Patents Examined by Katrina Harris
  • Patent number: 6832437
    Abstract: An arrangement for cooling a piston in a combustion engine of piston and cylinder type with a nozzle installed in a crankcase in order to spray cooling oil towards the underside of the piston including devices for supplying oil to the nozzle. The outlet end of the nozzle exhibits an elongate curved and preferably substantially U-shaped or C-shaped outlet aperture cross-section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2004
    Assignee: Scania CV AB (Publ)
    Inventor: Jens Svensson
  • Patent number: 6830025
    Abstract: A dual spring valve stem seal module utilizes an inner retention spring to incorporate a valve stem seal assembly, a valve spring and a spring retainer. The dual spring valve stem seal module reduces the inventory and simplifies the assembly required for the valve stem seal assembly, the valve spring and the spring retainer, thereby reducing the costs associated therewith.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2004
    Assignee: Dana Corporation
    Inventor: Mark A. Leimer
  • Patent number: 6807927
    Abstract: A multi-cylinder reciprocating-piston engine with two crankshafts located generally end-to-end with respect to each other and with power output ends of the crankshafts located adjacent each other and mechanically interconnected with each other so they rotate at equal speeds but in opposite directions. Pairing of oppositely moving pistons reduces engine vibration. The crankshafts may be coaxial or offset radially from each other. Power from the engine is delivered from the adjacent power output ends of the crankshafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2004
    Assignee: Leatherman Tool Group,. Inc.
    Inventor: Michael Czysz
  • Patent number: 6745742
    Abstract: An engine having a connecting rod, a piston and a crankshaft is provided. The connecting rod extends between to connect the piston and the crankshaft. The connecting rod has formed therethrough at least one hole which provides a lubrication path to an interface between the connecting rod and piston conjunction point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Inventor: Siegfried Meyer
  • Patent number: 6722335
    Abstract: Air intake manifolds (32) for vehicle engines (50) may include a plate-shaped short runner valve (16) that is rotatably disposed within an aperture (19) of a wall partition (42). The valve (16) may be operated to open and close the aperture. A flange (22) may extend from an inner surface of the aperture and the flange may define a sealing face (22b). An elastic sealing member (21) may be disposed along a peripheral edge of the valve. The sealing member may include first and second projections (21a, 21b) extending from the peripheral edge of the valve. The first and second projections may be arranged in a substantially V-shape. Further, the terminal ends of the first and second projections are preferably disposed so as to closely contact the sealing face when the valve is rotated to the closed position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2002
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2004
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhisa Nomura, Satoshi Hattori
  • Patent number: 6705267
    Abstract: Engine safety features include an intake silencer defining an internal volume sized to help attenuate air pressure fluctuations generated within the carburetor and engine and transmitted back through the entering combustion air, and also functions as a flame arrester. An internal drip well collects fuel droplets to be siphoned through a hose back to the engine intake system for combustion. The carburetor bowl operates to allow gas and relatively safe vapor out of the carburetor during venting, but disallows liquid fuel from flowing out of the carburetor through the vent. A ball check valve drain disposed in an air intake enables suction of liquid fuel from the silencer into the intake manifold but inhibits suction of air. These features are useful modifications of commercially available engines to improve their suitability for marine applications such as on board electrical power generation, for example.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Westerbeke Corporation
    Inventors: John H. Westerbeke, Jr., Erik S. Larson
  • Patent number: 6705271
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine in which lubrication oil is atomized to generate oil mist so as to lubricate an internal mechanism of the engine with the oil mist. The four-stroke cycle internal combustion engine includes an oil-mist breather in fluid communication with a fuel tank of the engine. Any oil mist remaining after the lubrication of the internal mechanism is discharged into the fuel tank 14 through the oil-mist breather 22. Since no oil mist remains in the oil-mist breather the air filter of the engine is not contained by the oil mist.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 16, 2004
    Assignee: Kioritz Corporation
    Inventor: Yumin Liu
