Patents by Inventor Takanobu Ichihara
Takanobu Ichihara 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: 20030155666Abstract: The present invention promotes atomization and vaporization of spray at the time of cold startup and reduces the amount of fuel depositing on the inner wall of the intake manifold, thereby ensuring improved startability of an internal combustion engine of a car, reduced fuel costs and improved purification of exhaust gas. A very fine groove 201 is formed on a heat transfer surface 76 in a fuel vaporization promoting apparatus 100, wherein this groove 201 is shaped in such a way that fuel 24 is dispersed by the surface tension of a heat transfer surface 76 and fuel 24.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 24, 2002Publication date: August 21, 2003Inventors: Kiyoshi Amou, Yuzo Kadomukai, Hiroaki Saeki, Kenji Watanabe, Takanobu Ichihara, Masami Nagano
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Patent number: 6606976Abstract: A fuel supply system for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising: an intake passage; a downstream fuel injection valve near the port of each cylinder of the engine and downstream of the intake passage; and a controller, wherein the intake passage includes a fuel injection/evaporation device which has an upstream fuel injection valve; a heater for evaporating injected fuel; and an air passage for supplying the injected fuel with air. The controller is adapted to control the amount of fuel injected from the downstream fuel injection valve and the upstream fuel injection valve, thereby controlling the fuel-air ratio of the injected fuel.Type: GrantFiled: August 29, 2001Date of Patent: August 19, 2003Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara
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Patent number: 6557521Abstract: With a composition where there are provided an injection valve installed on each cylinder and a high-atomizing injection valve installed in the upstream, it is aimed to prevent worsened start-up performance and unburnt gas exhaust resulting from adhesion of the fuel on the suction air passage as a result of reduced air for atomization during the start-up cranking. With a composition equipped with an injection valve installed on each cylinder of an internal combustion engine and an air-assist type high-atomizing injection valve in the upstream, there is provided an injection controlling means that injects the fuel by the injection valve installed on the suction port during the start-up cranking.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2001Date of Patent: May 6, 2003Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Takanobu Ichihara, Masami Nagano, Toshiharu Nogi
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Patent number: 6543412Abstract: A main passage mounting a throttle valve and an air bypass flow passage for reducing HC emission by promoting atomization of the fuel spray injected from the assembly pipe fuel injector are integrated in a body of an intake air control device arranged upstream of an assembly pipe in a one-piece structure to form a unit. Thereby, the intake air control device can be easily manufactured and easily mounted on and dismounted from the intake air system. The amount of HC emitted during warming-up operation of an internal combustion engine is reduced by efficiently supplying fuel spray injected from an assembly pipe fuel injector at the time of starting and warming-up operations for the internal combustion engine.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2001Date of Patent: April 8, 2003Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kiyoshi Amou, Yoshio Okamoto, Yuzo Kadomukai, Takehiko Kowatari, Ayumu Miyajima, Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara, Hiroaki Saeki, Tadashi Someno
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Patent number: 6508236Abstract: Atomizing air flowing in an atomizing gas passage is merged with a fuel spray to promote atomization of the fuel, and carrier air flowing in a carrier gas passage is merged with the fuel spray at a further downstream position so as to surround the fuel spray. By doing so, the atomized fuel spray is carried to the downstream side so as to prevent the fuel spray from adhering onto the wall surface. The starting-up performance, fuel consumption and exhaust gas cleaning of an internal combustion engine are improved in this way.Type: GrantFiled: March 29, 2001Date of Patent: January 21, 2003Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Kiyoshi Amou, Yoshio Okamoto, Takehiko Kowatari, Ayumu Miyajima, Yuzo Kadomukai, Toru Ishikawa, Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara, Hiroaki Saeki, Kenji Watanabe
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Patent number: 6474145Abstract: A combustion state detection system for an internal combustion engine, in which the engine combustion state is detected by the combustion state parameter calculated from a time signal associated with the rotation of the crankshaft by a predetermined angle. The system comprises a device for compensating for the combustion state parameter and a combustion state parameter compensating permitting condition determining device for permitting or inhibiting the execution of the combustion state parameter compensation device.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 1998Date of Patent: November 5, 2002Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eisaku Fukuchi, Akihito Numata, Takanobu Ichihara
