Patents Examined by Thomas Moulis
  • Patent number: 10309366
    Abstract: Provided is an engine control device which can suppress a shortage of output terminals of the control unit and an increase of costs even in a multiple-cylinder internal combustion engine equipped with ignition energy supply units of two systems. An engine control device controls a multiple-cylinder engine in which ignition energy supply units of two systems are provided for every cylinder. A signal is transmitted through a common signal line to a plurality of ignition energy supply units of one system among the ignition energy supply units of the two systems to control the ignition energy supply units of the one system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Masashi Seimiya, Yoshihiko Akagi
  • Patent number: 10294962
    Abstract: A gas turbine engine includes an inlet duct, a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section connected to drive the compressor section. The compressor section includes circumferentially-spaced blades having abrasive blade tips. A seal is disposed radially outwards of the blades. The seal includes a substrate that has a substrate hardness, an abradable layer that has an abradable layer hardness, and a hard interlayer between the substrate and the abradable layer. The hard interlayer has an interlayer hardness that is higher than the abradable layer hardness and higher than the substrate hardness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: UNITED TECHNOLOGIES CORPORATION
    Inventor: Christopher W. Strock
  • Patent number: 10291000
    Abstract: An ignition apparatus includes a spark plug and an ignition coil. The spark plug has a plug terminal protruding proximalward from an insulator. The ignition coil includes a coil main body, which includes a primary coil and a secondary coil, and a helical spring that electrically connects the secondary coil and the plug terminal. The plug terminal is made of a material that is both electrically conductive and magnetic. The plug terminal includes a terminal main body, which has an outer diameter greater than an inner diameter of the spring, and a terminal extension portion that has an outer diameter less than the inner diameter of the spring and extends proximalward from the terminal main body. A distal end portion of the spring abuts the terminal main body. The terminal extension portion is inserted and arranged in the spring. Between an outer circumferential surface of the terminal extension portion and an inner circumferential surface of the spring, there is interposed an insulating member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akimitsu Sugiura, Kenji Hattori, Shunichi Takeda, Kaori Doi, Ryota Wakasugi
  • Patent number: 10280887
    Abstract: In a fuel injection device including a body portion that forms an injection hole through which a fuel is injected, the body portion includes an inlet-channel-forming portion that is connected to an inflow port of the fuel in the injection hole and forms an inlet channel which is a fuel flow channel, and an outlet-channel-forming portion that is connected to the inlet channel and an outflow port of the fuel in the injection hole, and forms an outlet channel that is a fuel flow channel. A surface roughness of the outlet-channel-forming portion is larger than a surface roughness of the inlet-channel-forming portion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Noritsugu Kato, Keita Imai
  • Patent number: 10280850
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for compound boosted engine comprising an electric supercharger. In one example, the electric supercharger may be double-ended with a compressor arranged on either side of an electric motor and rotationally coupled to the electric motor via shafts. The electric supercharger may be configured to provide boost assist to a twin turbocharger system via a bypass channel adapted with a bypass valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tao Zeng, Daniel William Kantrow, Liangjun Hu
  • Patent number: 10272996
    Abstract: An elastomeric bearing configured for use in a rotor blade assembly is provided including an inner race, and an outer race. An outer damper portion is arranged adjacent the outer race and an inner snubber portion is arranged adjacent the inner race. A rigid transition layer is disposed between the outer damper portion and the inner snubber portion. The rigid transition layer has a generally circular cross-section except at a segment which has been removed and which defines a generally planar surface at a chord of the segment. The generally planar surface is configured to contact a surface of an adjacent component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2019
    Assignee: SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT CORPORATION
    Inventors: Jeffrey Kinlan, Adam Philip Fox, David N. Schmaling
  • Patent number: 10267269
    Abstract: A method of removing oil from blowby vapors in an engine having a crankcase and an intake manifold includes filtering the blowby vapor from the engine crankcase to form a vapor depleted of oil and a collected oil. The vapor depleted of oil is communicated to the engine manifold. At high engine loads the collected oil is held in a chamber, and at low engine loads while the engine is still running, the collected oil is forced from the chamber back to the crankcase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: High Output Technology, LLC
    Inventor: Kurt Urban
  • Patent number: 10260362
    Abstract: A turbine vane for a gas turbine engine incorporating a ceramic matrix composite airfoil is disclosed in this paper. The turbine vane includes an attachment unit configured to mount the ceramic matrix composite airfoil to other metallic components of the turbine vane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Corporation
