Patents by Inventor Akikazu Kojima

Akikazu Kojima has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8175789
    Abstract: As a compression-ignition direct-injection engine combustion controller, a program for detecting ignition timing of a main injection Mn (main ignition timing), a program for correcting a command value of main injection execution timing in a direction to the side where a detection value is converged within a predetermined range, a program for determining whether or not the corrected command value is within a predetermined range, and a program for, when it is determined that the command value is not within the range, correcting a command value related to an injection amount of a pilot injection Pt based on whether or not the command value is on a delay side or an advance side of the range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 8, 2012
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Youhei Morimoto, Tokuji Kuronita, Satoru Sasaki
  • Patent number: 7926331
    Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel property detector for detecting a property of fuel injected by a fuel injector into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The fuel property detector includes an injection commander, a change detector, and a fuel property determiner. The injection commander commands the fuel injector to perform a fuel injection for fuel property detection into the cylinder of the engine. The change detector detects a change in the rotational speed of the engine which is caused by the fuel injection for fuel property detection. The fuel property determiner determines the property of the fuel based on the change in the rotational speed of the engine detected by the change detector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Koji Tsutsumi, Xinyi Li, Kazuhiro Higuchi, Hironari Nakagawa, Akikazu Kojima, Youhei Morimoto, Shinya Hoshi, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Patent number: 7921699
    Abstract: The rotational position detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a rotational angle sensor outputting a rotation angle signal indicative of a rotational angle of the internal combustion engine, an in-cylinder pressure sensor outputting an in-cylinder pressure signal indicative of an in-cylinder pressure of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, and a reference rotational position detecting section which detects a specific rotational angle of the internal combustion engine at which the in-cylinder pressure becomes a predetermined reference pressure under a predetermined running condition of the internal combustion engine, and determines the detected specific rotational angle as a reference rotational position of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Shinya Hoshi, Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 7894975
    Abstract: A combustion control device is configured to control combustion in a combustion chamber of a compression ignition engine. An index detection unit is configured to detect multiple combustion state indices each indicating a combustion state in the combustion chamber. The multiple combustion state indices may include an ignition time point and an MFB50 time point, at which a combustion mass rate becomes 50% of total. A determination unit is configured to select a combustion state index from the multiple combustion state indices based on a determination condition such as an operation state of the engine. A control unit is configured to manipulate a parameter of the combustion state such as a fuel injection time point, at which a fuel injection valve injects fuel, so as to control the combustion state index at a target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 7647161
    Abstract: A fuel injector performs a main injection and a pilot injection prior to the main injection. A fuel injection controller detects an ignition timing of a fuel injected at the main injection, detects a driving condition of the internal combustion engine, and varies a pilot injection quantity of the pilot injection when the driving condition is stable. Furthermore, the controller detects a variation in ignition timing due to a variation in the pilot injection quantity, and learns the pilot injection quantity based on the variation in ignition timing due to the variation in the pilot injection quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: January 12, 2010
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Haraguchi, Akikazu Kojima, Youhei Morimoto
  • Publication number: 20090266336
    Abstract: A combustion control device is configured to control combustion in a combustion chamber of a compression ignition engine. An index detection unit is configured to detect multiple combustion state indices each indicating a combustion state in the combustion chamber. The multiple combustion state indices may include an ignition time point and an MFB50 time point, at which a combustion mass rate becomes 50% of total. A determination unit is configured to select a combustion state index from the multiple combustion state indices based on a determination condition such as an operation state of the engine. A control unit is configured to manipulate a parameter of the combustion state such as a fuel injection time point, at which a fuel injection valve injects fuel, so as to control the combustion state index at a target value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2009
    Publication date: October 29, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 7574298
    Abstract: A fuel injection controller of an internal combustion engine decreases a target intake quantity stepwise and increases an opening degree command value of an EGR valve stepwise when the controller switches control to rich combustion control. Accordingly, an intake quantity gradually decreases and an EGR quantity gradually increases, so an oxygen quantity flowing into a combustion chamber (cylinder inflow oxygen quantity) gradually decreases. The injection quantity is gradually increased in accordance with the gradual decrease of the oxygen quantity. Thus, the fuel injection controller can perform processing for making an air fuel ratio rich in order to discharge nitrogen oxides from an occlusion agent while appropriately inhibiting torque fluctuation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Akikazu Kojima
  • Publication number: 20090198456
