Patents Examined by Noah Kamen
  • Patent number: 8904998
    Abstract: A sleeve valve assembly. The assembly includes a valve seat, a sleeve valve and an oil path-defining piece. The sleeve valve includes a distal end with a cavity. The distal end contacts the valve seat when the sleeve valve is located in a closed position. The oil path-defining piece includes an inlet port, an outlet port and a plurality of cooling passages. The flange of the sleeve valve is slidably in contact with the oil path-defining piece such that cooling fluid travelling into the inlet port and through the cooling passages enters into the cavity before exiting out the exit port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Pinnacle Engines, Inc.
    Inventor: James M. Cleeves
  • Patent number: 8904975
    Abstract: A cylinder head (1) includes a water jacket (4) formed around an ignition plug mounting hole (5). Upper surfaces (12 to 14) of portions of the water jacket (4) between intake ports (7) and the ignition plug mounting hole (5) and between exhaust ports (8) and the ignition plug mounting hole (5) are set to be lower than upper surfaces (15 to 17) of the remaining portions of the water jacket (4) around the ignition plug mounting hole (5) to increase the rigidity. Thereby, deformation of the cylinder head (1) due to cylinder internal pressure is limited, and the stress concentration around the ignition plug mounting hole (5) due to such deformation is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Ikeda, Tsutomu Wakiya, Hideo Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8904988
    Abstract: A vertically disposed oil pan baffle includes a body having first and second opposing side walls joined by a third wall, and an opposing fourth wall. Each of the first and second side walls is configured to conform with first and second internal surfaces of an oil pan. A metering opening is formed in one of the third and fourth walls. The metering opening is configured and disposed to control a rate of flow of oil through the vertically disposed oil pan baffle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Steven G. Bryde, Michael B. Fleck, Karl R. Gilgenbach, Michael D. Pepperman
  • Patent number: 8904779
    Abstract: In a case of performing a static pressure gas lubrication by a stirling engine provided with a pair of cylinders of a high-temperature-side cylinder 20 and a low-temperature-side cylinder 30, a stirling engine gas lubrication structure is provided with an introduction pipe 70A for introducing a working fluid existing within a low-temperature working space into at least an inside of an expansion piston 21 of the expansion piston 21 and a compression piston 31, the low-temperature working space being included in a working space where the working fluid circulates between the cylinders 20 and 30, a temperature of the working fluid in the low-temperature working space lower than that of the working fluid in a working space of a high-temperature side cylinder 22 in a driving state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaaki Katayama, Daisaku Sawada, Hiroshi Yaguchi, Manabu Tateno
  • Patent number: 8899208
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a piston (10) for an internal combustion engine, comprising a piston head (11) and a piston skirt (16), wherein the piston head (11) has a circumferential ring part (15) and a circumferential cooling channel (23) in the region of the ring part (15), wherein the piston skirt (16) has piston bosses (17), which are provided with boss bores (18) and which are arranged on the underside (11a) of the piston head (11) by means of boss connections (19), wherein the piston bosses (17) are connected to each other by means of running surfaces (21, 22). According to the invention, at least one axial bore (24a, 24b, 24c, 24d), which is closed to the outside and which is arranged between a running surface (21, 22) and a boss bore (18), is provided inside a piston boss (17), the at least one bore (24a, 24b, 24c, 24d) opens into the cooling channel (23), and the cooling channel (23) and the at least one bore (24a, 24b, 24c, 24d) contain a filling (27) of sodium and/or potassium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: MAHLE International GmbH
    Inventor: Ulrich Bischofberger
  • Patent number: 8899206
    Abstract: A balancing device for an engine includes a crankshaft for converting reciprocal motion of a piston of the engine to a rotary motion, at least one electromagnetic force generator mounted apart from the crankshaft by a predetermined distance and generating an electromagnetic force, and a control portion controlling the electromagnetic force generator to generate an electromagnetic force offsetting an unbalanced force occurring according to a rotational position of the crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Younghun Ahn
  • Patent number: 8899205
    Abstract: A method includes coupling a cylinder head to a cylinder block. A valve member is then moved into a valve pocket defined by the cylinder head such that a first stem portion of the valve member engages an actuator. A first portion of the biasing member is then disposed against a second stem portion of the valve member, the second stem portion being opposite the first stem portion. An end plate is then coupled to the cylinder head such that a second portion of the biasing member engages the end plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: JP Scope, Inc.
