Patents Examined by Tony M. Arganbright
  • Patent number: 6837210
    Abstract: An oil feed pump for feeding oil in an oil tank to an engine, an oil recovery pump for feeding oil in a crankcase into the oil tank, an oil drain pipe connected to the lower portion of the crankcase and extending upward, and an opening provided on top of the oil tank are provided in a lubrication system. An opening of the oil drain pipe opens at the position upward of the oil level in the crankcase at a moment when the oil in the oil tank is returned into the crankcase. A cap is provided with a dip stick. The engine can be mounted on a small planing boat with the crankshaft oriented in the fore-and-aft direction. The oil tank is integrally formed with the front portion of the engine so as to be elongated in the vertical direction and is formed with the opening on top.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masahiko Tsuchiya, Yosuke Hoi, Yoshiaki Noda
  • Patent number: 6601551
    Abstract: A mechanical transmission device for an engine with variable volume displacement comprising a piston (2) interlocked in its lower part with a control rack (3), co-operating with a ball-bearing guiding device (4) and with a gear assembly (5) integral with a connecting rod (6) for transmitting movement between the piston and the connecting rod.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Inventor: Vianney Rabhi
  • Patent number: 6374818
    Abstract: An apparatus for accurately and promptly determining a failure of an oxygen concentration sensor. The oxygen concentration sensor is arranged at a location downstream of a catalyst in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. The apparatus measures a time period elapsed after termination of a fuel cut-off operation, and calculates an integrated amount SUMSVS of exhaust gases exhausted after the termination of the fuel cut-off operation. A failure of the oxygen concentration sensor is determined depending on whether or not a signal value SVO2 of a signal from the oxygen concentration sensor has crossed a predetermined threshold value #SVO2CHK. Further, when a predetermined time period #TMFCCKD has elapsed, if the signal value SVO2 has not crossed the predetermined threshold value #SVO2CHK, and at the same time when the integrated amount SUMSVS of the exhaust gases has not reached a predetermined value #SUMSVAFC the failure determination is suspended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2002
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akihiro Shinjyo, Hiroshi Kitagawa, Toshihiro Mibe
  • Patent number: 6371070
    Abstract: An inertia charge intake manifold is associated with an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders. The intake manifold includes a plurality of elongated separate branch pipes each corresponding to a respective one of the cylinders. The intake manifold also includes a common flange for connecting a first end of each branch pipe to the internal combustion engine. The common flange has a first surface attached to the internal combustion engine. Further, the intake manifold includes a surge tank to which a second end of each branch pipe is connected. The common flange, the surge tank and each branch pipe are made of a hard thermoplastic synthetic resin. The common flange is integrally connected to the surge tank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 16, 2002
    Assignees: Daihatsu Motor Co., Ltd., Toyota Motor Corp., G. P. Daikyo Corporation
    Inventors: Hiroshi Munetoki, Yoshihiro Kimoto, Mikio Nakashima, Nobuyuki Homi, Ryuji Takashina, Toshiki Miyachi, Takeharu Suga
  • Patent number: 6314920
    Abstract: Discharge flow rate of an electric pump is controlled such that a temperature difference between a coolant temperature at a coolant outlet of an engine and a coolant temperature at a coolant inlet of the engine is maintained to be a predetermined value &Dgr;T. Accordingly, the discharge flow rate decreases as the engine load decreases. Therefore, the pump work is reduced, and the temperature distribution of the engine is reduced. Accordingly, the engine durability is improved while the thermal distortion of the engine is prevented and the fuel economy is improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2001
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Kazutaka Suzuki, Eizou Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6209523
    Abstract: A control and safety valve arrangement in a fuel feeding system of an internal combustion engine, especially a large diesel engine, in which fuel is pumped from a fuel tank at least to one common pressure accumulator unit (1) and is fed therefrom under high pressure to be injected at least into two cylinders of the engine. The pressure accumulator unit (1,1a) is connect to the fuel tank with a separate return flow line (5,6,7), which is provided with valve means provided with two separate control arrangements operationally independent on each other so that the pressure accumulator unit (1) can be connected to the fuel tank by means of a first control arrangement under the influence of a separate control pressure when necessary and in addition by means of a second control arrangement in case the pressure in the pressure accumulator unit (1) exceeds a certain selected limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 1999
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2001
    Assignee: Wartsila NSD OY AB
    Inventor: Kai Lehtonen
  • Patent number: 6202606
    Abstract: The invention relates to an axial-piston engine comprising a centrally located output shaft (1) and a plurality of piston-cylinder units (2) oriented parallel to the output shaft (1) and grouped symmetrically thereabout, a thrust yoke (5) mounted on said output shaft (1) so as to rotate therewith, said thrust yoke providing support to a tilted cam plate (4) mounted on bearings in a freely rotating manner on the perimeter of said thrust yoke (5), locking means (6, 7) for preventing the rotating of said tilted cam plate (4) with respect to the body of the engine and ball-jointed piston rods (9) connecting each piston (12)of the engine to said tilted cam plate (4) so as to transmit the sequential thrust of said pistons (12) tosaid tilted cam plate (4), thus effecting a rotational motion of said output shaft (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2001
    Inventor: Ahto Anttila
  • Patent number: 6196178
    Abstract: A rotating shaft and a drive shaft are used in an air intake apparatus for an internal combustion engine. At one end portion of the rotating shaft and the drive shaft a sphere portion and a projection portion are formed, and another end portion of the rotating shaft and the drive shaft a cup portion and a faucet portion are formed. The sphere portion is inserted to the cup portion and further the projection portion is engaged with the faucet portion, thereby a universal joint is formed. Since a connection structure between the rotating shaft and the drive shaft is constituted with few component elements, a cost reduction in the air intake apparatus for the internal combustion engine can be improved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 14, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 6, 2001
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Teruhiko Minegishi, Misturu Yamashita, Hiroyuki Nemoto, Akihiro Munakata
  • Patent number: 6138634
    Abstract: An oil lubrication system for a marine outboard motor including an internal combustion engine. The oil lubrication system includes a series of oil passageways within the cylinder block of the internal combustion engine. The oil passageways are configured such that each cylinder in the internal combustion engine is supplied by its own oil passageway. Each of the oil passageways terminate in an outlet opening. The outlet opening is positioned within the cylinder block such that oil exiting the outlet opening is directed by the force of gravity into contact with a moving component of the internal combustion engine. As the internal components of the internal combustion engine move, oil contacting the components is physically distributed into contact with the bearings.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: October 31, 2000
    Assignee: Brunswick Corporation
    Inventors: David W. Kusche, Neil M. Andrasko
  • Patent number: 4771751
    Abstract: A fuel rail is defined by a spacer member sandwiched between a throttle body and an engine intake manifold, the spacer member having air channels connecting the throttle body air induction passages to the manifold inlet bores, the spacer member also having at least one longitudinal bore constituting a fuel passage, and fuel injector receiving cups communicating with the fuel passages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 27, 1987
    Date of Patent: September 20, 1988
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Matthew Haigh, Martin J. D. Herbert, William J. J. O'Leary