Patents by Inventor Seiji Asano

Seiji Asano 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: 8032290
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine can quickly control, regardless of variation of the quantity of evaporative fuel gas adsorbed in a canister of the engine, the air-fuel ratio to a target value by performing air-fuel ratio feedback compensation control so as not to cause the emission performance of the engine to deteriorate. For the first canister purge performed after the engine is started up, a purge valve is driven for a prescribed period at a prescribed purge flow rate. During the period, the quantity of purged fuel is calculated using an air-fuel ratio feedback factor. Based on the fuel quantity thus calculated, an adsorption quantity estimation section estimates the quantity of evaporative fuel gas adsorbed in the canister.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Masanobu Ohsaki, Takayuki Obu
  • Publication number: 20110231081
    Abstract: The invention provides a method for preferably controlling an internal combustion engine by precisely estimating a current value of a temperature of an exhaust device of an internal combustion engine provided with a variable valve, an exhaust turbo supercharger and the like, and controlling an affector of a temperature of an exhaust gas on the basis of a difference between a reference value of the exhaust device temperature and the current value of the exhaust device temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 17, 2011
    Publication date: September 22, 2011
    Applicant: Hitachi Automative Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunihiko Suzuki, Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20100305832
    Abstract: There is provided an engine control device which can accurately calculate a compensation coefficient used for transient compensation of an ignition timing without involving a complicated and large-scale calculation model in order to prevent a combustion deterioration and the like caused by a mechanical response delay and the like of the variable valve timing mechanism at a transition time such as an acceleration/deceleration time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji ASANO, Shingo KIMURA, Kenichi KOTABE, Kenji MIZUSHIMA, Kunihiko SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 7761220
    Abstract: The invention precisely achieves an air fuel ratio control precision in each of operating regions of an engine, particularly a demand air fuel ratio at a time of an engine transition. In a fuel control system correcting a basic fuel amount in such a manner as to estimate a fuel adhered to an air intake pipe of an engine and an evaporated fuel from the adhered fuel so as to achieve a demanded air fuel ratio, a temperature of a fuel adhered portion is estimated on the basis of an amount relation between the fuel to be adhered and the already adhered fuel, or a heat quantity balance. A fuel adhesion amount and a fuel evaporation amount are determined on the basis of the estimated temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Mitsuru Nagase, Hiroshi Sekine
  • Patent number: 7716917
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine having: a three-way catalytic converter; an oxygen sensor, which is installed at the upstream side of said catalytic converter in respect to exhaust gas flow direction, for generating a switching signal showing rich/lean relative to a certain air-fuel ratio; and an air-fuel ratio sensor, which is installed at the downstream side of said catalytic converter, for generating a linear output signal corresponding to the air-fuel ratio, wherein the apparatus includes a deviation calculation unit for calculating deviation between air-fuel ratio measured by the air-fuel ratio sensor, and target air-fuel ratio; and a feedback control unit of the air-fuel ratio for carrying out feedback control of air-fuel ratio based on the deviation calculated by a deviation calculation unit, and the output signal of the oxygen sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2010
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20100012100
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine can quickly control, regardless of variation of the quantity of evaporative fuel gas adsorbed in a canister of the engine, the air-fuel ratio to a target value by performing air-fuel ratio feedback compensation control so as not to cause the emission performance of the engine to deteriorate. For the first canister purge performed after the engine is started up, a purge valve is driven for a prescribed period at a prescribed purge flow rate. During the period, the quantity of purged fuel is calculated using an air-fuel ratio feedback factor. Based on the fuel quantity thus calculated, an adsorption quantity estimation section estimates the quantity of evaporative fuel gas adsorbed in the canister.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 26, 2009
    Publication date: January 21, 2010
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Masanobu Ohsaki, Takayuki Obu
  • Publication number: 20090157282
    Abstract: Factors affecting the response time of a transfer system from the combustion of injected fuel to the detection of its oxygen concentration include a stroke delay time due to an engine speed, the dependence of an LAF sensor response time on an exhaust gas flow rate, a response time change of the LAF sensor due to its deterioration with time, and the like. If a hyperplane of the sliding mode is fixed without considering the above-mentioned factors affecting the response time of the transfer system, an overshoot or oscillation of a feedback system may occur at low speeds of the engine even if preferable feedback responsiveness can be achieved, for example, at high speeds of the engine. This results in aggravated exhaust emissions, degraded drivability due to torque fluctuations, and fluctuations in idle speed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 30, 2008
