Patents by Inventor Masashi Inaba

Masashi Inaba 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).

  • Publication number: 20210404404
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: an area correction unit that calculates an energization time correction amount when executing a current drive of a fuel injection valve to inject a fuel from the fuel injection valve; a charging circuit that applies an electric power from the charging unit to the fuel injection valve; and a charge amount determination unit for determining the charge amount of the charging unit. The area correction unit changes the area correction control based on a determination result of the charge amount determination unit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: YUUTA KATOU, KOSUKE KATO, MASASHI INABA
  • Publication number: 20210404403
    Abstract: An injection control device executes a current-drive of a fuel injection valve to inject fuel into an engine. The injection control device includes: a drive controller that controls energization by correcting an energization instruction time when injecting the fuel by executing the current-drive of the fuel injection valve; an estimated energization time correction amount calculation unit that calculates an estimated energization time correction amount; and a deterioration determination unit that determines deterioration of the charging capacitor based on a calculated estimated energization time correction amount and the energization time correction amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: Xinyu GUO, Masashi INABA
  • Publication number: 20210404401
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: an area correction unit that calculates an energization time correction amount by performing area correction of a current flowing through a fuel injection valve when executing a current drive of a fuel injection valve to inject a fuel from the fuel injection valve in a multi-stage injection; and a change unit that changes an upper limit guard value of the energization time correction amount according to an injection time of the multi-stage injection during control of the multi-stage injection.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: YASUMASA ISHIKAWA, MASASHI INABA, KOSUKE KATO
  • Publication number: 20210404407
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: an area correction unit that calculates an energization time correction amount when executing a current drive of the fuel injection valve to inject a fuel from the fuel injection valve; an estimation unit that independently calculates an estimated energization time correction amount; a comparison unit that compares the energization time correction amount c with the estimated energization time correction amount; and a first abnormality determination unit that determines that the energization time correction amount is abnormal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 24, 2021
    Publication date: December 30, 2021
    Inventors: MAKOTO SHIRAKAWA, MASASHI INABA, HIROYUKI FUKUDA
  • Publication number: 20210388791
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: a boost controller charging a boost capacitor by performing a boost switching control of a boost switch, and supplying a boost power from a battery power source; and a boost voltage monitor monitors a boost voltage. The boost controller measures a number of times of when the boost voltage becomes equal to or higher than a predetermined value due to a boost current flowing into the boost capacitor, causing a jump of the boost voltage during a time between a start and stop of boosting, and determines deterioration of the boost capacitor by comparing the measured number of times (i.e., the number of jumps) with a predetermined number of times.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2021
    Publication date: December 16, 2021
    Inventor: Masashi INABA
  • Publication number: 20210381457
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: a boost controller performing a boost switching control of a boost switch to charge a boost capacitor and supplying a boost power from a battery power supply; a boost voltage monitor monitoring the boost voltage; and a boost monitor timing controller setting a section from a predetermined time after an on-edge of the boost switch to an off-edge timing in a section monitor mode as a boost monitor section. The boost controller stops boosting by stopping the boost switching control when the boost voltage is equal to or higher than a boost stop threshold value in the boost monitor section.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2021
    Publication date: December 9, 2021
    Inventors: Masashi INABA, Yusuke SHIMIZU, Hiroki KAKUI
  • Publication number: 20210372337
    Abstract: When injecting fuel from a fuel injection valve by energizing thereof, an energization time correction amount calculator performs an area correction of an electric current flowing in the fuel injection valve, and calculates an energization time correction amount. An injection instruction state determiner determines an inter-cylinder injection instruction interval among cylinders which inject fuel in series or determines an injection instruction overlapping state. An upper guard value setter sets an upper guard value of the energization time correction amount based on the inter-cylinder injection instruction state determined by the injection instruction state determiner.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Kouyou YOSHIKAWA, Masashi INABA
  • Publication number: 20210372340
