Patents by Inventor Keisuke Nagakura

Keisuke Nagakura 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: 12188424
    Abstract: An exhaust gas control apparatus removal determination device that performs an exhaust gas control apparatus removal determination processing based on a change in temperature of exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust gas control apparatus provided in an exhaust path of an engine and a change in temperature of exhaust gas flowing out. The controller determines whether the first state in which the difference between the measured value and the estimated value of the engine output is greater than or equal to a predetermined value continues for a predetermined time or longer, and determines that the engine output is in the first state. If it is determined, execution of the removal determination processing is prohibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2024
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2025
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke Nagakura
  • Publication number: 20240295197
    Abstract: An exhaust gas control apparatus removal determination device that performs an exhaust gas control apparatus removal determination processing based on a change in temperature of exhaust gas flowing into an exhaust gas control apparatus provided in an exhaust path of an engine and a change in temperature of exhaust gas flowing out. The controller determines whether the first state in which the difference between the measured value and the estimated value of the engine output is greater than or equal to a predetermined value continues for a predetermined time or longer, and determines that the engine output is in the first state. If it is determined, execution of the removal determination processing is prohibited.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 11, 2024
    Publication date: September 5, 2024
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke NAGAKURA
  • Patent number: 10982628
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, a fuel injection valve for supplying a fuel to each cylinder, an EGR passage connecting an exhaust passage and an intake passage, and an EGR valve adjusting a flow rate of exhaust flowing into the intake passage from the exhaust passage via the EGR passage, the controller includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to execute determination processing for determining that a degree of an imbalance abnormality is larger when a torque fluctuation amount is relatively large than when the torque fluctuation amount is relatively small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 20, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Nagakura, Kuniyuki Sasaki
  • Patent number: 10760535
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders, a fuel injection valve configured to supply fuel to each cylinder, an EGR passage configured to connect an exhaust passage and an intake passage, an EGR valve configured to adjust a flow rate of exhaust gas flowing from the exhaust passage into the intake passage through the EGR passage, and an air-fuel ratio sensor provided in the exhaust passage. The control device includes an electronic control unit configured to execute determination processing for determining that a degree of imbalance abnormality is greater when a fluctuation amount of a detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor is relatively large than when the fluctuation amount is relatively small.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Nagakura, Eiji Yamada
  • Patent number: 10655555
    Abstract: An engine system includes: an engine including a direct injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder of the engine and a port injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port of the engine; and an electronic control unit configured to control an operation of the engine by adjusting, based on a state of the engine, a rate of fuel injection from the direct injection valve with respect to total fuel injection and a rate of fuel injection from the port injection valve with respect to the total fuel injection. The electronic control unit executes a malfunction diagnosis with the rate of fuel injection from the direct injection valve set to 100%, when the electronic control unit determines that an execution condition for executing the malfunction diagnosis on a fuel system is satisfied and a power required of the engine is equal to or greater than a prescribed power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 19, 2020
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Nagakura
  • Patent number: 10508609
    Abstract: When imbalance diagnosis is not executed, target fuel pressure is set based on a rotation speed and volumetric efficiency of an engine, and when the imbalance diagnosis is executed, fuel pressure smaller than the target fuel pressure settable when the imbalance diagnosis is not executed is set as the target fuel pressure, and a high-pressure fuel pump that supplies fuel to a delivery pipe connected to the in-cylinder injection valve, is driven and controlled such that detected fuel pressure becomes the target fuel pressure. With this, it is possible to execute the imbalance diagnosis with higher accuracy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Technocraft Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Nagakura, Jun Hattori
  • Patent number: 10436132
    Abstract: An engine system includes: an engine including a plurality of cylinders; an EGR passage including EGR branch passages each configured to recirculate part of exhaust gas into an intake port of a corresponding one of the plurality of cylinders; an EGR valve configured to be capable of adjusting an EGR flow rate; and an ECU configured to control the EGR valve. When an engine rotation fluctuation amount in an EGR OFF state is less than a first determination value, and when the engine rotation fluctuation amount in an EGR ON state is greater than a second determination value, the ECU imposes an EGR restriction for restricting the EGR flow rate. When it is determined that the engine rotation fluctuation amount in the EGR ON state is greater than a third determination value less than the second determination value after the EGR restriction is imposed, the ECU continues the EGR restriction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 8, 2019
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Eiji Yamada, Keisuke Nagakura
  • Publication number: 20190195176