    Publication date: June 18, 2009
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Yasukuni Kubo, Takayuki Ohbu, Keiichi Takayanagi, Shigeo Ohkuma, Shunji Fukui, Junichi Noda
  • Patent number: 7530347
    Abstract: There is provided an air amount computing unit, and a fuel control unit, of an internal combustion engine that calculates a cylinder flow-in air amount during a transient state without response delay and so as not to have any inflection point in changes of flow rate and that allows a desirable air-fuel ratio to be kept.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2009
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Masahiro Sato, Shigeru Nishita, Kenichi Kotabe, Kenji Mizushima, Sadato Horiuchi, Makoto Muto
  • Publication number: 20090084351
    Abstract: Air quantity of ISC is roughly controlled on the basis of the lift amount of an intake valve, whose air flow rate control range is wide. The adjustment of the air quantity beyond the range of the rough control is achieved by the control based on a phase of the intake valve. As a result, a required flow rate can be achieved with high accuracy. If only the intake-valve lift amount whose air flow rate control range is wide is used to achieve the required air quantity of ISC, a fuel control system requires both a high degree of accuracy of an intake-valve lift amount sensor and a high degree of accuracy of an intake-valve lift amount control mechanism itself, which leads to high system costs. The air quantity of ISC is roughly controlled on the basis of the intake-valve lift amount whose air flow rate control range is wide (the air quantity is controlled based on an air flow rate corresponding to each integral multiple of the air flow rate control minimum resolution).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 30, 2008
    Publication date: April 2, 2009
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji ASANO
  • Publication number: 20080270006
    Abstract: The invention precisely achieves an air fuel ratio control precision in each of operating regions of an engine, particularly a demand air fuel ratio at a time of an engine transition. In a fuel control system correcting a basic fuel amount in such a manner as to estimate a fuel adhered to an air intake pipe of an engine and an evaporated fuel from the adhered fuel so as to achieve a demanded air fuel ratio, a temperature of a fuel adhered portion is estimated on the basis of an amount relation between the fuel to be adhered and the already adhered fuel, or a heat quantity balance. A fuel adhesion amount and a fuel evaporation amount are determined on the basis of the estimated temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Publication date: October 30, 2008
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji ASANO, Mitsuru NAGASE, Hiroshi SEKINE
  • Patent number: 7426434
    Abstract: An engine controller of the present invention is comprised of: a determining section for determining a state where an engine is not driven; a braking torque obtaining section for obtaining a braking toque acting on the vehicle; a vehicle speed sensing section for sensing a vehicle speed; an atmospheric pressure obtaining section for obtaining an atmospheric pressure value when an engine is driven; a road gradient obtaining section for obtaining a road gradient on the basis of the braking torque and the vehicle speed when the determining section determines the state where the vehicle is not driven; an atmospheric pressure correcting section which calculates a vehicle vertical travel of a downhill on the basis of the road gradient and a travel distance derived from the vehicle speed when the vehicle has descended the downhill, and corrects the atmospheric pressure value on the basis of the vehicle vertical travel of the downhill.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: September 16, 2008
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20080133115
    Abstract: At the start-up of an engine, the ignition timing and the air-fuel ratio are controlled to prevent overload onto the volume of ISC air and decreased torque and torque difference. The fuel condition based on the amount of ignition timing correction to inhibit rotational fluctuation during idling is determined and the fuel quantity based on the result is corrected. Right after an engine has started and until a pilot burner is created in the heat spot of the catalyst, the ignition retard control is mainly executed, and at the time when it is determined that a pilot burner has been created in the catalyst's heat spot, the lean air-fuel ratio control is to be executed instead of the ignition retard control. Furthermore, when the ignition retard control changes to the lean air-fuel ratio control, the state transition control is executed along the equivalent ISC air volume line so as not to cause torque fluctuation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 27, 2007
    Publication date: June 5, 2008
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Hisahiro Ooba, Masahiro Osato, Kenji Takada, Mitsuru Nagase, Hiroshi Sekine
  • Publication number: 20080120010
    Abstract: There is provided an air amount computing unit, and a fuel control unit, of an internal combustion engine that calculates a cylinder flow-in air amount during a transient state without response delay and so as not to have any inflection point in changes of flow rate and that allows a desirable air-fuel ratio to be kept.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 20, 2007
    Publication date: May 22, 2008
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Asano, Masahiro Sato, Shigeru Nishita, Kenichi Kotabe, Kenji Mizushima, Sadato Horiuchi, Makoto Muto
  • Publication number: 20080066716
