Patents by Inventor Hirokazu Konohara

Hirokazu Konohara 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: 9506383
    Abstract: A blow-by gas refluxing device is provided for an engine system including an engine and an intake air passage communicating with the engine for supplying intake air into the engine. The blow-by gas refluxing device includes a plurality of blow-by gas refluxing passages each having an inlet communicating with the engine and an outlet communicating with the intake air passage. The outlets of the blow-by gas passages communicate with the intake air passage at different positions along the length of the intake air passage and each of the blow-by gas passages has a backflow preventing device disposed therein, so that blow-by gas produced in the engine can flow into the intake air passage via at least one of the blow-by gas refluxing passages throughout the entire operational range of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2016
    Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makoto Hattori, Hirokazu Konohara, Minoru Onobayashi
  • Patent number: 9382881
    Abstract: A mounting structure for mounting a PCV valve includes a mount recess formed in at least one of joint surfaces of a cylinder head and an intake manifold, so that at least a part of the PCV valve can be fitted into the mount recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2016
    Assignee: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hironori Tanikawa, Naotaka Yoshikawa, Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20150114369
    Abstract: A mounting structure for mounting a PCV valve includes a mount recess formed in at least one of joint surfaces of a cylinder head and an intake manifold, so that at least a part of the PCV valve can be fitted into the mount recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 30, 2014
    Publication date: April 30, 2015
    Inventors: Hironori TANIKAWA, Naotaka YOSHIKAWA, Hirokazu KONOHARA
  • Patent number: 8991365
    Abstract: An upstream side and a downstream side of a supercharger in the intake passage are connected through a bypass passage in which an ejector is provided. An outlet of a first blowby gas returning passage is connected to the bypass passage through the ejector. An outlet of a second blowby gas bypass passage is connected to the intake passage downstream of a throttle valve. An inlet of the first blowby gas returning passage and an inlet of the second blowby gas returning passage are placed adjacent to each other in a head cover. A check valve is provided in the first blowby gas returning passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2015
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirokazu Konohara
  • Patent number: 8955501
    Abstract: A mounting structure for mounting a PCV valve includes a mount recess formed in at least one of joint surfaces of a cylinder head and an intake manifold, so that at least a part of the PCV valve can be fitted into the mount recess.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 17, 2015
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hironori Tanikawa, Naotaka Yoshikawa, Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20140311468
    Abstract: A blow-by gas refluxing device is provided for an engine system including an engine and an intake air passage communicating with the engine for supplying intake air into the engine. The blow-by gas refluxing device includes a plurality of blow-by gas refluxing passages each having an inlet communicating with the engine and an outlet communicating with the intake air passage. The outlets of the blow-by gas passages communicate with the intake air passage at different positions along the length of the intake air passage and each of the blow-by gas passages has a backflow preventing device disposed therein, so that blow-by gas produced in the engine can flow into the intake air passage via at least one of the blow-by gas refluxing passages throughout the entire operational range of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 3, 2014
    Publication date: October 23, 2014
    Inventors: Makoto HATTORI, Hirokazu KONOHARA, Minoru ONOBAYASHI
  • Patent number: 8813731
    Abstract: A blow-by gas refluxing device is provided for an engine system including an engine and an intake air passage communicating with the engine for supplying intake air into the engine. The blow-by gas refluxing device includes a plurality of blow-by gas refluxing passages each having an inlet communicating with the engine and an outlet communicating with the intake air passage. The outlets of the blow-by gas passages communicate with the intake air passage at different positions along the length of the intake air passage and each of the blow-by gas passages has a backflow preventing device disposed therein, so that blow-by gas produced in the engine can flow into the intake air passage via at least one of the blow-by gas refluxing passages throughout the entire operational range of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2014
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Makoto Hattori, Hirokazu Konohara, Minoru Onobayashi
  • Patent number: 8511285
