Patents by Inventor Sohichi IMAI
Sohichi IMAI 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).
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Publication number: 20230347863Abstract: Hybrid electric vehicle includes an engine, a first electric motor, a second electric motor, an electric power storage device, and a control device. The control device is configured to control the engine and the first electric motor so that the engine is operated at a first predetermined engine speed while outputting a predetermined torque, and to control the second electric motor so that a driving force based on a required driving force is output, when the rapid catalyst warm-up is executed when the engine is idle off.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 22, 2023Publication date: November 2, 2023Inventors: Masanao IDOGAWA, Hirokazu ANDOH, Takahiro UCHIDA, Yoshikazu ASAMI, Hidekazu NAWATA, Jumpei NASU, Sohichi IMAI
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Publication number: 20230304434Abstract: A cooling device is employed in a vehicle including an internal combustion engine provided with a forced-induction device and an intercooler. The cooling device includes a circulation circuit configured to circulate coolant supplied to the intercooler, an electric pump configured to operate to circulate the coolant in the circulation circuit, and processing circuitry configured to control a discharge amount of the coolant of the pump. The processing circuitry is configured to execute a control amount deriving process of deriving a control amount of the pump based on a requested flow rate and a coolant temperature, and an operation process of causing the pump to operate based on the control amount when the requested flow rate is larger than 0.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2023Publication date: September 28, 2023Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masaya KUBO, Koji ICHIKAWA, Takahiro YOSHIDA, Takahiro NISHIGAKI, Noriaki KUMAGAI, Sohichi IMAI, Masahiro NOGUCHI
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Patent number: 11761373Abstract: A cooling device is employed in a vehicle including an internal combustion engine provided with a forced-induction device and an intercooler. The cooling device includes a circulation circuit configured to circulate coolant supplied to the intercooler, an electric pump configured to operate to circulate the coolant in the circulation circuit, and processing circuitry configured to control a discharge amount of the coolant of the pump. The processing circuitry is configured to execute a control amount deriving process of deriving a control amount of the pump based on a requested flow rate and a coolant temperature, and an operation process of causing the pump to operate based on the control amount when the requested flow rate is larger than 0.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2023Date of Patent: September 19, 2023Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masaya Kubo, Koji Ichikawa, Takahiro Yoshida, Takahiro Nishigaki, Noriaki Kumagai, Sohichi Imai, Masahiro Noguchi
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Patent number: 11698018Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine including an upstream cleaning device and a downstream cleaning device that are provided in an exhaust gas passage and a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of exhaust gas between the upstream cleaning device and the downstream cleaning device is provided. The control device includes a first temperature estimating unit configured to estimate a temperature of the downstream cleaning device from the temperature of exhaust gas detected by the temperature sensor and a second temperature estimating unit configured to estimate a temperature of the downstream cleaning device without using the temperature of exhaust gas detected by the temperature sensor. An abnormality determining process for the upstream cleaning device is performed when at least the temperature of the downstream cleaning device estimated by the second temperature estimating unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.Type: GrantFiled: May 20, 2022Date of Patent: July 11, 2023Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Yuya Yoshikawa, Kazuhiro Hasegawa, Yoshifumi Matsuda, Masanao Idogawa, Takahiro Uchida, Yuki Yabushita
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Publication number: 20220403767Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine including an upstream cleaning device and a downstream cleaning device that are provided in an exhaust gas passage and a temperature sensor that detects a temperature of exhaust gas between the upstream cleaning device and the downstream cleaning device is provided. The control device includes a first temperature estimating unit configured to estimate a temperature of the downstream cleaning device from the temperature of exhaust gas detected by the temperature sensor and a second temperature estimating unit configured to estimate a temperature of the downstream cleaning device without using the temperature of exhaust gas detected by the temperature sensor. An abnormality determining process for the upstream cleaning device is performed when at least the temperature of the downstream cleaning device estimated by the second temperature estimating unit is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold value.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 20, 2022Publication date: December 22, 2022Inventors: Sohichi IMAI, Yuya YOSHIKAWA, Kazuhiro HASEGAWA, Yoshifumi MATSUDA, Masanao IDOGAWA, Takahiro UCHIDA, Yuki YABUSHITA
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Patent number: 11365701Abstract: An engine device includes an engine including an in-cylinder injection valve and a spark plug, an exhaust gas control device, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a last fuel injection from the in-cylinder injection valve in an expansion stroke and to set a fuel injection amount for the last fuel injection in expansion stroke injection driving, based on a coolant start temperature, post-start time, and volumetric efficiency. The expansion stroke injection driving is a control that is performed by performing the ignition by the spark plug in synchronization with the fuel injection in the expansion stroke.Type: GrantFiled: June 24, 2021Date of Patent: June 21, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masanao Idogawa, Takahiro Uchida, Koji Ichikawa, Hiroaki Mizoguchi, Takuya Okubo, Sohichi Imai, Hirokazu Andoh
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Patent number: 11286870Abstract: A catalyst having an oxygen storage capacity is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. A catalyst temperature calculating device calculates an oxygen storage amount of the catalyst to a value greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to than a maximum value based on an amount of oxygen and an amount of unburned fuel components in a fluid flowing into the catalyst. A temperature calculation process calculates a temperature of the catalyst assuming that an amount of temperature rise of the catalyst is larger when an increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is large than when the increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is small in a case where the oxygen storage amount increases.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Shigeki Nakayama, Masanao Idogawa, Daigo Ando
