Patents Examined by John T. Kwon
  • Patent number: 7699040
    Abstract: A control method of a direct injection system of the common-rail type; the control method contemplates: feeding the pressurized fuel to a common rail by means of a high-pressure pump which receives the fuel through a shut-off valve; cyclically controlling the opening and closing of the shut-off valve for choking the flow rate of fuel taken in by the high-pressure pump; driving the shut-off valve synchronously with respect to the mechanical actuation of the high-pressure pump by means of a driving frequency of the shut-off valve having a constant integer synchronization ratio, predetermined according to the pumping frequency of the high-pressure pump; estimating a perturbation intensity of the fuel pressure inside the common rail; and varying the phase of the commands of the shut-off valve with respect to the phase of the mechanical actuation of the high-pressure pump if the perturbation intensity of the fuel pressure inside the common rail is higher than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2010
    Assignee: Magneti Marelli Powertrain S.p.A.
    Inventors: Gabriele Serra, Matteo De Cesare
  • Patent number: 7698050
    Abstract: A method and a device for controlling a drive unit are provided, which allow for a reproducible load reversal damping. For this purpose, a setpoint value for an output variable of the drive unit is limited so that an overrun fuel cutoff of the drive unit is prevented. A limiting value for the setpoint value for the output variable is formed as a function of a loss value of the drive unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Martin Ludwig, Ruprecht Anz
  • Patent number: 7694668
    Abstract: The invention relates to a system for controlling the operation of a diesel engine of a motor vehicle, associated with means for supplying the cylinders with fuel and with means for recirculating waste gases at the admission. The control system comprises means for controlling the supply means according to the rotation speed of the engine and an effective torque control point and means for controlling the recirculating means according to the at least one effective torque control point. The system comprises means for determining a torque control point which is reconstructed from information provided by means for acquisition of the richness of the waste gas of the engine and air supply at the admission thereof and means for adjusting the means for controlling the recirculating means according to the effective torque control point and the reconstructed torque control point in order to minimize the emission of pollutants by the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2010
    Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Faycal Souidi, Vincent Souchon, Benjamin Desmarquet
  • Patent number: 7685992
    Abstract: In a method for operating a direct-injection internal combustion engine, a position of at least one piston inside a cylinder in which the combustion engine is at a standstill is determined; and a starting cylinder into which fuel is injected first is selected for a start following the standstill. An instantaneous charge of the starting cylinder is determined as a function of a duration of the standstill of the combustion engine. A distance (d) between the piston of the starting cylinder and a specified position of the piston is calculated. A minimum distance of the piston of the selected cylinder is determined as a function of the instantaneous charge; and another cylinder is selected as starting cylinder if the distance (d) between the piston of the starting cylinder and the specified position is less than the minimum distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2010
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ruediger Weiss, Andreas Schmidt, Jean-Marc Tonye Djon, Jochen Laubender, Manfred Dietrich, Elias Calva, Michael Drung, Karsten Kroepke
  • Patent number: 7681550
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine 10 includes a fuel injection valve 37 for injecting a gasoline fuel into a combustion chamber 25, and a spark plug 35. When the internal combustion engine is operated in a light-load region, the fuel is injected at an early and/or middle stage of an intake strode, whereby a homogeneous air/fuel mixture is formed and compressed to thereby perform a premixed-charge compression auto-ignition operation in which the fuel is auto-ignited and combusted. When the internal combustion engine is operated in a middle-load region, a spark-ignition combustion operation is performed. When the internal combustion engine is operated in a high-load region, air taken into the combustion chamber is compressed, and the fuel is injected into the compressed air, thereby performing a diffusion combustion operation in which the fuel is diffusion-combusted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tatsuo Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 7681552
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including: the step of increasing a determination value by a correction amount if the number of knock intensities not lower than the determination value is not smaller than a threshold value among knock intensities of a plurality of predetermined number of continuous ignition cycles; and the step of increasing the determination value by a correction amount if the number of knock intensities not smaller than the determination value is not smaller than a threshold value, among knock intensities of a plurality of ignition cycles satisfying the condition that a coefficient of correlation calculated by comparing a vibration waveform and a knock waveform model is not smaller than a threshold value, of the knock intensities of a plurality of predetermined continuous ignition cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2010
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Norihito Hanai, Yasuhiro Yamasako, Shuhei Oe, Yuichi Takemura
  • Patent number: 7677221
