Patents Examined by Tea Holbrook
  • Internal combustion engine with compensation weight arranged on the crankshaft and serving as an imbalance, and method for production of the crankshaft
    Patent number: 9121472
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine with a cylinder and with a crank drive is described herein. The internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft in which the crankshaft mounted in a crankcase has an associated crankshaft throw for the cylinder. The internal combustion engine further includes a compensation weight serving as a counterbalance for mass compensation arranged on the crankshaft on the side opposite the crankshaft throw, where the compensation weight includes an outward-facing side and a distance from a peripheral surface of the outward-facing side to a longitudinal axis of the crankshaft is not constant along the length of the peripheral surface of the outward-facing side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Rainer Lach, Joerg Bonse
  • Brushcutter
    Patent number: 9121339
    Abstract: A brushcutter includes: a centrifugal clutch (20) that transmits a drive force of an engine from a crankshaft to a drive shaft; a clutch housing (23) covering the cooling fan and the centrifugal clutch, the clutch housing being made of a synthetic resin; and a bearing that is held inside the clutch housing (23) and supports a coupling shaft that couples the drive shaft and the centrifugal clutch (20). A volute-shaped air-flow space (27) defined including a rise wall (26) surrounding the centrifugal clutch (20) is provided inside the clutch housing (23) near an outer circumference of the centrifugal clutch (20). An inflow opening (28, 29) that lets a cooling air flowing in the air-flow space (27) flow into an inner air-flow space (53) and an outflow opening (52) that lets the cooling air flowing in the air-flow space (53) flow out to the air-flow space (27) are provided on the rise wall (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2015
    Assignee: HUSQVARNA AB
    Inventors: Takayuki Kimura, Hiroshi Hokari, Yuusuke Kawasaki
  • Fuel supply device for internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9109562
    Abstract: A fuel supply device supplies fuel from a fuel tank to an injector by driving a diaphragm pump by use of pressure variation within a crankcase. The diaphragm pump includes: a pump casing; a diaphragm partitioning the interior of the pump casing into a negative pressure chamber and a pump chamber; and a plunger connected to the diaphragm and reciprocatively movable to and from the pump chamber. A pressure receiving area over which the plunger receives, at its end surface in a plunger advancing/retracting direction, pressure from the pump chamber is set smaller than a pressure receiving area over which the diaphragm receives pressure from the negative pressure chamber in the advancing/retracting direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD
    Inventors: Toshihiro Tsutsui, Ryota Morinaga
  • Oil filler neck for a cylinder head cover
    Patent number: 9102229
    Abstract: An oil filler neck is provided for a cylinder head cover that exhibits an oil fill opening with an oil droplet and oil mist protection device. The oil droplet and oil mist protection device has a lower partial area, an upper partial area and elastomer tongues. The elastomer tongues are arranged one over the other and spaced apart from each other in the upper partial area and lower partial area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Peter Scholz
  • Balancer device for parallel twin cylinder internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9103396
    Abstract: A device is provided for reducing first cylinder vibratory force F1 and second cylinder vibratory force F2 which are generated when a crankshaft is rotated, in a parallel twin cylinder internal combustion engine in which a crankshaft is provided with a first crankpin and a second crankpin at a predetermined phase angle and a cylinder block is formed with a first cylinder and a second cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2015
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Akihiro Iida, Hiroto Takeichi
  • Cold start up auxiliary system for alcohol and flex engines with air-inlet and alcohol warm up
    Patent number: 9097219
    Abstract: An internal combustion vehicle cold start control system method is provided. The method includes warming alcohol and air when a door handle is actuated, while the engine is cold and starting an electric turbine connected to an intake manifold. The method also includes actuating valves allowing recirculation of the warmed air through the intake manifold and actuating spark plugs providing an initial warm-up of electrodes and engine cylinders if the temperature is less than 30° C. The starter motor is driven by 2-4 turns of a crankshaft axle so that any cold air in an air filter at the cylinders' entrance is drawn inside and is expelled by the exhaust system. A small volume of the warmed alcohol fuel is maintained in the fuel injectors. The method also includes injecting the warmed alcohol, verifying the minimum air temperature; and deactivating the system after appropriate warm-up of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2015
    Assignee: FCA FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMOVEIS BRASIL LTDA.
