Patents Examined by Loren Edwards
  • Patent number: 7290387
    Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine suppressing catalyst deterioration by prohibiting fuel cuts, wherein the generation of odor from the catalyst after deceleration is suppressed. The control device is provided with a fuel cut executing device for stopping the supply of fuel to an internal combustion engine when a vehicle is in a decelerating state and a fuel cut prohibiting device for prohibiting a fuel cut when a temperature of a catalyst provided in an exhaust system is a predetermined temperature or more, wherein when a fuel cut is prohibited by the fuel cut prohibiting device when the vehicle decelerates in a predetermined period after an increased fuel operation is performed, the internal combustion engine is operated so that the combustion air-fuel ratio becomes lean in the decelerating state or in the decelerating state and its succeeding idling state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2007
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Mamoru Yoshioka
  • Patent number: 7287372
    Abstract: Certain exhaust after-treatment devices, at least periodically, require the addition of unburnt hydrocarbons in order to create reductant-rich exhaust conditions. The present disclosure adds unburnt hydrocarbons to exhaust from at least one combustion chamber by positioning, at least partially within a combustion chamber, a mixed-mode fuel injector operable to inject fuel into the combustion chamber in a first spray pattern with a small average angle relative to a centerline of the combustion chamber and a second spray pattern with a large average angle relative to the centerline of the combustion chamber. An amount of fuel is injected in the first spray pattern into a non-combustible environment within the at least one combustion chamber during at least one of an expansion stroke and exhaust stroke. The exhaust with the unburnt amount of fuel is moved into an exhaust passage via an exhaust valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2007
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Gerald N. Coleman, Mary L. Kesse
  • Patent number: 7284365
    Abstract: It is an object to provide an electric heated catalyst failure diagnostic device that is compact, lightweight, inexpensive, and can accurately detect a disconnection of the heater and an abnormality in a circuit from the power supply to the heater with a simple configuration. When an ECU orders to apply the current to a heater drive circuit, a heater failure diagnostic device applies the current to the heater and the heater drive circuit. If energizing via a diode, the heater failure diagnostic device determines the circuit is abnormal. If not so, the circuit is normal. Meanwhile, when the ECU orders not to apply the current to the heater drive circuit, the heater failure diagnostic device turns on electricity to the heater and the heater drive circuit. If energizing via the diode, the heater failure diagnostic device determines the heater is not disconnected, and if not so, the heater is disconnected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 23, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Kunihiro Abe
  • Patent number: 7281369
    Abstract: A filter (14) traps particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas of a diesel engine (1). The filter (14) is regenerated by burning the trapped particulate matter through an operation to raise the exhaust gas temperature. An oxidation catalyst which promotes combustion of the particulate matter is coated onto the filter (14). The oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas upstream of the filter (14) and the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas downstream of the filter (14) during the regeneration period are detected using universal exhaust gas oxygen sensors (17, 16). A controller (25) determines a substantial regeneration period on the basis of the difference between these oxygen concentrations, and by comparing a maximum value of the difference between the oxygen concentrations during the substantial regeneration period with a predetermined threshold, determines deterioration of the filter (14) with a high degree of precision.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2007
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiko Emi, Manabu Miura
  • Patent number: 7275366
    Abstract: An emissions control system utilizes otherwise wasted heat to efficiently reduce emissions in a main exhaust flow. Heat stored in exhaust from an auxiliary generator (i.e., auxiliary exhaust) may be used to convert urea to ammonia used by a Selective Catalytic Reducer (SCR) system, and/or the auxiliary exhaust may be used to heat the main exhaust flow before entry into an SCR. Additionally, a heat exchanger may be used to transfer heat from a hot clean flow out of the SCR, to the main exhaust flow entering the SCR. Previously, mobile emissions control systems have not used SCR systems to reduce NOx because of the cost and space required for heater fuel. The efficient use of otherwise wasted heat reduces fuel cost and fuel storage requirements, and thereby makes an SCR systems feasible for use in mobile emissions control systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2004
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2007
    Assignee: Advanced Cleanup Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John G. Powell, Salvador Caro, Henning Ottsen
  • Patent number: 7272926
    Abstract: A DPF is used in an internal combustion engine for trapping PM discharged from an engine body. Presence and absence of an abnormality in the DPF is evaluated using differential pressure, which is between the front and the rear of the DPF. The differential pressure considerably decreases or considerably increases due to breakage or plugging of the DPF in an exhaust emission control device. The abnormality in the DPF is evaluated when a large deviation arises between a PM amount calculated in accordance with differential pressure, which is between the front and the rear of the DPF, and a PM amount calculated through integration of a PM discharge amount measured in accordance with an engine operating state. Thereby, presence and absence of the abnormality such as plugging and breakage in the DPF can be correctly detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2007
