Patents by Inventor Hitoki Sugimoto

Hitoki Sugimoto 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: 11919505
    Abstract: A control device can execute a first diagnosis process of, when first execution conditions are met, diagnosing whether an air-fuel ratio sensor has an abnormality while executing a motoring process, and a second diagnosis process of, when second execution conditions are met, diagnosing whether a GPF has an abnormality while executing the motoring process. In an execution determination process, the control device prohibits execution of both the first diagnosis process and the second diagnosis process when at least either the first execution conditions or the second execution conditions are not met, and permits execution of both the first diagnosis process and the second diagnosis process when both the first execution conditions and the second execution conditions are met.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11773800
    Abstract: A controller for a hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine ECU and a HEVECU. The engine ECU executes a partial cylinder fuel cut-off control that stops supply of fuel to one or more cylinders and supplies fuel to the remaining ones of the cylinders. Further, the engine ECU sends control information of the partial cylinder fuel cut-off control to the HEVECU. The HEVECU executes a driving force compensation control so as to compensate for, using driving force of a motor generator, a decrease in driving force of a multi-cylinder engine that results from the execution of the partial cylinder fuel cut-off control. The engine ECU prohibits the execution of the partial cylinder fuel cut-off control when an anomaly possibly occurs in the sending and receiving of the control information of the partial cylinder fuel cut-off control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 3, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11703003
    Abstract: A CPU stops combustion control of Cylinder #1 in order to perform a regeneration process of a GPF and performs a regeneration process of causing an air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture in Cylinders #2 to #4 to be richer. When it is determined that a misfire has occurred because a misfire rate when the regeneration process is not being performed is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the CPU determines that an internal combustion engine has returned to a normal state based on the premise that the misfire rate when the regeneration process is not being performed decreases.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 18, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11655742
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes an exhaust passage, and a filter for collecting particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas. The vehicle includes a cooling fan for circulating air around a radiator and the filter. A control device of the vehicle executes an accumulated amount calculation process for calculating a particulate matter accumulated amount. The control device executes a regeneration process under a condition that the particulate matter accumulated amount exceeds a specified amount. The regeneration process is a process for regenerating the filter when the particulate matter collected on the filter is combusted. The control device executes a fan drive process for driving the cooling fan. When the regeneration process is being executed, the control device executes the fan drive process regardless of a coolant temperature under a condition that a vehicle speed is smaller than a specified speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11643989
    Abstract: A determination device for an internal combustion engine executes a partial fuel cut-off process. The determination device determines that exhaust gas characteristics have deteriorated when the misfire rate of the internal combustion engine is greater than or equal to a determination threshold. The determination device sets the determination threshold to a first determination threshold when the calculated misfire rate is a misfire rate in a period of non-execution of the partial fuel cut-off process. Also, the determination device sets the determination threshold to a second determination threshold, which is less than the first determination threshold, when the calculated misfire rate is a misfire rate in a period of execution of the partial fuel cut-off process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11608801
    Abstract: Upon a predetermined first diagnosis execution condition being met, an electronic control unit executes a first diagnosis process of diagnosing whether an exhaust gas recirculation device has an abnormality based on an amount of change that a measured value of an intake air pressure undergoes as a result of a change in an EGR valve position. When a predetermined second diagnosis execution condition is met and, moreover, the first diagnosis process is not being executed, the electronic control unit executes a second diagnosis process of diagnosing whether an exhaust gas cleaning filter has a fracture based on measured values of an incoming gas temperature and an outgoing gas temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Publication number: 20230076483
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine includes an exhaust passage, and a filter for collecting particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas. The vehicle includes a cooling fan for circulating air around a radiator and the filter. A control device of the vehicle executes an accumulated amount calculation process for calculating a particulate matter accumulated amount. The control device executes a regeneration process under a condition that the particulate matter accumulated amount exceeds a specified amount. The regeneration process is a process for regenerating the filter when the particulate matter collected on the filter is combusted. The control device executes a fan drive process for driving the cooling fan. When the regeneration process is being executed, the control device executes the fan drive process regardless of a coolant temperature under a condition that a vehicle speed is smaller than a specified speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2022