    Inventor: Luis Carlos Monteiro Sales
  • Airflow attachment assembly for carburetor
    Patent number: 9086038
    Abstract: A carburetor attachment assembly for improved engine performance including an airflow crown and a mating air cleaner base. The air flow crown is adapted to detachably mount atop a carburetor and has a contoured intake surface that guides and directs airflow into the mouth of the carburetor. The airflow crown's intake surface is configured to merge with the sidewalls of the induction bores to form a smooth continuous surface around the mouth of the carburetor and induction bores, which helps facilitate laminar airflow and redirection of the intake air flow downward into the carburetor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2015
    Assignee: R2C Performance Products, LLC.
    Inventors: Edward J. Sroka, Edward J. Fox
  • Cylinder structure for internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9080531
    Abstract: A cylinder structure satisfies the following conditions: 12%?d/a?27%, where d is a distance between a cylinder inner surface 12a and an exhaust valve member 20b, and a is a diameter of the exhaust valve member; 40%?c/b?50%, where c is a length of a non-guided portion of the exhaust valve 20 located below a lower end of a sleeve 26 when the exhaust valve 20 is closed, and b is a diameter of a cylinder bore; and 0.5%?e/S?0.8%, where e is a gap between an exhaust valve rod 20a and the sleeve 26 and S is a diameter of the exhaust valve rod 20a.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2015
    Assignee: MITSUBISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES, LTD.
    Inventors: Hideaki Okumura, Kimihiko Maehata, Yuta Furukawa
  • Internal combustion engine using a water-based mixture as fuel and method for operating the same
    Patent number: 9074555
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder with a combustion chamber and a piston selectively changing the volume of the combustion chamber. The combustion chamber receives a mixture of air, hydrogen and a liquid fuel consisting essentially of water and a flammable, preferably non-fossil, substance. The contents of the combustion chamber are ignited generating power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2015
    Assignee: MayMaan Research, LLC
    Inventors: Yehuda Shmueli, Eitan Shmueli, Doron Shmueli
  • Engine operated machine
    Patent number: 9068504
    Abstract: An engine-operated device includes a dust separating device. An air inlet provided on a first end side of the dust separating device. A first discharge opening is provided in the lateral surface on a second end side of the longitudinal direction, and a second discharge opening is provided to be separated from the first discharge opening. A first connecting passage is connected between the first discharge opening and the rotor cover of a magneto-rotor, and a second connecting passage is connected between an upstream side of an air cleaner case and the second discharge opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI KOKI CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomomasa Nishikawa, Fumikazu Hirasawa
  • Balancer device of internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9068626
    Abstract: A balancer device of an internal combustion engine, has a drive gear engaged with an input gear to which a rotation force is transmitted from a crankshaft; a balancer drive shaft to which the rotation force is transmitted from the drive gear and which has a balancer weight; a balancer drive gear rotating integrally with the balancer drive shaft; a balancer driven gear engaged with the balancer drive gear; and a balancer driven shaft rotating integrally with the balancer driven gear and having a balancer weight. At least one of the drive gear, the balancer drive gear and the balancer driven gear is provided, on both axial direction side surfaces thereof, with ring-shaped grooves whose diameters are different from each other. The ring-shaped grooves are formed up to a depth from the surface of the gear at which both the ring-shaped grooves overlap each other in the axial direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2015
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masaharu Saito, Tamotsu Todo, Masaharu Kitamura, Harunobu Okabe, Seiji Tsuruta, Takashi Hirano
  • Fan system for a cooling system of an internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9062591
    Abstract: Fan system (1) for a cooling system of an internal combustion engine, having an electric machine (2) and an impeller wheel (3), wherein the electric machine (2) comprises a pole housing (20), which is rotatably mounted by means of a bearing (21, 22), wherein the impeller wheel (3) is coupled to the pole housing (20) of the electric machine (2), wherein the impeller wheel (3) has a first engagement element (40), and the pole housing (20) has a second engagement element (50) which corresponds to the first engagement element (40), wherein the two engagement elements (40, 50) engage one in the other in such a way that they form a bearing seat (212) for the bearing (21) of the pole housing (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2015
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Harold Bitzer, Andreas Mueller, Michael Schermann
  • Idler gear stub shaft
    Patent number: 9057399
    Abstract: A stub shaft is disclosed. The stub shaft may have an elongated cylindrical body having a base end configured to be secured to an engine block and an opposing distal end. The stub shaft may also have a collar formed at the base end of the elongated cylindrical body. The collar may be configured to be inserted into a cavity in the engine block to guide attachment of the stub shaft to the engine block. The stub shaft may further have an axial bore formed in the elongated cylindrical body and passing from the base end to the distal end. The stub shaft may also have a radial passage formed in the elongated cylindrical body and in fluid communication with the axial bore. The stub shaft may additionally have a thrust face formed between the base end and the radial passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2015