    Inventor: Bruce E. Varney
  • Patent number: 10263485
    Abstract: An engine control system includes an engine, crankshaft, and a flywheel. The flywheel is coupled to the crankshaft of the engine and includes a number of magnets arranged axially along a first side. The system further includes a printed circuit board including a number of coils integrated into the circuit board. The printed circuit board is positioned such that a first face of the printed circuit board is positioned parallel to the first side of the flywheel. Power is generated by the flywheel rotating and causing the magnetic fields associated with the magnets to induce a current though the coils integrated into the printed circuit board.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation
    Inventors: Robert Koenen, Jason Hansen
  • Patent number: 10260469
    Abstract: A fuel distributor rail for a fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine in motor vehicles, in particular for gasoline engines. The fuel distributor rail comprises a main tube, wherein the main tube has a fuel channel extending in the longitudinal direction of the main tube. The main tube comprises at least two outlet openings, wherein the outlet openings branch off the fuel channel. A connecting element is arranged on the main tube, wherein the connecting element has an attachment wall that rests against the main tube. The connecting element is connected to the main tube in a material bonded manner and comprises at least two connecting pieces. The connecting pieces have a connecting channel each for the fluidic connection of an outlet opening to each injection nozzle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2019
    Assignee: TI Automotive (Heidelberg) GmbH
    Inventors: Manouchehr Kambakhsh, Uwe Fiedler
  • Patent number: 10253745
    Abstract: Methods and systems for diagnosis and control of an internal combustion engine using vibration data obtained from a vibration sensor mounted on the engine includes filtering vibration data within a predetermined engine combustion time period, where the vibration data is indicative of a vibration of an internal combustion engine, determining a peak cylinder pressure (PCP) of a combustion cycle of the internal combustion engine based on the filtered vibration data, determining a location of peak cylinder pressure (LPP) of the combustion cycle of the internal combustion engine based on the filtered vibration data, where the PCP and the LPP are indicative of a performance characteristic of the combustion cycle, and modifying an ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on the determined PCP and LPP.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: Cummins, Inc.
    Inventors: Jie Duan, Richard A. Booth
  • Patent number: 10253707
    Abstract: Redundancy in engine timing position sensing maintains a UAV operational in the event of failure of a primary engine timing position sub-system. The redundancy avoids duplication of the primary crankshaft timing position sensing components, and avoids adding weight, cost and component complexity. Conditioned (square) waveform(s) (102) is/are created from respective sinusoidal waveform(s). Each consecutive leading edge (103a) and trailing edge (103b) of the pulses of the square waveform (102) is derived from the crossing of the zero voltage value by consecutive sinusoidal waveforms A,B,C (e.g. Voltage (V) vs Time (t) or angular degrees). The square pulse waveform (102) is output (104) to a microcontroller (106) to create and output a pseudo crankshaft timing position signal (108) to be used by an ECU to determine ignition and fuel injection events in the event that the primary timing signal from the crankshaft position sensor (CPS) has failed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2019
    Assignee: ORBITAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
    Inventors: Tyron Dean Utley, Nicolass Harry Buters, Jayesh Narayan
  • Patent number: 10247163
    Abstract: An ignition device for an internal combustion engine is provided which improves ignition while reducing electric power consumption. An ignition device for an internal combustion engine includes an ignition plug that is placed with a tip exposed on an end in an axial direction of a combustion chamber formed in a cylinder and that includes a central electrode and a grounding electrode provided opposing each other at the tip, and a magnetic field former that forms a magnetic field in a direction in which a magnetic field vector substantially vertically passes through an approximate two-dimensional plane including a spark discharge path formed, by a gas flow ejected to the end in the axial direction of the combustion chamber, between the central electrode and the grounding electrode, and extending in an approximate U shape in a direction orthogonal to the opposing direction of the electrodes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: KABUSHIKI KAISHA TOYOTA CHUO KENKYUSHO
    Inventors: Masao Kinoshita, Takayuki Fuyuto, Ryou Masuda, Yoshihiro Hotta
  • Patent number: 10247064
    Abstract: An exhaust valve rocker arm assembly operable in a combustion engine mode and an engine braking mode can include a rocker shaft and a rocker arm. The rocker shaft can define a pressurized oil supply conduit. The rocker arm can receive the rocker shaft and is configured to rotate around the rocker shaft. The rocker arm can have an oil supply passage defined therein. A valve bridge can engage a first exhaust valve and a second exhaust valve. In the engine braking mode, pressurized oil is communicated through the pressurized oil supply conduit, through the rocker arm oil supply passage and against an actuator such that a first plunger acts on the valve bridge during rotation of the rocker arm to a first angle opening the first valve a predetermined distance while the second valve remains closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: EATON INTELLIGENT POWER LIMITED
