Patents by Inventor Tomohiro Shinagawa
Tomohiro Shinagawa 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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Patent number: 7831375Abstract: A multi-cylinder engine includes an EGR mechanism for introducing exhaust gas into intake air, and is capable of a partial cylinder operation in which combustion in a part of the cylinders is halted. The multi-cylinder engine includes an EGR rate control unit for setting an introduction rate at which the exhaust gas is introduced into the intake air to be lower in a first partial cylinder operating state in which the ignition intervals are unequal, than in a second partial cylinder operating state, in which ignition intervals among a plurality of operating cylinders are equal.Type: GrantFiled: April 1, 2009Date of Patent: November 9, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tomohiro Shinagawa
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Patent number: 7822530Abstract: In a gas-fueled internal combustion engine, an ignition device (16, 6O, 62, 64, 66) is arranged in a moving direction of a stream of the gaseous fuel injected from an in-cylinder injection valve (40) in a combustion chamber. The ignition device can directly ignite the fuel stream and diffusive combustion of the gaseous fuel can be executed by sequentially injecting the gaseous fuel toward a flame created by the ignition. Further, premix combustion of the gaseous fuel can also be performed by igniting an air-fuel mixture after the gaseous fuel injected from the in-cylinder injection valve has been sufficiently mixed with the air. As an operation mode of the engine, a lean premix combustion operation is selected when the engine is operated in a prescribed operation region, and the operation mode is changed to a diffusive combustion operation when the engine is operated in a higher load operation region than the prescribed operation region.Type: GrantFiled: December 28, 2006Date of Patent: October 26, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Makoto Suzuki
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Publication number: 20100235074Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided in which a prescribed amount of fuel is injected over a predetermined period until an air-fuel ratio sensor is activated when fuel cut control of the internal combustion engine is stopped to resume normal engine operation. If an EGR gas is inducted immediately before the fuel cut control is started, the prescribed amount is reduced.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 5, 2008Publication date: September 16, 2010Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Yuuichi Katou, Youhei Hosokawa, Shingo Korenaga
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Patent number: 7789047Abstract: A hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel, which improves mixability of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas and reduces the number of parts required for a fuel supply that supplies the two types of fuel. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection device injecting hydrocarbon fuel; a fuel supply supplying hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a microbubble generation device generating microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixing the generated microbubbles of hydrogen gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel supply. The hydrogen gas microbubbles are supplied, for instance, to a fuel supply path and fuel tank, which constitute the fuel supply.Type: GrantFiled: April 7, 2006Date of Patent: September 7, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Rentaro Kuroki, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Yasushi Ito, Makoto Suzuki, Kenichi Yamada
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Patent number: 7775196Abstract: A fuel supply apparatus that supplies fuel to an internal combustion engine by injecting liquid fuel from a fuel injection valve into a suction port is configured by a microbubble generator that generates microbubbles and an ultrasonic wave generator that generates an ultrasonic wave depending on a gas in the microbubbles generated by the microbubble generator. In the fuel supply apparatus, the generated microbubbles are mixed into the liquid fuel that is supplied to the fuel injection valve, and the liquid fuel in which the microbubbles are mixed is irradiated with the ultrasonic wave depending on the driving state of the internal combustion engine. When the liquid fuel in which the microbubbles are mixed is irradiated with the ultrasonic wave, a temperature of the liquid fuel is raised instantaneously due to contraction of the microbubbles.Type: GrantFiled: June 28, 2006Date of Patent: August 17, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Makoto Suzuki, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Yasushi Ito, Rentaro Kuroki, Kenichi Yamada
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Publication number: 20100185380Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus includes a fuel supplying mechanism supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine; an exhaust gas recirculating mechanism recirculating exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine to an intake side of the internal combustion engine; a flow adjuster selectively increasing and decreasing a strength of flow of the supplied fuel and the recirculated exhaust gas in a cylinder of the internal combustion engine; a stop controller controlling the fuel supplying mechanism to stop the supply of fuel and controlling the exhaust gas recirculating mechanism to stop the recirculation of exhaust gas, when the internal combustion engine is operated in a predetermined deceleration mode; and in-cylinder flow controller controlling the flow adjuster to increase the strength of the flow when the control to stop the supply of fuel is cancelled.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 12, 2008Publication date: July 22, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yuuichi Katou, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Shingo Korenaga
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Publication number: 20100175644Abstract: An intake variable valve mechanism 34 is provided that allows closing timing of an air intake valve 30 to be varied. The intake variable valve mechanism 34 has a first control mode that controls IVC timing of the intake valve 30 at an angle-advancing side relative to a certain range including an air intake bottom dead center BDC, and a second control mode that controls the IVC timing of the intake valve 30 at an angle-retarding side relative to the certain range. IVC variable control (first control mode) for making the IVC timing of the intake valve 30 variable according to load is selected for operation in a region of relative low loads, and intake valve closing retardation control (second control mode) for controlling the intake valve 30 in fully retarded IVC timing is selected for operation in a region of relatively high loads.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 17, 2007Publication date: July 15, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Kimitoshi Tsuji