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The internal combustion engine includes a plurality of cylinders, a fuel injection valve configured to supply fuel to each cylinder, an EGR passage configured to connect an exhaust passage and an intake passage, an EGR valve configured to adjust a flow rate of exhaust gas flowing from the exhaust passage into the intake passage through the EGR passage, and an air-fuel ratio sensor provided in the exhaust passage. The control device includes an electronic control unit configured to execute determination processing for determining that a degree of imbalance abnormality is greater when a fluctuation amount of a detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor is relatively large than when the fluctuation amount is relatively small.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke NAGAKURA, Eiji YAMADA
  • Publication number: 20190195177
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders, a fuel injection valve for supplying a fuel to each cylinder, an EGR passage connecting an exhaust passage and an intake passage, and an EGR valve adjusting a flow rate of exhaust flowing into the intake passage from the exhaust passage via the EGR passage, the controller includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to execute determination processing for determining that a degree of an imbalance abnormality is larger when a torque fluctuation amount is relatively large than when the torque fluctuation amount is relatively small.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2018
    Publication date: June 27, 2019
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke NAGAKURA, Kuniyuki SASAKI
  • Publication number: 20180216547
    Abstract: An engine system includes: an engine including a plurality of cylinders; an EGR passage including EGR branch passages each configured to recirculate part of exhaust gas into an intake port of a corresponding one of the plurality of cylinders; an EGR valve configured to be capable of adjusting an EGR flow rate; and an ECU configured to control the EGR valve. When an engine rotation fluctuation amount in an EGR OFF state is less than a first determination value, and when the engine rotation fluctuation amount in an EGR ON state is greater than a second determination value, the ECU imposes an EGR restriction for restricting the EGR flow rate. When it is determined that the engine rotation fluctuation amount in the EGR ON state is greater than a third determination value less than the second determination value after the EGR restriction is imposed, the ECU continues the EGR restriction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 4, 2017
    Publication date: August 2, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Eiji YAMADA, Keisuke NAGAKURA
  • Publication number: 20180202384
    Abstract: An engine system includes: an engine including a direct injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder of the engine and a port injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port of the engine; and an electronic control unit configured to control an operation of the engine by adjusting, based on a state of the engine, a rate of fuel injection from the direct injection valve with respect to total fuel injection and a rate of fuel injection from the port injection valve with respect to the total fuel injection. The electronic control unit executes a malfunction diagnosis with the rate of fuel injection from the direct injection valve set to 100%, when the electronic control unit determines that an execution condition for executing the malfunction diagnosis on a fuel system is satisfied and a power required of the engine is equal to or greater than a prescribed power.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: July 19, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke NAGAKURA
  • Patent number: 9982618
    Abstract: An engine includes a low-pressure delivery pipe that stores fuel to be injected from port injection valves, a feed pump that supplies the fuel to the low-pressure delivery pipe, a high-pressure delivery pipe that stores the fuel to be injected from in-cylinder injection valves, a high-pressure pump driven in response to rotation of the engine, and a fuel pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the fuel stored in the low-pressure delivery pipe. An engine ECU controls the feed pump based on a detection value from a fuel pressure sensor, and when the engine ECU executes an abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor, the engine ECU increases a rotational speed of the engine to be higher than a rotational speed when the engine ECU does not execute an abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor. This improves the accuracy of an abnormality determination of the fuel pressure sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi Suzuki, Tomoya Suzuki, Keisuke Nagakura
  • Publication number: 20180066621
    Abstract: When imbalance diagnosis is not executed, target fuel pressure is set based on a rotation speed and volumetric efficiency of an engine, and when the imbalance diagnosis is executed, fuel pressure smaller than the target fuel pressure settable when the imbalance diagnosis is not executed is set as the target fuel pressure, and a high-pressure fuel pump that supplies fuel to a delivery pipe connected to the in-cylinder injection valve, is driven and controlled such that detected fuel pressure becomes the target fuel pressure. With this, it is possible to execute the imbalance diagnosis with higher accuracy.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2017
    Publication date: March 8, 2018
    Applicants: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota Technocraft Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke NAGAKURA, Jun HATTORI
  • Patent number: 9663103
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, a motor, a battery that stores an electric power for driving the motor, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus is configured to control the engine and the motor in one of control modes, the control mode includes a charge sustaining (CS) mode and a charge depleting (CD) mode. During the CS mode, a first determination is made to determine that the engine malfunction has occurred when a number of times of abnormal combustion occurring during a current trip is equal to or larger than a threshold. During the CD mode, instead of or in addition to the first determination, a second determination is made to determine that the engine malfunction has occurred when a cumulative number of times of abnormal combustion is equal to or larger than the threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Nagakura, Akihiro Katayama
