Patents Examined by Ka Chun Leung
  • Patent number: 7610893
    Abstract: A cover assembly for an internal combustion engine application and method of construction therefore provides one construction for a valve cover assembly, and another construction for an end cover assembly for a crankcase. The cover assemblies include at least one rigid metal carrier having a plurality of bolt openings and a plurality of load limiters located about said openings. A material is overmolded on the carrier and about the load limiters, with the material forming an exposed sealing surface for direct engagement with a seal gasket.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2009
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul WorldWide, Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Waters, David Hurlbert
  • Patent number: 7603976
    Abstract: With a gas exchange valve of an internal combustion engine having a hollow valve shaft (1) and valve disk (7), wherein the valve disk (7) has a valve tray (5) and a valve cone (6) connected to the outer edge thereof, whereby the valve cone (6) tapers with an increase in distance from the valve tray (5); the hollow valve shaft (1), passing completely through the space surrounded by the valve cone (6), is fixedly connected to the valve tray (5) at one end and at the other end is fixedly connected to the tapering end of the valve cone (6); the valve shaft (1) has parts telescoping into one another, namely a lower shaft part (3) facing the valve tray (5) and an upper shaft part (2) connected thereto, whereby the lower shaft part (3) engages in a form-fitting manner in the upper shaft part (2); and the upper shaft part (2) and the lower shaft part (3) are joined in a shaft connecting area (4), in particular by being welded together; coke deposits in the areas of the valve facing away from the combustion chamber, s
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2009
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventor: Marcus Abele
  • Patent number: 7597082
    Abstract: The invention relates to an arrangement of a timing case cover on a reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine, having an engine block (ZKG), a crankshaft pivot-mounted in the engine block, an oil pan which tightly seals the engine block to the bottom, and a timing case cover which is located on the engine block on the front side, which adjoins the engine block via a second, end-side sealing surface, and which has a through opening to rout out the drive torque of the crankshaft for an accessory drive. To achieve reliable sealing and a short structure of the internal combustion engine, the sealing surface of the timing case cover or timing case covers, examined in a side view, is made to run obliquely down to the inside such that on the engine block-side a timing case chamber which decreases in its depth downward is formed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventor: Xaver Stemmer
  • Patent number: 7597069
    Abstract: A snow vehicle includes an engine, a track belt arranged on a rear side of the engine, and a cooling water path for cooling the engine, in which the engine includes a cooling water inlet portion and a cooling water outlet portion provided on a front surface side of the engine and connected with the cooling water path. The snow vehicle is capable of improving the turning ability of the vehicle, while simplifying a cooling water path and reducing the size of the structure for cooling the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Ashida
  • Patent number: 7587997
    Abstract: The hydrogen gas injector plug for diesel engines employs an injector plug for generating hydrogen gas from water. Pressurized hot water is pulsed into contact with a heated metallic catalyst. The pressurized hot water turns to steam and disassociates into a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen gases. The catalyst removes the oxygen gases from the gaseous mixture. The hydrogen gas expands into a combustion chamber and is burned therein, creating a pressure to drive an engine piston disposed in the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Inventor: Thomas H. Sharpe
  • Patent number: 7587999
    Abstract: A gas engine electric power generating system in which an electric power generating apparatus including an electric power generator connected with a gas engine of a pilot fuel oil ignition type is installed near a coal mine. Recovered methane gas and ventilated methane gas from the mine are introduced into a cylinder of the gas engine while being adjusted to be introduced as a lean methane/air mixture to operate the engine to produce electric power. A carbon dioxide emission credit reflecting the difference in greenhouse effect index between releasing coal mine methane gas to the atmosphere and releasing the methane gas to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, is registered on an emission credit market. Also included are the affiliated systems of mutual patronage relation constituted by one or a plurality of the systems and nearby power generating system or systems using coal bed methane or pre-mining gas as fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: September 15, 2009
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kuninori Ito, Michio Abe
  • Patent number: 7574989
    Abstract: When a crank angle CAa of a specific cylinder, which was expected to stop in a fuel injection stop range over an intake stroke to a compression stroke at a full stop of an engine and received fuel injection, actually exceeds the fuel injection stop range and reaches a preset reference angle CA4, engine stop-state ignition control of the invention ignites the air-fuel mixture in the specific cylinder receiving the fuel injection at a moment of reaching the preset reference angle CA4 (step S260) and simultaneously injects the fuel into a certain cylinder that is in the intake stroke at the moment of the ignition (step S270).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2009
