Patents Examined by Willis R. Wolfe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8755989
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving fuel usage while addressing knock by adjusting the use of spark retard and direct injection of a fluid based on engine operating conditions and the composition of the injected fluid. One or more engine parameters, such as EGR, VCT, boost, throttle position, are coordinated with the direct injection to reduce torque and EGR transients.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 17, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Joseph Norman Ulrey, Thomas G. Leone
  • Patent number: 8746207
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a muffler configured to reduce exhaust gas noise. The muffler has a housing defining an interior and an exterior. A choke valve is configured to control a flow of air in a carburetor and a thermally responsive element is coupled with the choke valve and configured to move the choke valve in response to a temperature change in the thermally responsive element. A thermally conductive member has a first portion positioned in the interior of the muffler and extending through the muffler housing to the exterior of the muffler, and a second portion positioned exteriorly of the muffler and coupled to the thermally responsive element. The thermally conductive member is configured to conduct heat from exhaust gases within the muffler to the thermally responsive element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2014
    Assignee: Briggs and Stratton Corporation
    Inventors: Christopher J. Drew, David W. Branski, Chad J. Gartzke, William H. Mayer, Benjamin R. Miller, Dawn N. Traynor, Gene Zimmerman, Jean-Paul Benjamins
  • Patent number: 8744728
    Abstract: Over a diesel engine's lifetime, engine efficiency may be reduced and some of this may be attributable to sulfur deposit accumulation in the engine. A method for controlling operation of a diesel engine operating on a fuel is provided. The method may include adjusting an injection of fuel to the engine in response to a sulfur content of the fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Keli Alark, Richard Kellogg Morton
  • Patent number: 8744726
    Abstract: A method for improving purging of fuel vapors from a boosted engine is presented. In one embodiment, the method increases the efficiency of a venturi that supplies vacuum to purge fuel vapors from a vapor storage canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ralph Wayne Cunningham, Mark Peters
  • Patent number: 8733329
    Abstract: The invention relates to a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an exhaust gas system, which comprises an exhaust gas line by means of which the exhaust gas can be removed from the internal combustion engine, as well as an exhaust gas recirculation line by means of which the exhaust gas can be recirculated into the internal combustion engine from the exhaust gas line. The exhaust gas recirculation line has an exhaust gas cooler and a condensate line for removing the condensate from the recirculated exhaust gas, wherein the condensate line is connected with a first end to the exhaust gas recirculation line downstream of the exhaust gas cooler in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas and with a second end to the exhaust gas line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Audi AG
    Inventors: Uwe Sailer, Hubert Vollmer
  • Patent number: 8720418
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel injection system of the common rail type having a rail body comprising a central bore and one or more outlet bores in fluid communication with the central bore for communicating with a respective fuel injector. The outer circumference of the rail body is substantially oval in cross-section and is thicker in cross-section in a direction substantially perpendicular to the outlet bore axis as compared to the thickness in cross-section substantially parallel to the outlet bore axis. By increasing the thickness of the rail body in this way, stresses at the intersection of the intersection of the central bore with the outlet holes may be reduced by up to 10% or more, thereby increasing the acceptable cycled running pressure of the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 13, 2014
    Assignee: Delphi International Operations Luxembourg, S.A.R.L.