    Inventor: Charles E. Price
  • Patent number: 8899190
    Abstract: An engine assembly includes an engine block that defines a cylinder bore. A reciprocating piston is disposed in the cylinder bore, and has a first side and a second side. The first side cooperates with the engine block to partially define a combustion chamber, and the second side is opposite the first side. A piston squirter is disposed adjacent to the second side of the piston and configured to expel a received flow of engine oil onto the piston. A thermal fluid valve is disposed in fluid communication with the piston squirter and is configured to selectively restrict the flow of engine oil to the piston squirter in response to a temperature of the engine oil.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Thomas A. Spix
  • Patent number: 8893668
    Abstract: A method of cooling an engine of a vehicle includes measuring a temperature of a cylinder head of the engine, determining whether the measured temperature of the cylinder head may be equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature, when the temperature of the cylinder head may be equal to or lower than the predetermined temperature, moving coolant of the cylinder head and a cylinder block to a separate coolant tank, determining whether the measured temperature of the cylinder head may be equal to or higher than a specific temperature, and when the measured temperature of the cylinder head may be equal to or higher than the specific temperature, supplying coolant stored in the coolant tank to the cylinder head or the cylinder block.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Won Jin Jo, Jerok Chun, Kimin Park, Hyun Jun Hong, Young Jic Kim, Hyun Kyu Woo, Hwan Duk Kim
  • Patent number: 8893666
    Abstract: A cogeneration power plant for producing steam and electricity. A boiler burner receives fuel from a fuel source and a boiler combustion air/exhaust mixture from a boiler combustion air fan. An internal combustion engine receives fuel and air for combustion. The internal combustion engine drives an electricity generator for the production of electricity. A boiler combustion control system automatically monitors the boiler load and the combustion air and engine exhaust mixture oxygen level and temperature. The boiler combustion control system will then appropriately automatically adjust the speed of the boiler combustion air fan to provide a near stoichiometric mixture of fuel and combustion air and engine exhaust mixture so as to provide for a high burner temperature causing the reduction of NOx emissions in the boiler exhaust while maintaining a very high boiler operating efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Inventor: Robert P. Benz
  • Patent number: 8893681
    Abstract: A valve stem seal assembly for an internal combustion engine includes an annular rigid case disposed around a valve guide and a valve stem. An annular elastomeric body is press fit within the annular rigid case and including a radially inwardly extending seal lip in sealing contact with the valve stem. The annular elastomeric body includes a first axial end facing the valve guide and a second axial end facing away from the valve guide. The annular rigid case includes a radially inwardly extending end wall opposing the second axial end of the annular elastomeric body and including a lip support extending axially from an inner portion of the radially inwardly extending end wall and opposing a radially inner surface of the radially inwardly extending seal lip.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Freudenberg-NOK General Partnership
    Inventor: David Sakata
  • Patent number: 8893680
    Abstract: An intake valve of an internal combustion engine includes a valve body and a valve stem extending from a central portion of the valve body. The valve body includes a valve body framework portion and a valve body thick portion provided on an outer side of the valve body framework portion. The valve body framework portion and the valve stem are made of iron material and the valve body thick portion is made of aluminum alloy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Suzuki Motor Corporation
    Inventor: Shintaro Yagi
  • Patent number: 8893693
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine in which an anodic oxidation coating film is formed on all or a portion of a wall that faces a combustion chamber, wherein the anodic oxidation coating film has a structure that is provided with a bonding region in which each of hollow cells forming the coating film is bonded to the adjacent hollow cells, and a nonbonding region in which three or more adjacent hollow cells are not bonded to each other, and wherein a porosity of the anodic oxidation coating film is determined by a first void present in the hollow cell and a second void that forms the nonbonding region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takumi Hijii, Naoki Nishikawa, Akio Kawaguchi, Koichi Nakata, Yoshifumi Wakisaka, Hidemasa Kosaka, Fumio Shimizu
  • Patent number: 8893669