  • Patent number: 6688271
    Abstract: A switching-type intake pipe for internal combustion engines comprises an intake duct with a shorting aperture. The shorting aperture can be closed and opened by a switching flap. The switching flap is connected via a non-rigid connection with a flap lever. The connection between the flap lever and the switching flap is formed by a plate on the one side and a calotte on the other side. Thus, a tiltable connection, which is easy to manufacture and install, is produced between the switching flap and the flap lever.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 10, 2004
    Assignee: Pierburg GmbH
    Inventors: Michael Sanders, Frank Langner
  • Patent number: 6684826
    Abstract: An engine cooling apparatus includes a flow regulating valve, which adjusts a flow rate of a coolant passing through a radiator provided in a coolant circulation passage of the engine, and an electronic control unit (ECU), which controls an opening of the flow regulating valve such that an engine outlet coolant temperature reaches a necessary target temperature. The ECU sets a basic opening as a feedforward term based on the operation state of the engine. The ECU calculates a final opening from an F/B constant as a feedback term, which is increased or decreased such that the engine outlet coolant temperature reaches the target temperature, and the basic opening. Further, the ECU performs feedback control on the opening of the flow regulating valve based on the final opening. As a result, the responsibility of the coolant temperature control is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2004
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigetaka Yoshikawa, Yoshikazu Shinpo, Isao Takagi, Daisuke Yamamoto, Hiromichi Murakami
  • Patent number: 6619273
    Abstract: A liquified gas delivery system for a motorized platform includes a holding tank configured to receive liquified gas. A first conduit extends from a vapor holding portion of the tank to a valve device. A second conduit extends from a liquid holding portion of the tank to the valve device. Fluid coupled to the valve device is a vaporizer which is in communication with an engine. The valve device selectively withdraws either liquified gas or liquified gas vapor from the tank depending on the pressure within the vapor holding portion of the tank. Various configurations of the delivery system can be utilized for pressurizing the tank during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Bechtel BWXT Idaho LLC
    Inventors: Dennis N. Bingham, Bruce M. Wilding, James E. O'Brien, Ali S. Siahpush, Kevin B. Brown
  • Patent number: 6619242
    Abstract: A combustion control apparatus for an engine having a variable valve timing mechanism capable of varying valve timings of an exhaust valve and an intake valve establishes a combustion mode to either of following three modes, a four-cycle compression ignition combustion mode at a low and medium load area, a two-cycle spark ignition combustion mode at a high load area, and a four-cycle spark ignition combustion mode at a high speed area. When the combustion mode is established to the compression ignition combustion mode, the apparatus establishes the valve timings of the exhaust and intake valves so as to form a negative overlap period in which both exhaust and intake valves concurrently close in the neighborhood of the exhaust top dead center (TDC).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Makoto Kaneko
  • Patent number: 6615791
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a modular internal combustion engine assembly that includes a closed-dome cylinder liner having solenoid actuated intake and exhaust valves supported within the dome portion of the cylinder liner. The engine assembly also includes a crankshaft having a series of discs joined together in a spaced parallel relationship by a plurality of crankpins, that is supported at the lower end of the cylinder block by bushings adapted to receive the crankshaft, such that the crankshaft rotates within the bushings in response to piston power strokes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2003
    Inventor: Kaloust P. Sogoian
  • Patent number: 6571764
    Abstract: In a direct injection internal combustion engine having per cylinder at least two intake valves 1 mounted side by side, at least one exhaust valve 2, a more or less coaxial ignition device 3, an injection valve 4, and a piston 5 with combustion chamber trough 6, the injection valve 4 being mounted on the intake side, improved mixture preparation and combustion characterized by low fuel consumption and low exhaust emissions are achieved by mounting,the center of the combustion chamber trough 6 in the piston 5 noticeably displaced relative to the axis of the cylinder in the direction of at least one exhaust valve 2, and are achieved in that the boundary wall 7 of the combustion chamber trough 6 extends in projection along the axis of the cylinder between the ignition device 3 and injection valve 4.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2003
