Patents Examined by Susan E Scharpf
  • Patent number: 11365700
    Abstract: An ECU opens a valve element to inject fuel in conjunction with energization of a fuel injection valve provided for an engine. The ECU includes an injection control unit, a characteristic acquisition unit, and a fuel injection correction unit. The injection control unit implements a partial-lift injection during which the valve element does not reach a full-lift position to open the fuel injection valve by an energization time. The characteristic acquisition unit acquires an actual lifting behavior of the valve element as an actual lift characteristic when the partial-lift injection is implemented. The fuel injection correction unit compares the actual lift characteristic acquired by the characteristic acquisition unit with a predetermined reference characteristic and corrects a fuel injection quantity in the partial-lift injection based on a result of the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Keisuke Yanoto, Kazuya Kogo, Hatsumi Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 11353043
    Abstract: A centrifugal pump for conveying a fluid includes a housing having an inlet and an outlet for the fluid. An impeller is arranged in the housing for rotation in an axial direction to convey the fluid from the inlet to the outlet, a shaft extends in the axial direction for driving the impeller, and a stationary guide device for guiding the fluid from the impeller to the outlet is connected to the housing. A resilient compensating element is disposed between the housing and the guide device, is arranged around the shaft, and holds the guide device in a centered position to the impeller during a radial relative movement to the housing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2022
    Assignee: SULZER MANAGEMENT AG
    Inventors: Thomas Welschinger, Torsten Johne, Mike Singer, Nitin Ugale
  • Patent number: 11333095
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for diagnostics of a fuel system configured with a three-way isolation valve and a four port canister. An example method includes, during a refueling event, indicating degradation of the three-way isolation valve based on pressure in the fuel tank during depressurization followed by refueling.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Aed Dudar
  • Patent number: 11326572
    Abstract: A method of predicting vehicle engine torque using an artificial neural network is provided. A data-based artificial neural network model is applied to more accurately calculate torque and reduce development costs for calibration and logics.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: HYUNDAI KEFICO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Hyung-Soo Do
  • Patent number: 11326538
    Abstract: An injection control device for a fuel injection valve includes: a current detection unit of the fuel injection valve; a current area correction control unit that performs current area correction for an area correction amount of an energization time to equalize the integrated current value of the energization current profile and an integrated current value of the detected current; and an information correction unit that learns and stores a reference attainment time, from a start of energization to an attainment of each of the plurality of reference currents, in a storage unit, and corrects information related to the current area correction based on a difference between the reference attainment time and an actual attainment time from the start of energization to the attainment of each reference current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Kato, Hiroyuki Fukuda, Yasumasa Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 11313308
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: a drive control unit that controls energization by correcting an energization instruction time when injecting the fuel by executing the current-drive, and includes an energization time correction amount calculation unit that calculates an energization time correction amount by performing area correction on a current flowing through the fuel injection valve; an abnormality determination unit that determines an abnormality in a control system of the drive control unit; and a correction amount subtraction setting unit that stops a calculation of the energization time correction amount when the abnormality determination unit determines an abnormality, and controls the drive control unit to directly or stepwise reduce the energization time correction amount at an abnormality determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazumasa Kanai, Yohei Suganuma, Hiroyuki Fukuda
  • Patent number: 11313306
    Abstract: A torque monitoring device monitors the occurrence of an abnormal torque state causing an estimated torque as an estimated value for an actual torque of an internal combustion engine to differ from an engine-requested torque required of the internal combustion engine and includes: a discrete value setup unit configured to increase a discrete value correspondingly to increase in a difference quantity between the estimated torque and the engine-requested torque; an accumulation unit configured calculate an accumulation value of the discrete value; and a determination unit configured to determine that the abnormal torque state occurs when the accumulation value becomes larger than or equal to a predetermined abnormality determination threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Takanobu Goto
  • Patent number: 11293371
    Abstract: Provided is a technique for identifying a variation in an injection amount by estimating a valve opening start timing in an extremely small injection region of a half lift region. Therefore, a fuel injection control device according to the present invention estimates a valve opening start timing of a fuel injection valve by referring to a characteristic of a reference fuel injection valve acquired in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 4, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Kotaro Oki, Osamu Mukaihara, Fumihiro Itaba, Akira Iizuka
  • Patent number: 11268458
    Abstract: A system and method of managing an on-demand electrolytic reactor for supplying hydrogen and oxygen gas to an internal combustion engine. The system minimizes reactor's power consumption and parasitic energy loss generally associated with perpetual reactors. The system comprises a plurality of sensors coupled to the reactor measuring a plurality of reactor parameters, an electronic control unit coupled to the plurality of sensors and the engine, and a reactor control board coupled to the reactor and the electronic control unit. The electronic control unit: monitors the plurality of reactor parameters and the plurality of engine parameters; determines a reactor performance level; determines an engine performance level; determines a change in the engine performance level to forecast a future engine demand level; and determines an ideal reactor performance level corresponding to the engine performance level or the future engine demand level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: DynaCERT Inc.
