Patents Examined by Patrick D Maines
  • Patent number: 10837411
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a novel engine controlled by combustion reaction path, which cylinders comprise working cylinders and reforming cylinders. According to the operational condition of engine, the engine is used for compressing, heating and reforming the fuel injected from the reforming cylinder injector; by controlling the reaction boundary conditions between fuel and air, the reforming cylinder can exhaust partial intermediate products or oxidation products of the different oxidation stages; the products are then mixes with the inlet air in the pre-mixing chamber and then is introduced into the working cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Tianjin University
    Inventors: Mingfa Yao, Yang Wang, Guorui Jia, Hu Wang, Lixia Wei
  • Patent number: 10683755
    Abstract: A continuously variable turbine includes a case assembly with a case body defining a chamber, a rotor assembly positioned in the chamber, and a pair of valve assemblies. The rotor assembly includes a ring piston and a rotor body positioned within the ring piston. The rotor body is connected to a shaft, and the rotor body rotates concentrically about an axis extending through the shaft while the ring piston rotates eccentrically about the axis. Each valve assembly is positioned outside of the ring piston relative to the rotor assembly and includes a valve body and a seal component attached to the valve body. Each seal component has a surface with a curvature that matches the outer curvature of the ring piston to form a continuous surface seal between the seal component and the ring piston as the ring piston rotates eccentrically about the axis. The position of the continuous surface seals in the chamber defining a first sub-chamber and a second sub-chamber between the surface seals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: PDT, LLC
    Inventors: Albert Sobey, Jr., John Brock, Alexander Craig
  • Patent number: 10677179
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for coordinating operation of a high pressure EGR control loop with a boost pressure control loop. In one example, following a tip-in, turbine vane position may be adjusted as a function of a maximum permissible exhaust pressure upstream of a turbocharger turbine. The maximum permissible exhaust pressure may be determined as a function of a HP EGR valve position at the time of the tip-in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 11, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jon Dixon, Ian Halleron, Andres Arevalo
  • Patent number: 10655547
    Abstract: The internal combustion engine comprising: a catalyst arranged in an exhaust passage and able to store oxygen, a variable valve timing mechanism able to change a valve overlap amount between an intake valve and an exhaust valve, and a fuel supplying means for feeding fuel to the exhaust passage. The fuel supplying means feeds fuel to the exhaust passage only in an initial cycle after scavenging where valve overlap causes air to be expelled from an intake passage through a cylinder to the exhaust passage if such scavenging occurs.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Kimura, Takuya Okubo, Norihisa Nakagawa
  • Patent number: 10648393
    Abstract: Implementations described herein relate to features for a single module aftertreatment system. The single aftertreatment system includes a casing, a catalyst within the casing, and an outer body attached to a portion of the casing with a flat mounting zone on the outer body. The outer body includes a mounting bracket welded to the flat mounting zone. The flat mounting zone is separated from the casing so as to form an air gap between the flat mounting zone of the outer body and the casing. The outer body includes a beaded portion adjacent the flat mounting zone. The outer body includes an inner diameter portion, and the outer body is attached to a portion of the casing by a weld joint between the inner diameter portion and the portion of the casing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Cummins Emission Solutions Inc.