    Abstract: There is disclosed a fuel property detector for detecting a property of fuel injected by a fuel injector into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. The fuel property detector includes an injection commander, a change detector, and a fuel property determiner. The injection commander commands the fuel injector to perform a fuel injection for fuel property detection into the cylinder of the engine. The change detector detects a change in the rotational speed of the engine which is caused by the fuel injection for fuel property detection. The fuel property determiner determines the property of the fuel based on the change in the rotational speed of the engine detected by the change detector.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 30, 2009
    Publication date: August 6, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Koji Tsutsumi, Xinyi Li, Kazuhiro Higuchi, Hironari Nakagawa, Akikazu Kojima, Youhei Morimoto, Shinya Hoshi, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20090178473
    Abstract: The rotational position detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a rotational angle sensor outputting a rotation angle signal indicative of a rotational angle of the internal combustion engine, an in-cylinder pressure sensor outputting an in-cylinder pressure signal indicative of an in-cylinder pressure of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, and a reference rotational position detecting section which detects a specific rotational angle of the internal combustion engine at which the in-cylinder pressure becomes a predetermined reference pressure under a predetermined running condition of the internal combustion engine, and determines the detected specific rotational angle as a reference rotational position of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2009
    Publication date: July 16, 2009
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinya Hoshi, Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima
  • Publication number: 20090132152
    Abstract: A fuel injector performs a main injection and a pilot injection prior to the main injection. A fuel injection controller detects an ignition timing of a fuel injected at the main injection, detects a driving condition of the internal combustion engine, and varies a pilot injection quantity of the pilot injection when the driving condition is stable. Furthermore, the controller detects a variation in ignition timing due to a variation in the pilot injection quantity, and learns the pilot injection quantity based on the variation in ignition timing due to the variation in the pilot injection quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2008
    Publication date: May 21, 2009
    Applicant: DEMSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Hiroshi Haraguchi, Akikazu Kojima, Youhei Morimoto
  • Patent number: 7509938
    Abstract: The internal combustion engine control apparatus includes a calculation function of calculating an energy generation rate of an energy generated by combustion of fuel injected into a combustion chamber of a compression-ignition internal combustion engine, and an ignition detection function of detecting an ignition timing of the fuel in the combustion chamber on the basis of a timing at which the energy generation rate exceeds a first threshold value. When the energy generation rate due to a main injection, which is an object of ignition timing detection by the ignition detection function, exceeds the first threshold value at a plurality of timings, the ignition detection function determines an earliest one of the plurality of the timings as the ignition timing of the main injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2009
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20080243358
    Abstract: As a compression-ignition direct-injection engine combustion controller, a program for detecting ignition timing of a main injection Mn (main ignition timing), a program for correcting a command value of main injection execution timing in a direction to the side where a detection value is converged within a predetermined range, a program for determining whether or not the corrected command value is within a predetermined range, and a program for, when it is determined that the command value is not within the range, correcting a command value related to an injection amount of a pilot injection Pt based on whether or not the command value is on a delay side or an advance side of the range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2008
    Publication date: October 2, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Youhei Morimoto, Tokuji Kuronita, Satoru Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20080183368
    Abstract: A fuel injection controller of an internal combustion engine decreases a target intake quantity stepwise and increases an opening degree command value of an EGR valve stepwise when the controller switches control to rich combustion control. Accordingly, an intake quantity gradually decreases and an EGR quantity gradually increases, so an oxygen quantity flowing into a combustion chamber (cylinder inflow oxygen quantity) gradually decreases. The injection quantity is gradually increased in accordance with the gradual decrease of the oxygen quantity. Thus, the fuel injection controller can perform processing for making an air fuel ratio rich in order to discharge nitrogen oxides from an occlusion agent while appropriately inhibiting torque fluctuation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 26, 2007
    Publication date: July 31, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Akikazu Kojima
  • Patent number: 7367311
    Abstract: A compression ignition internal combustion engine includes injectors, each of which injects fuel into a corresponding cylinder. An ECU determines target ignition timing based on engine operational information and adjusts fuel injection start timing and a fuel injection quantity of each injector based on the target ignition timing. The engine further includes an air/fuel ratio sensor, which senses an oxygen concentration of exhaust gas. The ECU corrects the target ignition timing based on the oxygen concentration, which is sensed with the air/fuel ratio sensor, with reference to a predefined relationship between the oxygen concentration and ignition timing for achieving a generally equal constant torque of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Sumiko Norimoto, Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20080022976