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment apparatus collects vapor, generated in a fuel tank, in a canister. A bypass passage is provided for an intake passage. An ejector is placed in the bypass passage to generate a negative pressure by air flowing in the bypass passage. When the negative pressure occurs in the ejector, the vapor collected in the canister is drawn from the canister to the ejector through the purge passage and then purged from the bypass passage to the intake passage. An open/close valve placed in the ejector is configured to allow or block the flow of air from the intake passage to the bypass passage according to a pressure difference between the pressure in an upstream portion and the pressure in a downstream portion of the bypass passage during engine operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Konohara, Fumihito Nakatani, Tatsuya Furuhashi
  • Publication number: 20120247438
    Abstract: An upstream side and a downstream side of a supercharger in the intake passage are connected through a bypass passage in which an ejector is provided. An outlet of a first blowby gas returning passage is connected to the bypass passage through the ejector. An outlet of a second blowby gas bypass passage is connected to the intake passage downstream of a throttle valve. An inlet of the first blowby gas returning passage and an inlet of the second blowby gas returning passage are placed adjacent to each other in a head cover. A check valve is provided in the first blowby gas returning passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 29, 2012
    Publication date: October 4, 2012
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirokazu KONOHARA
  • Patent number: 8122870
    Abstract: A blowby gas returning apparatus is mounted in an engine provided with a turbocharger in an intake passage and provided with a blowby gas returning passage for flowing blowby gas generated in the engine to return to the engine. This apparatus comprises an intake bypass passage connecting an upstream side and a downstream side of the intake passage with respect to the turbocharger, and a jet pump for generating negative pressure in the intake bypass passage. An exit of the first blowby gas returning passage is connected to the intake bypass passage through the jet pump. The apparatus further includes a second blowby gas returning passage connecting the intake passage downstream of the throttle valve to a head cover. In the head cover, a PCV valve is placed at an entrance of the second blowby gas returning passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20110203559
    Abstract: A mounting structure for mounting a PCV valve includes a mount recess formed in at least one of joint surfaces of a cylinder head and an intake manifold, so that at least a part of the PCV valve can be fitted into the mount recess.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 18, 2011
    Publication date: August 25, 2011
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hironori TANIKAWA, Naotaka YOSHIKAWA, Hirokazu KONOHARA
  • Publication number: 20110146631
    Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment apparatus collects vapor, generated in a fuel tank, in a canister. A bypass passage is provided for an intake passage. An ejector is placed in the bypass passage to generate a negative pressure by air flowing in the bypass passage. When the negative pressure occurs in the ejector, the vapor collected in the canister is drawn from the canister to the ejector through the purge passage and then purged from the bypass passage to the intake passage. An open/close valve placed in the ejector is configured to allow or block the flow of air from the intake passage to the bypass passage according to a pressure difference between the pressure in an upstream portion and the pressure in a downstream portion of the bypass passage during engine operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 12, 2010
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu KONOHARA, Fumihito NAKATANI, Tatsuya FURUHASHI
  • Publication number: 20110073082
    Abstract: A blow-by gas refluxing device is provided for an engine system including an engine and an intake air passage communicating with the engine for supplying intake air into the engine. The blow-by gas refluxing device includes a plurality of blow-by gas refluxing passages each having an inlet communicating with the engine and an outlet communicating with the intake air passage. The outlets of the blow-by gas passages communicate with the intake air passage at different positions along the length of the intake air passage and each of the blow-by gas passages has a backflow preventing device disposed therein, so that blow-by gas produced in the engine can flow into the intake air passage via at least one of the blow-by gas refluxing passages throughout the entire operational range of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 29, 2010
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Makoto Hattori, Hirokazu Konohara, Minoru Onobayashi
  • Patent number: 7891346
    Abstract: A blowby gas returning device is arranged to allow blowby gas leaking from a combustion chamber of an engine to flow in an intake passage through a returning passage and return to the combustion chamber, and arranged to regulate a flow rate of the blowby gas by a PCV valve provided in the returning passage. This blowby gas returning device comprises an outside-air passage for mixing outside air into the blowby gas before being introduced into the PCV valve; and an open-close valve for opening and closing the outside-air passage. An electronic control unit controls the open-close valve to open when the operating state detected by sensors is an idle state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Asanuma, Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20090308364