    Inventors: Juan Manuel Valencia Arcila, Shane O'Connor, Michael T. Lynch, Shalini Chauhan
  • Patent number: 10641147
    Abstract: Exhaust gas systems include an oxidation catalyst (OC) capable of receiving exhaust gas and oxidizing one or more of combustible hydrocarbons (HC) and one or more nitrogen oxide (NOx) species, a selective catalytic reduction device (SCR) disposed downstream from and in fluid communication with the OC via a conduit, and an electrically heated catalyst (EHC) disposed at least partially within the conduit downstream from the OC and upstream from the SCR. The EHC comprises a heating element having an outer surface including one or more second oxidation catalyst materials capable of oxidizing CO, HC, and one or more NOx species. The OC includes one or more storage materials individually or collectively capable of storing NOx and/or HC species. Exhaust gas can be supplied by an internal combustion engine which can optionally power a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Charles Solbrig, Yong Miao
  • Patent number: 10641203
    Abstract: A waste heat recovery apparatus includes an evaporator, an expander, a condenser, a liquid-phase refrigerant supply device, and a control device. The control device is configured to control the liquid-phase refrigerant supply device so as to bring the supply of the liquid-phase refrigerant by the liquid-phase refrigerant supply device into a stopped state at least until an amount of the liquid-phase refrigerant stored in the evaporator becomes equal to or lower than a predetermined low refrigerant amount, during operation of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Manabu Tateno
  • Patent number: 10641214
    Abstract: Methods and systems for diagnosing operation of an exhaust gas recirculation system of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, the EGR system is diagnosed while an engine that includes the EGR system is not rotating and combusting fuel. The EGR system is diagnosed when the engine is not operating so that vehicle passengers are not disturbed by the diagnostic and so that flow estimates through the EGR system may not be disturbed by pressure changes that may be related to combustion within the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Aed Dudar
  • Patent number: 10626819
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine comprises an exhaust purification catalyst and an air-fuel ratio sensor arranged at a downstream side of the exhaust purification catalyst, stops or decreases a feed of fuel as fuel cut control, and controls an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas to a rich air-fuel ratio after the end of the fuel cut control as post reset rich control. The diagnosis system calculates a first characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio at the time when the output air-fuel ratio first passes a first air-fuel ratio region leaner than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio and a second characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio at the time when the output air-fuel ratio first passes a second air-fuel ratio region including a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. The diagnosis system diagnoses the abnormality of the air-fuel ratio sensor based on the first characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio and the second characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyamoto, Keiichiro Aoki, Yasushi Iwazaki
  • Patent number: 10626811
    Abstract: Methods and systems for providing exhaust gas recirculation to a two stroke opposed piston diesel engine are described. In one example, high and low pressure exhaust gas recirculation systems may be activated or deactivated in response to exhaust gas hydrocarbon concentration and particulate matter flow rate from the engine. In addition, operation of the low and high pressure exhaust gas recirculation systems may be responsive to an operating state of a supercharger compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Styles, Eric Matthew Kurtz
  • Patent number: 10619538
    Abstract: An engine exhaust device includes an exhaust pipe attached to a vehicle engine and a silencer connected to a downstream side of the exhaust pipe; the silencer includes a first partition wall which partitions an internal space of the silencer into at least two spaces in a first direction and a second partition wall which partitions one of the at least two spaces into two spaces in a second direction that crosses the first direction; another one of the at least two spaces is larger in capacity than each of the two spaces defined by the second partition wall; and a downstream end of the exhaust pipe is open in the another one of the at least two spaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: SUZUKI MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventor: Akio Matsumoto
  • Patent number: 10619507
    Abstract: A turbocharger, in particular a turbocharger for a motor vehicle, is provided. The turbocharger includes a turbine to which exhaust gases can be supplied by two fluid ducts between which a separation wall extends; a closeable fluid connection hole in the separation wall that can be closed by a plate-shaped slider between the fluid ducts. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle comprising the turbocharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Eugen Bochskanl, Josef Bauer
  • Patent number: 10619581
    Abstract: A control device of an internal-combustion engine capable of improving merchantability by promptly and appropriately securing an in-cylinder fresh air amount even when an internal-combustion engine including a boost device and an EGR device is in a transient operation state is provided. A control device 1 includes an ECU 2. The ECU 2 calculates an intake air amount GGAScyl, sets an upper-limit target fresh air amount GAIR_hisH, controls a boost operation of a boost device 7 when an operating range of an internal-combustion engine 3 is in a predetermined boost range, and controls an EGR device 5 so that exhaust gas recirculation is stopped when the intake air amount GGAScyl does not reach an upper-limit target fresh air amount GAIR_hisH and the exhaust gas recirculation is executed when the intake air amount GGAScyl reaches the upper-limit target fresh air amount GAIR_hisH in the predetermined boost range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masaki Ueno, Noritaka Kimura, Kosuke Ihara, Yuto Katori, Yosuke Yamada, Hajime Uto
  • Patent number: 10619561
    Abstract: A centrifugal compressor for a turbocharger includes an inlet-adjustment mechanism operable to move between an open position and a closed position. The inlet-adjustment mechanism includes a plurality of blades disposed about the compressor air inlet and located between an upstream wall surface and a downstream wall surface of an annular space within the air inlet wall. The blades are pivotable about respective pivot points such that the blades extend radially inward from the annular space into the air inlet when the blades are in the closed position so as to form an orifice of reduced diameter relative to a nominal diameter of the inlet. Aerodynamic pressure balancing across the blades is achieved by spacing features that space a majority of the upstream surface of each blade from the opposing upstream wall surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Garrett Transportation I Inc.
