Patents Examined by Thomas N. Moulis
  • Patent number: 10738717
    Abstract: The present disclosure relates to a method for braking of an internal combustion engine, in particular a four-stroke internal combustion engine. The method involves a partial opening of at least one gas discharge valve of at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine during a compression stroke of the internal combustion engine. The method involves a holding of a partial opening of the at least one gas discharge valve during an expansion stroke of the internal combustion engine following the compression stroke and during an exhaust stroke of the internal combustion engine following the expansion stroke. The method involves a closing of the partly opened at least one gas discharge valve at the end of the exhaust stroke or during an intake stroke of the internal combustion engine following the exhaust stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: MAN TRUCK & BUS AG
    Inventors: Thomas Malischewski, Dominik Renner
  • Patent number: 10738719
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine defines a difference between a throttle opening degree target value before correction and a throttle opening degree target value after correction as a correction amount. The difference between a downstream pressure that is a pressure downstream of a throttle valve in the intake passage and a required value of the downstream pressure is defined as a pressure difference. The controller corrects the throttle opening degree target value so that the correction amount increases as the absolute value of the pressure difference increases, the correction amount is smaller when the throttle opening degree is large than when the throttle opening degree is small, and the correction amount is smaller when the flow velocity of intake air in the intake passage is low that when the flow velocity of the intake air is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Wanibe, Toshiaki Otani
  • Patent number: 10731592
    Abstract: Various embodiments include a method for adjusting an initial attenuation current for an injection valve comprising: moving a piston to a TDC; while moving the piston, closing an inlet valve; expelling the fluid; moving the piston away from TDC and applying an attenuation current to an electromagnet with the inlet valve still closed; switching a source for the attenuation current off; detecting an induction pulse resulting from an opening movement of the inlet valve by monitoring a current intensity signal of a subsequent decay in the current; adjusting a current intensity over a plurality of pump cycles to a current intensity level; checking for each current intensity level whether a time profile of the induction pulse satisfies a predetermined detention criterion; and when the detention criterion is satisfied, adjusting the current intensity level for future pump cycles to a lower current intensity level than the most recent level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventors: Tet Kong Brian Chia, Dmitriy Kogan
  • Patent number: 10724425
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders, and these cylinders are divided into a first group where the air-fuel mixture is burned in the entire operating region and a second group where the air-fuel mixture is not burned in part of the operating region. The engine comprising: an intake opening opened and closed by an intake valve; an exhaust opening opened and closed by an exhaust valve; and a mask part having a wall surface extending along an outer edge of the intake opening toward the inside of the combustion chamber at an opposite side from the exhaust opening side. The mask part is configured so that a clearance from a passage surface of an edge part of the intake valve to the wall surface of the mask part is smaller at each cylinder of the first group than each cylinder of the second group.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Shintaro Hotta
  • Patent number: 10724489
    Abstract: An engine-generator starting apparatus a three-phase winding equipped with a generating unit that rotates relative to rotation of a crankshaft of an engine, and an electronic control unit that controls supply of electric current the three-phase winding to rotate the crankshaft and start the engine. In the apparatus, the electronic control unit controls to supply first current to the three-phase winding to make the engine crankshaft of rotate reverse, the first current is of a level for stopping the piston connected to the crankshaft at a position in a compression stroke. Then it controls to supply second current (that is greater than the first current) to the three-phase winding to make the crankshaft of the engine rotate forward when a predetermined time period has elapsed, and control to ignite fuel supplied to the engine after the second current is supplied to the three-phase winding.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 28, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Wataru Matsuyama, Yuichi Onoe, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Kenji Shibata, Minoru Maedako
  • Patent number: 10717541
    Abstract: An unmanned aerial vehicle has an internal combustion engine, and a fuel and lubrication system comprising a fuelling system for fuelling the engine and a lubrication system for delivering lubricating oil to the engine. The fuelling system comprises a fuel reservoir from which fuel can be delivered to the engine. The fuel reservoir comprises a main tank and a header tank. The lubrication system comprises an oil tank. The oil tank is accommodated internally within the main tank to provide an integrated assembly. The arrangement provides for warming of lubrication oil for the UAV engine using several available heat sources. Further, the arrangement facilitates a configuration and layout intended to minimise or negate any undesirable moments of inertia for the UAV during flight as fuel and oil is consumed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: ORBITAL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD
