Patents Examined by Joseph Dallo
  • Patent number: 10087835
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to provide an engine in which operation of a control system and communication of information can be performed easily form above the engine. A blank part is formed in a top cover provided on an upper surface of an engine arranged in an engine room of a ship so as to penetrate vertically the top cover, an engine side operation part is arranged so as to face the blank part, and an upper end of the engine side operation part is positioned lower than an upper surface of the top cover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Yanmar Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takao Nakanishi, Kiyoyuki Okuyama
  • Patent number: 10087866
    Abstract: A fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel injector and an engine control system. The engine control system is configured to send electrical fuel injection signals to the fuel injector to open the fuel injector, monitor a current amplitude of electrical fuel injection signals, detect the mechanical openings of the fuel injector based on the monitored current amplitudes of electrical fuel injection signals according to inflection points between a decreasing slope and an increasing slope in the monitored current amplitudes of electrical fuel injection signals, calculate time delays between the sent electrical fuel injection signals and the mechanical openings of the fuel injector, and set durations of electrical fuel injection signals based on the calculated time delays.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
    Inventors: Seng Hung Tervin Tan, Jin Seo Park, Patrick Leteinturier
  • Patent number: 10082114
    Abstract: An Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system for an engine system is provided. The EGR system includes an exhaust gas treatment module positioned upstream of an EGR cooler with respect to an exhaust gas flow direction. The exhaust gas treatment module is in selective fluid communication with an exhaust gas line of an engine. The EGR system also includes a bypass line in selective fluid communication with the exhaust gas line of the engine. The EGR system further includes a valve arrangement configured to route an exhaust gas flow through at least one of the exhaust gas treatment module and the bypass line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Progress Rail Locomotive Inc.
    Inventors: Keith E. Moravec, Sudarshan K. Loya, Michael B. Goetzke, Reddy Pocha Siva Sankara, Steven D. Johnson
  • Patent number: 10082097
    Abstract: A method of improving fuel efficiency by analyzing a driving pattern of a vehicle may include: calculating weighting factors according to a driving pattern of the vehicle at coordinates, which are the ratios of weightings accumulated at the coordinates to the sum of the weightings accumulated at all coordinates in an engine operation region; calculating a reference fuel consumption ratio KFUEL and a reference NOx exhaust ratio KNOx using the weighting factors; determining whether the reference NOx exhaust ratio KNOx exceeds a predetermined comparative value; and controlling an engine to improve fuel efficiency when the reference NOx exhaust ratio KNOx is equal to or less than the predetermined comparative value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2018
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Jin-Ha Kim, Soon-Chan Pyo
  • Patent number: 10077749
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for cooling a high pressure fuel pump. One method includes, when a spill valve is in a pass-through state, circulating fuel from a compression chamber of the high pressure fuel pump to a step room of the high pressure fuel pump. The fuel circulation through the step room may provide for a reduction in fuel temperature in the step room, and thus, the high pressure fuel pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 10077733
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a lift pump of an engine fuel system. In one example, a method may comprise predicting when a fuel rail pressure will decrease below a threshold assuming that a lift pump remains off. The method may further comprise powering on the lift pump before the fuel rail pressure decreases below to the threshold to prevent fuel rail pressure from decreasing below the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Justin Trzeciak, Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 10077092
    Abstract: An engine unit of a motorcycle includes a crankshaft, a piston, and a swing member. The crankshaft is housed in a crankcase in a direction such that a rotational center line is parallel to a vehicle-width direction. The piston is disposed above the crankshaft and reciprocates in an approximately up-down direction. The swing member is disposed forward of the crankshaft and the piston, coupled to the crankshaft by a coupling member, and swings in an approximately front-rear direction synchronized with a rotation of the crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 18, 2018
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Hisashi Ozeki
  • Patent number: 10072591
    Abstract: A method for operating a supercharger having an electrically operable compressor in an engine system having an internal combustion engine, having the following steps: determining a particular system state when the internal combustion engine is shut off; forming a purge path between an air supply system and an exhaust gas system of the engine system; activating the electrically operable compressor as a function of the determined system state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Florian Schmitt, Johannes-Joerg Rueger, Udo Schulz