    Publication date: March 9, 2023
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki SUGIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11598258
    Abstract: A CPU determines that misfires are occurring in a cylinder subject to determination of whether misfires are occurring when a value obtained by subtracting a rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n?2] from a rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n] is greater than or equal to a determination threshold. The rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n] is subject to the misfire determination. The rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n?2] is 360° CA earlier than the rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n]. When stopping fuel supply to a cylinder #1 and determining whether misfires are occurring in cylinder #4, the CPU determines whether misfires are occurring after executing a correcting process that corrects the determination threshold to a second determination threshold ?th2, which is less than a first determination threshold ?th1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11591938
    Abstract: If an engine coolant temperature is equal to or lower than a first low-temperature determination value and a battery temperature is equal to or lower than a second low-temperature determination value when a request to start up an engine is made, the advancement driving of a variable valve operating mechanism is first started. Then, when an advancement amount of the variable valve operating mechanism later becomes equal to or larger than a prescribed startup start determination value, is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11554772
    Abstract: A controller for a hybrid electric vehicle includes processing circuitry configured to execute a manual filter regeneration process when satisfying a condition including that execution of the manual filter regeneration process is requested to decrease a PM deposit amount on the filter and that the hybrid electric vehicle is in a stopped state. In the manual filter regeneration process, when a state of charge of the battery becomes less than a discharge threshold value, an output of an internal combustion engine is converted to electric power for charging the battery while the filter is supplied with oxygen from the engine. Further, when the state of charge of the battery becomes greater than or equal to a charge threshold value that is greater than or equal to the discharge threshold value, an output shaft of the engine is rotated with the motor to supply the filter with oxygen from the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Taichi Miura, Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11554770
    Abstract: A controller for a hybrid vehicle controls an electric motor such that a motor torque is input to a crankshaft in order to compensate for a decrease in an engine torque when a cylinder deactivation control is executed, the decrease resulting from suspension of combustion in one or some of cylinders. The controller calculates an engine torque calculated value using an engine rotation speed, a motor rotation speed, and the motor torque. The controller diagnoses that the cylinder deactivation control is functioning normally when the engine torque calculated value is less than a torque determination value and diagnose that the cylinder deactivation control is not functioning normally when the engine torque calculated value is not less than the torque determination value during the execution of the cylinder deactivation control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11536214
    Abstract: A CPU determines that there is a misfire when a relative magnitude of a rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[0] related to a cylinder subject to the determination in relation to a rotation fluctuation amounts ?T30[4] of the previous combustion cycle is greater than or equal to the determination value ?th. However, during the execution of a catalyst warm-up process, the CPU uses, in the comparison, the relative magnitude of the rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[0] in relation to the average ?T30ave[0] of the smallest five of the rotation fluctuation amounts ?T30[4] to ?T30[40] from the past ten combustion cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: December 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11519355
    Abstract: A misfire detection device and method for an internal combustion engine are provided. A deactivating process deactivates combustion control for air-fuel mixture in a deactivated cylinder. An instantaneous speed variable indicates a speed in a case where a crankshaft rotates by a specific angle. The specific angle of the first instantaneous speed variable is a first angle. The specific angle of the second instantaneous speed variable is a second angle greater than the first angle. A second determining process determines whether a misfire has occurred from a magnitude of a rotation fluctuation amount of a subject of determination, instead of a relative magnitude of the rotation fluctuation amount of the subject of the determination relative to a reference rotation fluctuation amount, when the reference rotation fluctuation amount is a rotation fluctuation amount of the deactivated cylinder during the execution of the deactivating process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2022
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11499493