    Inventors: Geoffrey Paul Cathcart, Stephen John Karay, Nicholas Coplin, John Howard Tubb, Callan Murray Bleechmore, Donald Andrew Railton, Mario Charles Muscat
  • Patent number: 10711667
    Abstract: A tubular roller valve for an internal combustion engine, which includes a hollow tube having at least one hole, the at least one hole being configured to access an air inlet or an exhaust of a cylinder in an engine block, a tubular outer insulator outside of the hollow tube, the outer insulator being fixed to a cylinder head, and a tubular inner insulator inside of the hollow tube. An additional tube between the hollow tube and the outer insulator can serve to operate as a compression release brake.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Inventor: Jonathan Tavernier
  • Patent number: 10711709
    Abstract: A method, an apparatus, a computer program, an engine intake system, and a vehicle are provided. The method is for controlling an air charge provided to a vehicular engine. The method comprises determining a target valve lift of an inlet valve in a continuously variable valve lift system based, at least in part, on: a required air charge for a given torque request; and an estimate of a variable pressure of an engine intake manifold for a time when the inlet valve is to be actuated in accordance with the target valve lift. The method also comprises controlling actuation of the inlet valve in the continuously variable valve lift system in accordance with the determined target valve lift.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LIMITED
    Inventor: Nick Brockley
  • Patent number: 10711756
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating an internal combustion engine that may be automatically stopped and started are described. In one example, an engine is rotated in a reverse direction after an engine stop so that a belt integrated starter/generator may rotate the engine in a forward direction and utilize the inertia of the engine to rotate trough top-dead-center compression stroke, thereby starting the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Lars Niklas Pettersson, Samuel Johnson
  • Patent number: 10704489
    Abstract: A controller executes an advancement process for advancing an injection start timing by a direct injection valve to a larger extent when a coolant temperature that is a temperature of coolant in an internal combustion engine is greater than or equal to a preset temperature than when the coolant temperature is lower than the preset temperature. The advancement process includes a retardation process for setting a smaller advancement amount at the injection start timing when a lubricant temperature that is a temperature of lubricant is lower than a predetermined temperature than when the lubricant temperature is greater than or equal to the predetermined temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 7, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yasuhiro Mitsuishi
  • Patent number: 10690103
    Abstract: In some embodiments of the present disclosure, sensors mounted on a vehicle can allow opportunities for coasting to be predicted based on environmental conditions, route planning information, and/or vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-infrastructure signaling. In some embodiments of the present disclosure, these sensors can also predict a need for power and/or an end of a coast opportunity. These predictions can allow the vehicle to automatically enter a coasting state, and can predictively re-engage the engine and/or powertrain in order to make power available with no delay when desired by the operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: PACCAR INC
    Inventors: Uday Vadlamani, Carl Anders Hergart, Michael D. Gerty
  • Patent number: 10683825
    Abstract: A fuel pump includes a fuel pump housing with a pumping chamber; a pumping plunger which reciprocates within a plunger bore; and an inlet valve assembly. The inlet valve assembly includes a check valve member which is moveable between an unseated position which provides fluid communication between the pumping chamber and a fuel supply passage and a seated position which prevents fluid communication between the pumping chamber and the fuel supply passage; and a solenoid assembly which includes a wire winding; a pole piece; an armature which is moveable between a first position when the wire winding is not energized and a second position when the wire winding is energized; a return spring which biases the armature away from the pole piece; and a control rod which is moveable along the inlet valve axis independently of the armature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 16, 2020
    Assignee: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES IP LIMITED
    Inventors: Robert B. Perry, Jason C. Short, Youssef Kazour
  • Patent number: 10677174
    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: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Joseph Norman Ulrey
  • Patent number: 10677180