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yuji Kosaka
  • Patent number: 7266942
    Abstract: A diagnostic device and method of an engine exhaust purifying system, which perform active control of an air-fuel ratio and can make diagnosis of air-fuel ratio sensors, catalysts, etc. in the engine exhaust purifying system with high accuracy and reliability while avoiding a worsening of exhaust emissions, an increase of revolution variations, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Iihoshi, Shinji Nakagawa, Toshio Hori, Yoshikuni Kurashima
  • Patent number: 7266943
    Abstract: Exhaust after-treatment system for the reduction of particulate, NOx, HC, CO, VOCs, nano-particle count and sulfur dioxide from diesel exhaust. System employs diesel oxidation catalyst, exhaust cooling system, particulate converter, soot collection chamber, soot processing drum, EGR and water scrubber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2005
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2007
    Assignee: Converter Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Refaat A. Kammel
  • Patent number: 7263827
    Abstract: An air cleaner and an exhaust pipe insulator attaching structure for a vehicle engine. The air cleaner on a rear side of the engine includes an air cleaner element disposed in an upper portion inside an air cleaner case. An air cleaner intake-air duct is inserted into the air cleaner case obliquely from above, and then is curved inside the air cleaner case and extended up to directly underneath the air cleaner element. An exhaust duct provided at a front side of the engine is provided with an arc-shaped heat insulator structure. An attachment member includes a curved arc-shaped contact portion and attachment portions formed on an outward side of the arc-shaped contact portion in a radial direction. An inner-peripheral face of the arc-shaped contact portion of the attachment member is brought into contact with an outer-peripheral face of the exhaust duct, and held in place by a band member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2007
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Tadashi Oshima, Masao Takeshima
  • Patent number: 7260927
    Abstract: Disclosed is an intelligent, full-featured diesel engine exhaust treatment system, including: an exhaust flowing zone, a microcomputer processor, and an exhaust detecting device, the exhaust flowing zone defining a first exhaust treatment path and a second exhaust treatment path, the microcomputer processor selectively employing a soot filter and a catalyst converter to purify the engine exhaust based on the state of contaminants in the engine exhaust as detected by the exhaust detecting device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2004
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Trivision Technology Taiwan Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Paul Hsu
  • Patent number: 7254940
    Abstract: An electronic control unit (ECU) of an internal combustion engine calculates a present deposition quantity of exhaust particulate matters based on operating states of the engine such as a differential pressure of a diesel particulate filter (DPF). If the present deposition quantity exceeds a predetermined upper limit value, the ECU performs compulsory regeneration of the DPF to compulsorily combust and reduce the deposited exhaust particulate matters. The ECU determines that spontaneous regeneration occurs if a temperature of exhaust gas in the DPF is equal to or higher than a reference temperature. Thereafter, the ECU completes the compulsory regeneration to eliminate the deposited exhaust particulate matters if the ECU determines that the spontaneous regeneration stops and the deposition quantity becomes equal to or less than a predetermined lower limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Makoto Saitoh, Shigeto Yahata, Kazuharu Tochikawa
  • Patent number: 7254941
    Abstract: In an engine, when it is determined that catalyst, which is held on a filter substrate of a particulate filter, is not in an active state, an ECU executes a fuel injection for mainly obtaining an engine power near a top dead center of a crank. Then, the ECU executes a subsequent fuel injection after lapse of a sufficient injection interval, which does not cause misfiring, to increase the temperature of exhaust gas outputted from the engine. In this way, the temperature of the filter is rapidly increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Shinichiro Okugawa, Kazuo Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 7251929
    Abstract: In an exhaust aftertreatment system comprising a NOx adsorber-catalyst followed by an SCR catalyst, means are provided for preventing the SCR catalyst from becoming heated to near the same peak temperatures as the NOx adsorber-catalyst during desulfation. In one embodiment, the means is a thermal mass between the NOx adsorber-catalyst and the SCR catalyst. In another embodiment, the means is a valve configured to selectively divert exhaust leaving the NOx adsorber-catalyst from the SCR catalyst. In a method of the invention, the NOx adsorber-catalyst temperature is cycled during desulfation. The peaks of the cycles are within an appropriate temperature range for desulfating the NOx adsorber-catalyst, but the average temperature is below the temperature range at which the SCR catalyst is damaged. The temperature peaks are damped as they travel from the NOx adsorber-catalyst to the SCR, whereby the SCR experiences much lower peak temperatures than the NOx adsorber-catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2005
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: Eaton Corporation
    Inventors: Haoran Hu, James Edward McCarthy, Jr., Jiyang Yan
  • Patent number: 7249456
