Patents Examined by Thomas Moulis
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Patent number: 10006398Abstract: A control system for a multiple fuel internal combustion engine on a vehicle in a fleet of vehicles may include at least one gas analyzer configured to monitor real-time characteristics of gaseous fuel being supplied to the engine, a fleet management data monitoring module, and a cylinder pressure sensor associated with each cylinder of the engine. The control system may further include a data collection module configured to receive real-time fuel characteristics measurements from the gas analyzer, fleet data characteristic of one or more operational parameters, fuel usage, and performance results for vehicles in the fleet, and cylinder pressure measurements from each of the cylinder pressure sensors.Type: GrantFiled: October 25, 2016Date of Patent: June 26, 2018Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan P. Atterberry, Matthew J. Engfehr
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Patent number: 10001099Abstract: A high-pressure pump arrangement for a combustion engine comprises a high-pressure pump with the first flange, a pump guidance with a second flange. The high-pressure pump is at least partially arranged in the pump guidance and the pump guidance is arranged in the combustion chamber. A first thermally insulating layer is at least partially arranged between the first flange and the second flange.Type: GrantFiled: December 8, 2016Date of Patent: June 19, 2018Assignees: HYUNDAI MOTOR EUROPE TECHNICAL CENTER GMBH, HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY, KIA MOTORS CORPORATIONInventor: Stephan Fitzner
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Patent number: 10001103Abstract: The present disclosure teaches a system for starting an engine in which at least two starter assemblies are employed to crank a ring gear of an engine. At least one of the starter assemblies has a “smart relay” configured with an auto-retry function that detects abutment and corrects it by powering the solenoid off and then on again. Advantageously, multiple starter assemblies can be in electrical communication with one another so that click-no-crank events in the starter assemblies can be corrected.Type: GrantFiled: December 15, 2016Date of Patent: June 19, 2018Assignee: BORGWARNER, INC.Inventor: Michael E. Kirk
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Patent number: 9995203Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes an engine block having a cylinder bore and a cylinder head having a flame deck surface disposed at one end of the cylinder bore. A piston connected to a rotatable crankshaft and configured to reciprocate within the cylinder bore has a piston crown portion facing the flame deck surface such that a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder bore and between the piston crown and the flame deck surface. A fuel injector having a nozzle tip disposed in fluid communication with the combustion chamber has at least one nozzle opening configured to inject a fuel jet into the combustion chamber along a fuel jet centerline. At least one arcuate indent is formed in the top surface in aligned fashion with the fuel jet and including an entry surface, a recirculation surface and a wall.Type: GrantFiled: October 27, 2016Date of Patent: June 12, 2018Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Bobby John, Jonathan W. Anders, Kerry A. Delvecchio
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Patent number: 9989025Abstract: A distal end portion of an injector is fitted into a mounting member. A fuel joint having a connecting pipe portion is connected to a proximal portion of the injector. A joint pressing member which restricts the displacement of the fuel joint in the direction away from the mounting member is fixed by fastening to the mounting member. The injector is fixed to the mounting member by restricting the displacement of the fuel joint by the joint pressing member.Type: GrantFiled: September 3, 2015Date of Patent: June 5, 2018Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Yusaburo Tani
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Patent number: 9982623Abstract: An apparatus and a method for preventing overflow of fuel from a vehicle fuel tank are provided may prevent liquid fuel from overflowing into a canister by for a predetermined time storing liquid fuel, which overflows from a fuel tank through a vent valve while the vehicle is traveling, in a fuel overflow prevention chamber, and by returning the fuel in the fuel overflow prevention chamber to the fuel tank by driving a fuel pump in a reverse direction when an engine is turned off.Type: GrantFiled: December 9, 2016Date of Patent: May 29, 2018Assignee: Hyundai Motor CompanyInventors: Keun Soo Kim, June Young Park, Chang Jun Park, Seung Kyun Lee, Chang Han Park
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Patent number: 9976502Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting an amount of water injected upstream of a group of cylinders based on a determined maldistribution of water among cylinders during a water injection event. In one example, a method may include injecting a first amount of water upstream of a first group of cylinders and a different, second amount of water upstream of a second group of cylinders based on operating conditions of the respective cylinder groups. Further, the method may include adjusting water injection and engine operating parameters in response the evaporated and/or condensed portion of water.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2016Date of Patent: May 22, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Mohannad Hakeem, Gopichandra Surnilla, Christopher House, Michael Howard Shelby, Joseph Norman Ulrey