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Publication number: 20020088433Abstract: A fuel supply system for use in an internal combustion engine, comprising: an intake passage; a downstream fuel injection valve near the port of each cylinder of the engine and downstream of the intake passage; and a controller, wherein the intake passage includes a fuel injection/evaporation device which has an upstream fuel injection valve; a heater for evaporating injected fuel; and an air passage for supplying the injected fuel with air. The controller is adapted to control the amount of fuel injected from the downstream fuel injection valve and the upstream fuel injection valve, thereby controlling the fuel-air ratio of the injected fuel.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 29, 2001Publication date: July 11, 2002Inventors: Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara
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Publication number: 20010039936Abstract: With a composition where there are provided an injection valve installed on each cylinder and a high-atomizing injection valve installed in the upstream, it is aimed to prevent worsened start-up performance and unburnt gas exhaust resulting from adhesion of the fuel on the suction air passage as a result of reduced air for atomization during the start-up cranking.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2001Publication date: November 15, 2001Inventors: Takanobu Ichihara, Masami Nagano, Toshiharu Nogi
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Publication number: 20010027776Abstract: A main passage mounting a throttle valve and an air bypass flow passage for reducing HC emission by promoting atomization of the fuel spray injected from the assembly pipe fuel injector are integrated in a body of an intake air control device arranged upstream of an assembly pipe in one-piece structure to form a unit. Thereby, the intake air control device can be easily manufactured, and easily mounted on and dismounted from the intake air system. An amount of HC emitted at warming-up operation of an internal combustion engine is reduced by efficiently supplying fuel spray injected from an assembly pipe fuel injector at starting and warming-up operations to the internal combustion engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2001Publication date: October 11, 2001Inventors: Kiyoshi Amou, Yoshio Okamoto, Yuzo Kadomukai, Takehiko Kowatari, Ayumu Miyajima, Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara, Hiroaki Saeki, Tadashi Someno
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Publication number: 20010025628Abstract: Atomizing air flowing in an atomizing gas passage is merged with fuel spray to promote atomization of the fuel, and carrier air flowing in a carrier gas passage is merged with the fuel spray at a further downstream position so as to surround around the fuel spray. By doing so, the atomized fuel spray is carried to the downstream side so as to prevent the fuel spray from adhering onto the wall surface. Starting-up performance, fuel consumption and exhaust gas cleaning of an internal combustion engine are improved.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 29, 2001Publication date: October 4, 2001Inventors: Kiyoshi Amou, Yoshio Okamoto, Takehiko Kowatari, Ayumu Miyajima, Yuzo Kadomukai, Toru Ishikawa, Masami Nagano, Takanobu Ichihara, Hiroaki Saeki, Kenji Watanabe
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Patent number: 5991685Abstract: A combustion state detection system for an internal combustion engine in which a timing signal associated with the rotation of the crankshaft by a predetermined angle is detected and corrected, and a combustion state parameter is calculated from the timing signal. Further, the deviation of the calculated combustion state parameters for normal combustion is detected between the cylinders, and the correction amount of the timing signal is calculated. A reference cylinder is determined by the means for detecting the deviation. The deviation is detected between the combustion state parameter for normal combustion of the reference cylinder and the cylinder opposed thereto and the combustion state parameter for normal combustion of the remaining cylinders. The correction amount is calculated in such a manner as to control the correction amount to not more than a predetermined value or to zero from the detected deviation.Type: GrantFiled: February 18, 1998Date of Patent: November 23, 1999Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eisaku Fukuchi, Akihito Numata, Takanobu Ichihara
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Patent number: 5951618Abstract: It is intended to detect combustion state of an internal combustion engine over the entire range where positive torque is generated. Time required from a predetermined first crank angle to a second crank angle is measured by detecting a rotation angle of a ring gear or plate with engine speed detecting means 101. Then, a combustion state parameter is calculated from said required time by combustion state detecting means 102 with an established calculation method, and combustion state is determined by combustion state judging means 103. Engine speed correction means 104 determines and feeds back a correction value for the combustion state detecting value to correct the engine speed. At the moment, the correction quantity for correcting the required time is varied so that the normal combustion value of said combustion state parameter is at a predetermined value or less, or within a predetermined range.Type: GrantFiled: October 13, 1998Date of Patent: September 14, 1999Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eisaku Fukuchi, Akihito Numata, Takanobu Ichihara, Toshio Ishii