    Abstract: A method of controlling the energization of a heating device for the regeneration of a particle filter disposed in the exhaust duct of an internal combustion engine, particularly a Diesel engine, wherein a measure for the soot charge state of the particle filter the exhaust gas back pressure is determined while the engine is preferably idling, the exhaust gas recirculation is switched off, and predetermined conditions are present in the exhaust gas duct upstream of the particle filter, and then an exhaust gas back pressure signal is compared with a threshold value indicating a soot charge sufficient for the initiation of a regeneration of the particle filter and the heating device is enabled for the initiation of the regeneration procedure if the exhaust gas back pressure signal is greater than the threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2007
    Assignee: HJS Fahrzeugtechnik GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Hermann-Josef Schulte, Hans-Peter Frisse, Arno Schindler, Klaus Schrewe
  • Patent number: 7246485
    Abstract: Removal of fine particles by oxidation or/and sulfur poisoning recovery control may be required when an internal combustion engine has been in an extremely low load state for a predetermined period or more. In this case, the engine speed of the internal combustion engine (1) is adjusted to a range where the temperature of a filter (20) can be raised by heat-up control. The heat-up control is then executed by a filter temperature control means to raise the temperature of the filter (20) to a predetermined value. When the filter (20) reaches the predetermined temperature by means of low-temperature combustion, post-injection, VIGOM-injection, addition of 10 fuel to an exhaust system and the like, removal of fine particles by oxidation or/and sulfur poisoning recovery control for eliminating sulfur poisoning of a NOx absorbent are conducted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisashi Ohki, Masaaki Kobayashi, Naofumi Magarida, Daisuke Shibata, Shinobu Ishiyama, Akihiko Negami
  • Patent number: 7246488
    Abstract: An exhaust gas purifying system of the present invention comprises a first catalyst which contains a noble metal and reduces hydrocarbons contained in exhaust gas, and a second catalyst which is disposed downstream of the first catalyst and contains ?-zeolite. In the exhaust gas purifying system, a mixed gas having an air-fuel ratio of not less than 25 is burned in an internal combustion engine, and the internal combustion engine discharges the exhaust gas having an oxygen concentration of not less than 4% continuously or intermittently.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Takaya, Shinji Yamamoto, Hiroaki Kaneko, Hitoshi Onodera
  • Patent number: 7246487
    Abstract: An exhaust-heat recovery system includes a catalytic converter, an exhaust heat exchanger, an air conditioner and an engine controller. The catalytic converter is such that exhaust discharged from an engine passes therethrough and combustible components in the exhaust are catalytically burned therein. The exhaust heat exchanger induces heat exchange between the exhaust having passed through the catalytic converter and a coolant having passed through the engine. The air conditioner generates a heating wind by means of the heat exchange between the coolant having passed through the exhaust heat exchanger and an air conditioning wind. The engine controller controls incrementally the combustible components in the exhaust to be burned in the catalytic converter when a prescribed heating condition is unsatisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 24, 2007
    Assignee: Calsonic Kansei Corporation
    Inventor: Junichiro Hara
  • Patent number: 7243489
    Abstract: A method of monitoring engine performance as a function of soot accumulation in a particulate filter includes determining characteristics of soot accumulation in the filter, analyzing the characteristics, and generating an error signal if the characteristics are indicative of predetermined engine performance conditions. An electronic controller configured to monitor soot accumulation in such a manner is also herein disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 17, 2007
    Assignee: Arvin Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Randall J. Johnson, Wilbur H. Crawley
  • Patent number: 7240484
    Abstract: In one embodiment, an exhaust treatment system comprises a selective catalytic reduction device, an off-line reformer disposed in selective fluid communication with and upstream of the selective catalytic reduction device, and a plasma reactor disposed downstream of and in fluid communication with the off-line reformer, and disposed upstream of and in fluid communication with the selective catalytic reduction device. The selective catalytic reduction device is capable of storing ammonia and of enabling the reaction of the ammonia with NOx. The reformer is capable of producing a reformate comprising hydrogen and nitrogen. The plasma reactor is capable of producing ammonia from the reformate, and is a thermal plasma reactor or a surface discharge non-thermal plasma reactor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Bob X. Li, Mark D. Hemingway, Joseph V. Bonadies, Joachim Kupe
  • Patent number: 7240479
    Abstract: In a system that executes air fuel ratio feedback control based on air fuel ratio signals of a pair of air fuel ratio sensors arranged at locations upstream and downstream of a catalyst of an internal combustion engine, an abnormality diagnosis apparatus can diagnose abnormality in a fuel system of the internal combustion engine in an accurate manner by using a signal of the air fuel ratio sensor downstream of the catalyst. A control unit in the form of an ECU (30) includes a feedback operation state determination section (32), an oxygen storage saturation determination section (33), an averaging start determination section (34), an averaging section (35), and an abnormality determination section (36). An abnormality in the fuel system of the internal combustion engine is determined by using a second air fuel ratio signal (V2) output from the second air fuel ratio sensor downstream of the catalyst only when the amount of oxygen storage in the catalyst is saturated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 10, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electronic Corporation
    Inventor: Shinya Fujimoto