Patents Examined by Willis R. Wolfe, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7975671
    Abstract: An engine speed control device includes an engine speed control lever that generates an engine speed instruction and a device for delivering the indicative information on the actual engine speed. An actuator applies a mechanical force on the lever according to the difference between the instruction and the indicative information on the actual engine speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Airbus Operations SAS
    Inventors: Jean-Claude Perie, Valerie Roche, Mathieu Dulaur
  • Patent number: 7975678
    Abstract: An exhaust gas recirculation control system for internal combustion engines includes an intake pipe (1) for delivering combustion air to the individual combustion chambers, an exhaust pipe (2) for discharging the exhaust gases from the combustion chambers, an exhaust gas recirculation line (3) that connects the intake pipe (1) and the exhaust pipe (2), and a mechanical injection pump (4) which is controlled by a control rod (5) is disclosed. An electrically controlled EGR valve (exhaust gas recirculation valve) (6) is located in the exhaust gas recirculation line (3) in order to control the effective cross section of the exhaust gas recirculation line (3) while an electrical pick-off device (7) determines the position of the control rod (5) and then controls the EGR valve (6).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: DEUTZ Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Heinz-Georg Foerst, Karl Lutter, Eckhard Haas
  • Patent number: 7975668
    Abstract: A control system for an engine comprises an air per cylinder (APC) generating module that generates measured and desired APC values. A combustion transition module selectively transitions the engine from spark ignition (SI) combustion to homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion and from HCCI combustion to SI combustion. A spark control module selectively retards spark during the transitions based on a ratio of the measured APC value and the desired APC value. Alternately, spark retard can be based on measured and desired engine torque representing values (ETRVs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Inventors: Vijay Ramappan, Allen B. Rayl, Jun-Mo Kang, Peter Kafarnik, Matthew A. Wiles, Hanho Yun
  • Patent number: 7979196
    Abstract: A power system including an exhaust producing engine, an exhaust system and an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system is provided. The EGR system may include an EGR flowpath and an air intake system. The EGR system may also include an EGR valve configured to regulate the flow of exhaust gases through the EGR flowpath. The power system may also include a monitoring system configured to monitor operating parameters of at least two components of the EGR system. The power system may also include a controller configured to determine, based on the monitored operating parameters, a maximum flowrate value for each of the components. Each of the maximum flowrate values may represent the maximum EGR flowrate for that component. The controller may be configured to control the EGR valve, based on the maximum flowrate values, to result in an EGR flowrate no greater than the lowest of the maximum flowrate values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin Dea, James Durand, Evan Jacobson
  • Patent number: 7979194
    Abstract: The operation of a fuel injector for an internal combustion engine is controlled, wherein the fuel injector has an on time that includes a pull-in time during which injector current increases to a pull-in current followed by a hold time during which the injector current is limited to a hold current that is less than the pull-in current. A control circuit receives a pressure signal from a pressure sensor that corresponds to a pressure of fuel supplied to the fuel injector for injection into the engine, correlates the pressure signal with fuel pressure, and decreases the pull-in time with increasing fuel pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 12, 2011
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel D. Wilhelm, David L. Buchanan
  • Patent number: 7974767
    Abstract: In a method for detecting an operating parameter of a power tool having an internal combustion engine with a cylinder, a piston delimiting a combustion chamber in the cylinder and driving a crankshaft supported rotatably in a crankcase, an intake supplying combustion air to the combustion chamber, an exhaust removing combustion gases from the combustion chamber, and a signal generator driven in rotation by the crankshaft emitting sequential alternating voltage signals, a period duration of the voltage signal is selected to correspond to the n-th portion of a crankshaft revolution with n greater than 2. The n-th portion of the crankshaft revolution provides a crankshaft angle interval. For each crankshaft angle interval at least one information is detected that represents a course plotted against the crankshaft angle. The course is scanned with regard to characteristic features that are correlated with an operating parameter of the power tool.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2007
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Georg Maier, Wolfgang Layher, Mohamed Abou-Aly, Heinrich Leufen, Eberhard Schieber
  • Patent number: 7974770
    Abstract: An engine-controlling unit/method for an internal-combustion engine with first and second combustion-chamber groups having a first and second catalytic exhaust-gas converter, respectively, having (a) a master control device that controls a combustion-air ratio for the first combustion-chamber group by forcibly exciting the first combustion-chamber group, further having (b) a slave control device that controls a combustion-air ratio for the second combustion-chamber group by forcibly exciting the second combustion-chamber group, and further having (c) a data link between the master and slave for control through the master. It is proposed (d) for the master to transmit a synchronizing signal to the slave over the data link during changeover between the rich and lean combustion-air ratio within the scope of forced excitation, and (e) on receipt of the synchronizing signal from the master for the slave to change over within the scope of forced excitation between the rich and lean combustion-air ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Baumann, Nicole Fuhrmann, Martin Jehle, Michaela Schneider
  • Patent number: 7974768
    Abstract: (EN) The invention concerns a device for controlling an internal combustion engine (601), comprising means (600) for generating a signal for controlling the internal combustion engine (601), a sensor (602) for supplying a pressure measurement signal of a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine (601), and a filtering device (603) for generating a filtered pressure signal, said filtering device (603) being made from analog electronic components.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2011
    Assignee: RENAULT s.a.s.
