Patents Examined by Stephen K. Cronin
  • Patent number: 9322356
    Abstract: In a method for operating a valve, e.g., a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine in a motor vehicle which is activated with the aid of an actuator, the actuator is activated using a control variable which has a predetermined control period. The control period is formed as a function of a setpoint value for a closing delay time of the valve which characterizes a time difference between an end of the control period and a closing point in time of the valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Christian Grimminger, Egbert Fuchs, Helerson Kemmer, Holger Rapp, Thomas Gann, Anh-Tuan Hoang, Ralph Kober, Christian Szonn
  • Patent number: 9322330
    Abstract: The present invention relates to the reciprocating internal combustion engine sector and more specifically concerns a mechanical system of linking to the master connecting rod for transmission of the motion of the pistons of an internal combustion engine consisting of a lever, which can be completely rigid or made up of a flexible part and a rigid part, and a connecting rod connected to it that rotates a crankshaft; two coaxial pistons with opposed heads that act practically in the same cylinder and have opposed combustion chambers are connected by two small connecting rods at the top of the said lever, which has its fulcrum—fixed or moving—in the engine bedplate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Inventor: Pietro Giovenga
  • Patent number: 9322351
    Abstract: A method for operating an internal combustion engine comprising an emission control system that includes at least one catalytic and/or filter-effective emission control component. In conjunction with a cold start and/or a warm-up of the internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine is operated using a cold start engine operation process having predefined values for predefined operating parameters of the internal combustion engine. An amount of hydrocarbons (HC) stored in one or more of the at least one emission control component is estimated, and the cold start engine operation process is activated when the estimation indicates that the amount of stored HC exceeds a predefined maximum amount of stored HC.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Daimler AG
    Inventors: Thomas Koch, Alexander Massner, Anke Traebert
  • Patent number: 9322384
    Abstract: To suppress current fluctuations upon commencement of driving and prolong lifespan by reducing electric stress caused by current fluctuations. A glow plug 1, a glow switch 2, and a stabilizing coil 3 are series-connected, and upon commencement of the driving of the glow plug 1, a repetition frequency of PWM signals that control the opening and closing of the glow switch 2 is made into a higher frequency than a repetition frequency in a normal drive state and the opening and closing of the glow switch 2 is controlled (S104), and when a predetermined drive shift condition has been met (S106), the repetition frequency of the PWM signals is returned to the frequency during normal driving and the opening and closing of the glow switch 2 is controlled (S108), whereby the current upon commencement of driving is smoothed and the occurrence of an instantaneous large current is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: Bosch Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshito Hujishiro, Yutaka Tanaka, Tomohiro Nakamura
  • Patent number: 9316558
    Abstract: A system includes an ignition detection module, a pressure sensor, a pressure variation module, and a pressure sensor diagnostic module. The ignition detection module detects when an engine is started. The pressure sensor generates a first pressure signal indicating a first pressure within a fuel system of the engine when the engine is started and when a purge valve of the fuel system is closed. The pressure variation module determines an amount of variation in the first pressure signal over a first period. The pressure sensor diagnostic module determines a state of the pressure sensor based on the amount of variation in the first pressure signal over the first period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Robert Jackson, John F. Van Gilder
  • Patent number: 9316199
    Abstract: An ignition device (100) includes a power supply (2) for discharge; an AC power supply (3); an ignition coil (41) for generating a secondary voltage in a secondary coil (41B); an ignition plug (1) connected to the secondary coil (41B); an AC electrode (43) electrically connected to the AC power supply (3); a high-voltage electrode (42) located between the secondary coil (41B) and the ignition plug (1); an insulator (44) located between the two electrodes (42, 43); and a second insulator (47) which covers the ignition coil (41) and a capacitor (49) composed of the two electrodes (42, 43) and an insulator (44). The secondary voltage and AC power are supplied to the ignition plug (1) via the high-voltage electrode (42). Thus, excellent ignition performance can be implemented while the occurrence of misfire is restrained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: NGK SPARK PLUG CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tatsunori Yamada, Kohei Katsuraya, Katsutoshi Nakayama
  • Patent number: 9316196
    Abstract: A vehicle controller is installed in a vehicle and controls one or more operations of the vehicle. The vehicle controller includes a control unit that: (i) outputs a first code for authentication to a judging apparatus which judges whether to permit starting of a driving apparatus of the vehicle when a request for starting the driving apparatus is obtained from an information processor which is located outside the vehicle, (ii) controls locking and unlocking of doors of the vehicle when a request for door lock control is obtained from the information processor, and (iii) obtains from the judging apparatus an authentication result of whether the first code and a second code for authentication which the judging apparatus uses are identical. When obtaining the request for door lock control, the control unit controls the locking and unlocking of the doors based on the authentication result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: FUJITSU TEN LIMITED