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Patent number: 7712446Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine includes: a target negative pressure setting section that set a target negative intake pipe pressure during cold acceleration to a negative intake pipe pressure larger than a negative intake pipe pressure prior to the cold acceleration; a throttle valve control section that controls a throttle valve so that the negative intake pipe pressure increases during cold acceleration; and an intake valve control section that controls a variable valve mechanism of an intake valve, based on the target negative intake pipe pressure, to obtain a target intake air amount.Type: GrantFiled: March 14, 2008Date of Patent: May 11, 2010Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Youhei Hosokawa, Tomohiro Shinagawa
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Publication number: 20100043731Abstract: A medium circulating apparatus of engine oil, which improves startability and warm up ability of an internal combustion engine, includes a microbubble generator that generates microbubbles and mixes the microbubbles into the circulating engine oil. Further, the medium circulating apparatus includes a medium temperature acquiring unit that acquires a temperature of the engine oil. The microbubbles are generated by the microbubble generator when the temperature of the engine oil is less than or equal to a predetermined value in order to decrease a viscosity, a heat conductivity, and a heat capacity of the engine oil in which the microbubbles are mixed.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 5, 2006Publication date: February 25, 2010Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Yasushi Ito, Makoto Suzuki, Kenichi Yamada, Rentaro Kuroki, Tomohiro Shinagawa
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Publication number: 20090288647Abstract: A fuel supply apparatus that supplies fuel to an internal combustion engine by injecting liquid fuel from a fuel injection valve into a suction port is configured by a microbubble generator that generates microbubbles and an ultrasonic wave generator that generates an ultrasonic wave depending on a gas in the microbubbles generated by the microbubble generator. In the fuel supply apparatus, the generated microbubbles are mixed into the liquid fuel that is supplied to the fuel injection valve, and the liquid fuel in which the microbubbles are mixed is irradiated with the ultrasonic wave depending on the driving state of the internal combustion engine. When the liquid fuel in which the microbubbles are mixed is irradiated with the ultrasonic wave, a temperature of the liquid fuel is raised instantaneously due to contraction of the microbubbles.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 28, 2006Publication date: November 26, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Makoto Suzuki, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Yasushi Ito, Rentaro Kuroki, Kenichi Yamada
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Publication number: 20090248277Abstract: In some cylinder deactivation modes (e.g. virtual V-four operation mode in which two cylinders of a V-six engine are deactivated), ignition/combustion may take place in operating cylinders at uneven intervals. In this case, the output torque varies between the immediately subsequent operating cylinders after the deactivated cylinders in the firing order and the other operating cylinders. A multicylinder engine includes an ignition timing adjustment unit. When the ignition takes place in the operating cylinders at uneven intervals during cylinder deactivation, the ignition timing adjustment unit adjusts ignition timing in each of the operating cylinders to smooth the output torque of the operating cylinders.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 25, 2009Publication date: October 1, 2009Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Youhei Hosokawa
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Publication number: 20090241918Abstract: A multi-cylinder engine includes an EGR mechanism for introducing exhaust gas into intake air, and is capable of a partial cylinder operation in which combustion in a part of the cylinders is halted. The multi-cylinder engine includes an EGR rate control unit for setting an introduction rate at which the exhaust gas is introduced into the intake air to be lower in a first partial cylinder operating state in which the ignition intervals are unequal, than in a second partial cylinder operating state, in which ignition intervals among a plurality of operating cylinders are equal.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 1, 2009Publication date: October 1, 2009Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventor: Tomohiro Shinagawa
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Publication number: 20090012698Abstract: In a gas-fueled internal combustion engine, an ignition device (16, 6O, 62, 64, 66) is arranged in a moving direction of a stream of the gaseous fuel injected from an in-cylinder injection valve (40) in a combustion chamber. The ignition device can directly ignite the fuel stream and diffusive combustion of the gaseous fuel can be executed by sequentially injecting the gaseous fuel toward a flame created by the ignition. Further, premix combustion of the gaseous fuel can also be performed by igniting an air-fuel mixture after the gaseous fuel injected from the in-cylinder injection valve has been sufficiently mixed with the air. As an operation mode of the engine, a lean premix combustion operation is selected when the engine is operated in a prescribed operation region, and the operation mode is changed to a diffusive combustion operation when the engine is operated in a higher load operation region than the prescribed operation region.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 28, 2006Publication date: January 8, 2009Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Makoto Suzuki