    Inventors: David Bridge, Ruston Jeroen Hoffman
  • Patent number: 11261818
    Abstract: A vehicle control system for a powertrain including an internal combustion engine having an intake valve and an exhaust valve in a vehicle includes an electronic control unit (ECU) operable to control a continuously variable valve duration (CVVD) of the intake and exhaust valves in the engine, a communicator operable to receive an input data from at least one input system, and a storage device having predetermined calibration value. The ECU of the vehicle control system is configured to reference the predetermined calibration values based on a received input data, determines to adjust the CVVD of the intake and exhaust valves, and send a signal to the engine for changing an overlap area of the CVVD. The vehicle control system operates a process for controlling the CVVD of the engine as a method.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 19, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2022
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, KIA Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Dean Schlingmann
  • Patent number: 11248520
    Abstract: An engine system capable of controlling an intake air flow includes a combustion chamber, an ignition plug, an intake air flow control valve, and a controller. The controller performs, in at least a part of an operating range, SPCCI combustion in which after jump-spark ignition combustion of a portion of a mixture gas inside the combustion chamber by a jump-spark ignition of the ignition plug, compression ignition combustion of the remaining mixture gas is carried out by a self-ignition. The controller strengthens, at least in a part of the operating range of SPCCI combustion, the intake air flow inside the combustion chamber by controlling the intake air flow control valve. The controller controls, in a middle-load range of the operating range where SPCCI combustion is performed, the intake air flow control valve so that the intake air flow becomes weaker than in a high-load range and a low-load range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2022
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Atsushi Inoue, Tetsuya Chikada, Yusuke Kawai
  • Patent number: 11242044
    Abstract: A system for supplementing a fixed fuel source for an engine includes a motor-generator set connected to a mechanical load device and a controller. The motor-generator set includes a motor and a generator. The engine is configured to provide a first torque from a fixed fuel source from an independent variable flow input. The fixed fuel source is independent of the engine and set external to the engine. The mechanical load device is driven by the engine and configured to require a second torque defined by an independent flow device. The controller is configured to compare the first torque and the second torque, provide a first control signal to the motor to provide power to the engine when the second torque exceeds the first torque and provide a second control signal to the generator to draw power from the engine when the first torque exceeds the second torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Kohler Co.
    Inventors: Isaac S. Frampton, Adam Larson
  • Patent number: 11236697
    Abstract: The present invention provides a high-efficiency and highly-reliable fuel injection control device that controls a fuel injection valve of an internal combustion engine and can perform injection amount control in accordance with a deterioration degree of the fuel injection valve. A fuel injection control device controlling a fuel injection valve of an internal combustion engine includes a deterioration determination unit that determines a deterioration state of the fuel injection valve, an injection amount learning unit that learns the injection amount of the fuel injection valve, and a learning frequency change unit that changes the learning frequency of the injection amount learning unit in accordance with the deterioration state of the fuel injection valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Fumihiro Itaba, Osamu Mukaihara, Akira Iizuka
  • Patent number: 11236685
    Abstract: A method of adjusting operation of an internal combustion engine includes injecting fuel into cylinders of the internal combustion engine (first fuel operation); obtaining a first fuel exhaust temperature profile during the first fuel operation; injecting two fuels into the cylinders in a duel fuel operation; obtaining a duel fuel exhaust temperature profile; and adjusting the injection quantity and/or an injection timing of one fuel in a cylinder(s), based on a difference between the first fuel exhaust temperature profile and the duel fuel exhaust temperature profile. Other methods of operating with single fuel and using sensors other than exhaust temperature sensors are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: TRANSPORTATION IP HOLDINGS, LLC
    Inventor: Adam Edgar Klingbeil
  • Patent number: 11230991