  • Patent number: 10072601
    Abstract: Methods and system are provided for operating a fuel system of a stop-start engine system. In one example a method may comprise powering off a lift pump and maintaining a volume control valve in a closed position during an engine stop to maintain a fuel pressure within a fuel rail and one or more fuel injectors. The method may further comprise, in response to determining an engine start is desired, powering on the lift pump, initiating cylinder combustion, and operating a higher pressure pump (HPP) in an unpressurized mode when a fuel pressure upstream of the HPP is less than a threshold and switching to operating the HPP in a pressurized mode when the fuel pressure upstream of the HPP reaches the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Dietmar Hermann, Uwe Reuter, David van Bebber
  • Patent number: 10066583
    Abstract: The cryogenic fuel supply system for an engine is arranged in locomotive two sections connected by an inter-section connection for the purpose of transferring fuel from one section to the other. There is a cryogenic reservoir for storage of a liquefied cryogenic fuel, a positive-displacement high-pressure cryogenic pump, an oil heat-exchanger, a gas heat-exchanger, a gas mixer, a gas receiver, a fuel filter, a controlled gas metering unit, pipelines, valves, controlled valves, and a control unit. The cryogenic fuel supply system further includes an intermediate buffer arranged between the cryogenic reservoir and the positive-displacement high-pressure pump and connected to the cryogenic reservoir by pipelines and to the positive-displacement high-pressure cryogenic pump by a pipeline and two additional pipelines.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: OPEN JOINT STOCK COMPANY “RUSSIAN RAILWAYS”
    Inventors: Boris Mikhailovich Frolov, Valeriy Alekseevich Nikonov, Andrei Gennadievich Voronkov, Olga Vladimirovna Bychkova, Maksim Viktorovich Kolosov
  • Patent number: 10066565
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine, in particular a gas engine having at least two cylinders, includes acquiring a cylinder-specific first cylinder signal (pmax, E) from each cylinder. At least one combustion parameter (Q, Z) of the corresponding cylinder is controlled as a function of the first cylinder signal (pmax, E), and a cylinder-specific reference cylinder value (pmax?, E?) is set for the first cylinder signal (pmax, E) for each cylinder. The at least one combustion parameter (Q, Z) of the cylinder is adjusted as a function of the deviation of the first cylinder signal (pmax, E) from the reference cylinder value (pmax?, E?), and the first cylinder signal (pmax, E) tracks the reference cylinder value (pmax?, E?).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: GE JENBACHER GMBH & CO OG
    Inventors: Christian Barth, Herbert Kopecek, Nikolaus Spyra, Michael Waldhart
  • Patent number: 10066575
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for optimal operation of a gasoline particulate filter coupled to an engine exhaust system. Based on engine operating conditions, a target soot level on the GPF may be determined, and one or more engine operating parameters may be adjusted to maintain the actual GPF soot level at the target level. In one example, if the actual GPF soot level is lower than the target level, one or more of a fuel injection timing and a fuel rail pressure may be adjusted to increase soot generation, and if the actual GPF soot level is higher than the target level, the GPF may be regenerated until the actual soot level reaches the target level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Nikodem Suchta, Jacqueline A. Lymburner, Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt, John Edward Hedges
  • Patent number: 10066546
    Abstract: A heat shield film is formed on a bottom surface of a cylinder head and a heat shield film is formed on an inner peripheral surface of a small diameter hole portion. The film is a thermal spraying film made from the same film material. Since the film is thicker than the film, the film has higher thermal capacity than the film and thus heat retaining effect of the film is higher than that of the film. Therefore, combustion gas generated in a combustion chamber is suppressed to lose its momentum around the portion. Even if the combustion gas goes off around the portion, excessive temperature decrease of the combustion gas in the portion is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hideo Yamashita, Akio Kawaguchi, Hiroki Iguma
  • Patent number: 10066533
    Abstract: A device is provided, which makes it possible to perform a failure diagnostics for a filter more accurately even in the case of an internal combustion engine which is constructed to be capable of using both of gaseous fuel and liquid fuel. The device of the invention comprises judging means which judges any failure of the filter by comparing the added-up amount of the particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas as detected by a PM amount detecting sensor during a predetermined period and the added-up amount of the particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas as estimated by PM amount estimating means during the predetermined period, wherein the PM amount estimating means estimates the added-up amount of the particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas on the basis of the predetermined parameter and only a fuel injection amount of the liquid fuel out of a fuel injection amount of the gaseous fuel and the fuel injection amount of the liquid fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tomoyuki Kogo, Makoto Ogiso, Taiga Hagimoto
