Patents by Inventor Kenko Ujihara

Kenko Ujihara 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: 11313312
    Abstract: A control unit performs a vehicle attitude control to reduce a torque generated by an engine when an increase in a steering angle exceeds a standard increase, and a spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion in a predetermined operating range. In the spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion, switching of an air-fuel ratio mode is performed between a first air-fuel ratio mode (?>1) is formed and a second air-fuel ratio mode (in which a mixed gas of ??1) is formed. If the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested without the vehicle attitude control, the control unit allows performing the requested switching of the air-fuel ratio mode. In contrast, if the mode switching is requested in a state where the vehicle attitude control is requested, the control unit disallows switching of the air-fuel ratio mode even when the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Takayama, Takeatsu Ito, Masahiro Nagoshi, Yuichiro Akiya, Yuto Matsushima, Kenko Ujihara, Daisaku Ogawa, Daisuke Umetsu
  • Patent number: 11242817
    Abstract: An engine control method includes a step of setting combustion mode in which a first combustion mode in which a mixed gas is combusted by propagating flame or a second combustion mode in which the mixed gas is combusted by self-ignition is selected, a step of setting air-fuel ratio mode in which a lean first air-fuel ratio mode or a second air-fuel ratio mode equal to or richer than a theoretical air-fuel ratio is selected, a step of setting torque reduction in which a torque reduction amount by which a torque generated by an engine is reduced based on a steer angle of a steering wheel, and a suppressing step in which reducing the torque generated by the engine based on the torque reduction amount set in the step of setting torque reduction is suppressed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Takayama, Takeatsu Ito, Masahiro Nagoshi, Yuichiro Akiya, Yuto Matsushima, Kenko Ujihara, Daisaku Ogawa, Daisuke Umetsu
  • Patent number: 11008930
    Abstract: When an incremental amount of a steering angle exceeds a reference incremental amount, an ECU 60 executes vehicle attitude control of reducing an output torque of an engine, and, in a given operating range, drives a spark plug 16 to allow an air-fuel mixture to be self-ignited at a given timing, thereby executing SPCCI combustion. When there is a request for an additional deceleration from the vehicle attitude control (#12: YES) and the SPCCI combustion is performed (#13: YES), the ECU 60 prohibits ignition retardation and performs torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control, by fuel amount reduction control of reducing the amount of fuel to be supplied into a cylinder 2 (#14). On the other hand, when the SPCCI combustion is not performed (NO in #13), the ECU 60 performs the ignition retardation to attain the torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control (#15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Takayama, Takeatsu Ito, Michio Ito, Kenko Ujihara, Daisaku Ogawa, Daisuke Umetsu
  • Patent number: 10968856
    Abstract: When an incremental amount of a steering angle exceeds a reference incremental amount, an ECU 60 executes vehicle attitude control of reducing an output torque of an engine, and, in a given operating range, drives a spark plug 16 in a manner allowing an air-fuel mixture to be self-ignited at a given timing, thereby executing SPCCI combustion. When there is a request for an additional deceleration from the vehicle attitude control (#12: YES), and the SPCCI combustion is performed (#13: YES), the ECU 60 executes fuel amount reduction control of reducing the amount of fuel to be supplied into a cylinder 2 (#14), so as to attain torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control. On the other hand, when the SPCCI combustion is not performed (#13: NO), the ECU 60 executes ignition retardation control of retarding an ignition timing of the spark plug 16 (#15).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 6, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Takayama, Takeatsu Ito, Michio Ito, Kenko Ujihara, Daisaku Ogawa, Daisuke Umetsu
  • Publication number: 20210079869
    Abstract: An engine control method includes a step of setting combustion mode in which a first combustion mode in which a mixed gas is combusted by propagating flame or a second combustion mode in which the mixed gas is combusted by self-ignition is selected, a step of setting air-fuel ratio mode in which a lean first air-fuel ratio mode or a second air-fuel ratio mode equal to or richer than a theoretical air-fuel ratio is selected, a step of setting torque reduction in which a torque reduction amount by which a torque generated by an engine is reduced based on a steer angle of a steering wheel, and a suppressing step in which reducing the torque generated by the engine based on the torque reduction amount set in the step of setting torque reduction is suppressed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: March 18, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji TAKAYAMA, Takeatsu ITO, Masahiro NAGOSHI, Yuichiro AKIYA, Yuto MATSUSHIMA, Kenko UJIHARA, Daisaku OGAWA, Daisuke UMETSU
  • Publication number: 20210062709