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Patent number: 5828976Abstract: It is intended to detect combustion state of an internal combustion engine over the entire range where positive torque is generated. Time required from a predetermined first crank angle to a second crank angle is measured by detecting a rotation angle of a ring gear or plate with engine speed detecting means 101. Then, a combustion state parameter is calculated from said required time by combustion state detecting means 102 with an established calculation method, and combustion state is determined by combustion state judging means 103. Engine speed correction means 104 determines and feeds back a correction value for the combustion state detecting value to correct the engine speed. At the moment, the correction quantity for correcting the required time is varied so that the normal combustion value of said combustion state parameter is at a predetermined value or less, or within a predetermined range.Type: GrantFiled: August 28, 1996Date of Patent: October 27, 1998Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Car Engineering Co., Ltd.Inventors: Eisaku Fukuchi, Akihito Numata, Takanobu Ichihara, Toshio Ishii
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Patent number: 5373448Abstract: A knock detection device being provided with a plurality of digital filter units, each is designed to cover respective characteristic resonance vibration frequency components inherent to resonance vibration modes due to knocking and including first, second and third digital filters, the first digital filter being tuned to the center frequency of the characteristic resonance vibration frequency component, the second digital filter being tuned to a neighboring lower frequency and the third digital filter being tuned to a neighboring higher frequency.Type: GrantFiled: July 16, 1992Date of Patent: December 13, 1994Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kozo Katogi, Takanobu Ichihara, Hiroatsu Tokuda
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Patent number: 5347846Abstract: Knocking detecting in an internal combustion engine uses, a vibration sensor detecting engine vibrations; and insert for taking-in output vibration signals from the vibration sensor in a plurality of intervals in a time sequential manner during every explosion stroke of the internal combustion engine; performing a digital frequency analysis on the taken-in output vibration signals in the respective sequential intervals; setting a main resonance frequency necessary for knocking occurrence judgement based upon the instant operating condition of the internal combustion engine; calculating knocking indexes for the digital frequency-analyzed output vibration signals in the respective sequential intervals based upon the set main resonance frequency component; comparing the largest knocking index calculated with a predetermined threshold value determined by a background vibration level and a slice level thereof to determine occurrence of knocking; and renewing the respective background vibration levels using the calType: GrantFiled: March 6, 1992Date of Patent: September 20, 1994Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Kouji Kitano, Mitsuo Kayano, Masayoshi Kaneyasu, Kouzou Katougi, Takanobu Ichihara, Nobuo Kurihara
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Patent number: 5230316Abstract: A method and apparatus of detecting knocking in an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft uses a knock detecting sensor to detect vibration caused by knocking. The signals from the knock detecting sensor are detected between a first and a second moment of time (i.e. a measurement window) and at least one of the first and second moments of time are independently varied in dependence upon a vibration spectrum of frequencies to be detected. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of frequency spectra, each having a different first and second moment of time, are each separately analyzed for determining knock intensity. The moments of time are represented by first and second angles of the crankshaft. A plurality of measurement windows are advantageously used to determine the level of knocking and if the level exceeds a predetermined level the ignition timing for the engine is retarded.Type: GrantFiled: April 24, 1991Date of Patent: July 27, 1993Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Takanobu Ichihara, Kozo Katogi, Hiroatsu Tokuda
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Patent number: 5097809Abstract: The present specification discloses an engine control system for controlling the acceleration response characteristics of a vehicle. The engine control system of the present invention operates generated torque of the engine by at least one of measured parameters including an intake air amount per one rotation of the engine, an intake manifold inner pressure and a throttle opening and adjusts the ignition timing in such a direction that a desired acceleration response characteristics is obtained in accordance with a generated torque value.Type: GrantFiled: October 26, 1990Date of Patent: March 24, 1992Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.Inventors: Teruji Sekozawa, Takanobu Ichihara, Makoto Shioya, Motohisa Funabashi, Kazuya Kawano