    Inventors: Lionel Cordesses, Didier Martinez
  • Patent number: 7966120
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a regulator with an output waveform which includes a plurality of waves, each wave having a peak portion, a first portion located on a front side of the peak portion, and a second portion located on the other side of the peak portion, the second portion exhibiting a more rapid change in voltage than the first portion. An ECU is configured to turn on a fuel injector of the engine at a first timing and turn off an ignition plug of the engine at a second timing, the first and second timings corresponding to a shift in waveform output from the peak portion toward the first portion of a first wave and a second wave, respectively. The waveform shift corresponds to a predetermined angular shift in the rotational position of a crankshaft of the motorcycle engine of preferably about 3°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7963263
    Abstract: An engine spark ignition device for internal combustion engines having electrical coupling of the firing spark plug wire to the non-firing spark plug wires. The device is for use with an engine having a plurality of spark plug wires connected between a distributor and a spark plug disposed in the engine cylinder and comprises identical elongated electrically conductive semi-circular plates which enclose identical elongated electrically conductive planar plates having apertures therein that intersect to form spaces for receiving the spark plug wires. The interaction between firing spark plug wires and non-firing spark plug wires results in more efficient and cleaner combustion in the combustion chambers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Inventors: Gerald B. Anderson, Rene Jimenez
  • Patent number: 7963266
    Abstract: A starter device for an internal combustion engine (10) has an actuating device and an entrainer (24) can be coupled to the crankshaft (13) of the engine (10). The entrainer (24) and the actuating device are rotatably journalled about a rotational axis (14). The entrainer (24) and the actuating device are connected to each other via a damping spring (23). The damping spring (23) is connected with a first end (26) to the actuating device and with a second end (27) to the entrainer (24). The entrainer (24) and the actuating device have respective supports (21, 42). The damping spring (23) is mounted on the outer periphery of the two supports (21, 42). In the direction of the rotational axis (14), a disc (22) is mounted between the two supports (21, 42) in order to avoid the situation that the damping spring (23) can force itself into a gap between the two supports (21, 42) which gap can arise during operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Ulrich Kapinsky, Roland Schmidt, Florian v. Krane, Alfred Bothner, Manfred Rabis, Heiko Stöcker
  • Patent number: 7963273
    Abstract: An engine is operated with a first cylinder to provide a net flow of gases from the engine intake to the engine exhaust while a second cylinder returns combusted gases back to the intake to control a timing of auto-ignition combustion in the first cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Vincent J. Winstead
  • Patent number: 7957892
    Abstract: A method and exhaust control system for controlling a vehicle, including adjusting a vehicle parameter in response to a determined ambient condition or to local time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, LLC
    Inventors: Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Thomas J. Nugent, Jr., Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
  • Patent number: 7957885
    Abstract: Method for controlling a group of glow plugs in a diesel engine, which are connected with a direct current source via individual supply lines and which are to be controlled by a pulse width modulation process at the same temperature, at least in time average. The electric resistance of the glow plugs, less the resistance of the supply line to the heating element of the glow plugs, is determined during operation of the engine and a relative pulse width at which the glow plugs are to be operated is calculated from the value so obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2006
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Inventors: Markus Kernwein, Olaf Toedter, Andreas Bleil
  • Patent number: 7950370
