Patents Examined by John M Zaleskas
  • Patent number: 10690072
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for regulating exhaust flow through an exhaust system of an engine. In one example, a method may include directing exhaust from downstream of a catalytic converter to a compressor storage tank in response to an engine air-fuel ratio deviating from stoichiometry. The stored exhaust may be released from the compressor storage tank to recirculate through the catalytic converter to atmosphere after adjusting an air-fuel ratio of the exhaust in the storage tank and when the catalytic converter is at a target operating temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hassene Jammoussi, Imad Hassan Makki
  • Patent number: 10683829
    Abstract: A gaseous fuel injector for supplying gaseous fuel to a gaseous fuel combustion engine includes an injector housing which receives an injector assembly and supplies gaseous fuel thereto. The injector housing has an inlet at a first end, a nozzle with an outlet at a second open end and a chamber between the inlet and the outlet. The injector housing includes an ignition arrangement at the second open end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES IP LIMITED
    Inventors: Lukhbir Panesar, Malcolm Lambert
  • Patent number: 10677212
    Abstract: A method of controlled stopping an internal combustion engine having a stop-start mode and starter assembly includes detecting when the stop-start mode is active. The method also includes monitoring current rotational speed and position of the engine. The method additionally includes determining when the current rotational position is within a predetermined range of a target stop rotational position and the current rotational speed is less than a threshold rotational speed, and afterward energizing the starter assembly to engage the engine. The method also includes establishing a time delay following energizing the starter assembly to confirm engagement of the starter assembly with the engine. Furthermore, the method includes applying a torque by the starter assembly to stop the engine at the target stop position. A vehicle powertrain employing the engine equipped with the stop-start mode, the starter assembly, and an electronic controller configured to execute the method is also provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Lei Hao, Chandra S. Namuduri, Paul S. Lombardo, Chunhao J. Lee, Alexandru Rajala, Neeraj S. Shidore, Farzad Samie, Norman K. Bucknor, Dongxu Li
  • Patent number: 10677143
    Abstract: A compression self-ignition engine performs a SI combustion in which an air-fuel mixture is combusted due to flame propagation triggered by spark ignition, and a CI combustion in which the air-fuel mixture is combusted due to self-ignition induced by the flame propagation. An ECU comprises a first control means for controlling a SI ratio serving as an index relating to a ratio of a heat amount generated in the SI combustion with respect to a total heat amount generated in the SI and CI combustions or a heat amount generated in the CI combustion; and a second control means for controlling an in-cylinder temperature before the SI combustion. The ECU is configured to change a combustion state of each of the SI and CI combustions by both the first and second control means according to the operating state of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Yuichiro Tsumura
  • Patent number: 10662873
    Abstract: A cylinder bore wall thermal insulator includes one or more rubber sections in contact with a wall surface on the cylinder bore side of a groove-like cooling water channel, a base section having a shape conforming to a shape of a one-side half of the groove-like cooling water channel, the one or more rubber sections or one or more members to which the one or more rubber sections are fixed being fixed to the base section, and one or more elastic members for urging the entire one or more rubber sections to be pressed from a rear surface side toward the wall surface on the cylinder bore side of the groove-like cooling water channel. The thermal insulator includes a vertical wall near a boundary of each bore section of the base section and on a near side of the boundary of each bore section of the base section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: NICHIAS CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akihiro Yoshimura
  • Patent number: 10655552
    Abstract: A canister purge control method for a vehicle can reduce the number of components of an active purge system provided in the vehicle. An active purge operation is performed using a pressure value measured by an intake pressure sensor, instead of a pressure value measured by a rear-end pressure sensor, after a purge control solenoid valve is fully opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Seung Bum Kim
  • Patent number: 10634035
    Abstract: An adjustable exhaust port 2-stroke motorcycle engine with a center adjustable exhaust valve or a split center adjustable exhaust valves includes a closing fork. The closing fork or closing arm base portion is screwed or bolted to a control rod shaft. At least one spring is disposed between a surface of an engine cylinder and the at least one transverse post of an exhaust valve. A first end of the at least one spring is in contact with the surface of an engine cylinder or a surface fixed mounted to the surface of the engine cylinder, and a second end of the spring is in contact with or linked to the at least one transverse post. The center adjustable exhaust valve or either or both of a split center adjustable exhaust valves is spring biased to an open position by the at least one spring at all times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Inventor: Timothy B. King
  • Patent number: 10634070
    Abstract: Techniques, systems, and devices are disclosed for converting an alcohol and water mixture to hydrogen-rich gas inside a gasoline engine to power the gasoline engine vehicle. In one aspect of the disclosed technology, an electronic control module installed on a gasoline engine vehicle for controlling the gasoline engine vehicle to run on an alcohol and water mixture as fuel is disclosure. This electronic control module includes a processor, a memory, and an interface coupled to the ECU of the gasoline engine vehicle to receive various sensor signals from the ECU. The electronic control module also includes interconnects coupled to various modules of the gasoline engine vehicle to control a process of running the vehicle on the alcohol and water mixture stored in the gasoline tank of the vehicle. The said process includes converting catalyzed alcohol and water mixture to a hydrogen-rich gas inside a cylinder of the gasoline engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: American United Energy, Inc.
