Patents by Inventor Masaharu Kassai
Masaharu Kassai 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: 11391236Abstract: A control method of an internal combustion engine including a spark plug and a fuel injection valve includes starting electric discharge of the spark plug after a gas flow in a direction from a side of the fuel injection valve toward a side of the spark plug is generated at a position of an electric discharge gap of the spark plug due to spray of the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve.Type: GrantFiled: April 10, 2018Date of Patent: July 19, 2022Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takayoshi Kodama, Masaharu Kassai, Yoshihiko Iwabuchi
-
Patent number: 11248555Abstract: As a control method for internal combustion engine, a part of a low-medium revolution speed/low-medium load region of an internal combustion engine is set as a lean combustion region, homogeneous combustion is performed in an operating region within the lean combustion region where a load is relatively low, by injecting fuel at least once between an intake stroke and the first half of a compression stroke to form a homogeneous air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber, and stratified combustion is performed in an operating region within the lean combustion region where the load is relatively high, by injecting the fuel at least once, respectively, between the intake stroke and the first half of the compression stroke as well as in the second half of the compression stroke to form a stratified air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2017Date of Patent: February 15, 2022Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi Maeda, Masaharu Kassai
-
Publication number: 20210071614Abstract: A control method of an internal combustion engine including a spark plug and a fuel injection valve includes starting electric discharge of the spark plug after a gas flow in a direction from a side of the fuel injection valve toward a side of the spark plug is generated at a position of an electric discharge gap of the spark plug due to spray of the fuel injected from the fuel injection valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 10, 2018Publication date: March 11, 2021Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takayoshi KODAMA, Masaharu KASSAI, Yoshihiko IWABUCHI
-
Patent number: 10890155Abstract: In a control method for internal combustion engine for forming a stratified air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber and performing stratified combustion by injecting fuel at least once each time between an intake stroke and the first half of a compression stroke and in the second half of the compression stroke, spark ignition is started by flowing a relatively large discharge current into the ignition plug when flow energy around the ignition plug is increased by energy of a fuel spray injected in the second half of the compression stroke and, thereafter, the discharge current is made relatively smaller and discharged for a predetermined period.Type: GrantFiled: May 24, 2017Date of Patent: January 12, 2021Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi Maeda, Masaharu Kassai
-
Patent number: 10801436Abstract: In a first region on a low load side of an operation region of a direct fuel injection engine, homogenous combustion is performed, while, in a second region of the operation region on a load side higher than the first region, stratified combustion is performed. In the stratified combustion, a fuel is dispersed in a cylinder by a first injection operation and a fuel is unevenly distributed in a vicinity of the ignition plug by a second injection operation. Shift control by the stratified combustion is executed at a time of shifting when an operation state of the engine has shifted from the first region to the second region, and in the shift control, a fuel in an amount larger than a target amount of the second injection operation in the second region is injected by the second injection operation and then, an injection amount of the second injection operation is decreased toward the target amount.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2017Date of Patent: October 13, 2020Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Kassai, Takayoshi Kodama
-
Patent number: 10781768Abstract: A direct fuel injection engine including an ignition plug and a fuel injection valve arranged to be capable of injecting a fuel directly in a cylinder is controlled. The engine has a predetermined operation region in which an excess air ratio of an air-fuel mixture is set in a vicinity of 2. In a first region on a low load side of the predetermined operation region, a homogenous air-fuel mixture having the excess air ratio at a first predetermined value in the vicinity of 2 is formed upon combustion, and in a second region on a load side higher than the first region, a stratified air-fuel mixture having the excess air ratio at a second predetermined value in the vicinity of 2 is formed upon combustion.Type: GrantFiled: June 15, 2017Date of Patent: September 22, 2020Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takayoshi Kodama, Masaharu Kassai, Yoshihiko Iwabuchi
-
Publication number: 20200208589Abstract: A direct fuel injection engine including an ignition plug and a fuel injection valve arranged to be capable of injecting a fuel directly in a cylinder is controlled. The engine has a predetermined operation region in which an excess air ratio of an air-fuel mixture is set in a vicinity of 2. In a first region on a low load side of the predetermined operation region, a homogenous air-fuel mixture having the excess air ratio at a first predetermined value in the vicinity of 2 is formed upon combustion, and in a second region on a load side higher than the first region, a stratified air-fuel mixture having the excess air ratio at a second predetermined value in the vicinity of 2 is formed upon combustion.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2017Publication date: July 2, 2020Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Takayoshi KODAMA, Masaharu KASSAI, Yoshihiko IWABUCHI
-
