Patents by Inventor Shigeaki Horiuchi

Shigeaki Horiuchi 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: 5803361
    Abstract: This fuel injector for internal combustion engines makes the best use of the responsiveness of a piezoelectric element and the leakage resistance and fixing easiness of a solenoid type fuel injection nozzle, and secures a sufficient lift of a control piston. In this fuel injector, a control piston is connected to and controls a sliding movement of a needle valve, and a return spring provided in a fuel chamber urges the needle valve in the injection port closing direction, the lift of the control piston being controlled by a piezoelectric element which is adapted to be displaced in accordance with voltage variation. The displacement of the piezoelectric element is increased by the effect of lever and fulcrum of a displacement increasing mechanism, and the resultant displacement is transmitted to the control piston, whereby the lift of the control piston and needle valve is secured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 6, 1997
    Date of Patent: September 8, 1998
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
    Inventors: Shigeaki Horiuchi, Takeshi Tokumaru
  • Patent number: 5794582
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes a piston having a crown portion with a bottom surface and a skirt projecting therefrom to form a cavity, and a connecting rod having at one end a semicylindrical yoke portion with an upwardly directed semicylindrical concave surface and downwardly directed semicylindrical convex surfaces. A guide member is slidably retained between the bottom surface and the concave surface, and an annular member projecting into and fixed to the skirt defines spaced apart semicylindrical concave surfaces each engaging portions of the convex surfaces.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 1997
    Date of Patent: August 18, 1998
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5722600
    Abstract: This fuel injection device extends the duration which elapses from the injection starting point to the point of maximum lift of the needle valve to lower the initial injection ratio, thereby reducing NO.sub.x emissions. Further, the time which elapses from the starting point of injection termination to the nozzle hole closing point is decreased to ensure positive fuel cutoff, increase the injection rate immediately before the end of the injection process and reduce emissions such as soot and HC. In this fuel injection device, the passage for supplying high-pressure fuel into the balance chamber is formed larger than the orifice for discharging the fuel from the balance chamber, and a normally open check valve is provided in the annular chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1998
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5699762
    Abstract: In a valve operating system for an internal combustion engine in which two valves are simultaneously operated by one valve bridge, a roller is fitted to one end of a rocker arm 1, said roller pushing the valve bridge downward. A transverse force produced by the circular motion of the rocker arm merely causes rolling of the roller and is not delivered as a force of moving the valve bridge in the transverse direction. Thus, the valve bridge does not require any guiding mechanism for resisting against the transverse force. In addition, the depression bottom of each of the sleeves of the valve bridge is shaped flat, and the stem end of the valve in contact with the depression bottom is shaped spherical so as to contact the stem and with the depression bottom at one point on the spherical surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 23, 1997
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5427067
    Abstract: An assembly including a piston having a crown surface, a bottom surface, and a skirt projecting therefrom and defining therewith a cavity; a cup-shaped housing retained in the cavity and having a bottom wall engaging the bottom surface and a side wall engaging the skirt; a collar retained within the housing and defining an annular concave surface facing the bottom surface; a connecting rod having a transversely projecting end portion defining an annular convex surface engaging the concave surface and an axially outwardly facing recess defining a slide surface; and a slide member retained in the recess and slidably engaged between the slide surface and the bottom wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 8, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 27, 1995
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5413074
    Abstract: A groove in a direction of a crank shaft is provided in an inner surface of a top wall of a cup-shaped inner sleeve. The groove provides a stop for a semicylindrical slidable guide member that cooperates with a cylindrical concave portion of a cylindrical member to smoothly guide oscillation of a pair of arms at a small end portion of a connecting rod. Further, the slidable guide member allows relative sliding movement of the small end portion of the connecting rod in the direction of a crank shaft but inhibits relative rotation along the center axis of the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: May 9, 1995
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors, Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5121722
    Abstract: A piston for use in an internal combustion engine and including a central portion; a side wall portion adapted for sliding engagement with a cylinder; a connector end adapted for connection with a connecting rod; and a driven end adapted to receive combustion generated forces. The driven end defines a primary chamber adapted to receive fuel and accommodate combustion thereof; and the central body portion defines an auxiliary chamber, an inlet port providing a fuel injection path between the primary and auxiliary chambers, and outlet port means providing between the auxiliary and primary chambers a discharge path for combustion products generated by combustion in the auxiliary chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: June 16, 1992
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Ltd.
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi
  • Patent number: 5115725
    Abstract: An arrangement wherein a concave portion on a support end of a connecting rod is slidably engaged with a convex portion formed in a lower part of a piston, and a retainer ring member supported on a skirt portion of the piston is placed in contact with the lower part of the concave rod end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: May 26, 1992
    Assignee: Isuzu Motors Limited
    Inventor: Shigeaki Horiuchi