    Abstract: An injection control device of capable of correcting an energization time even in an S/N non-guaranteeable situation includes: an energization controller calculating an energization time correction amount based on an area correction performed by an energization time correction amount calculator regarding electric current flowing in a fuel injection valve when the fuel injection valve is electrically driven for injecting fuel; and an energization instruction time calculator correcting an energization instruction time for fuel injection in a next cycle and thereafter by using the energization instruction time correction amounts in or before a current cycle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Yohei Suganuma, Masashi Inaba
  • Publication number: 20210372338
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: a conversion coefficient setter setting a conversion coefficient for each injection when a fuel injection valve is driven by an electric current to inject fuel from the fuel injection valve; and an area correction unit calculating an energization time correction amount by performing area correction using the conversion coefficient for each injection regardless of whether a drive current of the fuel injection valve has reached a target peak current or not.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2021
    Publication date: December 2, 2021
    Inventors: Yohei SUGANUMA, Ryohei TAKAHASHI, Hiroyuki FUKUDA, Masashi INABA
  • Patent number: 11181064
    Abstract: An injection control device controls the opening and closing of a fuel injection valve by performing peak current drive and constant current drive and controls injection of fuel from the fuel injection valve to an internal combustion engine. The injection control device includes a preheat current energization control unit configured to, when a temperature of a solenoid coil of the fuel injection valve prior to starting the internal combustion engine is lower than a predetermined temperature, energize the fuel injection valve with a preheat current having an output density that causes the temperature of the solenoid coil to increase, the preheat current being within a range that maintains the fuel injection valve in a valve closed state, and when the temperature of the solenoid valve increases to or above the predetermined temperature, stop the energization of the fuel injection valve with the preheat current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masashi Inaba
  • Patent number: 11181066
    Abstract: An injection controller includes a control IC outputting an energization instruction signal to apply a peak current to a fuel injection valve (i.e., an instruction TQ), and a current monitor unit detecting an electric current flowing in the fuel injection valve. The control IC corrects an output OFF time of the energization instruction signal based on a difference between (i) an integrated current of an ideal current profile which serves as a target current before reaching the peak current and (ii) an integrated current of an energization current in the fuel injection valve detected by the current monitor unit (i.e., an effective TQ).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Inaba, Hiroyuki Fukuda, Katsuya Minamijima
  • Patent number: 11181067
    Abstract: An injection control device includes: a fuel injection quantity command value output unit that outputs a command value for a fuel injection quantity of a fuel injection valve; and a controller that executes current control on the fuel injection valve. The controller executes current area correction by calculating an area correction amount for an energization time to cause an integrated current value of an energization current profile and the integrated current value of a current to be equal to each other. Correction control of the current area correction is changed based on a detection signal of a cooling water temperature of an internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: November 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Kosuke Kato, Yasumasa Ishikawa, Yohei Suganuma, Masashi Inaba
  • Patent number: 11092105
    Abstract: An energization instruction switch switches energization instruction signals to instruct energization of fuel injection valves. A first cylinder designation switch designates one of the energization instruction signals to designate a valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing detection unit monitors downstream voltage of the fuel injection valve to detect occurrence of an inflection point in change of the downstream voltage to detect a valve closing. A second cylinder designation switch designates one of the downstream voltages and designates the valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing time measuring unit measures a valve closing time, which is from a switching timing of the energization instruction signal from ON to OFF to a valve closing detection timing, for injection of the valve closing detection cylinder. A valve closing time learning unit learns the valve closing time measured by the valve closing time measuring unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Inaba, Yuusuke Shimizu
  • Publication number: 20210189987
    Abstract: An injection control device includes a boost controller performing boost control of a boosted voltage generated by a booster circuit until a boosted voltage, which is generated in a boost capacitor, rises to a full-charge threshold when the boosted voltage falls below a charge start threshold. When, for stopping a peak current by a drive unit, a power interruption controller interrupts electric current supplied to the fuel injection valve by the drive unit as interruption control (i) of an application voltage to a fuel injection valve or (ii) of a constant current by the drive unit, a regeneration unit regenerates electric current generated in the fuel injection valve to the boost capacitor of the booster circuit. The boost controller upward-shifts (i.e., raises) the full-charge threshold of the booster circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: HIROAKI SHIRAKAWA, MASASHI INABA