    Abstract: A fuel control system for a cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. A predetermined portion of the fuel spray is appropriately ignited regardless of the correction of the ignition timing, thereby always securing stable, satisfactory combustion. In the case where the ignition timing is corrected, the fuel injection timing is corrected in accordance with the ignition timing correction amount. The fuel injection timing is corrected also with the change in the internal cylinder pressure and the fuel injection velocity taking the intake pipe pressure and the fuel pressure into account, thereby maintaining the required ignition point of the fuel spray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Publication date: March 20, 2008
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Patent number: 7308885
    Abstract: A fuel control system for a cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. A predetermined portion of the fuel spray is appropriately ignited regardless of the correction of the ignition timing, thereby always securing stable, satisfactory combustion. In the case where the ignition timing is corrected, the fuel injection timing is corrected in accordance with the ignition timing correction amount. The fuel injection timing is corrected also with the change in the internal cylinder pressure and the fuel injection velocity taking the intake pipe pressure and the fuel pressure into account, thereby maintaining the required ignition point of the fuel spray.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2007
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20070276579
    Abstract: An engine controller of the present invention is comprised of: a determining section for determining a state where an engine is not driven; a braking torque obtaining section for obtaining a braking toque acting on the vehicle; a vehicle speed sensing section for sensing a vehicle speed; an atmospheric pressure obtaining section for obtaining an atmospheric pressure value when an engine is driven; a road gradient obtaining section for obtaining a road gradient on the basis of the braking torque and the vehicle speed when the determining section determines the state where the vehicle is not driven; an atmospheric pressure correcting section which calculates a vehicle vertical travel of a downhill on the basis of the road gradient and a travel distance derived from the vehicle speed when the vehicle has descended the downhill, and corrects the atmospheric pressure value on the basis of the vehicle vertical travel of the downhill.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 23, 2007
    Publication date: November 29, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20070095050
    Abstract: An apparatus for diagnosing deterioration of a catalyst for an internal combustion engine, having a first catalyst and a second catalyst and provided with sensors for detecting a particular exhaust component before and after the first catalyst, wherein a relationship between a deterioration property involved in clarification of an exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine by a combination of the first catalyst and the second catalyst and a deterioration property of the first catalyst are determined previously; a deterioration degree of the first catalyst is calculated according to outputs from the sensors disposed before and after the first catalyst; deterioration of the first catalyst is judged according to the deterioration degree; and deterioration of the second catalyst is judged according to the deterioration degree of the first catalyst.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2006
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi,Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20070100513
    Abstract: When an updating event occurs, an information management base station unit inquires all the vehicles under its management about the presence or absence of vehicle-mounted control units to be updated. Based on replies from the individual vehicles, the information management base station unit selects the vehicles to be updated, and then it automatically updates them via wireless communication.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Publication date: May 3, 2007
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20070079596
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine having: a three-way catalytic converter; an oxygen sensor, which is installed at the upstream side of said catalytic converter in respect to exhaust gas flow direction, for generating a switching signal showing rich/lean relative to a certain air-fuel ratio; and an air-fuel ratio sensor, which is installed at the downstream side of said catalytic converter, for generating a linear output signal corresponding to the air-fuel ratio, wherein the apparatus includes a deviation calculation unit for calculating deviation between air-fuel ratio measured by the air-fuel ratio sensor, and target air-fuel ratio; and a feedback control unit of the air-fuel ratio for carrying out feedback control of air-fuel ratio based on the deviation calculated by a deviation calculation unit, and the output signal of the oxygen sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2006
    Publication date: April 12, 2007
    Applicant: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano
  • Publication number: 20070000475
    Abstract: A fuel control system for a cylinder direct injection internal combustion engine. A predetermined portion of the fuel spray is appropriately ignited regardless of the correction of the ignition timing, thereby always securing stable, satisfactory combustion. In the case where the ignition timing is corrected, the fuel injection timing is corrected in accordance with the ignition timing correction amount. The fuel injection timing is corrected also with the change in the internal cylinder pressure and the fuel injection velocity taking the intake pipe pressure and the fuel pressure into account, thereby maintaining the required ignition point of the fuel spray.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 30, 2006
    Publication date: January 4, 2007
    Applicant: HITACHI, LTD.
    Inventor: Seiji Asano