Patents Examined by Robert Werner
  • Patent number: 10202949
    Abstract: A control device for a vehicle includes a low-pressure fuel sensor that detects a pressure of fuel stored in a low-pressure delivery pipe, and a control device that controls a feed pump based on a detected value from the low-pressure fuel sensor. The control device causes a relief valve to be opened when variation in power required in an engine continues to remain within a prescribed range for a prescribed period. With this structure, a control device for a vehicle can be provided which allows the relief valve to be opened with reduced variation in air-fuel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 10180110
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine, having of the following steps: operating the internal combustion engine with a gas fuel; detecting a lambda value in the exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; determining at least one variable from the detected lambda value, characterizing the quality of the gaseous fuel; and controlling the internal combustion engine based on the at least one variable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2019
    Assignee: MTU FRIEDRICHSHAFEN GMBH
    Inventors: Andreas Flohr, Roland Werner
  • Patent number: 10167805
    Abstract: A method and a system for transmitting a sensor signal, transmits the sensor signal in such a way that the analog electrical sensor signal is converted with the aid of a system for signal conversion into a converted signal and that this converted signal is transmitted to a control unit. As a result, the sensor signal is able to be transmitted to the control unit in a reliable manner and be evaluated thereby.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Soenke Mannal, Wolfgang Fischer
  • Patent number: 10167818
    Abstract: A fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is managed to determine if the fuel and oil mixture contains the correct ratio for a motor. The fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is monitored. A fuel to oil ratio is selected for the motor. A combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture is calculated with respect to the fuel to oil ratio, and the temperature of the fuel and oil mixture. The combined viscosity is used to determine a predetermined range of the combined viscosity. The viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture within the fuel tank is measured as a measured viscosity. If the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range, then a user may be alerted that the measured viscosity does not correspond with the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sarah K. Czaplewski, Joseph Kuczynski, Jason T. Wertz, Jing Zhang
  • Patent number: 10167839
    Abstract: The ignition control device includes a spark plug that includes a first electrode and a second electrode disposed so as to oppose each other, an ignition coil that includes a plurality of sets of a primary coil and a secondary coil, generates a high voltage in the secondary coil by energizing or interrupting a primary current supplied to the primary coil, and applies the generated high voltage to the first electrode, and a control unit that, in a case where a plurality of the primary coils are driven during a single ignition process, temporarily stops energization of a primary current supplied to a second primary coil when a primary current supplied to a first primary coil is interrupted, and re-energizes the primary current supplied to the second primary coil following the elapse of an energization stoppage period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 12, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiko Inada, Takahiro Enomoto
  • Patent number: 10161303
    Abstract: Systems and methods for generating auxiliary torque are provided. In one example, a method for controlling a supercharger comprises, responsive to requested torque exceeding spark authority of an engine, varying a current applied to a motor of the supercharger to provide an amount of torque to a crankshaft of the engine. In this way, a supercharger can be controlled to compensate for an engine torque shortfall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Baitao Xiao, Adam Nathan Banker, Hamid-Reza Ossareh, Jonathan Edward Caine
  • Patent number: 10145325
    Abstract: A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes an engine stall module and an actuator control module. The engine stall module identifies a potential engine stall based on a speed of an engine and a rate of change in the engine speed. The actuator control module selectively adjusts an actuator of a powertrain system to prevent the engine from stalling when a potential engine stall is identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Koon Chul Yang, You Seok Kou
  • Patent number: 10138858
    Abstract: An engine control method includes determining an intention of a driver for acceleration during vehicle traveling, stopping fuel supply to an engine when a determination is made that the driver does not have the intention for acceleration, detecting a speed of the vehicle during inertial traveling, with fuel supply to the engine kept stopped, permitting restart of the engine when a determination is made that the driver has the intention for acceleration after stopping the fuel supply to the engine, prohibiting the restart of the engine until an engine rotational speed drops to or below a predetermined rotational speed threshold, even when the restart of the engine is permitted, restarting the engine after the engine rotational speed drops to or below the predetermined rotational speed threshold, and changing the rotational speed threshold depending on the detected speed. The rotational speed threshold increases with increase in the detected speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2018
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Yusuke Nakane
  • Patent number: 10132249
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling valve timing of a continuous variable valve duration engine, including: classifying a plurality of control regions based on engine load and speed; applying a maximum duration to an intake valve and a long duration to an exhaust valve in a first control region; maintaining a maximum valve overlap in a second control region; advancing intake valve closing (IVC) timing and exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing in a third control region; applying a short duration to the exhaust valve and controlling the IVC timing to bottom dead center in a fourth control region; controlling a throttle valve to be fully opened, and controlling the IVC timing to an angle after BDC in a fifth control region; and applying the long duration to the exhaust valve, and controlling the IVC timing to prevent knocking in a sixth control region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: In Sang Ryu, Kyoung Pyo Ha, You Sang Son, Kiyoung Kwon
  • Patent number: 10132258
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders. The internal combustion engine is configured such that when an intake valve of one cylinder on a compression stroke among the plurality of cylinders is open, an intake valve of each of the remainder of the plurality of cylinders is closed. The control device includes an electronic control unit configured to: (i) determine an open-closed state of the intake valve of each of the plurality of cylinders; and (ii) adjust an opening degree of a throttle valve to a first opening degree that is larger than a second opening degree corresponding to an idling operation, when the electronic control unit determines that the intake valve of any one of the plurality of cylinders is open at the time of startup of the internal combustion engine, to reduce compression torque and vibrations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuta Tsukada
  • Patent number: 10132266