  • Publication number: 20210189986
    Abstract: An injection control device includes a boost controller performing boost control of a boosted voltage generated by a booster circuit until a boosted voltage, which is generated in a boost capacitor, rises to a full-charge threshold when the boosted voltage falls below a charge start threshold. When a power interruption controller interrupts electric current supplied to the fuel injection valve by the drive unit, a regeneration unit regenerates electric current generated in the fuel injection valve to the boost capacitor of the booster circuit. The boost controller stops the boost control of the booster circuit when at least the electric current is regenerated by the regeneration unit to the boost capacitor of the booster circuit after the interruption control by the power interruption controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: HIROAKI SHIRAKAWA, MASASHI INABA
  • Publication number: 20210189988
    Abstract: An injection control device includes a boost controller performing boost control of a boosted voltage until a boosted voltage, which is generated in a boost capacitor, rises to a full-charge threshold when the boosted voltage falls below a charge start threshold. A drive unit supplies electric current to a fuel injection valve from a start timing t1 of an injection instruction period. A power interruption controller interrupts electric current supplied to the fuel injection valve by the drive unit. A regeneration unit regenerates electric current generated in the fuel injection valve which is caused by interruption control by the power interruption controller to the boost capacitor of the booster circuit.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2020
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Inventors: HIROAKI SHIRAKAWA, MASASHI INABA
  • Publication number: 20210164413
    Abstract: An injection control device controls the opening and dosing of a fuel injection valve by performing peak current drive and constant current drive and controls injection of fuel from the fuel injection valve to an internal combustion engine. The injection control device includes a preheat current energization control unit configured to, when a temperature of a solenoid coil of the fuel injection valve prior to starting the internal combustion engine is lower than a predetermined temperature, energize the fuel injection valve with a preheat current having an output density that causes the temperature of the solenoid coil to increase, the preheat current being within a range that maintains the fuel injection valve in a valve closed state, and when the temperature of the solenoid valve increases to or above the predetermined temperature, stop the energization of the fuel injection valve with the preheat current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventor: Masashi INABA
  • Publication number: 20210164412
    Abstract: An injection control device controls the opening and dosing of a fuel injection valve by performing peak current drive and constant current drive with respect to the fuel injection valve and controls injection of fuel from the fuel injection valve to an internal combustion engine. The injection control device includes an energization control unit that performs constant current switching control of an energization current to the fuel injection valve. The energization control unit is configured to, when the energization current to the fuel injection valve is to be stopped, controls an energization stop timing of the energization current such that a flyback period is equal to a first predetermined time period.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2020
    Publication date: June 3, 2021
    Inventor: Masashi INABA
  • Patent number: 10961963
    Abstract: An injection control device controls a drive of a solenoid in a high pressure pump for pressurizing fuel to an internal combustion engine. The injection control device includes a transistor on an upstream side of a power supply path from a direct current power supply line to the solenoid and a transistor provided on a downstream side of the power supply path. The injection control device further includes a diode at a position between an upstream terminal of the solenoid and ground, a transistor arranged in parallel with the diode, and a drive controller. The drive controller drives the solenoid to an open position by switching ON the transistors on the upstream and downstream sides of the power supply path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 30, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Inaba, Noboru Nagase, Taichi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 10957474
    Abstract: An injection control device controls a solenoid in a fuel injection valve. The injection control device includes a transistor on an upstream side of a first power supply path to the solenoid, and a transistor on an upstream side of a second power supply path to the solenoid. The injection control device has another transistor with a body diode arranged in parallel at a position between an upstream terminal of the solenoid and ground. The injection control device also includes a transistor on the downstream side of the first and second power supply paths. A drive controller in the injection control device drives the solenoid to an open position by switching ON the transistor on the downstream side and one of the transistors on the upstream side power supply paths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masashi Inaba, Noboru Nagase, Taichi Watanabe