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Patent number: 9964062Abstract: A first test injection of a fuel injector is performed with a first test Energizing Time and the actual fuel quantity injected is measured to obtain a first point of a characteristic curve representing a relationship between the injector Energizing Time and the fuel quantity which is actually injected. A ratio between the actual fuel quantity injected and a nominal fuel quantity corresponding to the first test Energizing Time is calculated and used to determine a plurality of corrected Energizing Times for subsequent test injections. The subsequent test injections are performed using the corrected Energizing Times and the actual fuel quantity that has been injected during each one of the subsequent test injections is measured to obtain further points of the characteristic curve. The characteristic curve of the fuel injector is modeled based on the obtained further points and used to control the operation of the fuel injector.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2016Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Angelo Cancellieri, Paul Leonardo Claude
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Patent number: 9964051Abstract: In various described embodiments skip fire control is used to deliver a desired engine output. A controller determines a skip fire firing fraction and (as appropriate) associated engine settings that are suitable for delivering a requested output. In one aspect, the skip fire controller is arranged to select a base firing fraction that has a repeating firing cycle length that will repeat at least a designated number of times per second at the current engine speed. Such an arrangement can be helpful in reducing the occurrence of undesirable vibrations.Type: GrantFiled: November 21, 2016Date of Patent: May 8, 2018Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.Inventors: Mohammad R. Pirjaberi, Adya S. Tripathi, Louis J. Serrano
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Patent number: 9957879Abstract: A heat exchanger includes: a first flow passage for an engine coolant; a second flow passage for an engine oil; a third flow passage for a transmission oil; and plural plates that partition the first, the second and the third flow passage. The first flow passage is configured to allow the engine coolant to be heat-exchanged with both the engine oil and the transmission oil via the plates. The second flow passage is arranged in the same layer with the third flow passage. The first flow passage is arranged in a different layer from the layer of the second and the third flow passage. The third flow passage is disposed on an upstream side and second flow passage is disposed on a downstream side in a flow direction of the engine coolant in the first flow passage.Type: GrantFiled: July 25, 2016Date of Patent: May 1, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHI KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Daisuke Tokozakura, Kazuya Arakawa, Takahiro Shiina
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Patent number: 9951711Abstract: A control device for an engine includes an angular velocity detecting unit that detects the angular velocity of a rotating shaft which is driven according to an output of an engine, an angular acceleration calculating unit that calculates angular acceleration based on the angular velocity detected by the angular velocity detecting unit, a heat generation timing calculating unit that calculates a certain timing when the ratio of an amount of heat generation in a cylinder to the total amount of heat generation of one cycle falls in a predetermined range, based on a change of the angular acceleration calculated by the angular acceleration calculating unit, and a combustion control unit that controls combustion in the cylinder by comparison between the certain timing calculated by the heat generation timing calculating unit and a predetermined heat generation timing reference value.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2015Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kazuo Kurata, Jun Akasegawa, Koji Satake, Tetsuro Ishida
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Patent number: 9951738Abstract: This invention provides a computer implemented method which allows the driver to request engine shut down and engine and restarts the engine of a motor vehicle by changing driver brake pedal force, that is, the force which the driver applies to the brake pedal, after the vehicle has stopped. After the vehicle has stopped, changes in the driver brake pedal force are compared to threshold values to determine if the driver is requesting an engine stop or an engine start.Type: GrantFiled: February 16, 2015Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Voyomotive, LLCInventors: Peter Yorke, Robert Vogt, IV, Adam Sloan
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Patent number: 9951678Abstract: An intake air control device includes: an intake air flow channel that includes an air flow pipe furcated into multiple branch flow channels that communicate with the same combustion chamber; an intake air valve provided to the air flow pipe to adjust an opening degree of the air flow pipe in accordance with a rotation angle thereof; a swirl valve provided to any one of the multiple branch flow channels to adjust an opening degree of the branch flow channel in accordance with a rotation angle thereof; and a cam plate that is rotatable and has a first cam slot. The intake air valve has a first protrusion inserted in the first cam slot. The first cam slot has a first rotation section within which the first protrusion slides and rotates about the rotational shaft of the intake air valve in response to rotation of the cam plate.Type: GrantFiled: December 14, 2016Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANYInventors: Jin Ha Kim, Seung Jae Kang
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Patent number: 9945337Abstract: A piezo injector for direct fuel injection may comprise an injector body, an actuator unit having a piezoelectric actuator with a head plate and a base plate, a hydraulic coupler having a coupler piston, a coupler cylinder, and a coupler spring, and a nozzle unit having a nozzle needle arranged in a nozzle body. The piezoelectric actuator is surrounded by a corrugated tube braced between the head plate and the base plate such that the piezoelectric actuator has a preload imparted to it. The coupler spring forces the coupler piston against a face side, facing toward the coupler piston, of the nozzle needle.Type: GrantFiled: September 19, 2014Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBHInventor: Willibald Schuerz
