Patents by Inventor Toru Kidokoro

Toru Kidokoro 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).

  • Publication number: 20180135493
    Abstract: An object is to prevent a wrong diagnosis from being made in an abnormality diagnosis apparatus for an exhaust gas purification system including a filter and a PM sensor. After sensor regeneration is performed, the application of voltage to the PM sensor is started, and thereafter abnormality diagnosis of the PM sensor is performed based on whether or not a signal is output from the PM sensor. Abnormality diagnosis of the filter is performed based on whether or not the output value of the PM sensor reaches a predetermined abnormality criterion value. If the output value of the PM sensor reaches the predetermined abnormality criterion value before a predetermined diagnosis completion time after the abnormality diagnosis of the PM sensor, the filter is diagnosed as abnormal, and the application of voltage to the PM sensor is stopped at that time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2017
    Publication date: May 17, 2018
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Kazuya TAKAOKA, Toru KIDOKORO
  • Patent number: 9938876
    Abstract: When an integrated value of a determination value correlated with a command value for an amount of supply of a reducing agent at the time of the command value being larger than a command supply amount threshold value reaches an integration threshold value, a determination is made that a diagnosis condition is satisfied, and an abnormality in the supply of the reducing agent is diagnosed based on an integrated value of the command value for the amount of supply of the reducing agent and an integrated value of an estimated value of the amount of supply of the reducing agent, whereas in cases where a period of time in which the diagnosis condition is not satisfied is longer than a time period threshold value, an interval of supply of the reducing agent is extended.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 10, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeru Shirasawa, Toru Kidokoro, Makoto Ogiso, Kenji Furui
  • Patent number: 9903292
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis system of limit current type air-fuel ratio sensors comprises a current detecting part and a sensor temperature control device. The abnormality diagnosis system uses the current detecting part to detect the output current of the air-fuel ratio sensor when the air-fuel ratio is made the rich air-fuel ratio in the state where temperature of the air-fuel ratio is made the first temperature and when the air-fuel ratio is made the rich air-fuel ratio in the state where the temperature of the air-fuel ratio is made a second temperature higher than the first temperature. It is judged that the air-fuel ratio sensor is abnormal if the output current when the temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor is the first temperature is larger than the output current when it is the second temperature by a predetermined value or more.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 27, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyamoto, Toru Kidokoro, Yasushi Iwazaki, Kenji Suzuki, Koji Ide
  • Patent number: 9879628
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor to diagnose a failure of a particulate filter, some embodiments may be to suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system performs a measurement process. The measurement process includes a sensor recovery process of removing PM depositing between the electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor, a process of starting application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor after completion of the sensor recovery process, and a process of obtaining an output value of the PM sensor after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage to the electrodes of the PM sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 30, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Patent number: 9850840
    Abstract: An electronic control unit (ECU) of an internal combustion engine, which includes an air-fuel ratio sensor arranged at a downstream side of an exhaust purification catalyst, is configured to judge if a state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on the first characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio and, if a judgment cannot be made based on the first characteristic, the ECU is configured to judge if the state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on a second characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio. As a result, it is possible to suppress the effects of the change of state of the exhaust purification catalyst while accurately diagnosing the abnormality of deterioration of response of a downstream side air-fuel ratio sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2013
    Date of Patent: December 26, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyamoto, Yuji Miyoshi, Yasushi Iwazaki, Toru Kidokoro, Keiichiro Aoki
  • Publication number: 20170342927
