Patents by Inventor Masahisa Yamakawa

Masahisa Yamakawa 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: 8706382
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a control device of a spark-ignition gasoline engine. When an operating state of an engine body is within a low engine speed range, a controller controls a fuel pressure variable mechanism so that a fuel pressure is higher within a high engine load range compared to a low engine load range, the controller operates, within the high engine load range, a fuel injection valve to perform a fuel injection at least at a timing that is more retarded than an injection timing of a fuel within the low engine load range and is within a retard period from a late stage of a compression stroke to an early stage of an expansion stroke, and the controller operates, within the high engine load range, an ignition plug to ignite at a timing within the retard period and further after the fuel injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2014
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Shuji Oba, Kouhei Iwai, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Masahisa Yamakawa, Noriyuki Ota, Naoya Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kurita, Tatsuya Fujikawa, Kenji Uchida, Daisuke Asaji, Takaaki Nagano
  • Publication number: 20140069382
    Abstract: A spark-ignition direct injection engine is provided. The engine includes an engine body, a fuel injection valve, a fuel pressure setting mechanism, an ignition plug, and a controller. The controller switches between a compression-ignition mode where the engine body is operated to perform compression-ignition combustion and a spark-ignition mode where the engine body is operated to perform spark-ignition combustion. Immediately after switching from the spark-ignition mode to the compression-ignition mode, the controller operates the engine body in a compression-ignition initial mode where the fuel pressure is set to be 30 MPa or above and the fuel injection valve is controlled to perform the fuel injection in a period from a late stage of the compression stroke to an early stage of the expansion stroke so that the gas mixture self-ignites to combust.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 21, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Junichi Taga, Shigeru Nakagawa, Saori Mizuno, Keiji Araki
  • Publication number: 20140060490
    Abstract: A spark-ignition direct injection engine is provided. The engine includes an engine body, a fuel injection valve, a fuel pressure setting mechanism, an ignition plug, and a controller. Within a low engine speed operating range of a predetermined high engine load range, the fuel pressure setting mechanism sets a fuel pressure to 30 MPa or above, the fuel injection valve injects fuel between late stage of compression stroke and early stage of expansion stroke, and the ignition plug performs spark-ignition after the fuel injection completes. Within a high engine speed operating range of the high engine load range, the fuel injection valve injects fuel between intake stroke to mid-stage of compression stroke, and the ignition plug performs the spark-ignition. The ignition timing is changed according to an octane number, the changing width of the ignition timing is shorter within the low engine speed range than the high engine speed range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Takashi Youso, Keiji Araki
  • Publication number: 20140060489
    Abstract: A spark-ignition direct injection engine is provided. The engine includes an engine body, a fuel injection valve, a fuel pressure setting mechanism, an ignition plug, and a controller. The controller operates the engine to perform compression-ignition combustion within a first operating range, and controls the ignition plug to operate the engine to perform spark-ignition combustion within a second operating range. Within a specific part of the first range, the controller sets the fuel pressure to 30 MPa or above, and retards the compression ignition to after a compression top dead center by controlling the injection valve to inject fuel into a cylinder in a period from a late stage of compression stroke to an early stage of expansion stroke. Below the specific part, the controller controls the fuel injection valve to inject the fuel into the cylinder in a period from intake stroke to a mid-stage of the compression stroke.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Takashi Youso
  • Publication number: 20140060493
    Abstract: A spark-ignition engine is provided. The engine includes an engine body, a fuel injection valve, an ignition plug, an EGR introduction system, and a controller for operating the engine body by controlling the fuel injection valve, the ignition plug, and the EGR introduction system. The controller controls to combust mixture gas by compressing to self-ignite within a compression self-ignition combustion applying range, and to combust the mixture gas by a spark-ignition using the ignition plug within a spark-ignition combustion applying range. Substantially throughout the spark-ignition combustion applying range, the controller controls the EGR introduction system to introduce cooled EGR gas, and within the compression self-ignition applying range, the controller controls the EGR introduction system to introduce hot EGR gas. The controller controls the EGR introduction system to introduce the hot EGR gas and the cooled EGR gas within a low engine load part of the spark-ignition combustion applying range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2013
