Patents Examined by Ruben Picon-Feliciano
  • Patent number: 11401896
    Abstract: A sleeve structure comprises a plurality of sleeve main bodies fitted respectively into intake ports of a cylinder head of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine and a shared base provided on one end of the plurality of sleeve main bodies. By fixing this sleeve structure to the cylinder head, an amount of labor involved in a fixing operation for fixing sleeves to a cylinder head is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 2, 2015
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hironao Netsu, Takuya Taniguchi, Yukihiro Hayashi
  • Patent number: 11396840
    Abstract: An engine cooling system has a coolant control valve unit and includes a cylinder head disposed on a cylinder block. The coolant control valve unit is configured to receive coolant from a coolant outlet side of the cylinder head to control coolant distributed to a heater and a radiator and to control coolant exhausted from the cylinder block. A control unit is configured to determine a heating priority mode according to operation conditions and to substantially open a first coolant passage corresponding to the heater by controlling the coolant control valve unit in the heating priority mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 26, 2022
    Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATION
    Inventors: Su Ho Lee, Min Kyun Kim, Jin Pyo Kim, Changmoon Shin, Min Young Kwon, Junho Lee, Dong Ki Park
  • Patent number: 11365676
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a crankcase that defines a crank chamber, a crankshaft that has a crank housed in the crank chamber and is rotatably supported on the crankcase, a cylinder block that is joined to the crankcase and defines a plurality of cylinders in a horizontally-opposed arrangement, a to-be-detected body that rotates integrally with the crankshaft, and a detection sensor that extends through the crankcase from an upper face of the crankcase, is made to face a trajectory of the to-be-detected body, and generates a pulse signal in response to movement of the to-be-detected body. Thus, in a so-called horizontally-opposed internal combustion engine, a structure for disposing a detection sensor that can detect the angular velocity of a crankshaft with high precision is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Ikebe, Makoto Harada, Fumihiko Matsubara, Toshiaki Deguchi
  • Patent number: 11326696
    Abstract: A rotary valve seal for a coolant control valve is provided that offers improved sealing with a rotary valve body. The rotary valve seal includes a central axis, a cylindrical seal body, and a seal skeleton. The cylindrical seal body has a first stiffness and a first end that is configured with a radially outwardly extending flange. The seal skeleton, having a second stiffness and embedded within the cylindrical seal body, has a plurality of fingers circumferentially arranged within the flange. The second stiffness can be greater than the first stiffness. The plurality of fingers and flange can define alternating stiffness zones. The first end of the seal body and the flange define a bottom surface configured for sealing engagement with a rotary valve body. The rotary valve body can be shaped in the form of at least one spherical segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES AG & CO. KG
    Inventor: Vigel Russalian
  • Patent number: 11293333
    Abstract: An outdoor unit has a frame that carries a ground grooming or working implement, a traction drive, and a cooling fan, all of which comprises loads on a prime mover. A power management controller automatically reduces an operational speed of the traction drive when prime mover droop is present. The cooling fan cools two cooling fluids. The controller stores data representing variable fan speeds for cooling each cooling fluid in both normal and above normal temperature ranges and for use when prime mover droop is present. The controller uses the highest fan speed required for cooling the cooling fluids in the normal range unless the droop fan speed is lower in which case the lower droop fan speed is used but only to the extent that the lower droop fan speed is not lower than the highest fan speed required for cooling the cooling fluids in the above normal temperature range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: The Toro Company
    Inventors: Alexander S. Frick, Peter M. Arendt, Jesse R. Gamble
  • Patent number: 11203987
    Abstract: An air supply device (1) of a stratified scavenging two-cycle engine includes: a mixture passage (40) that penetrates a carburetor (2) and an insulator (3), the mixture passage being provided by a carburetor-side mixture passage (8) and an insulator-side mixture passage (21); a air passage (41) that is provided by a carburetor-side air passage (9) and an insulator-side air passage (22); a throttle valve (13) provided in a single bore (4) of the carburetor (2), the throttle valve(13) being provided by a butterfly valve that rotates in conjunction with a throttle operation; and a flow rate regulator (28) provided inside the air passage (41), the flow-rate regulator (28) bulging inward in the air passage (41). At least a part of a periphery of a valve body (17) of the throttle valve is close to the flow-rate regulator (28) until the valve body (17) is rotated from an initial position corresponding to an idling speed at a predetermined rotation angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: Husqvarna Zenoah Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryou Ono, Takashi Ohniwa