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Patent number: 9945285Abstract: An air-pressure booster includes a tube, an indirect flow pass and a direct flow pass respectively formed inside the tube. A tapered neck is formed on one end of the tube and connects to an air output nozzle which is connected to an engine. When the engine is working, air passes through the indirect flow pass and the direct flow pass. The air rates respectively generated from the indirect flow pass and the direct flow pass are different and form a whirlpool inside the tapered neck, outputting an enhanced air force and pressure. Therefore, the air-pressure booster could increase efficiency of fuel use and could reduce oil consumption.Type: GrantFiled: July 5, 2016Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Inventor: San-Chun Meng
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Patent number: 9945306Abstract: There is provided an art of performing correction of a coefficient in a model calculation formula of an intake valve model that is applied to an internal combustion engine including a turbocharger, in a wide engine operation region. An amendment value ? of a map value a in a correction value calculating operation region is calculated (step 10), and a straight line expressing a relation of a turbocharging pressure Pcmp and a cylinder air filling rate KL is calculated (step S14). A point (Pcmpn, KLn) on the calculated straight line is specified (step S16), and correction of the map value a is performed (step S18). Thereby, a correction value a? of the map value a in an operation region that differs in the turbocharging pressure Pcmp from the correction value calculating operation region is calculated.Type: GrantFiled: May 15, 2015Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Satoru Tanaka, Ryutaro Moriguchi
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Patent number: 9938954Abstract: An ECU outputs an ignition signal Si to an ignition apparatus through an ignition communication line, and outputs a discharge waveform control signal Sc with a logic H through a waveform control communication line. The ignition apparatus performs the closing operation of an ignition switching element, in a period during which the ignition signal Si is input. In an input period of the discharge waveform control signal Sc after stopping the input of the ignition signal Si, the ignition apparatus controls the electric current to flow through a primary coil, by the opening-closing operation of a control switching element. When the voltage of the waveform control communication line Lc is the logic H in an output stop period of the discharge waveform control signal Sc, the ECU determines that the waveform control communication line is abnormal, and executes a fail-safe process.Type: GrantFiled: April 13, 2016Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventor: Satoshi Nakamura
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Patent number: 9938943Abstract: The invention relates to a device for dispensing a liquid additive into a fuel circulation circuit (2) for an internal combustion engine, in particular for an engine equipping a vehicle, said device comprising: a tank (26) containing the additive, an enclosure (24) communicating with the fuel circulation circuit (2) and inside which the tank (26) containing the additive is inserted, means for injecting additive connected to the tank (26) and the fuel circulation circuit (2) and making it possible to dispense the additive in the fuel circulation circuit (2), and control means for controlling the injection means.Type: GrantFiled: July 24, 2012Date of Patent: April 10, 2018Assignees: RHODIA OPERATIONS, FILTRAUTOInventors: Virginie Harle, Michael Lallemand, Thierry Seguelong, Guy Monsallier
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Patent number: 9932954Abstract: An ignition device for engine according to the present invention performs continuous spark discharge of an ignition plug by using a multiplex signal, an integration signal or a control signal. In the multiplex signal, discharge continuous signals IGW#1 to 4 for cylinders of the engine have been multiplexed. In the integration signal, a discharge continuous signal IGW and a secondary current instruction signal IGA have been added to an ignition signal IGT. In the control signal, the secondary current instruction signal IGA has been added into the multiplex signal or the integration signal. This structure can reduce the total number of signal lines connected between an ECU and a controller, and further reduce a signal line to transmit the secondary current instruction signal IGA.Type: GrantFiled: April 3, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: DENSO CORPORATIONInventors: Naohisa Nakamura, Hisaharu Morita, Kouji Andoh, Shunichi Takeda
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Patent number: 9933334Abstract: In one embodiment, a system includes an engine control system configured to control an engine. The engine control system comprises a processor configured to receive a vibration signal sensed by a knock sensor disposed in an engine, and to receive a crankshaft signal sensed by a crank angle sensor disposed in the engine, wherein the crankshaft signal is representative of an engine crank angle. The processor is further configured to monitor a valve timing by deriving a cylinder head acceleration measurement via the vibration signal received by the knock sensor, wherein the processor is configured to monitor the valve timing by deriving a valve lash based on the vibration signal, the engine crank angle, and a threshold valve lash model.Type: GrantFiled: June 22, 2015Date of Patent: April 3, 2018Assignee: General Electric CompanyInventor: Sandro Rivellini