    Abstract: In a compression-ignition engine having a two-stage cavity, the distribution ratio between fuel for an upper cavity and fuel for a lower cavity is maintained even when the operational state of the engine changes. A piston of the engine includes a lower cavity, an upper cavity, and a lip portion between the lower cavity and the upper cavity. A controller causes a main injection and at least one pilot injection to be executed when an engine operates in a first state and a second state in which the speed is higher than the speed in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller maintains an injection amount of the main injection and increases an injection amount of the pilot injection(s) when the engine operates in the second state as compared to when the engine operates in the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Naotoshi Shirahashi, Yasunori Uesugi, Takeshi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 11220965
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detecting cylinder-to-cylinder air-fuel ratio (AFR) imbalance in engine cylinders. In one example, a method may include detecting an AFR imbalance of an engine cylinder based on an individual crankshaft acceleration of the cylinder relative to a mean crankshaft acceleration produced by all cylinders of the engine, and correcting a fuel amount of the cylinder via a fuel multiplier value, the fuel multiplier value selected from a plurality of fuel multiplier values based on an imbalance source. In this way, the AFR imbalance may be accurately detected and correcting using existing engine system sensors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Douglas Raymond Martin, Tyler Kelly, John Eric Rollinger
  • Patent number: 11215136
    Abstract: In a compression-ignition engine having a two-stage cavity, the distribution ratio between fuel for an upper cavity and fuel for a lower cavity is maintained even when the operational state of the engine changes. A piston of the compression-ignition engine includes a lower cavity, an upper cavity, and a lip portion between the lower cavity and the upper cavity. A controller causes a main injection and at least one pilot injection to be executed when the engine operates in a first state and a second state in which the speed is higher than the speed in the first state. The fuel spray is distributed to the lower cavity and the upper cavity. The controller increases an injection amount per pilot injection when the engine operates in the second state than when the engine operates in the first state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2022
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Naotoshi Shirahashi, Yasunori Uesugi, Takeshi Matsubara
  • Patent number: 11208977
    Abstract: To provide an ignition control device of an internal combustion engine capable of reducing the number of adjustment steps required for adjustment such as matching of a MOS gate voltage or the like without being affected by device variation. A detection voltage is generated on the basis of a primary current flowing through a current detection resistor having a positive temperature dependent characteristic. A reference voltage is generated by a potential difference between a base and an emitter of a first bipolar transistor circuit and a multiple type second bipolar transistor circuit in which a plurality of bipolar transistors are connected in parallel, and a resistance value of a first resistor connected to the emitter side of the plurality of the bipolar transistor circuit, on the basis of a current having a positive temperature dependent characteristic similar to the current detection resistor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Masato Kita, Yoichiro Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 11187173
    Abstract: A method for limiting a revolution speed of an internal combustion engine (E) of a sports car, the method comprising a first step (Step 1) of acquiring a nominal speed value of said internal combustion engine, a second step (Step 2) of measuring a revolution speed of said internal combustion engine, when (CHK) a measured revolution speed of said internal combustion engine has reached (yes) an activation speed approximately equal to said nominal speed, the method comprising a third step (Step 3) of setting a predetermined initial torque value (a) to be delivered by said internal combustion engine and simultaneously a fourth step (Step 4) of carrying out a feedback control of a torque delivery of said internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: FERRARI S.P.A.
    Inventor: Stefano Marconi
  • Patent number: 11183818
    Abstract: A prechamber spark plug for an internal combustion engine with the following features: a body with an external thread at its front end for screwing the spark plug into the engine; the external thread has a center line and begins with a thread start at the front end; the body has a passage in which an insulator is fastened and a center electrode protrudes from the front end of this insulator; at the front end of the body, a prechamber-forming cap is provided, which delimits a prechamber and shields the center electrode from a combustion chamber of the engine after the spark plug has been installed in the engine; the cap has at least one opening, which has a predefined orientation in relation to the thread start and is oriented obliquely to the center line of the external thread so as to permit a gas exchange between the prechamber and the space outside the prechamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: FEDERAL-MOGUL IGNITION GMBH
    Inventors: Werner Niessner, Matthias Blankmeister