    Publication date: March 6, 2014
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Hiroyuki Kurita
  • Patent number: 8655572
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a control device of a spark-ignition gasoline engine. When an operating state of an engine body is within a low engine speed range, a controller operates a fuel pressure variable mechanism so that a fuel pressure is higher within a high engine load range compared to a low engine load range, the controller operates, within the high engine load range, a fuel injection mechanism to perform at least a fuel injection into the cylinder by a cylinder internal injection valve at a timing during a retard period from a late stage of a compression stroke to an early stage of an expansion stroke, and the controller operates, within the high engine load range, an ignition plug to ignite at a timing during the retard period and after the fuel injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2014
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Noriyuki Ota, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Takashi Youso, Kazutoyo Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kurita, Naoya Watanabe, Takaaki Nagano, Shuji Oba
  • Patent number: 8544444
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for controlling an internal combustion engine system having an internal combustion engine, and a fuel injector which directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. One example method comprises, when a desired torque for the internal combustion engine system is in a first range, injecting a first stage fuel into the combustion chamber so that it ends during a middle stage of a compression stroke at the latest in a cylinder cycle; determining combustion of the first stage fuel initiated by its compression self-ignition; and injecting a second stage fuel into the combustion chamber in a period when the determined combustion of the first stage fuel continues at a timing determined so as to cause combustion of the second stage fuel with its compression self-ignition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Hitomi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Takashi Youso, Keiji Araki
  • Patent number: 8468823
    Abstract: Disclosed is a supercharged direct-injection engine, which comprises a supercharging device (25, 30) for compressing intake air, and an injector 10 for directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber 5. In the engine, an excess air factor ? as a ratio of an actual air-fuel ratio to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, at least in an engine warmed-up mode, is set to 2 or more in the entire engine-load region. Further, compressed self-ignited combustion is performed in a low engine-load region, and a supercharging amount by the supercharging device (25, 30) is increased along with an increase in engine load in a high engine-load region to allow the excess air factor ? to be kept at 2 or more. The engine of the present invention can effectively reduce NOx emission, while improving fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Hitomi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Takashi Youso, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Keiji Araki
  • Patent number: 8459021
    Abstract: A supercharged engine has a geometric compression ratio ser to 16 or more and is designed to perform a compression self-ignition combustion under an air-fuel ratio leaner than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio at least in a low engine speed range. On a lower engine load side than a given engine load within an engine operating region at which the compression self-ignition combustion is performed, a fresh air amount is reduced and an effective compression ratio (??) is increased, as compared with a higher engine load side than the given engine load within the engine operating region, and, on the higher engine load side than the given engine load, a supercharging pressure based on a supercharger (25) is increased to increase the fresh air amount, and the effective compression ratio (??) is reduced, as compared with the lower engine load side than the given engine load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masahisa Yamakawa, Kouhei Iwai, Shuji Oba
  • Patent number: 8402749
    Abstract: In a specified operating area including a low engine-speed and low engine-load area, an excess air ratio ? is set at a specified ratio which is two or greater and three or smaller and an ignition timing ?ig of a spark plug is set at a timing of MBT to provide the maximum torque as a normal combustion control (S4). In case a catalyst temperature Tc is lower than a predetermined first temperature T1 in this area, a control of retarding the ignition timing from the MBT timing and/or a control of decreasing the excess air ratio ? to a ration below the above-described ratio are executed (S6, S8, S9). Accordingly, the temperature of the catalyst can be prevented simply and effectively from decreasing excessively, maintaining combustion conditions to provide a properly high thermal efficiency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masahisa Yamakawa, Takashi Youso, Kouhei Iwai, Shuji Oba