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Alfred Ottowitz, Rainer Wurms, Ralf Budack, Thomas Rieger, Murat Serifsoy
  • Patent number: 6564758
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine with variable gas exchange control times and with variable control times for the inlet and outlet valves includes, in various operating modes, direct exhaust-gas recirculation by the retarded closing of the outlet valve, exhaust-gas retention by the insertion of a compression and expansion phase with closed gas exchange valves, exhaust-gas filling of the combustion space by the opening of the outlet valve in the gas intake phase, with the inlet valve closed, and/or an apportionment of the combustion action, if appropriate combined with an exhaust emission control measure, to a plurality of working strokes of a working cycle. The various operating modes may be set individually for each combustion space and each working cycle. The method may by used, for example, for gasoline and diesel engines of motor vehicles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2003
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Christian Enderle, Walter Friess, Jürgen Ganser, Ulrich Letsche
  • Patent number: 6374780
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling engine temperature in a closed circuit cooling system 12 of an automobile 10 having an electric water pump 34, a flow control valve 42, and electric fan 40. A powertrain control module 20 electrically coupled to the electric water pump 34, flow control valve 42 and electric fan 40 interprets inputs from various sensors to adjust the pumping speed of an electric water pump 34, adjust the rotational speed of an electric fan 40, and/or adjust the flow rate through a flow control valve 42 to the radiator 46 according to a look up table as a function of fuel economy, emissions, thermal management and electrical load management.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Cindy Marie Rutyna, Peter Langer, Paul Raymond Murray
  • Patent number: 6352056
    Abstract: An exhaust valve actuation system utilizes pressurized air provided by an air compressor and controlled by signals from a controller, such as an engine control module. The pressurized air is directed by a pressure valve that operates under the control of the controller and the exhaust valve is thus moved as a function of a preselected parameter monitored by the engine control module. The pressure valve can operate in a two position manner or a multi position manner, depending on the particular embodiment of the present invention utilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2002
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventor: Mark A. Ruman
  • Patent number: 6119639
    Abstract: The present invention is for cooling combustion engines of the kind in which two pistons are working against each other in a common cylinder bore and having a common combustion space. The invention is for a liquid cooling of such a power machine, preferably a combustion engine. Cooling channels are arranged in the housing (4). The pumpwheel (11) is mounted directly onto the outgoing shaft (9) and can be an integrated part thereof. The pump housing is integrated into the lower part of the cylinder housing (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 10, 1999
    Date of Patent: September 19, 2000
    Assignee: Gul & Co. Development AB
    Inventor: Gunnar Leijonberg
  • Patent number: 6085715
    Abstract: A cover is provided which partially covers a governor control rod of a small engine. The cover mounts to a portion of an engine housing. The cover prevents a user from tampering with the governor control rod on a small engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2000
    Inventor: Bruce H. Walker
  • Patent number: 6055946
    Abstract: A crankshaft-mounted cooling fan is described for an internal combustion engine. The cooling fan has an adapter (104) mounted on the engine's crankshaft (102). The adapter (104) is capable of being coupled to a power takeoff device (164). First and second adapter bearings (170, 172) are operatively connected to the adapter (104) and to a planetary gear assembly (141). The planetary gear assembly (141) is operatively connected to a fan housing (110), which connects to the engine. A clutch assembly (136) is attached to the adapter (104) in a position where it may engage the planetary gear housing (141). A solenoid (132) is connected to the fan housing (110) and is disposed for activating the clutch assembly (136). A fan blade set (174) is coupled to the planet gear assembly (141), which enables the fan blade set (174) to rotate at a faster speed than the engine. The clutch assembly (13) may be engaged or disengaged depending on the operating parameters of the engine or a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 1999
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2000
    Assignee: Navistar International Transportation Corp
    Inventors: Bruce B. Dombek, Ho Chul Song