    Inventors: Ryuji Nishimura, Akira Takee, Shingo Taguchi, Takeshi Sakamoto, Tetsuya Nomura, Satoshi Harumoto
  • Patent number: 9316142
    Abstract: A spark ignition engine capable of fixing an ignition coil case even in a small engine includes an intake manifold 9 attached to a cylinder head 1, a coil case attachment stay 10 attached to the intake manifold 9, a cylinder portion through hole 12 formed on a board 11 of the coil case attachment stay 10, and a coil case attaching portion 13 provided in an upper part of the board 11. A flexible cylinder portion is caused to penetrate through a cylinder portion through hole, a tongue piece 15 is caused to protrude from a coil case peripheral wall 14 of an ignition coil case 7. The tongue piece 15 is mounted on the coil case attaching portion 13 and the coil case peripheral wall 14 is caused to abut on an edge portion 16 of the coil case attaching portion 13.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KUBOTA Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Inoue, Masaharu Ohno, Yutaka Teruumi, Hiroyuki Tsuda
  • Patent number: 9309801
    Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided for cooling an engine system. In one example, a system includes an exhaust gas recirculation cooler and an engine. The system further includes a cooling fluid circuit in which the exhaust gas recirculation cooler and the engine are positionable in series with the exhaust gas recirculation cooler disposed upstream of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventor: Vijayaselvan Jayakar
  • Patent number: 9309814
    Abstract: A method for controlling a variable valve train of an internal combustion engine including multiple cylinders is disclosed. At a first operating point of the engine, an intake air amount is determined and cylinder-individual values for a fuel amount reduction are determined by successively reducing the respectively supplied fuel amount for each cylinder until a characteristic representing uneven running of the engine has reached a predetermined uneven running threshold value. A ratio of a change in the intake valve lift to the resulting change in the intake air amount is determined for the first operating point. Cylinder-individual deviations of the intake valve lift from a reference value are determined based on the ratio, the intake air amount at the first operating point, and the associated value for the fuel amount reduction. The variable valve train is then controlled on the basis of the cylinder-individual deviations of the intake valve lift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Gerhard Eser, Josef Kainz
  • Patent number: 9309827
    Abstract: A fuel injection control device includes a throttle opening read timing setter that sets the timing at which a throttle opening is read. The setter is triggered to detect the throttle opening used for calculation of a basic injection amount by the start of calculation timing of the basic injection amount (FICAL) if the FICAL is at the position corresponding to a toothless part of a crank pulsar rotor. The setter detects the throttle opening based on crank pulse interrupt according to a crank pulse if the FICAL is at a position other than the position corresponding to the toothless part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takahiro Kitamura, Kotaro Miki
  • Patent number: 9309818
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of controlling operation of an internal-combustion engine using a single-fuel or a multi-fuel combustion mode with at least one fuel type comprising a high octane number and a low energy density and at least another fuel type comprising a low octane number and a high energy density, a method wherein the energy required for the engine to operate in multi-fuel mode is provided by a combination of two fuel types.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 25, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: IFP Energies nouvelles
    Inventor: Gaetan Monnier
  • Patent number: 9309849
    Abstract: A method to reduce engine noise in a multi-cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes a high pressure fuel pump having both an inlet valve fluidly connected to a fuel source and an outlet valve typically connected to a pressurized fuel rail. In order to reduce engine noise, especially at low engine speeds, the timing of the opening of either the fuel pump inlet valve or fuel pump outlet valve is varied so that it coincides with the opening of the fuel injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd
    Inventors: Yosuke Tanabe, Donald J. McCune
  • Patent number: 9309844
    Abstract: A component of a fuel system includes a fuel cap having a head portion connected to a neck portion. The head portion defines: a fluid pressure relief conduit and a relief valve passage that extends into and through the head portion that terminates at a valve head opening formed by an inner surface of the head portion. The inner surface of the head portion and the inner surface of the neck portion cooperate to form a fuel cap cavity. The fluid cap cavity is fluidly-connected to the fluid pressure relief conduit by way of the valve head opening formed by the inner surface of the head portion. A relief valve is movably arranged within the relief valve passage for permitting selective fluid communication of the fuel cap cavity with the fluid pressure relief conduit. A locking apparatus is arranged within the fuel cap cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Inventor: Kurt D. McLain
  • Patent number: 9303616
    Abstract: A method for adapting an engine to an octane number of fuel by decrementing an initial octane number. Starting with a reference setting of the spark advance in an engine operating range for a given octane number, the engine operating range being divided into a plurality of zones, each including an anti-pinking corrective value of the spark advance of the reference setting, the engine is switched to a reference setting that corresponds to a lower octane number: when a threshold value of the advance correction loop is exceeded in at least one zone, or when a counter of the number of zones, in which another threshold value of the advance correction loop is exceeded, exceeds a multi-zone threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: RENAULT S.A.S.
