ducts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 13, 2018
    Assignee: Brose Fahrzeugteile GmbH & Co. Kommanditgesellschaft, Wuerzburg
    Inventors: Uwe Klippert, Christoph Otto