    Inventor: Pinliang Fan
  • Patent number: 10605150
    Abstract: The present invention provides a cooling device for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle. While the vehicle is in a decelerating state and while the internal combustion engine is in an idle reduction state, the cooling device increases the ratio of the cooling water circulation rate through a first path which extends through a heater core and a radiator while reducing the ratio of the cooling water circulation rate through a second path which bypasses the heater core and radiator. In addition, the cooling device increases the discharge flow rate of the electric water pump while the vehicle is in a decelerating state, and maintains the electric water pump in an operating state during idle reduction. Thus, the present invention allows accelerating the temperature decrease of the cylinder head during idle reduction, as well as improving fuel economy during acceleration when the vehicle is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yuichi Toyama, Atsushi Murai, Shigeyuki Sakaguchi
  • Patent number: 10598187
    Abstract: A heat-dissipation fan includes a rotary assembly and a plurality of rotary cylinders mounted on an outer surface of the rotary assembly to serve as cylindrical fan blades of the heat-dissipation fan. The rotary assembly includes a plurality of first electrical conducting units and a second electrical conducting unit. The rotary cylinders move along with the rotary assembly when the latter rotates and are correspondingly electrically connected to the first electrical conducting units to be rotatable about their respective centerlines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: ASIA VITAL COMPONENTS CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Bor-Haw Chang, Chung-Shu Wang
  • Patent number: 10590949
    Abstract: The invention relates to a ventilator wheel which is produced in the form of a radial or a diagonal ventilator wheel, and comprises a bottom disc and a plurality of ventilator blades arranged, on said bottom disc, so as to be distributed about an axial rotational axis, said bottom disc comprising a circumferential radial outer edge section that, when viewed in cross-section, extends in a curved shape in at least some sections and thus forms an elliptical transition of said bottom disc from a radial extension into an axial extension.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 17, 2020
    Assignee: ebm-papst Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Daniel Gebert, Jens Mueller, Alexander Konzal, Michael Strehle
  • Patent number: 10578126
    Abstract: A tubeaxial fan housing has a planar support vane that is fixed at sides thereof to opposing interior sides of the tubular housing, toward an inlet of the housing. The support vane receives a shaft on an underside thereof, upon which a propeller is mounted near an outlet end of the housing. The support vane has a curved edge facing the propeller to change a pattern of eddies generated downstream of the support plate and thereby reduce the noise generated by the fan. The curve is an S-shape and may be a sine wave whose period is ? the propeller diameter. The propeller is positioned a relatively large distance from the curved edge of the support vane to reduce further the generation of eddies. That is, the closest point of the curved edge to the propeller is one chord length, which chord is at a tip of a propeller blade. A rounded inlet bell on the housing includes a rounded surface to reduce further turbulence across the propeller and support vane to further reduce sound.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: ACME ENGINEERING AND MANUFACTURING CORP.