    Assignee: Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart Leighton Bell, Abhinav Reddy Pamulaparthy, Jeffrey P. Nowak
  • Cold start up auxiliary system for alcohol and flex engines with air-inlet and alcohol warm up
    Patent number: 9046064
    Abstract: A warm-up air system to aid cold start up is provided. The system includes a turbine with electrical heaters linked to a throttle body or to an air sending tube to the throttle body forming a warmed up air circulation circuit. The system also includes valves controlled by an electronic unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2015
    Assignee: FCA FIAT CHRYSLER AUTOMÓVEIS BRASIL LTDA
    Inventor: Luis Carlos Monteiro Sales
  • Fuel air mixer for combustion engines
    Patent number: 9032937
    Abstract: A fuel air mixer includes a fuel air mixing tube having an inlet, an outlet, and an inlet inner diameter. A collar is attached at the mixing tube inlet and includes a first cylindrical portion upstream of the mixing tube inlet, and a body portion encircling the mixing tube at the mixing tube inlet and forming a fuel reservoir around the mixing tube inlet. The first cylindrical portion is spaced from the mixing tube inlet to create a gap placing the fuel reservoir in fluid communication with the mixing tube inlet. The first cylindrical portion has an inner diameter that is smaller than the inlet inner diameter so air flowing through the first cylindrical portion and into the mixing tube inlet draws gaseous fuel from the fuel reservoir into the mixing tube through the gap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2015
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron C. Luft, Jordan P. Gilsinger
  • Variable compression ratio apparatus
    Patent number: 9021994
    Abstract: A variable compression ratio apparatus includes: a piston defining a combustion chamber, a connecting rod connected to the piston; an eccentric link eccentrically connected to the piston, a swing link connected to the eccentric link so as to rotate the eccentric link, a crankpin to which the connecting rod is connected, and a crank web disposed at both sides of the crankpin and provided with a guide portion for guiding downward motions of the eccentric link and the swing link when the eccentric link and the swing link move downward. Thereby, the downward motions of the eccentric link and the swing link are stabilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2015
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventors: Yoonsik Woo, Jin Kook Kong, Dong Seok Lee, Eun Ho Lee, Soo Hyung Woo
  • Engine control for catalyst regeneration
    Patent number: 9016244
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for injecting water during an engine cylinder deactivation event so as to reduce an exhaust catalyst regeneration requirement following the cylinder deactivation. In one example, water is injected at one or more deactivated engine cylinders to reduce oxidation of the exhaust catalyst. Then, during engine cylinder reactivation, a degree of richness of a combustion air-to-fuel ratio may be reduced to decrease fuel penalty to the engine while reducing NOx emission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Leone, Joseph Norman Ulrey, Mark Allen Dearth
  • Method for warming an internal combustion engine, and internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 9004020
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for expediting warm up of an internal combustion engine cylinder block and engine oil utilizing an existing oil coolant circuit. A method for warming up an internal combustion engine with at least one cylinder, a cylinder block which is formed by an upper crankcase half mounted to a lower crankcase half, said lower crankcase half containing an oil sump which is fed, via a supply line, by a coolant jacket, an inlet side of said coolant jacket supplied in turn with oil via the oil sump by an oil pump, the method comprising: releasing oil from the coolant jacket via gravity to reduce a cooling capacity of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jan Mehring, Moritz Klaus Springer, Bernd Steiner, Thomas Lorenz
  • Method for operating a direct fuel injector
    Patent number: 8997714
    Abstract: A method, comprising: operating an engine cylinder with fuel from a first injector and not a second injector and activating the second injector in response to a rail pressure increase of a fuel rail, the fuel rail coupled to the second injector. In this way, degradation of the second injector may be reduced by activating the second injector and allowing fuel flow through the second injector to reduce the pressure and temperature of the fuel rail.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Todd Anthony Rumpsa
  • Tunable throttle plate
    Patent number: 8997722
    Abstract: A tunable throttle plate for customizing fuel delivery to a supercharged engine includes a plate that may be coupled to intake manifold of an engine. A fuel aperture extends through the plate. A spray rod is coupled to the fuel aperture. A fuel nozzle is coupled to the spray rod. The fuel nozzle delivers a fuel to the plate through the spray rod. A solenoid is coupled to the fuel nozzle. The solenoid is coupled to a fuel source so the solenoid delivers the fuel to the fuel nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 7, 2015
    Inventor: Russell D. Fowler