  • Patent number: 11052743
    Abstract: A method according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, periodically adjusting powertrain operation of an electrified vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine to progressively influence oil quality of oil of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 6, 2021
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Shunsuke Okubo, Floyd Cadwell
  • Patent number: 10968822
    Abstract: A linear piston engine includes a housing having a combustion chamber located between opposing first and second piston chambers. A first piston assembly is located within the first piston chamber, and a second piston assembly is located within the second piston chamber. Each piston assembly includes a piston for reciprocating within the piston chamber. The piston is located adjacent to the combustion chamber. Each piston assembly also includes a crankshaft coupled to the piston for guiding the piston through a power stroke and a return stroke, and a linear output member coupled to the piston for providing a linear output motion based on reciprocating motion of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: 470088 Ontario Limited
    Inventor: Franz Kramer
  • Patent number: 10927799
    Abstract: In an aspect, a system includes a mixer configured to mix a fuel stream with a solvent to form a mixed stream, the solvent having a higher affinity for a second component of the fuel stream than for a first component of the fuel stream. The system includes a first separator configured to separate the mixed stream into (i) a first fuel fraction including the first component of the fuel stream and (ii) a mixed fraction including the second component of the fuel stream based on a difference in volatility of the first fuel fraction and the mixed fraction. The system includes a second separator configured to separate the mixed fraction into a second fuel fraction including the second component of the fuel stream and a solvent fraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventors: Esam Z. Hamad, Ahmad A. Khan
  • Patent number: 10920743
    Abstract: Structures and methods for joining misaligned or dissimilar width spar caps are disclosed as having a connecting structure in a rotor blade assembly for a wind turbine, wherein a first blade segment defines a first joint end, the first blade segment having at least one spar cap. A second blade segment defines a forward end coupled to the first blade segment, the second blade segment having at least one spar cap offset from the spar cap of the adjoining first blade segment. At least one connecting structure is coupled between the adjoining spar caps of the first blade segment and the second blade segment, the connecting structure having a plurality of sequentially stacked plies configured for parallel fiber alignment with the adjoining spar caps and cross-sectional area continuity with the adjoining spar caps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Darren John Danielsen
  • Patent number: 10914229
    Abstract: Embodiments for controlling condensate in a charge air cooler are provided. In one example, a charge air cooler comprises an inlet to admit charge air, a plurality of heat exchange passages to remove heat from the charge air, an outlet configured to discharge the charge air from the heat exchange passages to an intake passage upstream of an intake manifold of an engine, and a dispersion element extending at least partially across the outlet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 9, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: William Charles Ruona, Gopichandra Surnilla, David Karl Bidner
  • Patent number: 10895225
    Abstract: An intake manifold includes a surge tank and left and right intake pipes. On a part of an outer periphery portion of the surge tank that faces a front direction or a rear direction of a vehicle, a pressure measurement portion to measure pressure in the surge tank is provided. A pressure sensor is attached to the pressure measurement portion. A sensing space containing one end side that is opened in the surge tank and the other end side in which a pressure sensing portion of the pressure sensor is disposed is formed on the pressure measurement portion. A bottom surface constituting the sensing space of the pressure measurement portion is inclined downwardly toward an opening portion to the surge tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA BOSHOKU KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Takuma Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 10895263
    Abstract: The invention concerns a housing of a fan with an external covering, wherein the housing comprises a housing body to accommodate fan components, and a radial exterior face of the housing body is surrounded by the external covering in the circumferential direction over its full surface, so that a radial exterior surface of the housing is formed by an exterior surface of the external covering, and the external covering is detachably fastened to the housing body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 19, 2021