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Patent number: 7448348Abstract: The present invention relates to a system that is capable of freely selecting one or two or more types of fuel and supplying the selected types of fuel to an internal combustion engine. Disclosed is a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that operates upon receipt of one or more types of fuel that are selected from hydrogenated fuel and a dehydrogenated product and hydrogen, which are obtained by dehydrogenating the hydrogenated fuel. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine comprises: a hydrogenated fuel storage section; reaction means for invoking a dehydrogenation reaction; separation means for separating hydrogen-rich gas and dehydrogenated product; and a dehydrogenated product storage section for storing the separated dehydrogenated product.Type: GrantFiled: October 6, 2004Date of Patent: November 11, 2008Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Takashi Atsumi
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Publication number: 20080245318Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to improve the mixability of liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas and reduce the number of parts required for fuel supply means that supplies the two types of fuel. Disclosed is a hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine that uses liquid hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuel. The hydrogen-fueled internal combustion engine comprises a fuel injection device for injecting hydrocarbon fuel; fuel supply means for supplying hydrocarbon fuel to the fuel injection device; and a microbubble generation device for generating microbubbles of hydrogen gas and mixing the generated microbubbles of hydrogen gas into liquid hydrocarbon fuel in the fuel supply means. The hydrogen gas microbubbles are supplied, for instance, to a fuel supply path (second fuel supply path) and fuel tank, which constitute the fuel supply means.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 7, 2006Publication date: October 9, 2008Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Rentaro Kuroki, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Yasushi Ito, Makoto Suzuki, Kenichi Yamada
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Publication number: 20080228377Abstract: A control device of an internal combustion engine includes: a target negative pressure setting section that set a target negative intake pipe pressure during cold acceleration to a negative intake pipe pressure larger than a negative intake pipe pressure prior to the cold acceleration; a throttle valve control section that controls a throttle valve so that the negative intake pipe pressure increases during cold acceleration; and an intake valve control section that controls a variable valve mechanism of an intake valve, based on the target negative intake pipe pressure, to obtain a target intake air amount.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 14, 2008Publication date: September 18, 2008Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Youhei HOSOKAWA, Tomohiro SHINAGAWA
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Publication number: 20080223344Abstract: In an internal combustion engine using hydrocarbon fuel and hydrogen gas as fuels and including a fuel injection device that injects liquid fuel, a hydrogen-blended fuel in which hydrogen gas is contained in the form of minute bubbles in a liquid hydrocarbon fuel, that is supplied to the fuel injection device. The hydrogen-blended fuel is stored in a fuel tank. Hydrogen gas that has escaped from the hydrogen-blended fuel in the fuel tank is fed to a minute-bubble producing device, which forms the fuel gas into minute bubbles and mixes the minute bubbles back into the hydrogen-blended fuel.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 14, 2006Publication date: September 18, 2008Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHAInventors: Makoto Suzuki, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Masahiko Masubuchi
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Patent number: 7412947Abstract: A dehydrogenated fuel tank 32 which is replenished with an organic hydride-contained hydrogenated fuel and a gasoline tank 48 which is replenished with normal gasoline are provided. In order to separate the hydrogenated fuel into a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product, a dehydrogenation reactor 22 and a separator 40 are provided. The hydrogen rich gas flows into a hydrogen pipe 44 and is supplied into the intake pipe 12. A dehydrogenation product pipe 42 is provided with a flow separator 46. The dehydrogenation product is guided into the gasoline tank 48 until the mixed ratio of the dehydrogenation product reaches the maximum allowable ratio in the gasoline tank 48. Only if the ratio reaches the maximum allowable ratio, the dehydrogenation product is collected into a dehydrogenation product tank 50.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2005Date of Patent: August 19, 2008Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Takeshi Okumura
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Publication number: 20070151527Abstract: A dehydrogenated fuel tank 32 which is replenished with an organic hydride-contained hydrogenated fuel and a gasoline tank 48 which is replenished with normal gasoline are provided. In order to separate the hydrogenated fuel into a hydrogen rich gas and dehydrogenation product, a dehydrogenation reactor 22 and a separator 40 are provided. The hydrogen rich gas flows into a hydrogen pipe 44 and is supplied into the intake pipe 12. A dehydrogenation product pipe 42 is provided with a flow separator 46. The dehydrogenation product is guided into the gasoline tank 48 until the mixed ratio of the dehydrogenation product reaches the maximum allowable ratio in the gasoline tank 48. Only if the ratio reaches the maximum allowable ratio, the dehydrogenation product is collected into a dehydrogenation product tank 50.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2005Publication date: July 5, 2007Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Takeshi Okumura
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Patent number: RE42305Abstract: An internal combustion engine system comprises: a dehydrogenation reactor which performs a dehydrogenation reaction to separate organic hydride-contained fuel into hydrogen and dehydrogenated fuel; supply means which supplies separated hydrogen and dehydrogenated fuel individually to the internal combustion engine; and control means which switches the operation of the internal combustion engine between a first mode in which both hydrogen and dehydrogenated fuel are supplied to the internal combustion engine and a second mode in which only hydrogen is supplied to the internal combustion engine.Type: GrantFiled: July 18, 2008Date of Patent: April 26, 2011Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Tomohiro Shinagawa, Takeshi Okumura