    Abstract: A blowby gas returning apparatus is mounted in an engine provided with a turbocharger in an intake passage and provided with a blowby gas returning passage for flowing blowby gas generated in the engine to return to the engine. This apparatus comprises an intake bypass passage connecting an upstream side and a downstream side of the intake passage with respect to the turbocharger, and a jet pump for generating negative pressure in the intake bypass passage. An exit of the first blowby gas returning passage is connected to the intake bypass passage through the jet pump. The apparatus further includes a second blowby gas returning passage connecting the intake passage downstream of the throttle valve to a head cover. In the head cover, a PCV valve is placed at an entrance of the second blowby gas returning passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Publication date: December 17, 2009
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20090301446
    Abstract: The present invention includes an air introduction device capable of introducing air into a crankcase of the engine during a supercharging operation of a supercharger, so that blow-by gas within the crankcase can be scavenged into the intake air passage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 3, 2009
    Publication date: December 10, 2009
    Applicants: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISAH, TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi ASANUMA, Hirokazu KONOHARA, Naoya OKADA
  • Publication number: 20090001299
    Abstract: A PCV valve comprises: a valve seat; a valve element provided movable relative to the valve seat; a step motor for moving the valve element; and a housing which houses the valve seat, the valve element, and the step motor. The PCV valve is arranged to operate the step motor by energization to move the valve element with respect to the valve seat so that an area of a blowby gas passage formed between the valve seat and the valve element is changed. An output shaft of the step motor is a member having a higher thermal conductivity than the housing. The step motor, the valve element, and the valve seat are enclosed in a cylindrical case. The step motor and the valve seat are placed in contact with the case.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 16, 2008
    Publication date: January 1, 2009
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Asanuma, Katsumi Ishida, Koichi Suzuki, Hirokazu Konohara
  • Publication number: 20080257320
    Abstract: A blowby gas returning device is arranged to allow blowby gas leaking from a combustion chamber of an engine to flow in an intake passage through a returning passage and return to the combustion chamber, and arranged to regulate a flow rate of the blowby gas by a PCV valve provided in the returning passage. This blowby gas returning device comprises an outside-air passage for mixing outside air into the blowby gas before being introduced into the PCV valve; and an open-close valve for opening and closing the outside-air passage. An electronic control unit controls the open-close valve to open when the operating state detected by sensors is an idle state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2008
    Publication date: October 23, 2008
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Asanuma, Hirokazu Konohara
  • Patent number: 7438048
    Abstract: An object is to prevent deterioration in both exhaust emission and fuel efficiency by suitably combining OTP boosting with power boosting. An electronic control unit (ECU) 30 of the present invention is arranged to control a fuel injection amount of an injector 7 to an engine 1 according to an operating condition of the engine 1, and perform OTP boosting of the fuel injection amount to prevent overheating of a discharge passage 3 and a catalyst converter 11 when the engine 1 comes into a high load and high rotation operating condition and perform power boosting that increases the fuel injection amount to enrich an air-fuel ratio to an output air-fuel ratio when the engine 1 comes into a high load operating condition. The ECU 30 executes the power boosting when the engine 1 comes into the high load and high rotation operating condition and executes the OTP boosting later from the start of the power boosting, delayed by a period attributable to at least an increased amount of fuel by the power boosting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 22, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 21, 2008
    Assignees: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Minoru Onobayashi, Hirokazu Konohara, Nobuhiro Ogasawara, Kunihiko Sato
  • Publication number: 20080099000
    Abstract: A PCV valve include a housing which internally has a valve chamber including an entrance at one end and an exit at the other end in an axial direction of the valve chamber. In the valve chamber, a valve element which is axially movable and a spring which urges the valve element toward the entrance are provided. An electric heater is provided in the housing. The valve element includes an end which is movable close to the entrance. The electric heater is arranged in such a manner as to surround the valve chamber from the exit to the end of the valve element closer to the entrance. The electric heater includes a cylindrical bobbin made of a high heat-conductive material and a coil wound on the outer periphery of the bobbin. The bobbin has an inner peripheral surface forming a large part of an inner peripheral surface of the valve chamber.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2007
    Publication date: May 1, 2008
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koichi Suzuki, Mamoru Tateishi, Katsumi Ishida, Hiroshi Asanuma, Hirokazu Konohara, Hideto Ide