Patents by Inventor Kohjiroh Aimoto

Kohjiroh Aimoto 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: 7597090
    Abstract: The present invention provides an internal combustion engine which can produce several types of fuels from a single fuel as needed. The internal combustion engine comprises reforming means 3 for reforming a first fuel to be used in homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion into a second fuel having high ignitability, by making the first fuel contact with a catalyst formed from N-hydroxyphthalimide. The engine uses the second fuel when conducting diesel combustion. The engine can switch between the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion with the use of the first fuel and the diesel combustion with the use of the second fuel. The engine conducts the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion when a load is low, and conducts the diesel combustion when the load is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2009
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Patent number: 7404380
    Abstract: There is provided a control method of a compression-ignition internal combustion engine capable of easily coping with a wide range of required loads by a single fuel. A compression-ignition internal combustion engine includes a first tank (2) for storing a blended fuel that contains alcohol and liquid hydrocarbon at predetermined percentages and a second tank (4) for mixing the blended fuel supplied from the first tank (2) with water and storing a liquid mixture of the water and the alcohol mixed with each other and the liquid hydrocarbon with the liquid mixture and the liquid hydrocarbon separated from each other, and a supply of the blended fuel stored in the first tank (2) and a supply of the liquid hydrocarbon stored in the second tank (4) are varied according to a required load of the compression-ignition internal combustion engine (1).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2008
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Patent number: 7367309
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided which can operate by either the homogeneous charge compression ignition system or the spark ignition system using a single fuel. In the internal combustion engine using a fuel containing a hydrocarbon, the fuel contains o-xylene of 10 to 70 wt. % of the total weight, and the engine operates by either homogeneous charge compression ignition or spark ignition depending on the load. The fuel contains o-xylene of 30 to 50 wt. % of the total weight. The fuel contains, for example, n-heptane as the base fuel, and o-xylene of 10 to 70 wt. %, preferably 30 to 50 wt. %, of the total base fuel. The internal combustion engine operates by homogeneous charge compression ignition at low or medium load and by spark ignition at high load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 6, 2008
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Patent number: 7360509
    Abstract: An object is to provide a method for operating a compression ignition internal combustion engine which, using a single fuel, can produce diesel combustion when the load is high, or homogeneous-charged compression ignition combustion when the load is low. The operating method includes: employing a fuel containing 95 to 99.5 wt. % of a base fuel made of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an ether and a fatty ester, and 0.1 to 5 wt. % of an additive made of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of an organic peroxide, a nitric ester, a nitrite ester and an azo compound; and producing diesel combustion when the load is high, or homogeneous-charged compression ignition combustion when the load is low. The organic peroxide is di-tert-butyl peroxide. The nitric ester is n-pentyl nitrate. The nitrite ester is n-pentyl nitrite. The azo compound is 2,2-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Publication number: 20070219701
    Abstract: There is provided a control method of a compression-ignition internal combustion engine capable of easily coping with a wide range of required loads by a single fuel. A compression-ignition internal combustion engine includes a first tank (2) for storing a blended fuel that contains alcohol and liquid hydrocarbon at predetermined percentages and a second tank (4) for mixing the blended fuel supplied from the first tank (2) with water and storing a liquid mixture of the water and the alcohol mixed with each other and the liquid hydrocarbon with the liquid mixture and the liquid hydrocarbon separated from each other, and a supply of the blended fuel stored in the first tank (2) and a supply of the liquid hydrocarbon stored in the second tank (4) are varied according to a required load of the compression-ignition internal combustion engine (1).
