Patents Examined by Keith Coleman
  • Patent number: 8281761
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine has a plurality of cylinders and an air intake system. The air intake system is formed from at least one distributor pipe, a plurality of intake pipes, and at least one plenum. The plenum is located between the distributor pipe and the intake pipes. Here, the combustion air is fed to the air intake system via an air guiding duct which opens out into the distributor pipe. The charge pressure of the combustion air is reduced between the outlet out of the compressor and the inlet into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. A distributor pipe length is dimensioned as a function of an equivalent distributor pipe diameter such that it is possible for a reduction in the charge pressure to be obtained within the air intake system by way of an expansion, with the expansion taking place partially in the plenum in the respective intake pipe and/or within the distributor pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2012
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Ludwig Theilemann
  • Patent number: 8205592
    Abstract: An engine cover and method of making the same with a textured surface with an in-mold coating. A noise abatement cover for top of an engine has a textured, in-mold coated, high quality outer appearance with a core of medium density polyurethane. The method of making the cover includes applying a mold release to grained aluminum tool and applying coating to at least one side of the grained aluminum tool to form an in-mold coating on the resulting engine cover, which is preferably a single piece.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 26, 2012
    Assignee: Eagle Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Keith Byer, Mark Arthurs, John Bull
  • Patent number: 8191525
    Abstract: A system for improving distribution of gases within an intake manifold of an engine is presented. The system may be used to improve engine air-fuel control. In one example, turbulence of gases entering an intake manifold is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Born, Nolan Dickey
  • Patent number: 8186323
    Abstract: An intake air noise adjuster includes: a communicating conduit including: a first end communicating to an intake air passage to an engine, and a second end communicating to an external air; an elastic body configured to block the communicating conduit; and a flow channel area changer configured to change a flow channel area of the communicating conduit based on a change of an intake air negative pressure caused in the intake air passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2012
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Mahle Filter Systems Japan Corporation
    Inventors: Takayuki Akimoto, Ichiro Fukumoto, Masashi Shinada, Takashi Kawano
  • Patent number: 8181611
    Abstract: Provided is a laminar-scavenging two-cycle engine, which can have a higher laminar-scavenging effect than that of the laminar-scavenging two-cycle engine of the prior art and which can expect drastically excellent effects on the stabilization of combustion and on the blow-by prevention. The laminar-scavenging two-cycle engine is characterized in that a scavenging passage (4) is constituted to include a portion (or a crankcase side portion (4a)) extending along a crankcase (9) and a portion (or a cylinder side portion (4b)) extending along a cylinder (10) and to have a length larger than the sum of the diameter and stroke of the cylinder (10), in that an ambient air introducing passage (11) for introducing the leading air into the scavenging passage (4) is connected to an intermediate portion of the scavenging passage (4), and in that a notch (8a) for opening a scavenging port (7) to the side of the crankcase (9) when a piston (8) is near the top dead center is formed in the piston (8).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Nikko Tanaka Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigetoshi Ishida
  • Patent number: 8181620
    Abstract: Disclosed herein is an intake manifold assembly that comprises a first outer covering, a second outer covering connected to the first outer covering that together define a chamber having an intake port, and a flow channel insert. The second outer covering has an outlet port positioned within its interior surface and the flow channel insert is nestingly connected to the outlet port with the rest of the flow channel insert received within the chamber. The flow channel insert being a single piece that defines a channel having a first end and a second end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Mark IV Systems Moteurs USA, Inc.
    Inventors: Francis V. Rolland, Iliya Goldin, Eric F. Grimminger, Allen G. Crowley, Thomas E. Rossman, Tony A. Price
  • Patent number: 8181619
    Abstract: In a device for controlling idling stop of an engine in which the idling stop is carried out when a temperature of the engine that is about to be stopped by the idling stop is higher than a threshold value, when the start improvement device does not function normally, the idling stop is prohibited regardless of engine temperature. Thus, the problem in which the engine cannot be restarted satisfactorily does not occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 22, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naofumi Magarida, Fumiaki Hattori, Koichiro Nakatani, Michio Furuhashi, Tomoyuki Kogo, Shinobu Ishiyama
  • Patent number: 8161924
    Abstract: A combustible fluid operated orbital engine has plural sets of cooperating cylinder and piston members with respective parallel axes of rotation, respective cylinder and piston carrier wheels with respective axes of rotation parallel to the members' axes of rotation carrying said members circularly and orbitally and at all times in opposed relation on a common longitudinal axis along intersecting counter paths. Respective gearing structures supported by the cylinder and piston carrier wheels rotate the members counter to their circular motion direction to maintain their opposed relation for their periodic interfittment when their respective paths intersect. A combustible fluid supply is provided to the cylinder member for combustion coincident with the periodic interfittment in engine operating relation. The common longitudinal axes of the cylinder/piston sets are at all times parallel with each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Inventors: James Lockshaw, Joseph Gerondale
  • Patent number: 8165784
    Abstract: In a variable valve unit provided with a variable valve mechanism that varies opening characteristics of an engine valve by rotary motion of a control shaft, an actuator that generates a rotary motion of the control shaft, a stopper restricting the rotary motion of the control shaft, and an angle sensor capable of outputting signals corresponding to angle positions of the control shaft, when the signal of the angle sensor at an angle position where the rotation of the control shaft is restricted by the stopper are learned, the actuator is controlled such that the control shaft is pressed against the stopper, after which drive torque of the actuator is reduced and with the drive torque reduced, signals of the then-angle sensor are stored.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Naoki Okamoto, Masahiro Arai, Hatsuo Nagaishi, Yuko Nagaishi, legal representative, Takahiro Yoshino