Publication number: 20200200116Abstract: As a control method for internal combustion engine, a part of a low-medium revolution speed/low-medium load region of an internal combustion engine is set as a lean combustion region, homogeneous combustion is performed in an operating region within the lean combustion region where a load is relatively low, by injecting fuel at least once between an intake stroke and the first half of a compression stroke to form a homogeneous air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber, and stratified combustion is performed in an operating region within the lean combustion region where the load is relatively high, by injecting the fuel at least once, respectively, between the intake stroke and the first half of the compression stroke as well as in the second half of the compression stroke to form a stratified air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2017Publication date: June 25, 2020Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi MAEDA, Masaharu KASSAI
-
Publication number: 20200173417Abstract: In a control method for internal combustion engine for forming a stratified air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber and performing stratified combustion by injecting fuel at least once each time between an intake stroke and the first half of a compression stroke and in the second half of the compression stroke, spark ignition is started by flowing a relatively large discharge current into the ignition plug when flow energy around the ignition plug is increased by energy of a fuel spray injected in the second half of the compression stroke and, thereafter, the discharge current is made relatively smaller and discharged for a predetermined period.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 24, 2017Publication date: June 4, 2020Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Hirofumi MAEDA, Masaharu KASSAI
-
Publication number: 20200109682Abstract: In a first region on a low load side of an operation region of a direct fuel injection engine, homogenous combustion is performed, while, in a second region of the operation region on a load side higher than the first region, stratified combustion is performed. In the stratified combustion, a fuel is dispersed in a cylinder by a first injection operation and a fuel is unevenly distributed in a vicinity of the ignition plug by a second injection operation. Shift control by the stratified combustion is executed at a time of shifting when an operation state of the engine has shifted from the first region to the second region, and in the shift control, a fuel in an amount larger than a target amount of the second injection operation in the second region is injected by the second injection operation and then, an injection amount of the second injection operation is decreased toward the target amount.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 15, 2017Publication date: April 9, 2020Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu KASSAI, Takayoshi KODAMA
-
Patent number: 10408185Abstract: A control method for internal combustion engine includes forming an air-fuel mixture leaner than that at a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in a cylinder by first fuel injection, performing second fuel injection to inject fuel toward the vicinity of a discharge channel of an ignition plug during a period in which the air-fuel mixture is undergoing a low temperature oxidation reaction in a compression stroke, and after the second fuel injection, performing spark ignition by the ignition plug at a timing at which a spark of the ignition plug reaches the fuel injected by the second fuel injection.Type: GrantFiled: February 5, 2016Date of Patent: September 10, 2019Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Kassai, Hiroki Hashimoto
-
Publication number: 20190032622Abstract: A control method for internal combustion engine includes forming an air-fuel mixture leaner than that at a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in a cylinder by first fuel injection, performing second fuel injection to inject fuel toward the vicinity of a discharge channel of an ignition plug during a period in which the air-fuel mixture is undergoing a low temperature oxidation reaction in a compression stroke, and after the second fuel injection, performing spark ignition by the ignition plug at a timing at which a spark of the ignition plug reaches the fuel injected by the second fuel injection.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 5, 2016Publication date: January 31, 2019Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu KASSAI, Hiroki HASHIMOTO
-
Patent number: 10174705Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine includes an estimating means adapted to estimate an amount of a mixture of fuel and oil dispersing according to a movement of a piston within a cylinder; and a limiting means adapted to limit an upper limit torque (UT) of an internal combustion engine according to the estimated amount of the mixture.Type: GrantFiled: March 4, 2015Date of Patent: January 8, 2019Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Kassai, Kentarou Yamano
-
Publication number: 20180058364Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine includes an estimating means adapted to estimate an amount of a mixture of fuel and oil dispersing according to a movement of a piston within a cylinder; and a limiting means adapted to limit an upper limit torque (UT) of an internal combustion engine according to the estimated amount of the mixture.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 4, 2015Publication date: March 1, 2018Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu KASSAI, Kentarou YAMANO
-