    Abstract: When an incremental amount of a steering angle exceeds a reference incremental amount, an ECU 60 executes vehicle attitude control of reducing an output torque of an engine, and, in a given operating range, drives a spark plug 16 to allow an air-fuel mixture to be self-ignited at a given timing, thereby executing SPCCI combustion. When there is a request for an additional deceleration from the vehicle attitude control (#12: YES) and the SPCCI combustion is performed (#13: YES), the ECU 60 prohibits ignition retardation and performs torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control, by fuel amount reduction control of reducing the amount of fuel to be supplied into a cylinder 2 (#14). On the other hand, when the SPCCI combustion is not performed (NO in #13), the ECU 60 performs the ignition retardation to attain the torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control (#15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Publication date: March 4, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji TAKAYAMA, Takeatsu ITO, Michio ITO, Kenko UJIHARA, Daisaku OGAWA, Daisuke UMETSU
  • Publication number: 20210047978
    Abstract: A control unit performs a vehicle attitude control to reduce a torque generated by an engine when an increase in a steering angle exceeds a standard increase, and a spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion in a predetermined operating range. In the spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion, switching of an air-fuel ratio mode is performed between a first air-fuel ratio mode (?>1) is formed and a second air-fuel ratio mode (in which a mixed gas of ??1) is formed. If the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested without the vehicle attitude control, the control unit allows performing the requested switching of the air-fuel ratio mode. In contrast, if the mode switching is requested in a state where the vehicle attitude control is requested, the control unit disallows switching of the air-fuel ratio mode even when the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: February 18, 2021
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji TAKAYAMA, Takeatsu ITO, Masahiro NAGOSHI, Yuichiro AKIYA, Yuto MATSUSHIMA, Kenko UJIHARA, Daisaku OGAWA, Daisuke UMETSU
  • Patent number: 10900460
    Abstract: A control system for a compression-ignition engine includes a combustion chamber, an injector, an ignition plug, a sensor device, and a controller having a circuitry. The ignition plug forcibly ignites mixture gas to start combustion accompanied by flame propagation of a part of the mixture gas, and again ignites remaining unburnt mixture gas at a timing at which the unburnt mixture gas combusts by self-ignition. The controller is configured to execute an ignition controlling module to output an ignition signal to the ignition plug before a target timing so that the unburnt mixture gas self-ignites at the target timing, an ignition timing estimating module to estimate an actual CI timing indicative of a timing at which the unburnt mixture gas actually self-ignited based on an in-cylinder pressure parameter, and an in-cylinder temperature determining module to determine the in-cylinder temperature at a given crank angle based on the estimated result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kota Maekawa, Kyotaro Nishimoto, Yuichiro Tsumura, Kenko Ujihara
  • Patent number: 10883438
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine is provided, which includes a combustion chamber, a throttle valve, an injector, an ignition plug, a sensor, and a controller. A changing module outputs a signal to the throttle valve so that an air amount increases more than before the change demand, outputs to the injector a signal to increase the fuel amount according to the increase in the air amount so that an air-fuel ratio of the mixture gas becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a substantially stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and performs a torque adjustment so that an increase of the engine torque caused by the increase in the fuel amount is reduced. When the air amount is determined to have reached a given amount, the changing module ends the increasing of the fuel amount and the torque adjustment, and permits that a second mode module starts the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 5, 2021
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuta Masuda, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Michio Ito, Kenko Ujihara, Yuto Matsushima
  • Publication number: 20200400090
    Abstract: When an incremental amount of a steering angle exceeds a reference incremental amount, an ECU 60 executes vehicle attitude control of reducing an output torque of an engine, and, in a given operating range, drives a spark plug 16 in a manner allowing an air-fuel mixture to be self-ignited at a given timing, thereby executing SPCCI combustion. When there is a request for an additional deceleration from the vehicle attitude control (#12: YES), and the SPCCI combustion is performed (#13: YES), the ECU 60 executes fuel amount reduction control of reducing the amount of fuel to be supplied into a cylinder 2 (#14), so as to attain torque reduction for the vehicle attitude control. On the other hand, when the SPCCI combustion is not performed (#13: NO), the ECU 60 executes ignition retardation control of retarding an ignition timing of the spark plug 16 (#15).