  • Patent number: 8156913
    Abstract: The subject invention provides a coolant cross-over for circulating an engine coolant between a first engine component, e.g., a first cylinder head, and a second engine component, e.g., a second cylinder head. The coolant cross-over defines a first outlet in fluid communication with the first engine component, a second outlet in fluid communication with second engine component, and further defines a passage interconnecting the first outlet and the second outlet. The coolant cross-over comprises a polymer. A sleeve comprises polyaromatic sulfide and is disposed within the passage for separating the engine coolant from the nylon which forms the coolant cross-over to prevent physical, thermal and/or chemical degradation of the polymeric coolant cross-over by the engine coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignees: BASF SE, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LP
    Inventors: Scott C. Schlicker, Raymond J. Ballou, Jr., James R. Wareham, Thomas L. Giovannetti, Rick Kunc, Sandra K. McClelland
  • Patent number: 8141543
    Abstract: A vehicle has an engine and a fuel tank, which is located above the engine, mounted on a vehicle-body frame. A fuel pump, which supplies fuel is spaced-apart from the fuel tank and is located below the fuel tank and in front of the engine. Further, a center of the fuel pump in the vehicle-width direction is located so as to overlap a vehicle-body center line which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Additionally, the fuel pump is mounted on lower main frames, which are positioned below the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd
    Inventors: Shigeto Inami, Tsuneo Kajikawa, Tadashi Oshima
  • Patent number: 8136504
    Abstract: A method for operating a multi-stroke homogeneous charge compression ignition engine is described. The method includes late intake valve opening (LIVO) and also cycling air and fuel charge from the cylinder back into the intake manifold during a compression stroke to mix the air and fuel charge for later reintroduction and combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Vincent J. Winstead
  • Patent number: 8132548
    Abstract: A method of operating an engine including at least a cylinder and a valve controlled by an electric valve actuator is disclosed. In one example, a valve holding current is determined during movement of the valve. The method may be useful for determining individual holding currents for specific valve actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Ervin, Yan Wang, Thomas Megli
  • Patent number: 8122861
    Abstract: To provide a two-stroke cycle combustion engine of an air scavenging type, in which not only can transit from the idling condition to the rapid accelerating condition take place smoothly, but the combustion engine can be smoothly started, there are provided scavenging passages (30, 31) for introducing an air/fuel mixture (M) and an air (A) into a combustion chamber (1a), a valve unit (51, 50) for adjusting the opening of each of an air passage (23) for supplying the air (A) to the scavenging passage (30) and an air/fuel mixture passage (24) for supplying the air/fuel mixture (M) to the scavenging passage (31), and an auxiliary air introducing passage (70) for introducing an auxiliary air to the air/fuel mixture passage (24) at a location downstream of the valve unit (51, 50) in the air/fuel mixture passage (24).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Tsuneyoshi Yuasa
  • Patent number: 8113167
    Abstract: An oil pan of plastic material is provided with an oil suction pipe and an oil screen that is formed as one piece together with the oil suction pipe, wherein the oil suction pipe is comprised of two plastic shells and the oil screen that covers an inlet opening of the oil suction pipe is formed as one piece together with one plastic shell and extends down to the pan bottom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Mann + Hummel GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Jessberger, Roman Eder
  • Patent number: 8113177
    Abstract: An electromagnetic fuel injection valve comprising: a metallic cylindrical-shaped vessel provided at a tip end thereof with a fuel injection port, the other end thereof being closed by a stationary core provided centrally thereof with a through-hole; a movable member arranged between the stationary core and the fuel injection port and provided at a tip end thereof with a valve element, which opens and closes the fuel injection port, a maximum outside diameter of the movable member being smaller than a minimum inside diameter of the through-hole; and an electromagnetic drive mechanism that reciprocates the movable member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 14, 2012
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiko Hayatani, Motoyuki Abe, Atsushi Sekine, Tohru Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 8109243
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine provided with a variable compression ratio mechanism able to change a mechanical compression ratio and a variable valve timing mechanism able to individually control the opening timing and closing timing of the intake valve. At the time of engine low load operation, the maximum expansion ratio is obtained by making the mechanical compression ratio maximum and, while the mechanical compression ratio is made maximum, the opening timing of the intake valve is maintained at a target opening timing of substantially intake top dead center in the noninterference region where no interference between the valve and the piston occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 7, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Daisuke Akihisa, Eiichi Kamiyama
  • Patent number: 8104437
    Abstract: An electromechanical device (800) which can be used to control the compression ratio of a variable compression ratio engine, includes mechanical elements for transmitting movement (801) between at least one electric engine (802) and at least one control rod (20) of a control jack (8) of a control device (12) for adjusting the vertical position of a control rack (7) of the variable compression ratio engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2012
    Inventor: Vianney Rabhi
  • Patent number: 8091526
    Abstract: A resin intake manifold is provided with two separated bodies manufactured by connecting protrusions of weld portions of the separated bodies to each other in accordance with a vibration welding, and a cover wall in which one of the weld portions is arranged in an inner side or an outer side of the protrusion with leaving space with the protrusion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironori Tanikawa, Kazuhiro Aiki
  • Patent number: 8069827
    Abstract: A drive component for driving an electric water pump for causing engine coolant to flow is mounted in an engine compartment. When the ignition is off and the temperature of a exhaust heat recovery device is above a temperature, an ECU estimates a peak temperature in the engine compartment after the stop of the engine. When the peak temperature is above a temperature, the ECU stops the engine and drives the electric water pump and an electric fan for cooling the drive component for driving the electric water pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yoshitaka Watanabe, Koichi Mizutani, Naoki Toyofuku, Hiroki Morozumi