  • Publication number: 20130047958
    Abstract: A control method of a spark ignition engine and a spark ignition engine capable of warming up an engine more promptly while promptly activating a catalyst are provided. Implemented is the control of igniting a mixture at an ignition timing that is set on a more lag side than an MBT, which is an ignition timing in which an output torque of the engine becomes maximum until the catalyst 62 is activated after the engine is started. After the catalyst 62 is activated, until the engine is warmed up control of increasing a ratio of burned gas contained in the mixture within the combustion chamber 14 to be more than the ratio of the burned gas in the mixture during a first period, and control of igniting the mixture containing more burned gas than the burned gas in the first period are implemented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 27, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masahisa Yamakawa, Takashi Youso
  • Publication number: 20130019828
    Abstract: Disclosed is an engine control system which is designed to allow homogeneous-charge compression ignition combustion to be performed in an HCCI region (R) defined as an engine operating region including at least a partial-load range of an engine. In a low load zone (R1) of the HCCI region (R), a lift amount of an intake valve (11) is set to a first predetermined value, and an exhaust valve (12) is allowed to start being opened during an intake stroke at a given timing later than an opening timing of the intake valve (11). Further, in the medium load zone of the HCCI region, the lift amount of the intake valve (11) is gradually increased up to a second predetermined value greater than the first predetermined value, along with an increase in an engine load. The engine control system is capable of adequately controlling an amount of burned gas to be introduced into a cylinder, depending on the engine load to allow the HCCI combustion to be adequately performed in a wider engine load range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 24, 2013
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Masatoshi Hidaka, Takashi Kaminaga, Masahisa Yamakawa
  • Publication number: 20130008416
    Abstract: When a specific condition requiring a rise in exhaust gas temperature is satisfied, a required fuel amount to be injected from an injector (21) is injected in a split manner, such that the fuel injection is divided to: a main injection (X1) to be initiated a given period before a compression top dead center; an auxiliary injection (X2) to be initiated after initiation of auto-ignited combustion of an air-fuel mixture consisting of air and the fuel injected by the main injection (X1) and before an assumed peak timing (Pk?) of a heat release rate (RH) from the combustion based on the main injection (X1); and a post injection (X3) to be initiated after the assumed peak timing (Pk?) and before completion of combustion based on the main injection (X1) and the auxiliary injection (X2). This makes it possible to raise an exhaust gas temperature while sufficiently ensuring auto-ignitability and fuel economy performance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 30, 2011
    Publication date: January 10, 2013
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Masatoshi Hidaka, Takashi Kaminaga, Masahisa Yamakawa
  • Patent number: 8316819
    Abstract: There is provided, in one aspect of the present description, a method of controlling a spark ignited internal combustion engine having a fuel injector which injects fuel directly into its combustion chamber. The method comprises stopping the fuel injection if a desired torque for the engine is a predetermined torque or less and a speed of the engine is a predetermined speed or greater. The method comprises resuming the fuel injection by injecting a first amount of fuel directly into the combustion chamber during a negative pressure period and injecting a second amount of the fuel into the combustion chamber during an intake period. The method further includes resuming the fuel injection by injecting a third amount of the fuel directly into the combustion chamber during the negative pressure period and injecting a fourth amount of the fuel into the combustion chamber during the intake period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masahisa Yamakawa, Shinichi Sugihara, Naohiro Yamaguchi, Keiji Araki
  • Publication number: 20120216774
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a control device of a spark-ignition gasoline engine. When an operating state of an engine body is within a low engine speed range, a controller controls a fuel pressure variable mechanism so that a fuel pressure is higher within a high engine load range compared to a low engine load range, the controller operates, within the high engine load range, a fuel injection valve to perform a fuel injection at least at a timing that is more retarded than an injection timing of a fuel within the low engine load range and is within a retard period from a late stage of a compression stroke to an early stage of an expansion stroke, and the controller operates, within the high engine load range, an ignition plug to ignite at a timing within the retard period and further after the fuel injection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shuji Oba, Kouhei Iwai, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Masahisa Yamakawa, Noriyuki Ota, Naoya Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kurita, Tatsuya Fujikawa, Kenji Uchida, Daisuke Asaji, Takaaki Nagano