    Abstract: A hybrid cooling system for an engine is provided. The system comprises a block oil cooling circuit, a head coolant cooling circuit, the head and block circuits having a common heat exchanger. The system also includes a flow device in the head cooling circuit for preventing coolant flow in the head cooling circuit at least during a first phase of a warm-up phase of the internal combustion engine, a delivery device in the block cooling circuit which delivers engine oil constantly under pressure through the block cooling circuit to bearing points in a cylinder block and to bearing points in a cylinder head, and a control element arranged in a control line to reduce the delivery capacity of the delivery device through the block cooling circuit at least during the first phase of the warm-up phase. In this way, heat transfer in the common heat exchanger may be substantially prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 25, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jan Mehring, Bernd Steiner, Carsten Weber
  • Patent number: 8887674
    Abstract: A cylinder head (1) for an internal combustion engine with liquid cooling and a liquid-cooled exhaust manifold (8) and which is arranged integrally with the cylinder head (1) includes at least one first and one second cooling chamber (4, 9) through which a coolant flows, and with the region of the exhaust manifold (8) being enclosed at least partly by the second cooling chamber. In order to ensure by way of simple production the optimal removal of heat from thermally critical regions, the first and second cooling chambers are flow-connected via at least one borehole (10) with one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: AVL List GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Brandl, Christof Knollmayr
  • Patent number: 8887698
    Abstract: A fuel feed system which causes liquid fuel to evaporate so as to feed gaseous fuel, provided with an evaporator which includes a heater which heats the liquid fuel to vaporize it and an electric heater which adjusts the temperature of the heater. The heater has a heat conduction surface which supplies heat to the liquid fuel. A difference between the temperature of the heat conduction surface of the heater and the boiling point of the fuel at the evaporator is used as the basis to change the temperature of the heater and adjust the heat flux at the heat conduction surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Nippon Soken, Inc., Aisan Industry Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Susumu Kojima, Rio Shimizu, Tomojiro Sugimoto, Jun Yamada, Kazuhiro Yonesige, Makoto Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 8887688
    Abstract: An oil distribution and cooling system for diesel engines of the design represented by the 6.4L POWER STROKEĀ® engine. The stock oil cooler and cover are removed and a manifold is positioned in place of the removed stock oil cooler and cover. The block has oil in, oil out, coolant in and coolant out ports which align with those on the engine. Coolant is directed to an adapter plate and a relocated oil cooler which may be the removed cooler or a replacement, preferably of the oil-to-air type. Oil to be filtered and cooled is directed through the manifold to a filter and then to the cooler. Cool, clean oil is returned to the manifold for distribution to various engine locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Inventors: Gene Neal, Kennieth Neal
  • Patent number: 8887687
    Abstract: A heat shield assembly includes shroud or housing fabricated from a heat shielding material having at least one pair of spring arms extending from side walls of the shroud for engaging a member to which the heat shield assembly is to be attached, and one or more retention tabs projecting into a longitudinal channel in position to limit longitudinal movement of the assembly relative to the member when the member is attached to the spring arms.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2014
    Assignee: Federal-Mogul Worldwide, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth Upton, John Burdy
  • Patent number: 8881695
    Abstract: A variable compression ratio internal combustion engine includes a variable compression ratio mechanism, an actuator and a linking mechanism. The actuator is varies and maintains a rotational position of the first control shaft. The linking mechanism includes a second control shaft and a lever. The second control shaft is selectively turned by the actuator. The lever links the second control shaft to the first control shaft such that transference of vibration of the first control shaft to the second control shaft is suppressed. The first control shaft is pivotally linked to a first end of the lever by a first linking pin. The second control shaft is pivotally linked to a second end of the lever by a second linking pin.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryosuke Hiyoshi, Katsutoshi Nakamura
  • Patent number: 8881705
    Abstract: A mass-balancing transmission of an internal combustion engine (1) is provided, having a transmission housing (8) and a balancing shaft (6) with a bearing point (10, 11) at which the balancing shaft is mounted radially in a bearing seat (12, 13) of the balancing housing, and having an unbalanced section (9) which is formed in one part with the bearing point of the originally shaped balancing shaft. The bearing point is set back radially compared to the unbalanced section with the result that the diameter relationship: d2>d1 applies for the external envelope circle d1 of the bearing point and the external envelope circle d2 of the unbalanced section. Considered in the axial direction of the balancing shaft, the external envelope circle d2 of the unbalance section and the external envelope circle d1 of the bearing point extend offset to one another with an eccentricity of e.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 11, 2014
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Siegfried Tisch