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Publication number: 20220010749Abstract: An engine device includes an engine including an in-cylinder injection valve and a spark plug, an exhaust gas control device, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a last fuel injection from the in-cylinder injection valve in an expansion stroke and to set a fuel injection amount for the last fuel injection in expansion stroke injection driving, based on a coolant start temperature, post-start time, and volumetric efficiency. The expansion stroke injection driving is a control that is performed by performing the ignition by the spark plug in synchronization with the fuel injection in the expansion stroke.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 24, 2021Publication date: January 13, 2022Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Masanao IDOGAWA, Takahiro UCHIDA, Koji ICHIKAWA, Hiroaki MIZOGUCHI, Takuya OKUBO, Sohichi IMAI, Hirokazu ANDOH
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Patent number: 11215137Abstract: In an engine device, when executing normal control that performs fuel injection and ignition as control of an engine, a controller estimates, in the case of a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, an exhaust gas temperature based on first thermal energy that is based on a combustion gas temperature, a combustion gas quantity, and specific heat of combustion gas, estimates, in the case of a lean air-fuel ratio, the exhaust gas temperature based on the first thermal energy and second thermal energy that is based on an air temperature, a surplus air quantity, and specific heat of air, and estimates, in the case of a rich air-fuel ratio, the exhaust gas temperature based on the first thermal energy and third thermal energy that is based on a fuel temperature, a surplus fuel quantity, specific heat of fuel, and evaporation latent heat of fuel.Type: GrantFiled: May 25, 2021Date of Patent: January 4, 2022Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Shigeki Nakayama, Masanao Idogawa, Daigo Ando
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Publication number: 20210388795Abstract: In an engine device, when executing normal control that performs fuel injection and ignition as control of an engine, a controller estimates, in the case of a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, an exhaust gas temperature based on first thermal energy that is based on a combustion gas temperature, a combustion gas quantity, and specific heat of combustion gas, estimates, in the case of a lean air-fuel ratio, the exhaust gas temperature based on the first thermal energy and second thermal energy that is based on an air temperature, a surplus air quantity, and specific heat of air, and estimates, in the case of a rich air-fuel ratio, the exhaust gas temperature based on the first thermal energy and third thermal energy that is based on a fuel temperature, a surplus fuel quantity, specific heat of fuel, and evaporation latent heat of fuel.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 25, 2021Publication date: December 16, 2021Inventors: Sohichi IMAI, Shigeki NAKAYAMA, Masanao IDOGAWA, Daigo ANDO
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Patent number: 10920696Abstract: An electronic control unit performs a cylinder-by-cylinder correction of a fuel injection amount to cause differences among air-fuel ratios of air-fuel mixture burned in multiple cylinders. In a case in which the cylinder-by-cylinder correction of the fuel injection amount results in a cylinder in which combustion is performed at an air-fuel ratio richer than an output air-fuel ratio, the output air-fuel ratio being an air-fuel ratio at which combustion torque is maximized, the electronic control unit performs a cylinder-by-cylinder correction of ignition timing such that the ignition timing of the cylinder in which combustion is performed at the air-fuel ratio richer than the output air-fuel ratio becomes more advanced than the ignition timing of the other cylinders.Type: GrantFiled: March 20, 2019Date of Patent: February 16, 2021Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Masanao Idogawa
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Patent number: 10677180Abstract: A first limit requesting process limits a dither control process of fuel injection valves in such a manner that the absolute value of the difference between the air-fuel ratios of the cylinders becomes smaller when the degree of variation of the injection amounts of the fuel injection valves provided for respective cylinders is great than when the degree of variation is small. A second limit requesting process limits the dither control process in such a manner that the absolute value is smaller when the torque fluctuation amount of the internal combustion engine is great than when the torque fluctuation amount is small. The limiting process limits the dither control process in accordance with one of requests generated by the first limit requesting process and the second limit requesting process that causes the absolute value to be smaller than the other.Type: GrantFiled: November 14, 2018Date of Patent: June 9, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuya Yoshikawa, Isao Nakajima, Akihiro Katayama, Ryo Suzuki, Sohichi Imai, Eiichiro Kido
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Publication number: 20200102901Abstract: A catalyst having an oxygen storage capacity is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. A catalyst temperature calculating device calculates an oxygen storage amount of the catalyst to a value greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to than a maximum value based on an amount of oxygen and an amount of unburned fuel components in a fluid flowing into the catalyst. A temperature calculation process calculates a temperature of the catalyst assuming that an amount of temperature rise of the catalyst is larger when an increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is large than when the increase amount of the oxygen storage amount is small in a case where the oxygen storage amount increases.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 21, 2019Publication date: April 2, 2020Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi IMAI, Shigeki NAKAYAMA, Masanao IDOGAWA, Daigo ANDO