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Nakamura, Mitsuhiro Tabata
  • Patent number: 7562646
    Abstract: An air-intake device having a noise reduction mechanism includes a surge tank connected to an intake manifold for introducing intake air into an internal combustion engine, an air duct connected to an upstream end of the surge tank and a resonator connected to the surge tank and the air duct. The resonator forms a resonator chamber connected to both the surge tank and the air duct. The surge tank is separated from the resonator chamber by a first vibrating member, and the air duct is separated from the resonator chamber by a second vibrating member. The noises in the surge tank are offset or reduced by resonating vibrations of the first vibrating member, and the noises in the air duct are offset or reduced by resonating vibrations of the second vibrating member. Thus, the intake air noises are effectively reduced by a simple combination of the resonator and the vibrating members.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Naohito Seko, Kazuhiro Hayashi, Naoya Katoh, Makoto Otsubo
  • Patent number: 7559304
    Abstract: The present invention has an object of providing a technology capable of stopping and starting an internal combustion engine more preferably by restraining vibrations when the internal combustion engine stops and a scatter in crank angle when the internal combustion engine stops. For a period till an actual stop of the internal combustion engine since a stopping condition of the internal combustion engine was established, an air quantity of air flowing into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine is decreased when a number of revolutions of the engine is higher than a specified number of revolutions (S102) and is increased when the number of revolutions of the engine is equal to or lower than the specified number of revolutions (S106).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2009
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Denso Corporation, Nippon Soken, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenji Kataoka, Kimitoshi Tsuji, Yasushi Kusaka, Toyoaki Kurita, Masaki Takeyama
  • Patent number: 7556011
    Abstract: A sealing region where a valve seat and an outer peripheral surface of a enlarged diameter portion of a flare portion are contacted to each other is configured so that an end on a side opposite a combustion chamber is positioned at a position same as or on a side away from the combustion chamber than an end on a side close to the combustion chamber of a connecting region where a lid member and an inner peripheral surface of the enlarged diameter portion are connected with respect to the axis line direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2009
    Assignees: Suncall Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Ryuji Kishihara, Keiichiro Teratoko, Tadashi Saito, Takao Suzuki, Futoshi Fujiwara
  • Patent number: 7552705
    Abstract: A vehicle engine stop/start system with regenerative braking comprising a main engine for powering a vehicle having an accessory belt drive system, a motor/generator engaged with the accessory belt drive system, an operator activated switch for selecting an operating mode, in a first operating mode an electric energy storage portion for providing electric power to a heating system when the main engine is off, a relay for preventing operation of the heating system when the main engine is running, in a second operating mode the electric energy storage portion providing electric power to the motor/generator whereby the motor/generator drives an air conditioning compressor when the main engine is off, the air conditioning compressor connected to the accessory belt drive system, a relay for preventing operation of the air conditioning compressor using the motor/generator when the main engine is running, in a third operating mode the motor/generator is used to start the main engine after the main engine has been au
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2009
    Assignee: The Gates Corporation
    Inventors: Alexander Serkh, Imtiaz Ali, Dragan Kosanovic
  • Patent number: 7549408
    Abstract: A method for operating an engine having at least one cylinder that may be deactivated and a fuel system operating with an alcohol fuel blend, comprising of adjusting a range of operating parameters in which the at least one cylinder is deactivated, where said range is adjusted as the alcohol blend of the fuel varies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John D. Russell
  • Patent number: 7549402
    Abstract: The invention relates to a piston spray nozzle (12, 112) for cooling a piston (10) of a combustion engine by means of a liquid jet (20, 120) that is directed to a cooling chamber (14) of the piston (10). According to the invention, a member (16, 116) that has an approximately round cross-section and provides the discharged liquid jet (20,12) with a substantially tubular shape is disposed in the center of the discharge port (15, 115) of the piston spray nozzle (12, 112). The inventive piston spray nozzle delivers a directed, laminar liquid jet who shape remains essentially the same until the jet hits the cooling area (14).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2009
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventor: Wolfgang Issler
