Patents by Inventor Hidekazu Hironobu

Hidekazu Hironobu 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: 11401878
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in an injection start priority mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or an injection end priority mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in the injection start priority mode or the injection end priority mode in accordance with an injection mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Ryuichi Hata, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi
  • Patent number: 11339739
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform determining whether a start of the internal combustion engine is complete, determining whether a warm-up of an exhaust catalyst device is needed, acquiring an information on a temperature inside a cylinder, switching an injection mode, and controlling the fuel injector to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection mode, the switching including switching the injection mode to the first injection mode when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is needed, and switching the injection mode to the second injection mode or the third injection mode in accordance with the information on the temperature when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is not needed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 24, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hironobu, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11326536
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus is configured to control an internal combustion engine including a piston reciprocating in a cylinder and a fuel injector arranged to inject a fuel into a combustion chamber facing the piston in the cylinder. The internal combustion engine control apparatus includes an electronic control unit having a microprocessor and a memory. The microprocessor is configured to perform controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in an injectable area from a first crank angle at which an intake stroke is started to a second crank angle at which a compression stroke is ended, and setting an injection frequency of the fuel injected by the fuel injector in the injectable area. The microprocessor is configured to perform the setting including setting the injection frequency between once and four times.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki, Hidekazu Hironobu, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito, Takaya Kawana
  • Patent number: 11326530
    Abstract: A temperature acquisition apparatus for an internal combustion engine is configured to acquire a temperature of a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes: an electronic control unit having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to perform: acquiring an intake air amount of the internal combustion engine; calculating a cumulative intake air amount based on the intake air amount; and acquiring a temperature of the internal combustion engine based on the cumulative intake air amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Daiki Yamazaki, Hidekazu Hironobu, Masatoshi Nakajima, Ryuichi Hata, Nobuaki Ito
  • Patent number: 11313315
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform controlling a fuel injector so as to inject a fuel of a target injection amount by dividing into a plurality of times at a predetermined time interval in an area from a first crank angle at which an intake stroke is started to a second crank angle at which a compression stroke is ended, and setting the predetermined time interval. The microprocessor is configured to perform the setting including setting the predetermined time interval so that a spray length from a tip of the fuel injector to a tip of a spray of the fuel injected from the fuel injector becomes shorter than the spray length when the fuel of the target injection amount is injected at once in the area by a predetermined rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hata, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Takaya Kawana
  • Patent number: 11306677
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating injection target values per a combustion cycle, controlling a fuel injector so as to inject fuel in accordance with the injection target values, instructing a switching between a first mode injecting the fuel and a second mode stopping the fuel injection, determining whether it is possible to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection target values when the switching from the second mode to the first mode is instructed, and modifying the injection target values by reducing a target injection frequency when it is determined to be impossible to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection target values, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector, when the injection target values are modified, so as to inject the fuel in accordance with modified injection target values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Masahiro Takeuchi, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Nobuaki Ito, Ryuichi Hata, Yasunori Shinmi
  • Patent number: 11236693
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in the first injection mode first and in the second injection mode last when the fuel is injected multiple times between an intake stroke and a compression stroke.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 11162452
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including an electronic control unit having a microprocessor and a memory. The microprocessor is configured to perform switching an injection mode between a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected in a range including an intake stroke and a compression stroke of an internal combustion engine and a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected in the range so that an injection frequency in the compression stroke in the second injection mode is greater than an injection frequency in the compression stroke in the first injection mode; and determining whether the injection mode needs to be switched based on an ignition timing of the ignitor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito, Ryuichi Hata, Hiroaki Tone
  • Patent number: 11162446
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in an intake stroke in the first injection mode, while inject the fuel in a compression stroke in the second injection mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2021
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20210301756
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating injection target values per a combustion cycle, controlling a fuel injector so as to inject fuel in accordance with the injection target values, instructing a switching between a first mode injecting the fuel and a second mode stopping the fuel injection, determining whether it is possible to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection target values when the switching from the second mode to the first mode is instructed, and modifying the injection target values by reducing a target injection frequency when it is determined to be impossible to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection target values, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector, when the injection target values are modified, so as to inject the fuel in accordance with modified injection target values.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Masahiro Takeuchi, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Nobuaki Ito, Ryuichi Hata, Yasunori Shinmi
