Patents Examined by Willis R. Wolfe
  • Patent number: 7890245
    Abstract: A device and a method for controlling an internal combustion engine, in which an actual value is determined based on a lambda value and compared with a setpoint value. Based on the comparison, a correction value for a controlled variable is determined and stored. An error is detected if the correction value changes abruptly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 7, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Breitbach, Achim Friedel
  • Patent number: 7882827
    Abstract: Disclosed is a heat exchanger for a combustion engine, comprising a first connection zone (1, 102) for delivering a fluid that is to be cooled, at least some of said fluid being composed of exhaust gas of the combustion engine, a second connection zone (3, 103) for discharging the fluid, and an exchanger zone (2, 101, 104, 105) which is arranged between the first and the second connection zone relative to a flow path of the fluid. A coolant can flow around the exchanger zone (2, 101, 104, 105) while at least part of the heat exchanger is made of ferritic steel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Assignee: BEHR GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Bernd Grünenwald, Wolfgang Knödler
  • Patent number: 7881857
    Abstract: In a method for operating an internal combustion engine, the fuel is supplied to at least one combustion chamber via at least one injector, which method includes the following steps: a) a total injection is divided into a basic injection and at least one measured injection; b) the injection time of the measured injection is successively decreased and the injection time of the basic injection is successively increased so that a total injection quantity ascertained from a valve characteristic curve remains the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Samenfink, Andreas Kufferath
  • Patent number: 7881854
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of control of an internal combustion engine comprising at least one electrically controlled inlet valve. To reduce hydrocarbon emissions by the cold engine, the opening of the valve is controlled in two successive phases (32, 34), the first phase (32) corresponding principally with the admission of fuel and the second phase (34) mainly corresponding with the air inlet. The opening of the valve is substantially lower during the first phase than during the second phase in order to pulverize the fuel into fine droplets during the first phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Fabien Lanteires, Raphael Penet
  • Patent number: 7878177
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling operation of a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having fuel injectors and an ionization current sensor include a high-voltage power supply connectable to, and supplying substantially the same nominal boosted voltage relative to nominal battery voltage to, the fuel injectors and ionization sensor during at least a portion of the engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael Damian Czekala, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 7881853
    Abstract: A method for working out instruction cartography for a temperature at entry into a filter. The method determines for each combination, which includes a soot mass in a particle filter, a temperature at the filter output, an air flowrate through the filter and a soot combustion rate in the filter and is associated with a time t, a value assignable to the instruction, wherein the value is selected such that the filter output temperature remains less than a maximum permissible temperature after a pedal release at a time L.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Renault s.a.s
    Inventors: Marc Daneau, Adrien Pillot
  • Patent number: 7881855
    Abstract: A method and control unit for metering fuel into at least one combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprising at least one pilot injection and one main injection per combustion cycle, combustion features being detected and an effect of a fuel quantity injected prior to the main injection being ascertained from the combustion features. An actual value of a combined effect of at least two pilot injections per combustion cycle is ascertained and the actual value is regulated to a setpoint value via an intervention on at least one of the pilot injections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Jens Damitz, Matthias Schueler, Christian Mader, Michael Kessler, Vincent Dautel, Arvid Sievert
  • Patent number: 7877188
    Abstract: A control system for an internal combustion engine includes: a fuel amount detector; a smoothing calculation unit that calculates a smooth output value, which is obtained by smoothing an output value of the fuel amount detector in a temporal direction; a continuous low speed condition detection unit that detects a continuous low speed condition in which the vehicle speed remains in the low speed region continuously beyond a predetermined time period; a calculation processing unit that successively calculates a maximum value and a minimum value of the smooth output value; a reference setting unit that updates and stores a reference value in response to the engine stoppage and in accordance with the current minimum value calculated by the calculation processing unit; and a fuel supply determination unit that detects a fuel supply to the fuel tank during the continuous low speed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Mizuno, Naoya Okubo
  • Patent number: 7877191
    Abstract: A process for controlling supplying fuel for an internal combustion engine, employed when the engine is started, including: measuring at least one characteristic value of an engine speed representative of a richness of a fuel/oxidant supply mixture for the engine, comparing the measured characteristic value with a reference value so as to determine a value of the difference between these two values, and controlling the supply unit using a control signal emitted by a control unit (3) and dependent on the difference value. The process also includes an updating step of producing an updated reference value (21), when an aging threshold of the engine is passed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive France
    Inventor: Thibault Kein
  • Patent number: 7877193
    Abstract: A method for operating a shutoff device for a device, in particular an internal combustion engine and/or an electric machine, in which an operating element for initiating a shutoff operation is provided, and in which a transmission path is provided via which a shutoff signal is transmitted from the operating element to the device in order to deactivate the device. The shutoff device is checked for proper functioning at least in part automatically, by automatically transmitting a shutoff signal, in particular from the operating element via the transmission path to the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Astrid Rall, Gerit Von Schwertfuehrer, Holger Niemann, Per Hagman, Alexander Dubs, Siegfried Greskamp, Daniel Damm, Michael Gloeckler, Andreas Heyl
  • Patent number: 7874276
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for control of fuel injection for an internal combustion engine, in particular with direct fuel injection, comprising at least one cylinder (10), one piston (30) running in said cylinder, with a projection (34) arranged in a concave bowl (32), a fuel injector (22) and a combustion chamber (26).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Institut Francais du Petrole
    Inventors: Alain Ranini, Sébastien Potteau
  • Patent number: 7869930