    Abstract: The invention concerns an internal combustion engine, in particular with direct injection comprising at least one cylinder (10), one piston (30) sliding in said cylinder, a combustion chamber (26) delimited on one side by the upper side of the piston including a concave trough (32) wherein is arranged a dog point (34) with apex angle (a2) and a fuel injector (22) for injecting fuel at a spray angle (a1) not greater than 2 Arctg CD/2f where CD is the diameter of the cylinder (10) and F the distance between the point of origin of the fuel jets derived from the injector and the position of the piston (30) corresponding to a crankshaft angle of 50° relative to the upper dead center. The invention is characterized in that the apex angle (a2) of the dog point is greater than the spray angle (a1) by an angle ranging between 30° and 60°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Vincent Knop, Alain Ranini, Bruno Walter
  • Patent number: 7677223
    Abstract: The air-fuel-ratio control apparatus for an internal combustion engine obtains a composite air-fuel ratio abyfs from a downstream-side correction value Vafsfb(k) based upon an output value Voxs from a downstream air-fuel-ratio sensor 67 and an output value Vabyfs from an upstream air-fuel-ratio sensor 66, and obtains an upstream-side feedback correction value DFi on the basis of the composite air-fuel ratio abyfs. A fuel injection quantity Fi is determined to a value obtained by adding the upstream-side correction value DFi to a control-use base fuel injection quantity Fbasec (=base fuel injection quantity Fbase·coefficient Ksub).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shuntaro Okazaki, Naoto Kato
  • Patent number: 7673612
    Abstract: A target engine torque after an environmental correction is calculated by interpolating it between an environmentally corrected maximum engine torque and an environmentally corrected minimum engine torque such that a ratio of a nominal target engine torque between a nominal maximum engine torque and a nominal minimum engine torque under a predetermined environmental condition becomes essentially equal to a ratio of the target engine torque between the environmentally corrected maximum engine torque and the environmentally corrected minimum engine torque. The environmentally corrected maximum engine torque is obtained by multiplying the nominal maximum engine torque and a correction coefficient according to the environmental condition together.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyasu Honda, Masaharu Tanaka, Masami Kondo
  • Patent number: 7676319
    Abstract: The present invention provides an intake air amount control apparatus for an engine and a control method of an intake air amount of an engine, in which, when the atmospheric pressure exceeds a threshold value, a target lift amount of an intake valve is determined based on a target intake air amount and an electronically controlled throttle is controlled to generate a target boost pressure. On the other hand, when the atmospheric pressure does not exceed the threshold value because of a vehicle traveling at a high altitude, the target lift amount of the intake valve is fixed to a maximum lift amount and the opening angle of the electronically controlled throttle is determined in response to the target intake air amount. Consequently, an actual intake air amount is controlled to be brought to the target intake air amount thereby generating negative pressure necessary for exhaust gas recirculation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Hano, Kenichi Machida
  • Patent number: 7673615
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes: calculating 15-degrees integrated value integrating vibration intensity for each of six crank angle ranges; detecting an amount of change in the 15-degrees integrated value between ignition cycles; specifying two ranges having larger amounts of change; specifying a crank angle having intensity larger than that of a neighboring crank angle in a search range determined to be the same as the specified ranges; calculating a coefficient of correlation K corresponding to a difference between a vibration waveform and a knock waveform model while the specified crank angle is matched with a timing at which intensity peaks in the knock waveform model; and, if the coefficient of correlation K is larger than a threshold value K(0), determining that knock has occurred.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Shuhei Oe, Kouzi Ohara, Satoshi Masuda, Yuuichi Takemura, Rihito Kaneko, Kenji Kasashima, Masatomo Yoshihara, Kenji Senda, Norihito Hanai, Yasuhiro Yamasako
  • Patent number: 7676320
    Abstract: In a lower partial load range of, a setpoint value of the mass flow of air into the combustion chambers is determined as a function of a predefined torque request such that it is greater than necessary for implementing the predefined torque request and large enough that individual exhaust packets can be differentiated from one another with the exhaust gas probe. Depending on the air/fuel ratio setpoint value, an actuator is actuated whose position affects the actual air mass flow. To implement the torque request, engine efficiency is simultaneously reduced by actuating another actuator. A measurement signal of the exhaust gas probe is detected. The air/fuel ratios of the exhaust packets are determined as a function of the measurement signal detected. At least one operating parameter affecting the air/fuel ratio in at least one of the cylinders is adapted as a function of the air/fuel ratios determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 9, 2010
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Reza Aliakarzadeh, Klaus Bayerle
  • Patent number: 7658184
    Abstract: An aircraft engine includes an aircraft engine controller configured to detect an actual peak exhaust gas temperature of a cylinder assembly. The aircraft engine controller detects an intersection between a first function representing a relationship between a set of rich exhaust gas temperature signals and a corresponding set of rich fuel-air ratio values and a second function representing a relationship between a set of lean exhaust gas temperature signals and a set of lean fuel-air ratio values. Based upon the intersection between the first and second functions, the engine controller detects an actual peak fuel-air ratio value for the cylinder assembly and can determine if a correction in the fuel-air ratio of a fuel-air mixture provided to the cylinder assembly is required. Accordingly, the engine controller provides each cylinder assembly of the aircraft engine with an accurate fuel-air mixture to allow for operation of the engine with optimal fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2010
    Assignee: Lycoming Engines, a division of Avco Corportion
    Inventors: Scott Matas, Charles Schneider, Allan Watson