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 26, 2005
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Publication number: 20070215098
    Abstract: The present invention provides an internal combustion engine which can produce several types of fuels from a single fuel as needed. The internal combustion engine comprises reforming means 3 for reforming a first fuel to be used in homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion into a second fuel having high ignitability, by making the first fuel contact with a catalyst formed from N-hydroxyphthalimide. The engine uses the second fuel when conducting diesel combustion. The engine can switch between the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion with the use of the first fuel and the diesel combustion with the use of the second fuel. The engine conducts the homogeneous charge compression ignition combustion when a load is low, and conducts the diesel combustion when the load is high.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 12, 2007
    Publication date: September 20, 2007
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Patent number: 7261065
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily cope with a wide range of demand loads. The compression ignition internal combustion engine 1 has a first fuel 2 containing ethanol, and reforming means 5 for reforming the first fuel into a second fuel having higher ignitability than the first fuel, by converting at least one part of ethanol contained in the first fuel 2 to diethyl ether, and each amount of the first fuel and the second fuel to be supplied to the compression ignition internal combustion engine is varied, in accordance with the change of a load required to the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1. Thus, the proportion of the first fuel to the total fuels supplied to the internal combustion engine 1 is increased, with the increase of the demand load, while the proportion of the second fuel to the total fuels supplied to the internal combustion engine 1 is increased, with the decrease of the demand load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Date of Patent: August 28, 2007
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohjiroh Aimoto, Kohtaro Hashimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20070068069
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided which can operate by either the homogeneous charge compression ignition system or the spark ignition system using a single fuel. In the internal combustion engine using a fuel containing a hydrocarbon, the fuel contains o-xylene of 10 to 70 wt. % of the total weight, and the engine operates by either homogeneous charge compression ignition or spark ignition depending on the load. The fuel contains o-xylene of 30 to 50 wt. % of the total weight. The fuel contains, for example, n-heptane as the base fuel, and o-xylene of 10 to 70 wt. %, preferably 30 to 50 wt. %, of the total base fuel. The internal combustion engine operates by homogeneous charge compression ignition at low or medium load and by spark ignition at high load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Publication date: March 29, 2007
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Patent number: 7165512
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily cope with a wide range of demand load with the use of a single fuel. The method includes: providing fuel 2 containing an ignition enhancer for the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1; thermally decomposing a part of the ignition enhancer included in the fuel 2 to make the fuel 2 less ignitable as the compression ignition internal combustion engine has a higher demand load; and supplying the fuel having the a lower ignitability to the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1. The fuel capable of compression self-ignition is a hydrocarbon-based fuel. The ignition enhancer is one selected from the group consisting of an organic peroxide, a nitric ester, a nitrite ester and an azo compound. The organic peroxide is di-tert-butyl peroxide. The nitric ester is 2-ethylhexyl nitrate. The nitrite ester is n-pentyl nitrite.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2006
    Date of Patent: January 23, 2007
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20060248790
    Abstract: The present invention provides a diesel composition having an excellent ignitability despite inclusion of ethanol therein. The diesel composition includes a diesel base material, ethanol in a range from 5 to 30% by weight based on the total amount of the diesel base material, and ethyl nitrite or ethyl nitrate in a range from 0.5 to 7% by weight based on the total amount of the diesel base material. The content of the ethyl nitrite or ethyl nitrate falls within a range of 50% by weight or less of the content of the ethanol, and the ethyl nitrite or ethyl nitrate is derived from ethanol as a raw material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 28, 2006
    Publication date: November 9, 2006
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20060185644
    Abstract: An object is to provide a method for operating a compression ignition internal combustion engine which, using a single fuel, can produce diesel combustion when the load is high, or homogeneous-charged compression ignition combustion when the load is low. The operating method includes: employing a fuel containing 95 to 99.5 wt. % of a base fuel made of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of a hydrocarbon, an alcohol, an ether and a fatty ester, and 0.1 to 5 wt. % of an additive made of one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of an organic peroxide, a nitric ester, a nitrite ester and an azo compound; and producing diesel combustion when the load is high, or homogeneous-charged compression ignition combustion when the load is low. The organic peroxide is di-tert-butyl peroxide. The nitric ester is n-pentyl nitrate. The nitrite ester is n-pentyl nitrite. The azo compound is 2,2-azobis(2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile).
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 9, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa
  • Publication number: 20060185625
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily cope with a wide range of demand load with the use of a single fuel. The method includes: providing fuel 2 containing an ignition enhancer for the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1; thermally decomposing a part of the ignition enhancer included in the fuel 2 to make the fuel 2 less ignitable as the compression ignition internal combustion engine has a higher demand load; and supplying the fuel having the a lower ignitability to the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1. The fuel capable of compression self-ignition is a hydrocarbon-based fuel. The ignition enhancer is one selected from the group consisting of an organic peroxide, a nitric ester, a nitrite ester and an azo compound. The organic peroxide is di-tert-butyl peroxide. The nitric ester is 2-ethylhexyl nitrate. The nitrite ester is n-pentyl nitrite.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2006
    Publication date: August 24, 2006
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20060180099