    Inventors: David Bonneau, Guillaume Trenado
  • Patent number: 8701634
    Abstract: A zero-governor fitting structure for a gas engine, configured in such a manner that the lower half of a fuel tank for a gasoline engine is utilized as a support box for supporting the zero-governor in which a gas supply inlet pipe and a zero governor can be reliably mounted with vibration and heating of the zero-governor avoided. A zero-governor mounting structure for a gas engine equipped with a zero-governor is provided with a support box fixed to the upper part of the gas engine. The support box is formed as a box having two depths. The zero-governor is supported, through a vibration insulation gasket, on the bottom plate of the shallower depth space of the support box. A gas supply inlet pipe and an elbow joint which is connected to the gas supply inlet pipe and can be bent the direction of the gas flow at a right angle toward the zero-governor are received in the deeper depth space, and the elbow joint is connected to the bottom inlet of the zero-governor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroyoshi Marushima, Hiroyoshi Kochi
  • Patent number: 8706385
    Abstract: An exhaust gas recirculation device of an internal combustion engine (1) including a low-pressure EGR passage (20), a high-pressure EGR passage (21), a low-pressure EGR valve (23) and a high-pressure EGR valve (24) further includes an air-fuel ratio sensor (12) that is disposed in the exhaust passage (4) upstream of the position of its connection with the low-pressure EGR passage (20). In the case where a predetermined fuel-cut condition is satisfied, an ECU (30) estimates the flow amounts of exhaust gas flowing in the low-pressure EGR passage (20) and the high-pressure EGR passage (21), on the basis of the oxygen concentrations acquired by the air-fuel ratio sensor (12) at timings at which the exhaust gases recirculated into the intake passage (3) via the low-pressure EGR passage (20) and via the high-pressure EGR passage (21) reach the air-fuel ratio sensor (12), respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Shigeki Nakayama, Akio Matsunaga, Tomomi Onishi, Akiyuki Iemura
  • Patent number: 8670920
    Abstract: A method of determining an air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine in real-time includes: calibrating sensitivity of a universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor to a plurality of gases; inputting to a universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor controller a molecular composition of Hydrogen, Carbon, Oxygen, and Nitrogen which comprise a combustion fuel in use in the internal combustion engine; calculating with the universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor controller an air-to-fuel ratio by performing a chemical balance equation calculation based on the universal exhaust gas oxygen sensor sensitivity calibration and the input combustion fuel molecular composition; and transmitting the calculated air-to-fuel ratio to an engine control unit in real-time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: BG Soflex, LLC
    Inventors: Bruce A. Bowling, Albert C. Grippo
  • Patent number: 8662058
    Abstract: An electronic ignition module for vintage automobiles that utilizes existing components and wiring to retain the look and operation of the original system but with superior performance. The ignition module replaces the original roller and contacts of a vintage automobile ignition timer with modern control electronics that actuate the original coils and original spark plugs using the original wiring in the original manor. Electronic ignition operation is user programmable to emulate the original roller/timer performance or provide automatic spark advance similar to modern automobile operation for optimum power and efficiency while freeing the operator from manual adjustment of spark timing. Ignition module programming is accomplished without any external switches, buttons, jumpers or modification to the vintage automobile by simply sensing the presence or absence of ignition coils connected to the system when power is applied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 4, 2014
    Inventor: Michael Gordon Kossor
  • Patent number: 8649960
    Abstract: In a method for reading and/or storing injector-specific data for controlling an injection system of an internal combustion engine, an injector is charged by a control unit according to a predeterminable voltage curve and, depending on the case, is discharged directly by the control unit or by a power element located on a data storage medium and the voltage is measured by the control unit and by the data storage medium. Dependent upon a predeterminable voltage curve, a predeterminable amount of data is stored or read on a memory unit of the data storage medium.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2014
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Georg Bachmaier, Dominik Bergmann, Bernhard Fischer, Johann Görzen, Frank Herold, Stefan Lehmann, Thomas Schmid, Christian Tump
  • Patent number: 8640676
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment apparatus includes a control valve having a dead zone range in which an evaporated fuel is blocked even if the opening angle is increased from a close position in opening direction and a communicating range in which the evaporated fuel is allowed to flow therethrough when opening angle is increased from the dead zone range. A control unit determines whether the opening angle is switched between the dead zone range and the communicating range. The switching is determined on the basis of a pressure inside the fuel tank detected with a pressure sensor and an air-fuel ratio detected by an air-fuel ratio sensor. A control valve installed in a communication path between a fuel tank and a canister is prevented from being seized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ayumu Horiba, Masakazu Kitamoto, Junji Saiga, Yoshikazu Kaneyasu
  • Patent number: 8631778