  • Patent number: 10059417
    Abstract: A marine propulsion device includes an internal combustion engine driving a driveshaft into rotation and a starter-generator motor in a torque transmitting relationship with the driveshaft. The starter-generator motor is alternately operable in a positive torque mode where it is powered by a battery to exert a positive torque on the driveshaft, and in a negative torque mode where it exerts a negative torque on the driveshaft and generates a charge to the battery. A control module is configured to receive an engine RPM, determine an engine RPM drop rate, and determine that the engine RPM drop rate exceeds a threshold drop rate. The starter-generator motor is then operated in a positive torque mode based on the engine RPM drop rate when the engine RPM drop rate exceeds the threshold drop rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventors: David J. Hilbert, Brian J. Fregonese, Christopher R. Jenks
  • Patent number: 10060386
    Abstract: A piston for a cylinder of a combustion engine includes piston crown including a piston bowl formed by an upwardly facing cavity, the piston bowl including a floor section with a central, and a side section, the side section connecting the inner section with an upper surface of the piston crown, wherein the side section is formed with mutually spaced apart ridges protruding towards the apex, and wherein the side section having at least one recess at an upper end of the side section connecting the side section with the upper surface of the piston crown.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Volvo Truck Corporation
    Inventor: Jan Eismark
  • Patent number: 10056737
    Abstract: A reversed-assembled corona igniter including an insulator, central electrode, and metal shell, wherein an outer diameter of the insulator increases adjacent a lower end of the metal shell to achieve an electrical advantage is provided. In addition, the insulator maintains strength because is not placed under tension during or after assembly, or once disposed in an engine. To achieve the increase in insulator outer diameter, the insulator includes a lower shoulder adjacent the shell firing end. An intermediate part, such as braze and/or a metal ring, is disposed between the insulator outer surface and the shell adjacent the shell firing end. To prevent tension in the insulator, the insulator can be supported at only one location between the insulator upper end and the insulator lower end, for example along the intermediate part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul LLC
    Inventors: John Antony Burrows, John E. Miller, Kristapher I. Mixell, James D. Lykowski
  • Patent number: 10054067
    Abstract: A system and method is provided for the use of the ion current signal characteristics for onboard cycle-by-cycle, cylinder-by-cylinder measurement. The system may also control the engine operating parameters based on a predicted NOx emission level, CO emission level, CO2 emission level, O2 emission level, unburned hydrocarbon (HC) emission level, cylinder pressure, or a cylinder temperature measurement according to characteristics of the ion current signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 21, 2018
    Assignee: Wayne State University
    Inventors: Tamer H. Badawy, Fadi A. Estefanous, Naeim A. Henein
  • Patent number: 10047704
    Abstract: An EGR device is operated and EGR is executed, when a temperature of a first cooling water that cools a cylinder block and a cylinder head is higher than an EGR allowable temperature, and a working point of the internal combustion engine that is fixed by a load and an engine speed is in an EGR execution region. The EGR execution region is variable with respect to a temperature of the second cooling water (the temperature of the second cooling water is lower than the first cooling water) that cools the intake port, and the EGR execution region is narrowed to a high load side in a case where the temperature of the second cooling water is lower than a threshold value temperature, as compared with a case where the temperature of the second cooling water is higher than the threshold value temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Daishi Takahashi
  • Patent number: 10047690
    Abstract: The present disclosure teaches method for balancing cylinders in a motor vehicle including an engine which has at least two cylinders. The method may include: determining a cycle period of a cycle of the engine and a number of cycles of the engine, determining a cylinder value function for each cylinder of the engine for each cycle indicative of acceleration of a crankshaft of the engine caused by the corresponding cylinder, carrying out a signal analysis for each cylinder value function, detecting an amplitude for each signal, forming an amplitude mean value for each cylinder, detecting irregular running of the engine on the basis of the amplitude mean values, and compensating for the detected irregular running of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Gerhard Eser, Dirk Heinitz, Wolfgang Moser, Martin Reisinger