  • Patent number: 7540277
    Abstract: A fuel system (1) for a vibratory rammer (2) includes a tank arrangement (3), a diaphragm carburetor (4), a fuel line arrangement (5) and a venting line arrangement (6) for complementary venting of air from the fuel system (1) to the atmosphere. The fuel system (1) also includes a venting valve (7) which is open and closeable to the atmosphere. The tank arrangement (3) includes a primary fuel tank (8) and a secondary fuel tank (11).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2009
    Assignee: Dynapac Compaction Equipment AB
    Inventor: Gunnar Hedlund
  • Patent number: 7523734
    Abstract: A system to reduce rotational speed variations of a crankshaft includes a controller, a braking device, and a control module. The controller deactivates at least one cylinder in an internal combustion engine. The braking device applies a braking torque to the crankshaft when at least one cylinder is deactivated. The control module determines whether the controller has deactivated at least one cylinder and selectively synchronizes the braking torque with a crankshaft rotational speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2009
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: William C. Albertson, Mike M. McDonald
  • Patent number: 7520371
    Abstract: A lubrication system having an oil filter modified to replace or supplement the performance of lubricant additives that may be used within an internal combustion engine to increase the performance of a lubricant. The formulation of the lubricant is changed in accordance with the chemicals placed in the oil filter. For example, when the oil filter contains a strong base, the lubricant concentration of detergent will decrease, in some cases to zero, while the dispersant concentration in the lubricant will increase. The dispersant is the ideal weak base to neutralize combustion acid at the piston ring zone, carry the resultant weak base-combustion acid complex to the strong base in the oil filter, undergo ion exchange with the strong base, immobilize the acid in the oil filter and recycle back to the piston ring zone for reuse as an acid neutralization agent.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Assignee: Lutek, LLC
    Inventors: Scott P. Lockledge, Darrell W. Brownawell
  • Patent number: 7520251
    Abstract: A piston type internal combustion engine having a fixed position stub shaft mounted on a base. The piston, piston pin and piston rod rotate about this fixed position shaft. The piston assembly does not reciprocate. The cylinder block assembly is mounted to an output shaft whose center line does not coincide with the center line of the axis of the fixed position shaft such that it is offset from the fixed position shaft. The block assembly consists of cylinders, end cap, air intake shroud and exhaust collecting hood. The cycle of combustion is two, three or four cycle regulated by the fuel injection and/or spark plug firing sequence. Air is drawn through a filter into a turbo charge type air intake shroud. Air is accelerated through openings in the cylinders and pistons. Fuel is pumped through the output shaft and to the fuel injectors. Exhaust is dispatched to a rotating collector having a labyrinth type seal, then to a non-rotating hood attached to the base and through an exhaust port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2009
    Inventor: Robert S. Saari
  • Patent number: 7516806
    Abstract: A system (30) and method for removing heat from a confined space such as from engine compartment or service brake of a motor vehicle where heat is generated by operation of a heat engine (12) that propels the vehicle or application of a friction brake. The system and method do not use engine or electrical power because natural aspiration is used to remove heated air and Curie Temperature of a ferromagnetic material is used to selectively allow and disallow natural aspiration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2009
    Assignee: International Truck Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: James C. Bradley, Scott A. Wooldridge, Rodney J. Klinger
  • Patent number: 7509935
    Abstract: An engine cover (400), such as a valve cover (700) or an oil pan (400), includes a skeleton structure (402) that may have a plurality of ribs (406) and at least one opening. At least one panel (404) is configured to fit in the at least one opening, and is operably connected to the skeleton structure (402). A seal (424) is located between the at least one panel (404) and the skeleton structure (402). The plurality of ribs (406) defines a plurality of channels (802) located around the at least one or more openings. Each panel (404) is held to the skeleton structure (402) by the plurality of channels (802).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC
    Inventors: Tyler R. Vincer, Abhilash R. Pamulaparthy
  • Patent number: 7506627
    Abstract: An engine includes a balancer shaft that is supported at its both ends through bearings disposed within an engine crankcase. The balancer shaft lies generally parallel with a crankshaft and includes balancer weights, which are provided generally at the ends of the balancer shaft. At least one of the balancer weights is made up of first and second weight portions. The first and second weight portions are disposed on opposite sides of the corresponding bearing. In this manner, the bending moment on the shaft is reduced and, consequently, the balancer shaft can have a smaller diameter to reduce the size of the crankcase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2009
    Assignee: Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yoshiharu Nakayama