    Abstract: The internal combustion engine control apparatus includes a calculation function of calculating an energy generation rate of an energy generated by combustion of fuel injected into a combustion chamber of a compression-ignition internal combustion engine, and an ignition detection function of detecting an ignition timing of the fuel in the combustion chamber on the basis of a timing at which the energy generation rate exceeds a first threshold value. When the energy generation rate due to a main injection, which is an object of ignition timing detection by the ignition detection function, exceeds the first threshold value at a plurality of timings, the ignition detection function determines an earliest one of the plurality of the timings as the ignition timing of the main injection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2007
    Publication date: January 31, 2008
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Youhei Morimoto, Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20070289289
    Abstract: An exhaust emission purifier includes a purification unit provided in an exhaust system of an engine for purifying exhaust gases. The exhaust emission purifier also includes an additive feeder unit operatively coupled to the exhaust system at a position between the internal combustion engine and the purification unit for providing an additive to the exhaust gases. Furthermore, the exhaust emission purifier includes a pressurized air introducer unit for receiving air pressurized by an air compressor unit, which is driven by the exhaust gases flowing in the exhaust system and compresses intake air flowing in an intake system of the internal combustion engine. The pressurized air introducer unit is operatively coupled to the additive feeder unit for providing the air pressurized by the air compressor unit to the additive feeder unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 9, 2007
    Publication date: December 20, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Syoichi Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 7254473
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus for a multi-cylinder compression ignition internal combustion engine includes a combustion status sensor and a controller. The combustion status sensor is installed in a selected one of cylinders of the engine. The controller works to sample an output from the combustion status sensor to determine a combustion status parameter and determine injection timings so as to bring the combustion status parameter into agreement with a target value. The controller also corrects the injection timing for at least one of the cylinders in which the combustion status sensor is not installed so that a combustion status parameter of the at least one of the cylinders lies on an advanced side of that of the one of the cylinders in which the combustion status sensor is installed, thereby avoiding the deterioration of quality of combustion of the fuel arising from a shift of the time of the ignition in the retarded direction from a desired time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 7, 2007
    Assignee: DENSO Corporation
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Sumiko Norimoto
  • Publication number: 20070175445
    Abstract: A compression ignition internal combustion engine includes injectors, each of which injects fuel into a corresponding cylinder. An ECU determines target ignition timing based on engine operational information and adjusts fuel injection start timing and a fuel injection quantity of each injector based on the target ignition timing. The engine further includes an air/fuel ratio sensor, which senses an oxygen concentration of exhaust gas. The ECU corrects the target ignition timing based on the oxygen concentration, which is sensed with the air/fuel ratio sensor, with reference to a predefined relationship between the oxygen concentration and ignition timing for achieving a generally equal constant torque of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 26, 2007
    Publication date: August 2, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Sumiko Norimoto, Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi
  • Publication number: 20070119418
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus for a multi-cylinder compression ignition internal combustion engine includes a combustion status sensor and a controller. The combustion status sensor is installed in a selected one of cylinders of the engine. The controller works to sample an output from the combustion status sensor to determine a combustion status parameter and determine injection timings so as to bring the combustion status parameter into agreement with a target value. The controller also corrects the injection timing for at least one of the cylinders in which the combustion status sensor is not installed so that a combustion status parameter of the at least one of the cylinders lies on an advanced side of that of the one of the cylinders in which the combustion status sensor is installed, thereby avoiding the deterioration of quality of combustion of the fuel arising from a shift of the time of the ignition in the retarded direction from a desired time point.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 29, 2006
    Publication date: May 31, 2007
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Akikazu Kojima, Hiroshi Haraguchi, Sumiko Norimoto
  • Patent number: 5722588
    Abstract: In a combustion heater, a fuel feed unit supplies a fuel uniformly into a burner so as to prevent incomplete combustion in the burner. When a vaporization member is provided in the burner, the fuel feed unit supplies the fuel uniformly all over the surface of the vaporization member so that the incomplete combustion in the burner is also prevented. In addition or alternatively, the fuel feed unit includes a fuel feed pipe and a valve unit which is provided at a tip portion of the fuel feed pipe, so as to prevent emissions of an unburned fuel. In addition or alternatively, a temperature of the fuel supplied to the burner is monitored, and an operation of the fuel feed unit or an air feed unit for supplying combustion air to the burner is controlled based on the monitored fuel temperature so as to provide a desirable air-fuel mixture for preventing incomplete combustion in the burner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Nippon Soken Inc.
    Inventors: Takashi Inoue, Masanori Yasuda, Sadahisa Onimaru, Hiroshi Okada, Akikazu Kojima, Niro Takaki