    Abstract: The present invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily cope with a wide range of demand loads. The compression ignition internal combustion engine 1 has a first fuel 2 containing ethanol, and reforming means 5 for reforming the first fuel into a second fuel having higher ignitability than the first fuel, by converting at least one part of ethanol contained in the first fuel 2 to diethyl ether, and each amount of the first fuel and the second fuel to be supplied to the compression ignition internal combustion engine is varied, in accordance with the change of a load required to the compression ignition internal combustion engine 1. Thus, the proportion of the first fuel to the total fuels supplied to the internal combustion engine 1 is increased, with the increase of the demand load, while the proportion of the second fuel to the total fuels supplied to the internal combustion engine 1 is increased, with the decrease of the demand load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 1, 2006
    Publication date: August 17, 2006
    Inventors: Kohjiroh Aimoto, Kohtaro Hashimoto, Fumiaki Ikegawa, Takahiro Gunji
  • Patent number: 7017530
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily deal with a wide range of demand loads with a single fuel. The compression ignition internal combustion engine includes a fuel containing an ignition improver, and as the demand load increases, part of the ignition improver contained in the fuel is changed into a material having a reduced ignitability improvement capability, and the fuel having reduced ignitability is supplied to the compression ignition internal combustion engine. A fuel having part of the ignition improver changed into a material having a reduced ignitability improvement capability, and thus having reduced ignitability, and a fuel with the ignitability improvement capability of the ignition improver maintained are mixed together in any ratio, and supplied to the compression ignition internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Ryogo Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6935284
    Abstract: A power system includes an internal combustion engine having a primary combustion chamber and a secondary combustion chamber, a first fuel being supplied to the primary combustion chamber, a second fuel being burned in the secondary combustion chamber so as to ignite the first fuel; a reformer that reforms a fuel by a dehydrocyclization reaction to generate an aromatic-rich high-octane-value liquid fuel together with a hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel; a gas/liquid separator that separates the liquid fuel from the gaseous fuel; and devices for respectively supplying the liquid fuel as the first fuel to the primary combustion chamber and the gaseous fuel as the second fuel to the secondary combustion chamber. Thus, the power system improves the combustion efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 30, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Pu Qian, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Takahiro Gunji
  • Patent number: 6843208
    Abstract: There is provided a control method for a premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine, which is capable of responding easily to a sudden change in operating conditions. In a control method for a premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine 5 in which a gaseous mixture of an oxygen-containing gas and a fuel is compressed and self-ignited within a cylinder, cyclohexene is mixed with the fuel to be supplied to the premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine according to the operating conditions of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2003
    Date of Patent: January 18, 2005
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tamura, Kotaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Pu Qian, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20040261763
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for controlling a compression ignition internal combustion engine, which can easily deal with a wide range of demand loads with a single fuel. The compression ignition internal combustion engine includes a fuel containing an ignition improver, and as the demand load increases, part of the ignition improver contained in the fuel is changed into a material having a reduced ignitability improvement capability, and the fuel having reduced ignitability is supplied to the compression ignition internal combustion engine. The ignition improver is selected from the group consisting of organic peroxides, nitrates, nitrites, nitro compounds and azo compounds. Part of the fuel is made to contact a catalyst to change the ignition improver into a material having a reduced ignitability improvement capability. The catalyst is carried on a porous carrier.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2004
    Publication date: December 30, 2004
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kohtaro Hashimoto, Takahiro Gunji, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Ryogo Sakamoto
  • Patent number: 6827047
    Abstract: A vehicle has an internal combustion engine, which includes a reformer that reforms at least a portion of a liquid fuel by a dehydrogenating cyclization reaction to produce a reformed liquid fuel that is rich with aromatic hydrocarbon and has a high octane value as well as a reformed gaseous fuel that is rich with hydrogen. A gas-liquid separator is provided for separating the reformed liquid fuel and the reformed gaseous fuel from each other. Furthermore, a device is provided for supplying at least a portion of the reformed liquid fuel as a fuel to the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Pu Qian, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20040089262
    Abstract: There is provided a control method for a premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine, which is capable of responding easily to a sudden change in operating conditions. In a control method for a premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine 5 in which a gaseous mixture of an oxygen-containing gas and a fuel is compressed and self-ignited within a cylinder, cyclohexene is mixed with the fuel to be supplied to the premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine according to the operating conditions of the internal combustion engine. The premixed compression ignition internal combustion engine 5 has supply means 1 for supplying a first fuel and supply means 2 for supplying a second fuel that contains cyclohexene and whose self-ignition delay time is set so as to be longer than that of the first fuel. The first fuel consists of fuels other than cyclohexene.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 27, 2003
    Publication date: May 13, 2004
    Inventors: Masamitsu Tamura, Kotaro Hashimoto, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Pu Qian, Takahiro Gunji
  • Publication number: 20040045514
    Abstract: A power system includes an internal combustion engine having a primary combustion chamber and a secondary combustion chamber, a first fuel being supplied to the primary combustion chamber, a second fuel being burned in the secondary combustion chamber so as to ignite the first fuel; a reformer that reforms a fuel by a dehydrocyclization reaction to generate an aromatic-rich high-octane-value liquid fuel together with a hydrogen-rich gaseous fuel; a gas/liquid separator that separates the liquid fuel from the gaseous fuel; and devices for respectively supplying the liquid fuel as the first fuel to the primary combustion chamber and the gaseous fuel as the second fuel to the secondary combustion chamber. Thus, the power system improves the combustion efficiency of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Publication date: March 11, 2004
    Inventors: Pu Qian, Kohjiroh Aimoto, Takahiro Gunji