    Abstract: A starter includes a pinion gear that can be engaged with a ring gear provided around an outer circumference of a flywheel or a drive plate of an engine, an actuator for moving the pinion gear to a position of engagement with the ring gear in a driven state, a helical spline for rotating the pinion gear in a reverse direction while the pinion gear moves toward the ring gear, and a motor for rotating the pinion gear. The actuator and the motor are individually controlled. After the actuator was driven and before the motor is driven, drive of the actuator is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kouki Moriya, Jumpei Kakehi, Hasrul Sany Bin Hashim
  • Patent number: 8635007
    Abstract: Embodiments for determining NH3 slip past a catalyst are provided. In one example, a filtering method for a NOx sensor of an exhaust gas system having an SCR catalytic converter comprises determining NOx concentration upstream of the catalytic converter, measuring NOx concentration downstream of the catalytic converter, modeling NOx conversion, modeling NH3 slip behavior, calculating a NOx error of the NOx modeling, calculating an NH3 error of the NH3 modeling, assigning data of the NOx sensor as NH3 measured values when a ratio of the NOx error to the NH3 error is greater than an upper threshold value, and assigning data of the NOx sensor as NOx measured values when the ratio of the NOx error to the NH3 error is smaller than a lower threshold value. In this way, NOx slip and NH3 slip may be determined from a common sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 14, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mario Balenovic, Yasser Mohamed Sayed Yacoub
  • Patent number: 8630787
    Abstract: Methods and products for controlling exhaust gas recirculation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: John Shutty, Volker Joergl, Volker Mueller, David B. Roth
  • Patent number: 8627798
    Abstract: A direct fuel-injection engine includes a piston, a cavity recessed in a central part of a top face of the piston, and a fuel injector. At a main injection collision point of a fuel-injection axis when main injection is performed while the piston is near top dead center, a main injection collision angle formed between its tangent and the fuel-injection axis is set at an obtuse angle. Fuel colliding with the main injection collision point is deflected towards a cavity open end side. At a secondary injection collision point of the fuel-injection axis when performing secondary injection with the piston is further from top dead center, a secondary injection collision angle formed between its tangent and the fuel-injection axis is set at one of a right angle and an acute angle. Fuel colliding with the secondary injection collision point is deflected primarily in the circumferential direction of the cavity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2014
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akihiro Yamaguchi, Yoshimasa Kaneko, Yukihisa Yamaya, Yutaka Tajima, Kenichiro Ikeya, Goichi Katayama, Nobuhiko Sasaki, Hiroshi Sono
  • Patent number: 8615353
    Abstract: A method for driveline impact reverberation reduction including operating an engine coupled to a transmission; regulating operation of the engine with a controller to adjust fueling of the engine which includes providing a signal to the controller representative of a requested engine torque; determining a first fueling rate as a function of the signal and a set of preselected operating instructions; adjusting a set of engine operating parameters according to the first fueling rate; determining a second fueling rate as a function of the first fueling rate; and adjusting a set of engine operating conditions according to the second fueling rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 24, 2013
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Steven M. Bellinger, Balaji Arumugam
  • Patent number: 8612118
    Abstract: A method for operating an engine, including, adjusting a target load, which lies below a full load; operating at least one cylinder in a first cylinder group with a first load, which is reduced with respect to the target load; operating at least one cylinder in a second cylinder group with a second load, which is increased with respect to the target load; selecting the first and second loads such that a resulting load is the target load; and selecting the first and second loads such that at least one environmental parameter value is improved, wherein the environmental parameters include at least one of a fuel consumption, a nitrogen oxide content in the exhaust gas, and a particle content in the exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: Mahle International GmbH
    Inventor: Alfred Elsäβer
  • Patent number: 8602006
    Abstract: The invention relates to a valve, especially a rotary piston valve (1), for controlling the temperature and quantity of the returned exhaust gas in internal combustion engines. Said valve comprises a valve housing (2) and a control element (3) disposed therein which interacts with a valve face (14) configured in the valve housings (2), the control element (3) having a conical surface area (10).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Behr GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: József Mercz, Jürgen Rosin, Martin Stiegler, Gyula Tóth
  • Patent number: RE44844
    Abstract: A digital radio telephone comprises a radio portion for receiving a radio signal modulated by an encoded digital signal including control information, for demodulating and outputting the encoded digital signal, a control signal processing portion for decoding the demodulated encoded digital signal to obtain the control information, a telephone number information detecting means for detecting whether the decoded control information includes mate telephone number information, a memory for storing the telephone number information, a time information management means for specifying an incoming time of the telephone number information to output a time information, and a memory management means for recording the telephone number information corresponding to the time information into the memory.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2014
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Murata