Patents Examined by Thai-Ba Trieu
  • Patent number: 9683485
    Abstract: An exhaust-gas turbocharger (1) having a turbine housing (2), which has a bypass duct (10) with a bypass opening (9); and having a control flap (3), which is mounted pivotably between a closed position and an open position in the turbine housing (2), the control flap (3), when in its closed position, resting on a bearing region (8) of a housing wall (11) which conducts exhaust gas and contains the bypass opening (9), wherein at least one flow imperfection (12A, 12B; 23A, 23B) is arranged in the turbine housing wall (11) in the bearing region (8) of the control flap (3) and/or in the control flap (3).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2017
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Udo Dellmann, Ivo Nawrath, Stefan Ebert
  • Patent number: 9677451
    Abstract: An electronic control module for operating an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The electronic control module is configured to monitor a first air-fuel equivalence ratio of engine exhaust gases upstream of a NOx trap, and to activate a diagnostic routine for the NOx trap when the first air-fuel equivalence ratio is smaller than one. The diagnostic routine enables the electronic control module to monitor a second air-fuel equivalence ratio of engine exhaust gases downstream of the NOx trap, to use the first and second air-fuel equivalence ratios to calculate an index that is representative of the conversion efficiency of the NOx trap, and to identify a failure of the NOx trap when the efficiency index is lower than a predetermined threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Alberto Giordano, Roberto Argolini, Cristian Taibi
  • Patent number: 9677418
    Abstract: A turbine housing for an internal combustion engine, the turbine housing includes a coolant passage and exhaust gas flow path. The exhaust gas flow path is configured to pass exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine, a turbine wheel is arranged in the exhaust gas flow path, the exhaust gas flow path include a first portion, the first portion is disposed further on the exhaust gas downstream side than the turbine wheel in the exhaust gas flow path, and the inner diameter of the first portion gradually increases toward the exhaust gas downstream side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Akihiro Asano
  • Patent number: 9677511
    Abstract: An exhaust gas cooler may include an outer housing and an inner housing having a heat exchanger insert arranged therein. The heat exchanger insert may include a plurality of pipes around which exhaust gas flows transversely in the inner housing and through at least some of which a coolant of a first cooling circuit flows. At least a portion of the outer housing may be cooled by a second cooling circuit. The second cooling circuit may be separate from the first cooling circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2012
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventors: Steffen Groezinger, Martin Paarmann, Henning Schroeder
  • Patent number: 9677473
    Abstract: An exhaust gas turbocharger coupling assembly configured to couple an exhaust gas turbocharger to an engine exhaust manifold is provided herein. The coupling assembly includes a first flange, the first flange being coupleable to either the engine exhaust manifold or the exhaust gas turbocharger; and one or more overhanging lips coupled to the first flange, the overhanging lips overhanging the first flange so as to define a slot between the first flange and the overhanging lip, where the slot is configured to receive a second flange associated with the other of the engine exhaust manifold or the exhaust gas turbocharger so as to restrict the first and second flanges moving apart when assembled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John Dartnell
  • Patent number: 9677514
    Abstract: An air induction system for delivering equal quantities of combustion air to an internal combustion engine has an air box assembly comprising a housing that defines a filter chamber that is configured to receive an air filter assembly, an air inlet that admits the fresh air into the housing and the filter chamber and outlets extending from the housing. The air filter assembly further comprises a filter media disposed between the air inlet and the outlets to define a filtered air chamber on a flow side of the filter media and a partition extending across the filtered air chamber to divide filtered, fresh air passing through the filter media into two flow paths, the divided flows paths exiting the housing and the filtered air chamber through the outlets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Eric R. Tucker, Steven A. Kornburger
  • Patent number: 9673681
    Abstract: A density engine includes an object movably positioned in a host liquid, the object having a density less than that of host liquid. An injector injects gas below the object creating a rising fluid region having a density less than that of the object. The object is not buoyant in the rising fluid region. An electrical generator is coupled to the object to generate electrical energy upon movement of the object. A biofuel production facility receives gas from the density engine and produces a biofuel through a biological process of a living organism that utilizes the gas. A consolidated energy production and storage system includes a gas sequestration facility, a density engine, and a biofuel production facility located together on a contiguous plot of land. Windmills and solar collectors may be located on the plot of land.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: Hopper Energy Systems, Inc.