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 22, 2019
    Publication date: December 24, 2020
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji TAKAYAMA, Takeatsu ITO, Michio ITO, Kenko UJIHARA, Daisaku OGAWA, Daisuke UMETSU
  • Patent number: 10859015
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine includes a combustion chamber, a throttle valve, an injector, an ignition plug, an EGR system, a sensor device and a controller. The controller includes a first mode module, a second mode module and a changing module configured to change an engine mode from a first mode to a second mode in response to a change demand. The changing module outputs signals to the throttle valve and the injector in response to the demand so that an air-fuel ratio of mixture gas becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a substantially stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and outputs a signal to the EGR system so that an EGR gas amount decreases more than before the demand, and when the EGR gas amount is determined to be decreased to a given amount, the changing module permits that the second mode module starts the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: December 8, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuto Matsushima, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Shinji Takayama, Kenko Ujihara, Yuta Masuda
  • Patent number: 10851694
    Abstract: A regeneration control device for an exhaust purification device includes a regeneration controller that executes regeneration control in which particulate matters trapped by a filter are removed by combustion, and a post-injection controller that during the regeneration control, executes control in which a time period of a post-injection of fuel executed subsequently to a main injection of fuel is advanced such that a supercharging pressure of a turbosupercharger becomes higher than a supercharging pressure during steady operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 6, 2017
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuki Mimura, Kenko Ujihara, Shinichi Morinaga
  • Patent number: 10837391
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine is provided, which includes a combustion chamber, a throttle valve, an injector, an ignition plug, a sensor, and a controller. A changing module of the controller outputs a signal to the throttle valve so that an air amount increases more than before a demand of changing from a first mode to a second mode, and outputs to the injector a signal to increase a fuel amount according to the air amount increase so that an air-fuel ratio of mixture gas becomes at or substantially at a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and outputs to the ignition plug a signal to retard an ignition timing so that an engine torque increase caused by the fuel amount increase is reduced. The changing module reduces the retarding of the ignition timing when the ignition timing is determined to have reached a retard limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 17, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuta Masuda, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Michio Ito, Kenko Ujihara, Yuto Matsushima
  • Patent number: 10815910
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine is provided, which includes a sensor and a cylinder count control module which changes between all-cylinder and reduced-cylinder operations when the compression ignition combustion is performed at a given lean air-fuel ratio. The cylinder count control module executes a preparation control to change from the all-cylinder operation to the reduced-cylinder operation when the change is demanded. In the preparation control, the cylinder count control module outputs a signal to a throttle valve to execute an air amount increase processing, outputs a signal to a fuel injection valve to execute a fuel amount increase processing, and outputs a signal to an ignition plug to execute a retard processing. The cylinder count control module ends the fuel amount increase processing and the retard processing when it is determined that an air-fuel ratio is in a given air-fuel ratio state, and starts the reduced-cylinder operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 27, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuta Masuda, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Michio Ito, Kenko Ujihara, Yuto Matsushima
  • Patent number: 10801393
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine configured to start compression ignition combustion by igniting mixture gas formed by injecting fuel into combustion chambers is provided, which includes combustion chambers each defined in respective cylinders so that displacements of the combustion chambers change by respective pistons reciprocating, a throttle valve, ignition plugs, injectors, a sensor having measuring parts including an atmospheric-pressure detector configured to detect an atmospheric pressure, and configured to measure parameters related to operation of the engine, and a controller. The controller executes a lean compression ignition combustion control in which compression ignition combustion is performed at a given lean air-fuel ratio higher than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuto Matsushima, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Shinji Takayama, Kenko Ujihara, Yuta Masuda