Patent number: 9903322Abstract: An internal combustion engine (1) is provided with a supercharger (12) and a cylinder direct injection fuel injector (10). When the engine shifts in a low-speed supercharging region at a state where the wall temperature of a cylinder bore (3) is low, liquid fuel adheres to a wall surface of the cylinder bore (3) so that lubricating oil is diluted with the liquid fuel and released into a combustion chamber (4). As a result, there occurs abnormal combustion. In the present invention, the fuel injection amount is increased at the time when the engine shifts in a predetermined low-speed supercharging region. The lower the wall temperature of the cylinder bore, the larger the rate of increase of the fuel injection amount. This makes it possible to suppress the temperature of air-fuel mixture in the vicinity of compression top dead center and prevent the occurrence of abnormal combustion.Type: GrantFiled: February 28, 2013Date of Patent: February 27, 2018Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventor: Masaharu Kassai
-
Patent number: 9835127Abstract: When an operating condition including load and speed of an internal combustion engine is in a prescribed low-speed high-load region, i.e., an energy suppression region, having a possibility causing pre-ignition, energization time TDWLMIN for the energy suppression region is selected as a primary coil energization time. In other normal regions, normal energization time TDWL is selected. Normal energization time TDWL has a characteristic such that the normal energization time shortens, as the engine speed increases. In a low speed region, a given energization time that can fulfill a discharge energy required in a high exhaust gas recirculation region is provided. Energization time TDWLMIN for the energy suppression region is constant regardless of engine speeds and relatively short, and is set to a level such that a coil generated maximum voltage does not exceed a withstand voltage of a spark plug even when no-discharge occurs due to pre-ignition.Type: GrantFiled: January 21, 2014Date of Patent: December 5, 2017Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Taisuke Shiraishi, Masaharu Kassai
-
Patent number: 9745904Abstract: In order to prevent an abnormal combustion due to oil, a restriction region (B) is designated on a low-speed and high-load side of an internal combustion engine (1), and an opening of throttle valve (12) is restricted so that an engine operating condition is not observed within the restriction region (B). A predetermined designated inspection region (A) is set so as to include the restriction region (B), and it is judged whether or not the abnormal combustion actually occurred when the internal combustion engine (1) is running within the designated inspection region (A). If the abnormal combustion was detected, the restriction region (B) is expanded, meanwhile, if the abnormal combustion was not detected, the expanded restriction region (B) is gradually decreased. If the abnormal combustion occurred at a shorter interval than a threshold value, the restriction region (B) is expanded at once to a predetermined size.Type: GrantFiled: February 25, 2014Date of Patent: August 29, 2017Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu Kassai, Takashi Araki, Taisuke Shiraishi
-
Publication number: 20160123248Abstract: In order to prevent an abnormal combustion due to oil, a restriction region (B) is designated on a low-speed and high-load side of an internal combustion engine (1), and an opening of throttle valve (12) is restricted so that an engine operating condition is not observed within the restriction region (B). A predetermined designated inspection region (A) is set so as to include the restriction region (B), and it is judged whether or not the abnormal combustion actually occurred when the internal combustion engine (1) is running within the designated inspection region (A). If the abnormal combustion was detected, the restriction region (B) is expanded, meanwhile, if the abnormal combustion was not detected, the expanded restriction region (B) is gradually decreased. If the abnormal combustion occurred at a shorter interval than a threshold value, the restriction region (B) is expanded at once to a predetermined size.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 25, 2014Publication date: May 5, 2016Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.Inventors: Masaharu KASSAI, Takashi ARAKI, Taisuke SHIRAISHI
-
Publication number: 20160069319Abstract: When an operating condition including load and speed of an internal combustion engine is in a prescribed low-speed high-load region, i.e., an energy suppression region, having a possibility causing pre-ignition, energization time TDWLMIN for the energy suppression region is selected as a primary coil energization time. In other normal regions, normal energization time TDWL is selected. Normal energization time TDWL has a characteristic such that the normal energization time shortens, as the engine speed increases. In a low speed region, a given energization time that can fulfil a discharge energy required in a high exhaust gas recirculation region is provided. Energization time TDWLMIN for the energy suppression region is constant regardless of engine speeds and relatively short, and is set to a level such that a coil generated maximum voltage does not exceed a withstand voltage of a spark plug even when no-discharge occurs due to pre-ignition.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 21, 2014Publication date: March 10, 2016Inventors: Taisuke SHIRAISHI, Masaharu KASSAI
-
Publication number: 20150013637Abstract: An internal combustion engine (1) is provided with a supercharger (12) and a cylinder direct injection fuel injector (10). When the engine shifts in a low-speed supercharging region at a state where the wall temperature of a cylinder bore (3) is low, liquid fuel adheres to a wall surface of the cylinder bore (3) so that lubricating oil is diluted with the liquid fuel and released into a combustion chamber (4). As a result, there occurs abnormal combustion. In the present invention, the fuel injection amount is increased at the time when the engine shifts in a predetermined low-speed supercharging region. The lower the wall temperature of the cylinder bore, the larger the rate of increase of the fuel injection amount. This makes it possible to suppress the temperature of air-fuel mixture in the vicinity of compression top dead center and prevent the occurrence of abnormal combustion.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 28, 2013Publication date: January 15, 2015Applicant: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.Inventor: Masaharu Kassai