    Inventor: Majo Cecur
  • Patent number: 10247142
    Abstract: Systems and methods for a turbocharged gasoline engine utilize an exhaust gas concentration sensor disposed upstream from an exhaust gas recirculation pickup point of a low pressure EGR (LPEGR) system of the engine and a controller configured to receive a measured air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from the sensor, determine an air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas at the EGR pickup point, determine an air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas at an inlet and outlet of an EGR cooler, determine first/second sets of exhaust gas fractions and fuel fractions upstream/downstream from an EGR port that is upstream from a compressor in an induction system of the engine, and control at least one of a wastegate valve, a throttle valve, a fuel injector, and a spark plug based on the sets of second exhaust gas fractions and fuel fractions to prevent misfires of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2019
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Shu Wang, Ethan Bayer, William P Attard, Tyler Tutton
  • Patent number: 10240552
    Abstract: A battery-less fuel injection system, provided with an injector for injecting fuel supplied to an engine, a fuel pump for supplying fuel to the injector, and an ECU for controlling the injector, wherein a fuel pressure sensor for detecting the fuel pressure given to the injector is provided, and the ECU controls the fuel injection in the process of starting the engine, so that execution of fuel injection is suspended when the fuel pressure detected by the fuel pressure sensor is a set pressure or less, until it is confirmed that the detected fuel pressure has exceeded the set pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: MAHLE ELECTRIC DRIVES JAPAN CORPORATION
    Inventor: Tomoaki Sekita
  • Patent number: 10227945
    Abstract: An optimized port plus direct injection (PFI+DI) fueling system for reducing DI-generated particulates from a spark ignition gasoline engine is disclosed. It uses information from a computational model that includes piston wetting. Means for DI particulate reduction include control of DI timing and duration as a function of various parameters. Illustrative computational results for decreasing particulates in various drive cycles are presented. These calculations illustrate large potential particulate reductions (e.g. 95%) that can be obtained relative to DI operation alone. The optimized PFI+DI system could provide DI generated particulate reduction, efficiency and cost advantages relative to operation of a DI alone engine with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF). Alternatively, it could be used in combination with a GPF to ease GPF operation requirements and provide additional particulate reduction. Techniques for reducing piston wetting generation of particles from use of DI alone are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2019
    Assignee: Ethanol Boosting Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Leslie Bromberg, Daniel R. Cohn
  • Patent number: 10221779
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for providing exhaust gas recirculation to a naturally aspirated internal combustion engine. In one example, exhaust gas is recirculated to an engine intake via a dedicated scavenging manifold and a scavenging exhaust valve. The exhaust gas and fresh air that has not participated in combustion may be recirculated to engine cylinders even at high engine loads since the exhaust gas and fresh air is returned to the engine air intake at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Joseph Norman Ulrey
  • Patent number: 10221791
    Abstract: A method for operating a combustion engine after a cold start, the combustion engine including a supercharger device, a plurality of combustion chambers, a fuel-injection device injecting into each of the combustion chambers, and a gas-exchange valve control device that controls gas-exchange valves in a variable manner. A rich fuel-air mixture is generated in the combustion chambers, and the combustion-chamber charges are ignited in a retarded manner. Following the cold start, the combustion engine is operated with first valve overlaps that are greater than in a warm combustion engine. A first exhaust valve of a first combustion chamber is initially closed at such a late point that its opening duration overlaps with the opening duration of a second exhaust valve of a second combustion chamber that directly follows the first combustion chamber in the ignition sequence and that discharges into the same exhaust manifold as the first combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2019
    Assignee: ROBERT BOSCH GMBH
    Inventors: Stefan Gottlieb, Volker Ricken
  • Patent number: 10215112
    Abstract: A method for controlling an internal combustion engine that includes sensing a characteristic of combustion in a cylinder of the engine, generating a combustion characteristic signal from the sensed characteristic, performing a principal component analysis on the combustion characteristic signal and a predetermined combustion characteristic trace to determine first mode coefficients for the combustion characteristic signal and the predetermined combustion characteristic trace, determining a difference between the first mode coefficient of the combustion characteristic signal and the first mode coefficient of the predetermined combustion characteristic trace, and controlling the internal combustion engine based upon the difference.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Inventors: Jun-mo Kang, Hejie Lin, Jeffrey A. Morgan