    Abstract: A method of controlling fuel supplied to an engine is provided. The engine includes at least one cylinder having a port injection fuel injector being supplied with fuel from at least one of a first fuel storage tank and a second fuel storage tank and a direct injection fuel injector being selectively supplied with fuel from one of the first fuel storage tank and the second fuel storage tank. The method includes at a first condition, supplying at least some of a second type of fuel from the second fuel storage tank to the direct injection fuel injector and supplying at least some of a first type of fuel from the first fuel storage tank to the port injection fuel injector, and at a second condition, supplying at least some of the first type of fuel from the first fuel storage tank to the direct injection fuel injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 20, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Robert Albert Stein, Kevin Durand Byrd
  • Patent number: 7869933
    Abstract: A method of operation for an engine including an electrically actuated engine valve in a cylinder head, with at least an actuator coupled to the valve, the method including applying a potential to generate a current indicative of temperature in the actuator at least partially during a substantially non-moving condition of the actuator and adjusting a timing of the application of the potential based on valve location in the cylinder head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 28, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yan Wang, Alex O'Connor Gibson, Vladimir V. Kokotovic, Allan Roy Gale, Philip Thomas Koneda, Allan Joseph Kotwicki, Marvin Paul Kraska
  • Patent number: 7861688
    Abstract: A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine includes an idle torque calculating portion, a target torque setting portion, and a target throttle opening amount calculating portion. The idle torque calculating portion and the target throttle opening amount calculating portion calculate the idle torque and the target throttle opening amount when the internal combustion engine is in a non-idling state, respectively, using a common physical quantity relating to an operating state of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kubonoya, Masaharu Tanaka, Toshiya Oishi, Masami Kondo
  • Patent number: 7865292
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a throttle opening degree of a diesel engine with a supercharger is disclosed. The apparatus includes an electronic control unit having functions of detecting section, a computing section, a correcting section, and a correction limiting/inhibiting section. The detecting section detects the atmospheric pressure, and the computing section computes an atmospheric pressure correction value with respect to the throttle opening degree based on the detected atmospheric pressure. The correcting section corrects the throttle opening degree in accordance with the atmospheric pressure correction value. When the degree of separation of an actual charging pressure from a target charging pressure in the supercharger is les than a predetermined value, the correction limiting/inhibiting section limits or inhibits correction of the throttle opening degree in accordance with the atmospheric pressure correction value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Masaaki Sato
  • Patent number: 7865294
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for regulating the lambda value of an internal combustion engine with a catalytic converter for subsequently treating the exhaust gases of the internal combustion engine, with a binary lambda probe, which is mounted upstream from the catalytic converter and which senses the composition of the exhaust gases. According to the invention, the lambda set value is superimposed with a lean/rich amplitude. This lean/rich amplitude has an integral component and a discontinuous component leading back to the lambda set value. When a change that differs from the change in the exhaust gas composition caused by the lean/rich amplitude is detected, the coefficient of the integral component is modified and/or a discontinuous component is added to the integral component or subtracted therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Bejoy Mathews, Gerd Rösel, Hong Zhang
  • Patent number: 7865290
    Abstract: A system for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine with electromagnetic valve actuation, comprising of at least one cylinder with an engine cylinder valve, a second controller operably coupled to the engine cylinder valve, said second controller configured to adjust at least one of the valve opening and closing timing of the engine cylinder valve, and a first controller connected with the second controller over a first link and a second link, wherein the first controller is configured to send an engine position indication signal to the second controller over the first link and receive a status signal from the second controller over the second link, and wherein the first controller outputs a synchronization degradation signal responsive to a synchronization error between the engine position indication signal and the status signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 4, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alex O'Connor Gibson, Donald Lewis, Nate Trask, Brian C. Moorhead, Vincent J. Winstead
  • Patent number: 7860638
    Abstract: A method for determining fuel injection pressure or detecting a discrepancy in the fuel injection process of an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a camshaft that actuates at least one fuel injector of the engine's fuel injection equipment. The method includes the step of determining a value T that is representative of the torque generated on the camshaft, such as the instantaneous torque or rotational speed of the camshaft, the torque being a resultant of accelerating and decelerating forces exerted on the camshaft by the at least one fuel injector during a phase of operation of the internal combustion engine. The method also includes the step of monitoring the value T for any increment, decrement or irregularity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2005
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Volvo Lastvagnar AB
    Inventor: Magnus Andrén
  • Patent number: 7856305
    Abstract: A control system for an internal combustion engine calculates a provisional target value of the throttle opening in accordance with an accelerator pedal travel, upon detection of a sudden operation of the accelerator pedal. The system also calculates a target pressure change in the surge tank according to the provisional target value, on the basis of the actual surge tank pressure and the cylinder intake mass airflow, using a virtual intake system model. The control system sets a target throttle opening in accordance with the surge tank pressure and the cylinder intake mass airflow, so as to provide the target pressure change under a condition of the actual surge tank volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Eiraku
  • Patent number: 7849830
    Abstract: A spark plug for igniting a combustible gas mixture in an internal combustion engine includes an ignition electrode with an electrical supply line is connected thereto. A pipe housing is provided for enclosing the electrical supply line and a venting channel is provided for discharging combustion gases from the pipe housing. The venting channel provides for discharging combustion gases infiltrating the spark plug as leakage gases run along the supply line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Inventors: Georg Maul, Reinhard Latsch, Dieter Kuhnert