    Assignee: ebm-papst Mulfingen GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Sebastian Hoss, Thomas Sauer, Hartmut Messerschmidt, Matthias Maschke, Alexander Lust
  • Patent number: 10883436
    Abstract: A method to detect and mitigate sensor or actuator degradation in an automobile system includes: collecting a signal data output from at least one device which is outputting the signal data in response to monitored operational parameters of a motor vehicle system; analyzing patterns of the signal data compared to a signal data output from a nominal operating one of the at least one device using an artificial intelligence program; and identifying when the patterns of the signal data exceed a threshold level indicating the at least one sensor or actuator is operating in a degraded condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Kevin C. Wong, Jeffrey M. Hutmacher, Marcus S. Gilbert
  • Patent number: 10865671
    Abstract: An oil pan assembly having an oil pan and an intake pipe attached to a bottom of an engine block is provided. The oil pan assembly includes an inner plate mounted to the oil pan so as to be disposed between the oil pan and a bottom surface of the engine block. The inner plate is configured to slow the flow of oil to an intake pipe so as to provide additional time for entrained oil to de-areate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Tenghua Tom Shieh, Shohei Nomura, Swetha Minupuri, Dong-Hyun Lee
  • Patent number: 10865748
    Abstract: An air cleaner is provided. The air cleaner includes an air cleaner body and air cleaner cover that are coupled to each other to form an internal space for mounting a filter and that are clamped and separated through a cover clamp. The filter purifies air that is introduced through a duct inlet into air which is to be discharged through a hose outlet. A filter fixer is formed in the internal space to seat the filter and forms a filter holding force to block swaying of the filter. Additionally, a filter adapter is mounted into or detached from the internal space and is inserted into the internal space to form a filter fixing force for fixing the filter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 15, 2020
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Seong-Youn Kwak, Won-Seop Choi, Ju-Ho Han, Yong-Gyo Seo, Sung-Hyuk Yoon
  • Patent number: 10851877
    Abstract: In some aspects, reciprocating engines can include a first reciprocating mechanism that includes an axially translating y-axis component configured to reciprocate substantially along a y-axis with a reciprocating motion of a piston assembly relative to a base to which the y-axis component is slidingly attached. The first reciprocating mechanism can include an x-axis component slidingly coupled to and translating with the y-axis component along the y-axis, the x-axis component being: i) configured to reciprocate substantially perpendicularly to the y-axis relative to the y-axis component, ii) comprising an orbital output component, and iii) comprising an orbital linking component disposed substantially concentric with the orbital output component. The first reciprocating mechanism can include a stationary output component and a stationary linking component that are substantially concentric and disposed in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the x-y plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Enfield Engine Company, LLC
    Inventors: Nicholas A. Sanders, Ryan Thomas Kiley Sanders
  • Patent number: 10843553
    Abstract: A fuel feed module for delivering fuel from a fuel tank includes a fuel feed pump and a flange. The fuel feed module is fixable to the fuel tank by the flange. The fuel feed module includes a resistor, which is electrically conductively integrated into a ground path of the fuel feed pump, the resistor being integrated into the flange of the fuel feed module.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Marcus Koch, Ralf Musich, Gabriel Simara Lima, Marco Valencia
  • Patent number: 10844772
    Abstract: A vehicle propulsion system includes an engine having a coolant inlet and a coolant outlet, a coolant pump having an outlet in communication with the engine coolant inlet, a pressure sensor in fluid communication with the engine coolant outlet and that generates a pressure signal indicative of a pressure in the engine coolant outlet, and a controller in communication with the pressure sensor and the coolant pump. The controller is programmed to control a flow of coolant through the engine from the coolant pump based upon the pressure signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 24, 2020
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Eugene V. Gonze, Daniel J. Shepard, Lawrence P. Ziehr
  • Patent number: 10830162
    Abstract: A system for reducing polluting emissions of diesel engines includes a hydrogen gas generator that mixes the hydrogen gas with diesel fuel during certain operations phases of the engine. A default program mixes no hydrogen gas with the diesel fuel. A first operational program, during a cold start, mixes the hydrogen gas and diesel fuel in a 1:1 ratio. A second operational program, during a stabilization phase, mixes the hydrogen gas and diesel fuel in a 1:3 ratio. A third operational program, during a hot start phase, mixes the hydrogen gas and diesel fuel in a 1:2 ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 10, 2020
    Assignee: SVMTech, LLC
    Inventor: Serge V. Monros