    Inventors: Leon Hopper, Jeffrey Barnett, Stephen Dorozenski
  • Patent number: 9670828
    Abstract: A mixture-charged gas engine includes at least one cylinder. A combustion chamber delimited by a cylinder head, a cylinder wall, and a piston, which can be moved in the cylinder, is arranged in the at least one cylinder, and the combustion chamber is divided into a main combustion chamber and at least one pre-chamber fluidically connected to the main combustion chamber via at least one firing channel. An air-/combustion gas mixture can be supplied to the main combustion chamber via an inlet valve during an intake stroke of the piston. The mixture-charged gas engine is characterized in that a separate combustion gas supply is provided for the at least one pre-chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH
    Inventors: Anko Ernst, Udo Sander
  • Patent number: 9670881
    Abstract: A supercharger-equipped internal combustion engine in the present invention includes a turbo-supercharger (20) which includes, at some point in an intake passage (26), a centrifugal compressor (20b) having an impeller section (20b4) for housing a compressor impeller (20b3). In the supercharger-equipped internal combustion engine, EGR gas and blow-by gas are introduced into an intake system in such a way as to flow into the centrifugal compressor (20b) via an EGR gas introduction section (40a) and a blow-by gas introduction section (48a). The supercharger-equipped internal combustion engine further includes a partition wall (52) which guides the EGR gas and the blow-by gas toward the centrifugal compressor (20b) so that the EGR gas and the blow-by gas are not mixed with each other until the EGR gas and the blow-by gas enter into the impeller section (20b4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Jumpei Shioda
  • Patent number: 9670820
    Abstract: A duct arrangement for an internal combustion engine comprises an exhaust duct, an inlet duct and a cooling air duct. The exhaust duct is contained within the cooling air duct for substantially its whole length and the cooling air duct is contained within the inlet duct for substantially its whole length, so that in use the cooling air duct provides a barrier to limit heat transfer between gas flowing in the exhaust duct and gas flowing in the inlet duct. The invention avoids the need for separate inlet and exhaust ducts with their attendant disadvantages. The separation of the inlet and exhaust ducts by the cooling air duct allows the inlet air to be kept as cool as possible, as is necessary for efficient engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2017
    Assignee: ROLLS-ROYCE plc
    Inventor: Geoffrey Vincent Cheater
  • Patent number: 9664099
    Abstract: An apparatus for discharging exhaust gas of a vehicle may include an exhaust port forming a first confluence part at which at least two runners among runners of an exhaust manifold connected with a cylinder are joined, and a second confluence part at which the remaining runners are joined, and a connector member having an inlet port through which exhaust gas discharged through the exhaust port is introduced, and having a partition which is formed toward the exhaust port in the inlet port so as to partition the first confluence part and the second confluence part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Dong Ho Chu
  • Patent number: 9664085
    Abstract: An exhaust purification system includes a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst disposed at an exhaust system of an engine for using ammonia that is generated from urea water as a reducing agent to reduce NOx contained in exhaust gas, a device that injects urea water to the SCR catalyst, an inlet-side electrode that detects capacitance within the SCR catalyst at least from a vicinity of an inlet of the SCR catalyst to a vicinity of an intermediate section in an exhaust gas flowing direction, an outlet-side electrode that detects the capacitance within the SCR catalyst at least from the vicinity of the intermediate section to an outlet of the SCR catalyst in the exhaust gas flowing direction, and a calculation unit that calculates an ammonia adsorption amount within the SCR catalyst on a basis of the capacitances detected from the inlet-side and the outlet-side electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED
    Inventors: Tadashi Uchiyama, Hidekazu Fujie, Naoto Murasawa, Satoshi Hanawa
  • Patent number: 9664148
    Abstract: An engine system having donor cylinders and non-donor cylinders is disclosed. The engine system may have a first intake manifold configured to distribute air into the non-donor cylinders, and a second intake manifold separate from the first intake manifold and configured to distribute air into the donor cylinders. The engine system may also have a first exhaust manifold configured to discharge exhaust from the non-donor cylinders to the atmosphere, and a second exhaust manifold separate from the first exhaust manifold and configured to recirculate exhaust from the donor cylinders to the first intake manifold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Electro-Motive Diesel, Inc.