    Inventor: Jan Cermak
  • Patent number: 10570839
    Abstract: Methods and systems for adjusting vehicle operation in response to vehicle weight are described. In one example, an adaptive driver demand correction is adjusted in response to vehicle weight. The methods and systems may provide for more consistent powertrain response and lower vehicle emissions at lower vehicle weights.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Steven Joseph Szwabowski, John Ottavio Michelini, Dimitar Petrov Filev, Craig Thomas Hodorek, Eric Hongtei Tseng, Davor Hrovat
  • Patent number: 10570906
    Abstract: A mixed flow fan and a method of manufacturing a mixed flow fan. The method may include molding a fan wheel with a plurality of blades and a plurality of apertures. The plurality of blades extends radially outward from an axis of rotation and a plurality of apertures arranged with one aperture positioned between each pair of adjacent blades. The method also includes molding a plug having a conical shape. The plug includes a plurality of plugging members arranged circumferentially, where the number of the plurality of plugging members corresponds to the number of the plurality of apertures in the fan wheel. The method further includes welding together the fan wheel and the plug, where each of the plurality of apertures of the fan wheel is sealed by one of the plurality of plugging members of the plug to form a continuous surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: TTI (MACAO COMMERCIAL OFFSHORE) LIMITED
    Inventor: Eric G. Leal
  • Patent number: 10570865
    Abstract: A fuel injector and method are disclosed wherein an injector body defines a cavity and passages from an inlet at the cavity through an outside surface of the injector body. Each passage may have a first inner contour at a first angle and a second inner contour at a second angle. An injector pin with a fuel pass-though volume may be movable within the cavity to selectively overlap an outlet of the pass-through volume with an inlet of the passages to selectively direct fuel in varying quantities along the first second inner contours.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Xiaogang Zhang
  • Patent number: 10526981
    Abstract: An engine control device is provided, that includes an air amount controller, an ignition timing controller, a basic target torque determinator which determines a basic target torque, a change rate acquirer for acquiring a change rate of a steering operation, a target additional deceleration setter for increasing a target additional deceleration while an increase rate thereof becomes less as the change rate increases, a torque reduction amount determinator for determining an engine torque reduction amount, a final target torque determinator for determining a final target torque, and an actual air amount estimator for estimating an actual air amount introduced into a combustion chamber. The air amount controller determines a target air amount and controls the intake air amount to achieve the target air amount. The ignition timing controller retards the ignition timing more as the actual air amount becomes more excessive with respect to the target amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Chikako Ohisa, Osamu Sunahara, Daisuke Umetsu, Takahiro Kawamura, Yasunori Takahara, Daisaku Ogawa, Takeatsu Ito
  • Patent number: 10526984
    Abstract: A fuel evaporative emission control device including an electronic control unit that, when fuel tank inner pressure exceeds a first predetermined pressure, performs tank purge of closing a bypass valve and opening a sealing valve, discharging fuel evaporative gas inside the fuel tank into an air intake path of an engine in an operated state through a purge pipe and a vapor pipe, and treating the fuel evaporative gas, where, when tank purge is performed, if a first predetermined period of time passes after closing of the bypass valve without the fuel tank inner pressure falling to or below the first predetermined pressure, the sealing valve is closed and tank purge is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Atsushi Wakamatsu, Kenichi Kunii
  • Patent number: 10513968
    Abstract: A refrigerant control valve apparatus includes a valve body accommodated inside a valve housing, the valve housing being formed with an inlet port and a discharge port. A seal mechanism includes a seal body and a biasing mechanism. The seal mechanism is provided with a first pressure receiving surface receiving pressure of the refrigerant, which acts in a direction same as a biasing direction of the biasing mechanism, and a second pressure receiving surface receiving pressure of the refrigerant, which acts in a direction opposite to the biasing direction of the biasing mechanism. The first pressure receiving surface and the second first pressure receiving surface are formed to include an equal area to each other, and the seal mechanism is accommodated within a seal accommodation space such that pressure of the refrigerant from the inlet port acts on the first pressure receiving surface and the second pressure receiving surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2019
    Assignee: AISIN SEIKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Naoto Yumisashi, Koichi Maruyama
  • Patent number: 10494948
    Abstract: An airfoil including a leading edge, a trailing edge, a pressure side, a suction side, and an internal impingement cavity. An impingement insert is located within the impingement cavity. The impingement insert includes at least one impingement cooling hole spaced along a first face of the impingement insert and at least one impingement fin, having a base and a tip opposite the base, spaced along the first face of the impingement insert. The at least one impingement fin is spaced apart from the at least one impingement cooling hole.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
    Inventors: Sandip Dutta, Joseph Anthony Weber, Benjamin Paul Lacy
  • Patent number: 10486294
    Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a gas-powered fixing tool including a working chamber, a piston slidably mounted in the working chamber, a precombustion chamber in which gas combustion is to be initiated, and a combustion chamber between the precombustion chamber and the working chamber. The precombustion and combustion chambers are separated by a flap that is movable between a position in which the precombustion and combustion chambers are in fluid communication and a position these chambers are not in fluid communication. The tool also comprises a combusted gas evacuation valve. The tool also comprises means for fluidic communication between the precombustion and combustion chambers. The means are configured to be activated after a start of displacement of the piston from a rest position to a working position, and before actuation of the valve for evacuation of combusted gas to the outside of the precombustion and/or combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2019
    Assignee: Illinois Tool Works Inc.
    Inventors: Patrick Herelier, Pierre Cordeiro, Christian Ricordi