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosis system of an air-fuel ratio sensor acquires a blowby gas flow ratio showing a ratio of the flow of blowby gas to the flow of gas to a combustion chamber and an output current of an air-fuel ratio sensor during fuel cut control in which an internal combustion engine stops the feed of fuel to the combustion chamber and at a plurality of points of time of different flows of blowby gas passing through a blowby gas passage and flowing to the downstream side of a throttle valve in the intake passage, calculate an output current of the air-fuel ratio sensor corresponding to a blowby gas flow ratio smaller than the blowby gas flow ratios acquired at the plurality of points of time, based on the acquired blowby gas flow ratio and output current, and judge the air-fuel ratio sensor for abnormality based on the calculated output current.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 9, 2015
    Publication date: November 30, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hiroshi MIYAMOTO, Toru KIDOKORO, Yasushi IWAZAKI, Kenji SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 9759117
    Abstract: A diagnostic system for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The diagnostic system may include an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit may determine whether a predetermined condition is satisfied. The predetermined condition may be a condition under which an amount of particulate matter that separates from a filter is larger than or equal to a predetermined separation amount as a urea water-originated deposit once accumulated in the filter separates in gaseous form. When the electronic control unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the electronic control unit may not execute a diagnosis of a malfunction in the filter based on a filter differential pressure until a predetermined period elapses from the point in time at which it is determined that the predetermined condition is satisfied.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arifumi Matsumoto, Toru Kidokoro, Taiga Hagimoto, Makoto Ogiso, Kenji Furui
  • Publication number: 20170241315
    Abstract: When an integrated value of a determination value correlated with a command value for an amount of supply of a reducing agent at the time of the command value being larger than a command supply amount threshold value reaches an integration threshold value, a determination is made that a diagnosis condition is satisfied, and an abnormality in the supply of the reducing agent is diagnosed based on an integrated value of the command value for the amount of supply of the reducing agent and an integrated value of an estimated value of the amount of supply of the reducing agent, whereas in cases where a period of time in which the diagnosis condition is not satisfied is longer than a time period threshold value, an interval of supply of the reducing agent is extended.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 16, 2017
    Publication date: August 24, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Takeru SHIRASAWA, Toru KIDOKORO, Makoto OGISO, Kenji FURUI
  • Publication number: 20170234195
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis apparatus that carries out standard diagnosis processing in which a failure of the particulate filter is diagnosed by making a comparison between an output value of the PM sensor at the time when a predetermined period of time has passed from a point in time at which sensor regeneration processing for removing the particulate matter deposited on an insulation layer of the PM sensor has ended, and a predetermined threshold value, the standard diagnosis processing is carried out in the case where rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is not carried out during the predetermined period of time, whereas the rich spike processing according to the in-cylinder rich control is carried out during the predetermined period of time, the standard diagnosis processing is not carried out.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2015
    Publication date: August 17, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Hirokazu NISHIJIMA, Toru KIDOKORO, Makoto OGISO, Kazuya TAKAOKA
  • Publication number: 20170226908
    Abstract: An additive amount of a reducing agent to a selective reduction-type NOx catalyst is optimized. An ammonia adsorption amount of the selective reduction-type NOx catalyst is estimated based on one or a plurality of prescribed parameters related to the ammonia adsorption amount and a specific ammonia adsorption amount that is an estimated value of the ammonia adsorption amount specified by at least one of a maximum value and a minimum value of an estimated value of the ammonia adsorption amount is estimated based on an error in the prescribed parameter, and when the specific ammonia adsorption amount is outside a target range of the ammonia adsorption amount, addition of an ammonia precursor or ammonia using an adding valve is controlled such that the specific ammonia adsorption amount returns to the target range.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 4, 2015
    Publication date: August 10, 2017
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Arifumi MATSUMOTO, Toru KIDOKORO, Taiga HAGIMOTO, Kenji FURUI, Akifumi UOZUMI
  • Publication number: 20170167352