  • Patent number: 9664166
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a port injection valve and a feed pump that pressurizes the fuel. An engine ECU performs a stuck abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor based on detection values of the fuel pressure sensor in first processing and second processing. The first processing includes setting a target pressure of the fuel in the storage section to a first pressure, and detecting a pressure of the fuel with the fuel pressure sensor. The second processing includes setting the target pressure of the fuel in a low-pressure delivery pipe to a second pressure lower than the first pressure, and detecting a pressure of the fuel. The engine ECU causes the first processing to be performed in response to a start signal that starts an internal combustion engine, and causes the second processing to be performed subsequent to the first processing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke Nagakura, Toshitake Sasaki, Kazuya Miyaji, Takashi Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20160076475
    Abstract: An engine includes a low-pressure delivery pipe that stores fuel to be injected from port injection valves, a feed pump that supplies the fuel to the low-pressure delivery pipe, a high-pressure delivery pipe that stores the fuel to be injected from in-cylinder injection valves, a high-pressure pump driven in response to rotation of the engine, and a fuel pressure sensor that detects a pressure of the fuel stored in the low-pressure delivery pipe. An engine ECU controls the feed pump based on a detection value from a fuel pressure sensor, and when the engine ECU executes an abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor, the engine ECU increases a rotational speed of the engine to be higher than a rotational speed when the engine ECU does not execute an abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor. This improves the accuracy of an abnormality determination of the fuel pressure sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2015
    Publication date: March 17, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takashi SUZUKI, Tomoya SUZUKI, Keisuke NAGAKURA
  • Patent number: 9273592
    Abstract: A hybrid vehicle includes: an internal combustion engine having an in-cylinder injection valve directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber and a port injection valve injecting fuel into an intake port; and a motor generator, and causes a torque equal to a user required torque to act on a drive shaft by controlling output torques of the engine and motor generator. When a misfire is not detected, the hybrid vehicle operates the engine at an engine operation point at which an engine power satisfies an engine required power in a first engine operation line. When a misfire is detected, the hybrid vehicle operates the engine at an engine operation point at which the engine power satisfies the engine required power in a second engine operation line, causes one of the injection valves to inject an entire amount of fuel, and determines which one is abnormal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2016
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Nagakura
  • Publication number: 20160040617
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a port injection valve and a feed pump that pressurizes the fuel. An engine ECU performs a stuck abnormality diagnosis of the fuel pressure sensor based on detection values of the fuel pressure sensor in first processing and second processing. The first processing includes setting a target pressure of the fuel in the storage section to a first pressure, and detecting a pressure of the fuel with the fuel pressure sensor. The second processing includes setting the target pressure of the fuel in a low-pressure delivery pipe to a second pressure lower than the first pressure, and detecting a pressure of the fuel. The engine ECU causes the first processing to be performed in response to a start signal that starts an internal combustion engine, and causes the second processing to be performed subsequent to the first processing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Publication date: February 11, 2016
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke NAGAKURA, Toshitake SASAKI, Kazuya MIYAJI, Takashi SUZUKI
  • Publication number: 20150314779
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, a motor, a battery that stores an electric power for driving the motor, and a control apparatus. The control apparatus is configured to control the engine and the motor in one of control modes, the control mode includes a charge sustaining (CS) mode and a charge depleting (CD) mode. During the CS mode, a first determination is made to determine that the engine malfunction has occurred when a number of times of abnormal combustion occurring during a current trip is equal to or larger than a threshold. During the CD mode, instead of or in addition to the first determination, a second determination is made to determine that the engine malfunction has occurred when a cumulative number of times of abnormal combustion is equal to or larger than the threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 22, 2013
    Publication date: November 5, 2015
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Keisuke NAGAKURA, Akihiro KATAYAMA
  • Patent number: 8718865
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis apparatus for an internal combustion engine in which a phase of a first valve provided to a first cylinder is modified within a range extending from a first phase to a second phase and a phase of a second valve provided to a second cylinder is modified within the range includes: a rotation variation amount detection unit that detects a rotation variation amount of an output shaft of the internal combustion engine; and a diagnosis unit that adjusts the phase of the first valve and the phase of the second valve to the first phase, and diagnoses the presence of an abnormality on the basis of the detected rotation variation amount of the output shaft of the internal combustion engine in a state where the phase of the first valve and the phase of the second valve are at the first phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Keisuke Nagakura