    Inventors: Alain Lombard, Sowmya Bolakonda, Pavel Voburka, Hani Mohtar, Stephane Pees
  • Patent number: 10612437
    Abstract: A method for execution with an exhaust-gas particle filter which is operated with an exhaust-gas aftertreatment system, wherein the exhaust-gas particle filter has a filter wall along which exhaust gas is conducted for filtering purposes; wherein the method includes a regeneration phase with the steps: a) setting a soot load on the exhaust-gas particle filter, wherein the set soot load effects the formation of a soot layer on ash deposited on the filter wall; and b) subsequently mobilising the deposited ash by burning off the formed soot layer during the course of an active regeneration of the exhaust-gas particle filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: MTU FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH
    Inventors: Klaus Rusch, Raphael-David Leopold, Hilmar Wolman, Günter Zitzler, Alexander Schneider, Tim Späder, Andrea Prospero, Norbert Markert, Michael Neuscheler, Viktor Mantaj, Michael Rauter, Boban Maletic, John Scholz, Daniel Chatterjee
  • Patent number: 10612459
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating an internal combustion engine that includes an electric turbocharger are described. The systems and methods may operate the electric turbocharger in a motor mode or a generator mode. The electric turbocharger may be operated in a generator mode to reduce an amount of time to activate electric turbocharger in a motor mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Patrick Matthews, Tyler Kelly
  • Patent number: 10612407
    Abstract: A blade outer air seal (BOAS) segment according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a seal body having a radially inner face that circumferentially extend between a first mate face and a second mate face and axially extend between a leading edge face and a trailing edge face, wherein a radial position of the radially inner face varies at a given axial position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Paul M. Lutjen, Michael J. Bruskotter
  • Patent number: 10612442
    Abstract: An exhaust gas treatment device includes an exhaust gas guide element which has an exhaust gas conduit. A first flow separation element is disposed in the exhaust gas conduit that divides the exhaust gas conduit into a first partial conduit and a second partial conduit. The first flow separation element has a first conduit area. A second flow separation element is disposed in the second partial conduit. The second flow separation element divides the second partial conduit into a first sub-conduit, a second sub-conduit, and a third sub-conduit. The second flow separation element has a second conduit area which is cylindrical or expands in a flow direction. The first conduit area of the first flow separation element expands along an injection direction of a reductant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Thomas Boldt, Johannes Gerhard, Thomas Hermann, Michael Hochholzner, Sinisa Kontin, Tilmann Oestreich, Andreas Petry, Emmanuel Routier, Benedikt Stute
  • Patent number: 10612411
    Abstract: A variable nozzle unit is used in a turbine having a gas inflow passage which is sandwiched between a first flow passage wall surface and a second flow passage wall surface facing each other and through which a gas flowing from a scroll flow passage into a turbine impeller flows. The variable nozzle unit includes nozzle vanes, each of which is rotatably supported on both sides thereof by the first flow passage wall surface side and the second flow passage wall surface side and pivots about a pivotal axis parallel to the rotational axis of the turbine impeller in the gas inflow passage. An end face of the nozzle vane is formed with a cut face that is located closer to a leading edge than the pivotal axis, is cut out such that a gap between the cut face and the second flow passage wall surface is greater than other regions, and intersects the leading edge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2020
    Assignee: IHI Corporation
    Inventors: Masaru Nishioka, Naoki Tokue
  • Patent number: 10605137
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting a missing exhaust catalyst based on water adsorption and related exothermic temperature rise by the catalyst. In one example, a method may include indicating an exhaust catalyst missing in response to an estimated exhaust temperature profile being different from an expected exhaust temperature profile. The estimated exhaust temperature profile may be based on exhaust temperature upstream and downstream of the catalyst.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Devesh Upadhyay, Michael Brendan Hopka, In Kwang Yoo, David John Kubinski