    Abstract: In a deterioration diagnosis apparatus for a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst in which when an air fuel ratio of a mixture to be combusted in an internal combustion engine is a lean air fuel ratio, inducement processing is executed which is to induce a water gas shift reaction in a pre-stage catalyst, by changing the air fuel ratio of the mixture from the lean air fuel ratio to a predetermined rich air fuel ratio, and diagnosis processing is executed which is to diagnose deterioration of the SCR catalyst based on an output difference between two air fuel ratio sensors at the time of the execution of the inducement processing, when the SCR catalyst is in a state of being subjected to sulfur poisoning resulting from the execution of the S purge processing of the pre-stage catalyst, diagnosis processing is not executed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2016
    Publication date: June 15, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji HAGIWARA, Toru KIDOKORO, Yasushi IWAZAKI, Takahiko FUJIWARA
  • Publication number: 20170152784
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure may improve the accuracy of diagnosis in diagnosing whether an exhaust gas purification system having an SCR filter is faulty. It is determined that the exhaust gas purification system is faulty if the NOx removal rate with the SCR filter calculated using a measurement value of an NOx sensor is lower than or equal to a predetermined criterion removal rate. In the apparatus, a differential pressure change rate defined as the increase in a converted differential pressure value per unit increase in the filter PM deposition amount is calculated. The value of the criterion removal rate is set higher when the differential pressure change rate at the time when the measurement value of the NOx sensor is obtained is lower than a predetermined threshold than when the differential pressure change rate is higher than or equal to the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 23, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toru KIDOKORO, Makoto OGISO, Kenji FURUI, Arifumi MATSUMOTO, Takeru SHIRASAWA
  • Publication number: 20170145893
    Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure may estimate the amount of ammonia adsorbed in an SCR catalyst as accurate as possible. The ammonia adsorption amount is calculated by integrating the quantity of ammonia supplied to the SCR filter, the quantity of ammonia consumed in reduction of NOx in the SCR catalyst, and the quantity of ammonia desorbed from the SCR catalyst. In the calculation, a differential pressure change rate defined as the increase in a converted differential pressure value per unit increase in the filter PM deposition amount is referred to. The ammonia desorption quantity is calculated in such a way that the calculated value of the ammonia desorption quantity is made smaller when the differential pressure change rate is smaller than a predetermined threshold than when the differential pressure change rate is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 22, 2016
    Publication date: May 25, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Toru KIDOKORO, Makoto OGISO, Yuriko HAGIMOTO, Takeru SHIRASAWA, Ryohei OHNO, Kenji FURUI
  • Patent number: 9657666
    Abstract: In a failure diagnosis device of an emission control system that utilizes an electrode-based PM sensor provided downstream of a particulate filter in an exhaust conduit to diagnose a failure of the particulate filter, disclosed embodiments may suppress reduction of accuracy of diagnosis of a failure due to in-cylinder rich control. The failure diagnosis device of the emission control system starts application of a predetermined voltage to electrodes of the electrode-based PM sensor after a sensor recovery process that removes PM depositing between the electrodes of the PM sensor, and diagnoses a failure of the particulate filter based on an output of the PM sensor measured after elapse of a predetermined time period since the start of application of the predetermined voltage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirokazu Nishijima, Toru Kidokoro, Kazuya Takaoka
  • Publication number: 20170138245
    Abstract: The present invention provides a deterioration diagnosis apparatus for an exhaust gas purification apparatus, including a first sensor that measures the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust gas purification apparatus, a second sensor that measures the oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas flowing out of the exhaust gas purification apparatus, and diagnosing means for diagnosing deterioration of the exhaust gas purification apparatus on the basis of a difference that appears between a measurement value of the first sensor and a measurement value of the second sensor when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas flowing into the exhaust pas purification apparatus is switched from a lean air-fuel ratio to a rich air-fuel ratio, wherein, when the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is switched from a lean air-fuel ratio to a rich air-fuel ratio, a water-gas shift reaction is generated upstream of the first sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 15, 2015
    Publication date: May 18, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji HAGIWARA, Toru KIDOKORO, Yasushi IWAZAKI, Taisuke YOSHIDA
  • Patent number: 9650936