  • Patent number: 7657361
    Abstract: An electronic control unit 30 of a diesel engine 10 stores a relationship between a required fuel injection amount and a corresponding injection command signal. The unit 30 generates the injection command signal corresponding to the required fuel injection amount based on the stored relationship, and drives injectors 20 based on the injection command signal to inject fuel. The unit 30 includes a shifting section, which forcibly changes the engine rotational speed by temporarily shifting the fuel injection mode between a first injection mode and a second injection mode. The first injection mode is a mode in which an after injection is executed after a main injection. The after injection has less fuel injection amount than the main injection. The second injection mode is a mode in which the after injection is not executed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Mikio Inoue, Yasuyuki Terada
  • Patent number: 7657359
    Abstract: Work done by an engine can be accurately calculated regardless of the part in an observation section where the cylinder internal pressure signal is detected. The apparatus for calculating the work done by an engine establishes in advance correlation of phase between the cylinder internal pressure of the engine and a reference signal composed of a predetermined frequency component as a reference phase relation. A means for detecting the cylinder internal pressure of the engine for a predetermined observation section is provided. A reference signal corresponding to the detected cylinder internal pressure of the engine is calculated so that the reference phase relation is satisfied. A correlation coefficient of the detected cylinder internal pressure of the engine and the calculated reference signal is calculated for the observation section and the work done by the engine is calculated in accordance with the correlation coefficient.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Koichiro Shinozaki, Yuji Yasui, Katsura Okubo, Masahiro Sato
  • Patent number: 7654253
    Abstract: A method to determine degradation of a humidity sensor used for controlling an engine of a vehicle, the humidity sensor exterior to a passenger compartment of the vehicle, the method comprising determining whether to enable monitoring of the sensor based on a duration since vehicle operation; and in response to a determination to enable monitoring, comparing a signal from a second humidity sensor to a signal from the humidity sensor exterior to said passenger compartment of the vehicle to determine whether either of sensors has degraded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Michael J. Cullen
  • Patent number: 7657365
    Abstract: A fuel injection control system corrects the amount of fuel injected by fuel injection valves toward an increased side when an acceleration state resulting from operation of a throttle occurs. A control unit includes a detector, an acceleration state determinor, and an acceleration corrector. When an increase in the detected value is a predetermined value or more within a first predetermined time period, the acceleration state determiner determines that a state is an acceleration state and inputs a signal inducing fuel-amount-increase correction to the acceleration corrector. When the state where an amount of change in the detected value reaches a predetermined value or more in an increasing or decreasing direction within a first predetermined time period continuously occurs a predetermined number of times or more before a second predetermined time period expires, determination of the acceleration state is stopped until a third predetermined time period passes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 2, 2010
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tomoki Fukushima, Hayato Matsuda, Takashi Hashizume, Shigeru Saito
  • Patent number: 7653479
    Abstract: A fuel cut failsafe function monitoring section of a microcomputer sets a fuel cut failsafe function diagnosis period in a period, in which an operation of an engine is stopped (e.g., a period before engine start), and sends a fuel cut failsafe execution command signal to a fuel cut failsafe execution section of an abnormality monitoring device during the fuel cut failsafe function diagnosis period. Thus, the fuel cut failsafe execution section is caused to output a fuel cut failsafe signal to an injector driver to stop an operation of the injector driver. The fuel cut failsafe function monitoring section monitors an output level of a disablement port of the injector driver at the time, thereby performing abnormality diagnosis of a fuel cut failsafe function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshifumi Murakami
  • Patent number: 7653475
    Abstract: A fuel injection correction coefficient for a first fuel injection valve and a second fuel injection valve with respect to a second fuel injection proportion in a second combustion is learned (step 107) in each of learning regions based on the fuel supply amount supplied into a cylinder, by carrying out a first combustion whose fuel injection proportion is set to the second fuel injection proportion, in the operation region of the second combustion (step 106).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hiroyuki Hokuto
  • Patent number: 7650873
    Abstract: An improved spark ignition system for an internal combustion engine that includes a pair of electrodes disposed to extend from opposite sides and into a combustion chamber to form a spark gap between them that is central to the combustion chamber. Each electrode is integral with a conductive fuel delivery tube that contains a capillary passage and fuel outlet ports adjacent the electrode. The heat from combustion conducted into the electrodes and fuel delivery tubes is used to vaporize the fuel within the capillary passages before it exits the outlet ports as an atomized fog into the combustion chamber adjacent the spark gap. The vaporization of the fuel flowing in the capillary passages absorbs energy from the electrodes and thus performs a cooling effect on the electrodes. The spacing of the electrodes from opposite sides of the cylinder also allows a design that can utilize and increased spark gap to produce a larger spark across the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2010
    Assignee: Advanced Propulsion Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Peter Hofbauer, Bengt Ebbeson