    Abstract: A controller is provided that performs first injection that executes fuel injection with lower injection rate and subsequently performs second injection with higher injection rate. The controller configured to determine a target value for fuel pressure drop amount or difference between pressure of fuel within a fuel injection valve at starting point of the first injection and pressure of fuel within the fuel injection valve while the first injection is performed, and stop supply of command signal to the fuel injection valve once fuel pressure drop amount in the first injection becomes greater than target value for the fuel pressure drop amount, and supply command signal once the fuel pressure drop amount in the first injection becomes smaller than the target value for the fuel pressure drop amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Naoyoshi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 10113495
    Abstract: An exhaust gas recirculation device for an internal combustion engine includes: an opening command signal output unit 52 which outputs an opening command signal in relation to an EGR control valve on the basis of an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; a variation component separation unit 54 which separates the valve opening command signal from the opening command signal output unit 52 into a basic component and a variation component generated so as to be superimposed on the basic component; a variation component determination unit 56 which determines whether the EGR control valve is in a steady state or a transient state on the basis of a magnitude of the variation component separated by the variation component separation unit 54; and an EGR control valve diagnosis device 58 that performs an abnormality diagnosis on the EGR control valve when the variation component determination unit determines that the EGR control valve is in the steady state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2018
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Takaharu Hiroe, Kazunari Ide, Tomohide Yamada
  • Patent number: 10100771
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for performing rationality check of a hydrocarbon sensor in an evaporative emission control system. In one example, a method may include sensing fuel vapors vented from a fuel vapor canister to atmosphere via the sensor, and performing sensor rationality check by flowing desorbed hydrocarbons from the fuel vapor canister to an engine via the sensor during purging of the fuel vapor canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Aed M. Dudar
  • Patent number: 10100790
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing an air filter for a vehicle. In one example, a method may include actuating a motor to flow air through the air filter during engine off, and indicating air filter replacement based on an air pressure measurement while actuating the motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Baitao Xiao, David Bell, Julia Helen Buckland, Timothy Stolzenfeld
  • Patent number: 10087890
    Abstract: A fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is managed to determine if the fuel and oil mixture contains the correct ratio for a motor. The fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is monitored. A fuel to oil ratio is selected for the motor. A combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture is calculated with respect to the fuel to oil ratio, and the temperature of the fuel and oil mixture. The combined viscosity is used to determine a predetermined range of the combined viscosity. The viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture within the fuel tank is measured as a measured viscosity. If the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range, then a user may be alerted that the measured viscosity does not correspond with the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sarah K. Czaplewski, Joseph Kuczynski, Jason T. Wertz, Jing Zhang
  • Patent number: 10087817
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a piston reciprocally moving in at least one cylinder. An intake valve controls the supply of fresh air into a power chamber defined within the cylinder by the moving piston. An ancillary chamber is fluidly connected with the power chamber via a flow-through valve. An auxiliary piston is reciprocally movable in the ancillary chamber and determines the volume of the ancillary chamber. A fuel supply valve introduces fuel into the ancillary chamber. The flow-through valve, the fuel supply valve and the auxiliary piston are moved such that no fresh air from the power chamber goes into the ancillary chamber and such that fuel is expelled from the ancillary chamber into the power chamber via the flow-through valve for combustion with fresh air compressed in the power chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Inventor: Peter Kreuter
  • Patent number: 10087871
    Abstract: An add-on fuel injector control system and method for modifying a fuel injector pulse width for an electronically-controlled internal combustion engine is provided, which intercepts a pulse from an engine control unit (ECU) to a fuel injector, determines the optimal operational band, and either sends a modified or unmodified control signal pulse width to the fuel injector, depending on the band determination. The pulse width is increased by a total fuel adder. If the ECU control signal is determined to be in the auto-tune band, the controller modifies the output pulse width based on a comparison of current and previous values correlated to the rate of change of acceleration and whether the previous total fuel adder included an addition or subtraction of an auto-tune adder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 25, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Inventors: Richard W. Botting, David James Bucciarelli
  • Patent number: 10072617
    Abstract: A fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is managed to determine if the fuel and oil mixture contains the correct ratio for a motor. The fuel tank containing a fuel and oil mixture is monitored. A fuel to oil ratio is selected for the motor. A combined viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture is calculated with respect to the fuel to oil ratio, and the temperature of the fuel and oil mixture. The combined viscosity is used to determine a predetermined range of the combined viscosity. The viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture within the fuel tank is measured as a measured viscosity. If the measured viscosity of the fuel and oil mixture does not correspond with the predetermined range, then a user may be alerted that the measured viscosity does not correspond with the predetermined range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2018
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Sarah K. Czaplewski, Joseph Kuczynski, Jason T. Wertz, Jing Zhang
  • Patent number: 10060369
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for triggering a humidity measurement based on changes in ambient conditions. In one example, a method may include, in response to a higher than threshold change in ambient air temperature or pressure, operating an oxygen sensor to update an ambient humidity estimate. Engine operation parameters may be adjusted based on the updated ambient humidity estimate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel A. Makled, Gopichandra Surnilla, Richard E. Soltis, Michael McQuillen, Mohannad Hakeem, Lyth Alobiedat
  • Patent number: 10041421
    Abstract: A safety system for engine powered machinery having a fuel cut functionality to promote more rapid shutdown of the rotating parts of the engine powered machinery. In one aspect, the system is implemented as a wiring harness disposed exclusively on the engine which simultaneously disables one or more ignition coils and prevents a fuel-air mixer from supplying a mixture of air and fuel to the engine upon activation of a safety switch. In alternate aspects, the system further comprises a stator brake which is activated by the safety switch to provide additional braking torque on the engine. These features bring the machinery to a rapid halt, further enhancing safety.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2018
    Inventors: Jeffery D. Gruell, Timothy D. Harreld, Steven H. Dowdy