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Patent number: 10598111Abstract: A fuel injection controller updates an air-fuel ratio learning value such that the amount of correction of a fuel injection amount according to an air-fuel ratio feedback correction value approaches zero. Further, the fuel injection controller makes an update rate of the air-fuel ratio learning value lower when the variation among respective-cylinder correction values, which are set for the respective cylinders in order to differentiate air-fuel ratios of a plurality of cylinders, is great than when the variation among the respective-cylinder correction values of the cylinders is small.Type: GrantFiled: November 9, 2018Date of Patent: March 24, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Masanao Idogawa
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Patent number: 10578047Abstract: A controller for controlling an internal combustion engine includes an injection amount calculation portion that calculates a base injection amount, an injection amount correction portion that corrects the base injection amount to calculate first and second corrected injection amounts, and an injection count determination portion that determines first and second fuel injection counts, which are respectively a number of times fuel is injected from first and second fuel injection valves. When the first and second corrected injection amounts are respectively calculated using the same base injection amount, the injection count determination portion sets the first fuel injection count corresponding to the first corrected injection amount to be equal to the second fuel injection count corresponding to the second corrected injection amount.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2018Date of Patent: March 3, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Masanao Idogawa
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Patent number: 10563602Abstract: A controller learns the degree of variation in the injection amount of fuel injection valves provided for respective cylinders when the fuel injection valves are operated to control the air-fuel ratios of the respective cylinders to be equal to each other. A first advancement requesting process causes the request for the ignition timing to be more advanced when the degree of variation is great than when the degree of variation is small. A second advancement requesting process causes the request for the ignition timing to be more advanced when the torque fluctuation amount of the internal combustion engine is than when the torque fluctuation amount is small. The ignition control process controls the ignition timing in accordance with the request of the more advanced one of the first advancement requesting process and the second advancement requesting process.Type: GrantFiled: October 4, 2018Date of Patent: February 18, 2020Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuya Yoshikawa, Isao Nakajima, Akihiro Katayama, Ryo Suzuki, Sohichi Imai, Eiichiro Kido
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Patent number: 10487769Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a low pressure fuel pump, a low pressure fuel passage, a high pressure fuel pump, a high pressure fuel passage, a fuel injection valve, a high pressure controller, and a low pressure controller. The low pressure controller calculates a feedforward correction amount that increases as a request injection amount of the fuel injection valve increases and an increase rate of the high pressure target value increases when a high pressure target value increases. The low pressure controller calculates a feedback correction amount based on a low-side pressure deviation when the high pressure target value increases. The low pressure controller controls driving of the low pressure fuel pump based on a sum of the feedforward correction amount and the feedback correction amount.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 2018Date of Patent: November 26, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Motohiro Sugimoto, Masanao Idogawa
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Publication number: 20190316535Abstract: An electronic control unit performs a cylinder-by-cylinder correction of a fuel injection amount to cause differences among air-fuel ratios of air-fuel mixture burned in multiple cylinders. In a case in which the cylinder-by-cylinder correction of the fuel injection amount results in a cylinder in which combustion is performed at an air-fuel ratio richer than an output air-fuel ratio, the output air-fuel ratio being an air-fuel ratio at which combustion torque is maximized, the electronic control unit performs a cylinder-by-cylinder correction of ignition timing such that the ignition timing of the cylinder in which combustion is performed at the air-fuel ratio richer than the output air-fuel ratio becomes more advanced than the ignition timing of the other cylinders.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 20, 2019Publication date: October 17, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi IMAI, Masanao IDOGAWA
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Patent number: 10428758Abstract: A fuel injection controller for an internal combustion engine includes first and second calculation sections. The first calculation section acquires a fuel pressure at a predetermined point of time before an injection starting point of time and calculates an injection time using the acquired fuel pressure. The second calculation section acquires a fuel pressure when the injection starting point of time arrives and calculates the injection time by using the acquired fuel pressure. The controller is configured to, before starting the energization to the injector, set a point of time to stop energization to an injector based on a calculation result of the injection time by the first calculation section. The controller is also configured to, after starting the energization to the injector, reset the point of time to stop the energization to the injector based on a calculation result of the injection time by the second calculation section.Type: GrantFiled: January 26, 2018Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Sohichi Imai, Masanao Idogawa
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Publication number: 20190170108Abstract: A controller learns the degree of variation in the injection amount of fuel injection valves provided for respective cylinders when the fuel injection valves are operated to control the air-fuel ratios of the respective cylinders to be equal to each other. A first advancement requesting process causes the request for the ignition timing to be more advanced when the degree of variation is great than when the degree of variation is small. A second advancement requesting process causes the request for the ignition timing to be more advanced when the torque fluctuation amount of the internal combustion engine is than when the torque fluctuation amount is small. The ignition control process controls the ignition timing in accordance with the request of the more advanced one of the first advancement requesting process and the second advancement requesting process.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 4, 2018Publication date: June 6, 2019Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuya YOSHIKAWA, lsao NAKAJIMA, Akihiro KATAYAMA, Ryo SUZUKI, Sohichi IMAI, Eiichiro KIDO