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to detect an abnormality in an exhaust gas purification apparatus having an NSR catalyst and an SCR catalyst disposed on a downstream side of the NSR catalyst more favorably. Air-fuel ratio reduction control is executed to reduce NOx occluded to the NSR catalyst when an integrated value of an amount of NOx flowing into the NSR catalyst reaches an upper limit value of an amount of NOx that can be occluded to the NSR catalyst in a normal condition. It is determined whether or not the exhaust gas purification apparatus is in an abnormal state on the basis of a NOx purification ratio of the exhaust gas purification apparatus calculated at this time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koji Hagiwara, Toru Kidokoro, Yasushi Iwazaki
  • Patent number: 9624808
    Abstract: An air-fuel ratio sensor is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine which can perform fuel cut control, and detects an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas. The system calculates the response time of the air-fuel ratio sensor based on a changing output value of the air-fuel ratio sensor while performing or after fuel cut control, and compares the calculated response time and a threshold value to diagnose an abnormality. The abnormality diagnosis system is configured to correct the response time so that the response of the air-fuel ratio sensor is treated as becoming faster, the smaller the lean degree of the air-fuel ratio corresponding to the converged value of the air-fuel ratio sensor during fuel cut control; and diagnose an abnormality in the response of the air-fuel ratio sensor based on the corrected calculated response time and threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyamoto, Kenji Suzuki, Toru Kidokoro, Yasushi Iwazaki
  • Patent number: 9611776
    Abstract: In an deterioration diagnosis device for the exhaust gas purification apparatus in which in a period of time in which inducement processing is carried out which is to induce a water-gas-shift-reaction in a catalyst disposed at the upstream side of the SCR catalyst, by changing an air fuel ratio of exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine from a lean air fuel ratio into a predetermined rich air fuel ratio, an air fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing into the SCR catalyst and an air fuel ratio of exhaust gas flowing out from the SCR catalyst are measured by the air fuel ratio sensors, respectively, so that deterioration of the SCR catalyst is diagnosed based on a difference between the measured values of these sensors, wherein an end time of the execution of the inducement processing is adjusted in such a manner that an amount of hydrogen oxidized in the SCR catalyst during the period of the execution of the inducement processing becomes constant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 4, 2017
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji Hagiwara, Hirotaka Saitoh, Toru Kidokoro, Yasushi Iwazaki, Takahiko Fujiwara
  • Publication number: 20170058749
    Abstract: The internal combustion engine comprises an exhaust purification catalyst 20, a downstream side sensor 41, an air-fuel ratio control unit, and an oxygen storage amount calculating unit for calculating the oxygen excess/deficiency of the inflowing exhaust gas in an air-fuel ratio maintenance time period and cumulatively adding the calculated oxygen excess/deficiency to calculate a maximum oxygen storage amount of the exhaust purification catalyst. The oxygen storage amount calculating unit uses a point of time that an absolute value of an output slope of the downstream side sensor finally becomes less than a threshold value in the air-fuel ratio maintenance time period as an end point of cumulative addition of the oxygen excess/deficiency. The threshold value is made larger when a maximum value of the absolute value of the output slope in the air-fuel ratio maintenance time period is relatively large compared to when the maximum value is relatively small.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 26, 2016
    Publication date: March 2, 2017
    Inventors: Hiroshi Miyamoto, Tatsuhiro Hashida, Takahiko Fujiwara, Yasushi Iwazaki, Toru Kidokoro
  • Publication number: 20170030244
    Abstract: An apparatus according to the present invention is adapted to calculate an NOX storage rate defined as the rate of the quantity of NOX stored into the NSR catalyst to the quantity of NOX flowing into the NSR catalyst, based on quantity of NOX flowing into the NSR catalyst and the quantity of NOX flowing out of the NSR catalyst in a state in which the amount of NOX stored in the NSR catalyst is equal to or larger than the breakthrough start amount of a criterion catalyst and the flow rate of exhaust gas flowing through the NSR catalyst is equal to or higher than a predetermined lower limit flow rate. The apparatus diagnoses the NSR catalyst as normal if the NOX storage rate thus calculated is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold and as abnormal if the NOX storage rate is lower than the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2016
    Publication date: February 2, 2017
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Koji HAGIWARA, Toru KIDOKORO, Yasushi IWAZAKI