  • Patent number: 10794316
    Abstract: A control system for a compression ignition engine is provided, which includes a combustion chamber, a throttle valve, an injector, an ignition, a swirl control valve, a sensor and a controller. The controller is configured to execute a first mode module, a second mode module, and a changing module to change an engine mode from a first mode to a second mode in response to a change demand. The changing module outputs signals to the throttle valve and the injector in response to the demand so that an air-fuel ratio of mixture gas becomes a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and outputs a signal to the swirl control valve so that an EGR gas amount decreases more than before the demand, and when the EGR gas amount is determined to be decreased to a given amount, the changing module causes the second mode module to start the second mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Yuto Matsushima, Masayoshi Higashio, Yugou Sunagare, Shinji Takayama, Kenko Ujihara, Yuta Masuda
  • Patent number: 10794317
    Abstract: A control device for a compression-ignition engine in which partial compression-ignition combustion including spark ignition (SI) combustion performed by combusting a portion of a mixture gas inside a cylinder by spark-ignition followed by compression ignition (CI) combustion performed by causing the remaining mixture gas to self-ignite is executed at least within a part of an engine operating range is provided, which includes a detector configured to detect a given parameter that changes as combustion progresses inside the cylinder, an A/F (air-fuel ratio) controller configured to change an air-fuel ratio of air to fuel introduced into the cylinder, and a combustion controller configured to determine combustion stability based on the detected parameter of the detector and control the A/F controller to reduce the air-fuel ratio when it is confirmed that during the partial compression-ignition combustion the combustion stability is low.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Tanaka, Yuichiro Tsumura, Kenko Ujihara, Masayoshi Higashio, Hiroki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10767612
    Abstract: A control device for a compression-ignition (CI) engine in which partial CI combustion including spark ignition (SI) combustion performed by combusting a portion of mixture gas inside a cylinder by spark ignition followed by CI combustion performed by causing the rest of the mixture gas inside the cylinder to self-ignite is executed within a part of an engine operating range, is provided, including an EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) controller configured to change an EGR ratio, and a combustion controller configured to control the EGR controller during the partial compression-ignition combustion to switch a combustion mode between first and second modes in which the EGR ratio is higher than the first mode. After the first mode is switched to the second mode, if a condition is satisfied, the combustion controller causes the resumption to the first mode after a given period of time has elapsed from the switching.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Daisuke Tanaka, Yuichiro Tsumura, Kenko Ujihara, Yuto Matsushima, Masayoshi Higashio, Hiroki Morimoto
  • Patent number: 10605186
    Abstract: Provided is an engine control device capable of, when performing control of an in-cylinder oxygen concentration according to engine operation state, controlling an engine to accurately realize vehicle behavior intended by a driver, while suppressing generation of knock noises due to abnormal combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kenko Ujihara, Hiroaki Shiiba, Takeshi Matsubara, Naotoshi Shirahashi
  • Patent number: 10598110
    Abstract: A control device for controlling an engine based on an operating state of a vehicle is provided. The control device includes a processor configured to execute a basic target torque determining module for determining a basic target torque based on an operating state of the vehicle, a torque reduction amount determining module for determining a torque reduction amount based on a part of the operating state of the vehicle, a final target torque determining module for determining a final target torque based on the basic target torque and the torque reduction amount, an engine controlling module for controlling the engine to output the final target torque, and a torque change smoothing module for smoothing a chronological change of the final target torque corresponding to the torque reduction amount at a smaller smoothing degree than that of the chronological change of the final target torque corresponding to the basic target torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 24, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kenko Ujihara, Hiroaki Shiiba, Toshiya Kan