    Inventor: Aaron Gamache Foege
  • Patent number: 9664105
    Abstract: System for driving at least one compressor that includes an input able to be connected to a belt secured to a rotary machine, an output able to be connected to the compressor, an epicyclic gear train the annulus gear of which forms a flywheel and the sun gear of which is connected to the output of the system, and a device allowing the configuration of the epicyclic gear train to be modified so that this gear train selectively adopts at least the following configurations: (i) a configuration in which the epicyclic gear train is coupled to the input of the system, (ii) a configuration in which the epicyclic gear train has no internal degree of freedom and in which the epicyclic gear train is uncoupled from the input of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Valeo Systemes de Controle Moteur
    Inventors: Damien Alfano, Jean-Louis Lagre
  • Patent number: 9664084
    Abstract: An emission reduction system is provided. The emission reduction system includes a tank configured to store a reductant. The emission reduction system also includes a pump configured to draw the reductant from the tank and supply the reductant to an exhaust system. The pump is further configured to draw in air from an ambient air source. The emission reduction system further includes a control assembly disposed in fluid communication with the ambient air source and the pump. The control assembly is configured to selectively allow the pump to access the ambient air source for purging the pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Xinyu Ge, Yun Guo
  • Patent number: 9664106
    Abstract: A rotary combustion engine system is provided with compression unit and expansions unit offset which communicate through a transfer port. Each unit defines a toroidal chamber extending annularly about a central cavity, and a plurality of curved pistons displaced within the toroidal chamber to variably form a plurality of sub-chambers therein. A rotor member in each unit is eccentrically coupled to a mechanical member and linked by a plurality of swing rod members to the curved pistons. The curved pistons of the expansion unit are advanced by recursive combustion within sub-chambers defined therebetween, to drive angular displacement of the rotor member. The rotor member in the compression unit is angularly displaced with the mechanical member to incrementally advance the unit's curved pistons for recursive compression of air within sub-chambers defined therebetween. The compressed air is recursively passed through the transfer port to the sub-chambers of the expansion unit for combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Inventor: Ted Nae-Kuan Chiang
  • Patent number: 9657601
    Abstract: A method and a device for utilizing waste heat of an internal combustion engine, particularly for utilizing the waste heat of a vehicle engine, including at least one heat exchanger to transfer the waste heat from an internal combustion engine to a working medium; at least one turbine connected to a generator for generating mechanical or electrical energy, wherein said turbine is driven by said working medium; at least one cooler for cooling the working medium; at least one compressor for compressing the working medium; and at least one working medium circuit with pipes for the working medium, wherein the working medium, preferably carbon dioxide, propane, methanol or ethanol or a mixture of these fluids, is at least partially in a supercritical state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Inventors: Mikhael Mitri, Alena Von Lavante
  • Patent number: 9657734
    Abstract: A system and method are presented for improved performance of gerotor compressors and expanders. Certain aspects of the disclosure reduce porting losses in a gerotor system. Other aspects of the disclosure provide for reduced deflection in lobes of an outer rotor of a gerotor system. Still other aspects of the disclosure provide for reduced leakage through tight gaps between components of a gerotor system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Inventors: Mark T. Holtzapple, Jeffrey J. Breedlove, Daniel J. Micka
  • Patent number: 9657634
    Abstract: A turbocharger controller includes a turbocharger compressor temperature module having a compressor inlet air temperature input, and a turbocharger compressor pressure module including a compressor inlet pressure input and a compressor outlet pressure input. A memory module includes a compressor outlet temperature calibration map and a compressor pressure ratio look-up table. A turbocharger boost pressure ratio control module is operatively connected to the turbocharger compressor temperature module, the turbocharger compressor pressure module, and the memory module. The turbocharger boost pressure ratio control module is configured to selectively compare compressor outlet pressure and compressor inlet pressure with values in the compressor ratio look-up table to determine a turbocharger boost pressure set point establishing a desired compressor outlet temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Chad E. Marlett, Francesco Castorina, Joseph Zammit, Yun Xiao
  • Patent number: 9657602
    Abstract: An exhaust heat recovery device for an engine including a Rankine cycle, including a steam accumulator that stores a surplus of a working medium for driving a turbine, and a leveling line that discharges the stored surplus working medium from the steam accumulator to the turbine, when the turbine cannot output predetermined power only with the working medium flowing out from a boiler, and levels the power outputted from the turbine. Since the power outputted from the turbine can be leveled without reduction of the power, even if the working medium cannot vaporize with the boiler immediately after start-up, immediately before stop, or during a low-load operation of the engine, exhaust heat from the engine can be efficiently used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: ISUZU MOTORS LIMITED
    Inventor: Kazuo Kawai