    Abstract: A high pressure common rail fuel system is provided including a fuel supply, a high pressure pump assembly fluidly connected to receive fuel from the fuel supply, and a gas supply system fluidly connected to provide gas to the high pressure pump assembly to create a high pressure gas fuel mixture. A common rail fuel system is fluidly connected to the high pressure pump assembly to receive the high pressure gas fuel mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Michael A. Lucas, Lars Tegnelius, Donald J. Benson
  • Patent number: 7950364
    Abstract: The invention relates to a device for a prechamber unit (10) of a gas engine, comprising a prechamber unit (10) in the form of an elongated body (12) arranged to be placed in an upper part of the engine's cylinder, and where the elongated body (12) comprises a prechamber gas valve (20) and an ignition means (22) arranged side by side, and one or more channels (24) for supply of fuel gas via the prechamber gas valve (20) to a prechamber (26) in a lower part of the elongated body (12). Said prechamber (26) comprises further in the axial direction, an elongated cavity (28) with nozzles (30) placed at the end for supply of ignited fuel gas to the engine's cylinder with the help of the ignition means (22). The elongated cavity (28) in the prechamber (26) is divided into several connected, and in cross-section, graduated or tapered cavities (28a, 28b, 28c), where an uppermost cavity (28a) is widest in the cross-sectional direction and a bottom cavity (28c) is narrowest in the cross-sectional direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2011
    Assignee: Rolls-Royce Marine AS, Engines-Bergen
    Inventor: Lars Magne Nerheim
  • Patent number: 7949462
    Abstract: Upon no detection of the closing abnormality where the EGR valve does not become in the totally closed state (when the flag Fa is value ‘0’), the engine is controlled using the target fuel injection amount obtained from the correction of the basic fuel injection amount toward the increase direction, in the case that the engine is operated together with the recirculation of the exhaust in the preset high-load operation range (when the flag Fi is ‘1’). Upon detection of the closing abnormality (when the flag Fa is value ‘1’), the engine is controlled using the target fuel injection amount obtained from the correction of the basic fuel injection amount toward the increase direction, in the case that the engine is operated together with the recirculation of the exhaust in the whole range that the engine is operable together with the recirculation of the exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hikokazu Akimoto
  • Patent number: 7949459
    Abstract: A target throttle opening degree computing device of a control apparatus computes a target throttle opening degree of a throttle valve and includes a phase lead compensator. A filter filters the target throttle opening degree to provide an ultimate target throttle opening degree, which is used to drive a drive motor to adjust an opening degree of the throttle valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2011
    Assignees: Denso Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hisayo Yoshikawa, Shigeru Kamio, Masahiro Ito, Kenji Kasashima
  • Patent number: 7945375
    Abstract: The present invention provides an injector-ignition fuel injection system for an internal combustion engine, comprising an ECU controlling a heated catalyzed fuel injector for heating and catalyzing a next fuel charge, wherein the ECU uses a one firing cycle look-ahead algorithm for controlling fuel injection. The ECU may further incorporate a look-up table, auto-tuning functions and heuristics to compensate for the rapid rotational de-acceleration that occurs near top dead center in lightweight small ultra-high compression engines as may be used with this invention. The ECU may further ramp heat input to the injector in response to engine acceleration requests and, under such circumstances, may extend its look-ahead for up to four firing cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Transonic Combustion, Inc.
    Inventor: Michael C. Cheiky
  • Patent number: 7942137
    Abstract: The invention relates to a heat exchanger with at least one duct, which can be flowed through by flowing medium from an inlet cross-section to an outlet cross-section, has an inside and outside, and which comprises, on the inside, structural elements for increasing the transfer of heat. The invention provides that the structural elements (11) are variably arranged and/or configured in the direction of flow (P) so that the duct (10), on the inside, has a variable heat transfer that, in particular, increases in the direction of flow (P).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co., KG
    Inventors: Peter Geskes, Ulrich Maucher, Michael Schmidt