    Inventors: Franck Pinteau, Edouard Valenciennes
  • Patent number: 9297331
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a direct injection fuel pump. The methods and systems selectively operate the direct injection fuel pump with varying levels of efficiency. In one example, an amount of piston lift of a direct fuel injection pump may be adjusted to selectively alter the pump's operating efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Chris Paul Glugla, Jeffrey Allen Doering, Ken Jahr
  • Patent number: 9296394
    Abstract: An engine non-stop warning apparatus for a vehicle provided with an engine stop control section configured to stop an engine on condition that a stop switch is continuously pressed for a specified time duration during operation of the engine includes an engine stop determination section configured to determine whether or not the engine is going to stop or stopping by the lapse of the specified time duration after the stop switch is pressed during the operation of the engine, and an engine non-stop warning section configured to warn a vehicle user that the engine is not stopping in a case the engine stop determination section determines that the engine is not going to stop or stopping by the lapse of the specified time duration after the stop switch is pressed during the operation of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Taoka, Akemi Toyoda
  • Patent number: 9297301
    Abstract: A remedial pollution control system for treating volatile organic compounds that may include a vapor concentrator connected to a line that is laden with volatile organic compounds, the concentrator has an organic condensate output line and a vapor output line; a mixing chamber adapted to receive air provided from an air supply line, combustible fuel from an alternate fuel supply line, and a vapor stream from the vapor output line to produce a mixed fuel supplied to an internal combustion engine, a control mixing system with a controller for producing a proper air to fuel ratio in the mixed fuel supply, and power generated to operate other devices used to more efficiently abate volatile organic compounds and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, LLC
    Inventors: Michael J. Joy, Lawrence Neill
  • Patent number: 9291112
    Abstract: A method/control unit for detecting a voltage offset in a range of a voltage-lambda characteristic curve of a two-point lambda sensor in an engine exhaust gas duct as to a reference voltage-lambda characteristic curve of the two-point lambda sensor, which is part of a controlled system for adjusting an air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine, a characteristic curve deviation of voltage-lambda characteristic curve to the reference characteristic curve being corrected at ?=1, so that a change in the air-fuel mixture composition toward ?=1 occurs, starting from a value pair to be checked on the reference characteristic curve, with a lambda and a voltage to be checked, the actual value of lambda being inferred from the change in the mixture composition until reaching ?=1. The method/control unit permit determining and compensating a voltage offset of a two-point lambda sensor conditional upon aging or manufacturing tolerances.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventor: Michael Fey
  • Patent number: 9291111
    Abstract: An engine control method includes: a step of determining whether or not a crank angle of the engine lies in a first section between a top dead center in a compression stroke and a first angle in a case where the engine speed of the engine is lower than the prescribed engine speed; a step of running the engine in a forward direction by driving a motor that applies a torque to a crank of the engine in the forward direction in a case where the crank angle of the engine does not lie in the first section; a step of determining whether or not the crank angle of the engine lies in the first section; a step of determining whether or not the crank angle of the engine lies in a second section between a top dead center in a combustion stroke and a second angle; a step of braking the motor in a case where it is determined in the sixth step that the crank angle of the engine lies in the second section; and a step of running the engine in the forward direction by driving the motor in the forward direction in a case where i
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: Shindengen Electric Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Shinji Kawasumi