  • Publication number: 20210301741
    Abstract: A temperature acquisition apparatus for an internal combustion engine is configured to acquire a temperature of a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The apparatus includes: an electronic control unit having a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. The processor is configured to perform: acquiring an intake air amount of the internal combustion engine; calculating a cumulative intake air amount based on the intake air amount; and acquiring a temperature of the internal combustion engine based on the cumulative intake air amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Daiki Yamazaki, Hidekazu Hironobu, Masatoshi Nakajima, Ryuichi Hata, Nobuaki Ito
  • Publication number: 20210301751
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform determining whether a warm-up of an exhaust catalyst device disposed on an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine is complete; acquiring an information on a temperature inside a cylinder of the internal combustion engine; switching an injection mode to a first injection mode or a second injection mode in accordance with an information on a temperature inside the cylinder when it is determined that a warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is complete; and controlling a fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in accordance with an injection mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hironobu, Nobuaki Ito, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima
  • Publication number: 20210301755
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform controlling a fuel injector so as to inject a fuel of a target injection amount by dividing into a plurality of times at a predetermined time interval in an area from a first crank angle at which an intake stroke is started to a second crank angle at which a compression stroke is ended, and setting the predetermined time interval. The microprocessor is configured to perform the setting including setting the predetermined time interval so that a spray length from a tip of the fuel injector to a tip of a spray of the fuel injected from the fuel injector becomes shorter than the spray length when the fuel of the target injection amount is injected at once in the area by a predetermined rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hata, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Takaya Kawana
  • Publication number: 20210301746
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in the first injection mode first and in the second injection mode last when the fuel is injected multiple times between an intake stroke and a compression stroke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20210301752
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform determining whether a start of the internal combustion engine is complete, determining whether a warm-up of an exhaust catalyst device is needed, acquiring an information on a temperature inside a cylinder, switching an injection mode, and controlling the fuel injector to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection mode, the switching including switching the injection mode to the first injection mode when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is needed, and switching the injection mode to the second injection mode or the third injection mode in accordance with the information on the temperature when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is not needed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hironobu, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito
  • Publication number: 20210301745
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in an intake stroke in the first injection mode, while inject the fuel in a compression stroke in the second injection mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi, Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki
  • Publication number: 20210301744
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus is configured to control an internal combustion engine including a piston reciprocating in a cylinder and a fuel injector arranged to inject a fuel into a combustion chamber facing the piston in the cylinder. The internal combustion engine control apparatus includes an electronic control unit having a microprocessor and a memory. The microprocessor is configured to perform controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in an injectable area from a first crank angle at which an intake stroke is started to a second crank angle at which a compression stroke is ended, and setting an injection frequency of the fuel injected by the fuel injector in the injectable area. The microprocessor is configured to perform the setting including setting the injection frequency between once and four times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Ryuichi Hata, Daiki Yamazaki, Hidekazu Hironobu, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito, Takaya Kawana
  • Publication number: 20210301747
    Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in an injection start priority mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or an injection end priority mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in the injection start priority mode or the injection end priority mode in accordance with an injection mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Masatoshi Nakajima, Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Ryuichi Hata, Nobuaki Ito, Yasunori Shinmi
  • Publication number: 20210301753
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus including an electronic control unit having a microprocessor and a memory. The microprocessor is configured to perform switching an injection mode between a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected in a range including an intake stroke and a compression stroke of an internal combustion engine and a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected in the range so that an injection frequency in the compression stroke in the second injection mode is greater than an injection frequency in the compression stroke in the first injection mode; and determining whether the injection mode needs to be switched based on an ignition timing of the ignitor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2021
    Publication date: September 30, 2021
    Inventors: Hidekazu Hironobu, Daiki Yamazaki, Masatoshi Nakajima, Nobuaki Ito, Ryuichi Hata, Hiroaki Tone
  • Patent number: 10690065
    Abstract: A control device of a vehicle capable of improving acceleration responsiveness and suppressing increase in the NOx emission amount when a required torque is increased during a steady lean operation. A target air-fuel ratio (AFCMD) is set according to an accelerator pedal operation of a driver. When the driver depresses an accelerator pedal to make an acceleration request during the lean operation, in which the AFCMD is set to a predetermined lean air-fuel ratio (AFLN), air-fuel ratio reduction control is executed to reduce the AFCMD according to the acceleration request. In the air-fuel ratio reduction control, when the AFCMD calculated according to a required torque (TRQCMD) is smaller than a limit air-fuel ratio (AFLMT), the AFCMD is set to the AFLMT, and the AFLMT is set to a value smaller than the AFLN set in a steady state of the lean operation and larger than a theoretical air-fuel ratio (AFST).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masahiro Takeuchi, Masaki Ueno, Hidekazu Hironobu, Masanobu Takazawa, Haruya Kitano