  • Publication number: 20120216776
    Abstract: A control device of a spark-ignition gasoline engine is provided. The control device includes a controller for operating the engine body by controlling at least a fuel injection valve, an ignition plug, and a fuel pressure variable mechanism. Depending on the engine load range, the controller sets the combustion mode to a compression-ignition mode or a spark-ignition mode. In each mode, the controller also controls the fuel pressure, and the timing of fuel injection and ignition. The controller may also performs external EGR control in each mode.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Masahisa Yamakawa, Kouhei Iwai, Yoshihisa Nou, Noriyuki Ota, Kazutoyo Watanabe, Naoya Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kurita, Shuji Oba, Tatsuya Koga
  • Publication number: 20120216775
    Abstract: The disclosure provides a control device of a spark-ignition gasoline engine. When an operating state of an engine body is within a low engine speed range, a controller operates a fuel pressure variable mechanism so that a fuel pressure is higher within a high engine load range compared to a low engine load range, the controller operates, within the high engine load range, a fuel injection mechanism to perform at least a fuel injection into the cylinder by a cylinder internal injection valve at a timing during a retard period from a late stage of a compression stroke to an early stage of an expansion stroke, and the controller operates, within the high engine load range, an ignition plug to ignite at a timing during the retard period and after the fuel injection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 7, 2012
    Publication date: August 30, 2012
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kouhei Iwai, Masahisa Yamakawa, Noriyuki Ota, Kazuhiro Nagatsu, Takashi Youso, Kazutoyo Watanabe, Hiroyuki Kurita, Naoya Watanabe, Takaaki Nagano, Shuji Oba
  • Patent number: 8196560
    Abstract: A multi-hole injector directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber. Intake air is introduced into the combustion chamber through intake ports to provide tumble flow in the combustion chamber. A cavity is formed in a part of the top surface of a piston which is eccentric to the exhaust side. In the intake stroke, fuel injection ends in a downstroke of a piston. When the crank angle is 100 degrees after the top dead center in the intake stroke at which the fuel injection ends, a most downward lower spray collides with a part of the top surface of the piston which ranges on the intake side from the edge on the exhaust side of the cavity. A most upward upper spray does not come into contact with a spark plug. Thus, the fuel injection can enhance the tumble flow to promote homogeneous dispersion of fuel-air mixture in the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Tatsuya Fujikawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Masahisa Yamakawa, Kouji Shishime, Kiyotaka Sato
  • Patent number: 8191528
    Abstract: Disclosed is an internal combustion engine (A), which has a valve overlap period (T) during which an intake valve (1) and an exhaust valve (2) are opened, and a geometric compression ratio of 13.0 or greater. The engine (A) is designed to satisfy, at a center timing (Tc) of the valve overlap period (T), a conditional expression: S1?S2, where S1 is a cross-sectional area of a combustion chamber (4) taken along any selected one of a plurality of mutually parallel hypothetical cutting-planes (IP) each of which extends parallel to a linear reciprocating direction (d1 or d2) of at least one of the intake and exhaust valves (1, 2) and passes through a valve head (1a or 2a) of the at least one of the valves (1, 2), and S2 is an effective opening area defined between the valve head (1a or 2a) and a corresponding valve seat (11a or 12a) in a region on an outward side of the combustion chamber (4) relative to the selected hypothetical cutting-plane (IP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 5, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takashi Youso, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Masahisa Yamakawa, Tatsuya Fujikawa
  • Patent number: 8155862
    Abstract: A system and method of controlling an internal combustion engine are provided. The method may include closing said intake valve at a timing in a first range, which is before a maximum charge closing timing with which an amount of air inducted into said cylinder from said air intake passage would be maximized at a given engine speed, during a cylinder cycle when a desired amount of air to be inducted into said cylinder is less than or equal to a predetermined air amount at the given engine speed. The method may further include closing said intake valve at a timing in a second range, which is after said maximum charge closing timing and separated from said first range during a cylinder cycle, when a desired amount of air to be inducted into said cylinder is greater than said predetermined air amount at the given engine speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Naohiro Yamaguchi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Takashi Youso, Kouji Shishime, Hiroaki Abe, Hiroki Morimoto, Naoya Matsuo, Naoya Watanabe