    Abstract: A first limit requesting process limits a dither control process of fuel injection valves in such a manner that the absolute value of the difference between the air-fuel ratios of the cylinders becomes smaller when the degree of variation of the injection amounts of the fuel injection valves provided for respective cylinders is great than when the degree of variation is small. A second limit requesting process limits the dither control process in such a manner that the absolute value is smaller when the torque fluctuation amount of the internal combustion engine is great than when the torque fluctuation amount is small. The limiting process limits the dither control process in accordance with one of requests generated by the first limit requesting process and the second limit requesting process that causes the absolute value to be smaller than the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 14, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yuya Yoshikawa, Isao Nakajima, Akihiro Katayama, Ryo Suzuki, Sohichi Imai, Eiichiro Kido
  • Patent number: 10677205
    Abstract: A fuel delivery injector includes a housing, an end cap including an inlet port fluidly coupled to a cavity to direct fuel vapor and liquid fuel into the cavity and an outlet port fluidly coupled to the cavity to direct fuel vapor and liquid fuel out of the cavity, a magnetic assembly fixedly positioned within the cavity, and a pumping assembly including a bobbin and a piston. A return spring is coupled to the pumping assembly to bias the pumping assembly to a home position and a valve assembly including a biasing spring is positioned between an inlet chamber and an outlet chamber. The liquid fuel entering the housing through the inlet port flows from the inlet port to the cavity and fuel vapor entering the housing through the inlet port is directed through a conduit to the outlet port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 9, 2020
    Assignee: Briggs & Stratton Corporation
    Inventors: Michael D. Pitcel, David W. Procknow, Jacob Zuehl, David A. Kratz
  • Patent number: 10669977
    Abstract: A fuel pipe includes a tubular header pipe and a socket coupled to the header pipe and supplied with fuel from the header pipe. The header pipe and the socket form a joining portion therebetween. The joining portion is shaped to be elongated in a first direction. The joining portion includes a communication hole that connects an inner region of the header pipe and an inner region of the socket. The communication hole is an elongated hole elongated in the first direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 2, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masayuki Tanaka, Tomihisa Tsuchiya
  • Patent number: 10662915
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel-pumping device (1) for a fuel injection device of an internal combustion engine with a large high-pressure pump (16) and a small high-pressure pump (14) arranged in parallel, wherein fuel can be pumped by the large high-pressure pump (16) and by the small high-pressure pump (14) from a low-pressure region (13) into a high-pressure region (18). The high-pressure region (18) is connected to at least one injector (21). A control device (30) is provided, which can be used to conduct the entire pump output of the large high-pressure pump (16) or the small high-pressure pump (14) into the low-pressure region (13) via a discharge line (15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Martin Bernhaupt
  • Patent number: 10662882
    Abstract: Provided is a fuel pressure monitoring system of a vaporizer using a safety module which issues a fault signal by detecting a pressure using a fuel pressure sensor disposed in a pressure regulating chamber of the vaporizer within a predetermined time after an engine is stopped and determining that the pressure regulating mechanism fails when the detected pressure exceeds a threshold stored in a storage device to be increased to a predetermined pressure or higher, and the pressure regulating mechanism is determined to fail only when a water temperature of cooling water in the engine of the vaporizer reaches a predetermined temperature at which warming up of the engine can be determined to be completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 26, 2020
    Assignee: Nikki Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takayuki Endo, Tsutomu Murakami, Tomoaki Fukuoka
  • Patent number: 10655531
    Abstract: A cylinder head of an engine is provided, which includes first and second intake ports that open to a common cylinder. The first intake port opens to the cylinder to generate a swirl flow. The second intake port has a tumble flow generating part configured to cause intake air to become a tumble flow in the same direction as the swirl flow. The tumble flow generating part includes a helical part having an inner wall surface curving on a centerline perpendicular to an opening surface of the second port and continuing from a first port side to the opening of the second intake port toward at an opposite side from the first port. The opening of the second intake port has an edge part having an opening angle with respect to the centerline of the second port, the opening angle being smaller at an upstream side of the swirl flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takayoshi Kanno, Tadashi Tadokoro, Toshiki Otachi
  • Patent number: 10641191
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling boost pressure and exhaust gas recirculation in a split exhaust system. In one example, a first portion of exhaust may be routed from a cylinder to an exhaust turbine via a first exhaust valve and a second, remaining portion of exhaust may be routed as exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) via a second exhaust valve, the timing and lift of each of the first valve profile and the second valve profile adjusted based on boost error and EGR error. Further, motor torque from an electric motor may be supplied to the turbocharger to attain a desired boost pressure and a desired EGR flow.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tao Zeng, Eric Warren Curtis, Satheesh Makkapati, Brad Alan Boyer, Joseph Norman Ulrey, David R. Hanna, Devesh Upadhyay