    Abstract: A misfire determination period is set to a predetermined range of a crank angle. A CPU performs: a calculation process of calculating an average value of a torque of an output shaft of an internal combustion engine in the misfire determination period; a misfire determining process of determining that a misfire has occurred when the calculated average value is less than a prescribed threshold value; and a process of setting the whole misfire determination period to a period in a positive torque range which is a range of a crank angle at which the torque of the output shaft is equal to or greater than zero at the time of normal combustion in which a misfire does not occur.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 15, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11486287
    Abstract: A control device is configured to execute a process of calculating an increase amount of deterioration obtained by subtracting from a first degree of deterioration that is a degree of deterioration of the three-way catalyst during execution of the oxygen supply process a second degree of deterioration that is a degree of deterioration of a three-way catalyst in a case where an oxygen supply process of supplying oxygen to an exhaust passage is assumed not to be executed, a process of calculating an integrated value of the increase amount of deterioration, and a process of executing a deterioration reduction process of reducing a rate of deterioration of the three-way catalyst in a case where the calculated integrated value is equal to or larger than a first determination value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11485348
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle controller includes processing circuitry configured to execute a particulate matter (PM) deposition amount estimation process that estimates a deposition amount of PM deposited in the filter. The processing circuitry is configured to switch between a first mode and a second mode as a control mode that defines control of the engine and the motor. A use of the engine is limited in the first mode as compared with the second mode. The processing circuitry is configured to execute a display process that notifies a user that the filter needs to be regenerated when the control mode is the second mode if the estimated deposition amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, and not to execute the display process when the control mode is the first mode even if the deposition amount is greater than or equal to the predetermined amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11480125
    Abstract: A CPU performs a regeneration process for a GPF by stopping combustion control of cylinder #1 and causing an air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture in the other cylinders to be richer. The CPU calculates a rotational fluctuation amount which is used to detect random misfires in which a misfire rate in a predetermined period is equal to or greater than a predetermined proportion by calculating a difference in time et3txdh in which a crank shaft rotates by 30°CA. At the time of performing the regeneration process, the CPU calculates the rotational fluctuation amount based on a value obtained by removing an influence of torsion of a damper from the time et3txdh. When the influence of torsion is removed, 0.5th-order rotation and harmonics thereof are selectively used using a filter process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Date of Patent: October 25, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Publication number: 20220316368
    Abstract: If an engine coolant temperature is equal to or lower than a first low-temperature determination value and a battery temperature is equal to or lower than a second low-temperature determination value when a request to start up an engine is made, the advancement driving of a variable valve operating mechanism is first started. Then, when an advancement amount of the variable valve operating mechanism later becomes equal to or larger than a prescribed startup start determination value, is started.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 3, 2022
    Publication date: October 6, 2022
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki SUGIMOTO
  • Patent number: 11454182
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine is configured to execute a temperature-increasing process, a misfire detecting process that detects a misfire, a determining process, and a decreasing process. The temperature-increasing process includes increasing a temperature of a catalyst through a partial cylinder fuel cut-off process. The determining process includes determining whether a number of misfires detected by the misfire detecting process in a number of times combustion control has been executed in each of cylinders is greater than or equal to a given value. The decreasing process includes setting an amount of temperature increase in the catalyst to be smaller when the number of misfires is greater than or equal to the given value than when the number of misfires is less than the given value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 27, 2022
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11441504
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine includes processing circuitry that executes a richening process until an exhaust sensor detects exhaust gas having a rich air-fuel ratio. The processing circuitry executes an air supplying process to supply a catalytic converter with air until the exhaust sensor detects that the exhaust gas has a lean air-fuel ratio. The processing circuitry cumulates the amount of air supplied to the catalytic converter until the exhaust sensor detects that the exhaust gas has a lean air-fuel ratio in the air supplying process. The air supplying process includes stopping fuel supplied to the one or more of the cylinders and performing combustion at an air-fuel ratio that is less than or equal to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in the remaining one or more of the cylinders.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2021
    Date of Patent: September 13, 2022
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto