Patents by Inventor Toshiaki Nishimoto

Toshiaki Nishimoto 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: 11131253
    Abstract: A control device for an engine 1 including cylinders, and configured to perform a reduced-cylinder operation by idling some of cylinders. The control device includes a hydraulic valve-stopping mechanism 14b which closes the intake and exhaust valves 41, 51 of the cylinders in response to establishment of the reduced-cylinder operation execution condition, a hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19 capable of changing a phase of the exhaust valve 51 of the engine 1, and an ECU 110 which controls the valve-stopping mechanism 14b and the hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19. In response to establishment of the reduced-cylinder operation execution condition, the ECU 110 allows the hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19 to execute the phase change to the exhaust valve 51, and subsequently allows the valve-stopping mechanism 14b to bring the intake and exhaust valves 41, 51 of the cylinders into closed state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 28, 2021
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Takahiro Yamamoto, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Takaya Okugawa, Takafumi Nishio
  • Publication number: 20210140378
    Abstract: A control device for an engine 1 including cylinders, and configured to perform a reduced-cylinder operation by idling some of cylinders. The control device includes a hydraulic valve-stopping mechanism 14b which closes the intake and exhaust valves 41, 51 of the cylinders in response to establishment of the reduced-cylinder operation execution condition, a hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19 capable of changing a phase of the exhaust valve 51 of the engine 1, and an ECU 110 which controls the valve-stopping mechanism 14b and the hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19. In response to establishment of the reduced-cylinder operation execution condition, the ECU 110 allows the hydraulic variable valve timing mechanism 19 to execute the phase change to the exhaust valve 51, and subsequently allows the valve-stopping mechanism 14b to bring the intake and exhaust valves 41, 51 of the cylinders into closed state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 19, 2018
    Publication date: May 13, 2021
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takahiro YAMAMOTO, Toshiaki NISHIMOTO, Takaya OKUGAWA, Takafumi NISHIO
  • Patent number: 10851718
    Abstract: A controller increases an actual oil pressure up to a transient oil pressure (an actuating oil pressure) and then supplies oil adjusted to have the transient oil pressure (the actuating oil pressure) to valve stopping mechanisms to actuate the valve stopping mechanisms. The controller, when actuating the valve stopping mechanisms, starts increase in an intake filling amount when the actual oil pressure increases up to a predetermined determination value set at the transient oil pressure (the actuating oil pressure) or lower.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 1, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi Nishio, Takahiro Yamamoto, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Masanori Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10787938
    Abstract: The number of advance chambers is larger than the number of retard chambers in an intake variable valve timing (VVT), whereas the number of retard chambers is larger than the number of advance chambers in an exhaust VVT. Accordingly, with limitation of an oil pressure that can be used by the VVTs, a pumping loss in a transition period in which a valve overlap amount is changed by advancing or retarding a valve timing can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 29, 2020
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Keiji Araki
  • Publication number: 20200132001
    Abstract: A controller increases an actual oil pressure up to a transient oil pressure (an actuating oil pressure) and then supplies oil adjusted to have the transient oil pressure (the actuating oil pressure) to valve stopping mechanisms to actuate the valve stopping mechanisms. The controller, when actuating the valve stopping mechanisms, starts increase in an intake filling amount when the actual oil pressure increases up to a predetermined determination value set at the transient oil pressure (the actuating oil pressure) or lower.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 20, 2018
    Publication date: April 30, 2020
    Applicant: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Takafumi NISHIO, Takahiro YAMAMOTO, Toshiaki NISHIMOTO, Masanori HASHIMOTO
  • Publication number: 20200049031
    Abstract: An engine includes a variable valve timing (VVT) mechanism that changes an opening timing or a closing timing of at least one of an intake valve or an exhaust valve in accordance with an operating region of the engine, and an oil jet that injects oil in a piston direction under a pressure of a first predetermined oil pressure or more. The control device of the engine controls supply of an oil pressure to the VVT mechanism in such a manner that an upper limit of an oil pressure used by the VVT mechanism is set to be lower than a first predetermined oil pressure and an operating speed of the VVT mechanism is high in a direction in which an overlap amount between open periods between an intake valve and an exhaust valve increases and is low in a direction in which the overlap amount decreases.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Publication date: February 13, 2020
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Takafumi Nishio, Toshiki Inoki
  • Publication number: 20190284969
    Abstract: The number of advance chambers is larger than the number of retard chambers in an intake variable valve timing (VVT), whereas the number of retard chambers is larger than the number of advance chambers in an exhaust VVT. Accordingly, with limitation of an oil pressure that can be used by the VVTs, a pumping loss in a transition period in which a valve overlap amount is changed by advancing or retarding a valve timing can be reduced.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 28, 2016
    Publication date: September 19, 2019
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Keiji Araki
  • Patent number: 10240539
    Abstract: A hydraulic control system for an engine having a plurality of cylinders includes: valve stop mechanisms that switch the engine from all-cylinder operation to cylinder cut-off operation; a VVT that can change the timing to open and close valves 14 during all-cylinder operation and cylinder cut-off operation; an oil pump that supplies oil to hydraulically operated devices including the valve stop mechanisms and the VVT through a hydraulic path; and a control device. The control device controls a maintaining oil pressure, which is required to maintain the operated state of the valve stop mechanisms during cylinder cut-off operation, so that the maintaining oil pressure is set to a high value in a high oil viscosity region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Masanori Hashimoto
  • Patent number: 10100685
    Abstract: A hydraulic supply device for a valve stopping mechanism includes: a specific hydraulic oil supply passage which constantly supplies hydraulic oil, a valve stopping mechanism incorporated in a cylinder head, and configured to stop at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve, a valve stopping oil passage which supplies hydraulic oil to the valve stopping mechanism, a control valve which controls the supply of hydraulic oil to the valve stopping oil passage, and a communication oil passage which communicates between the valve stopping oil passage and the specific hydraulic oil supply passage, and provided with a restrictor therebetween. The specific hydraulic oil supply passage is connected to an oil supply portion for a portion to be lubricated or for a portion to be cooled in the engine at a position downstream of a connection position with respect to the communication oil passage in an oil supply direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Yasushi Nakahara, Hiroshi Takahashi, Yohei Suzuki
  • Publication number: 20180058344
    Abstract: A hydraulic control system for an engine having a plurality of cylinders includes: valve stop mechanisms that switch the engine from all-cylinder operation to cylinder cut-off operation; a VVT that can change the timing to open and close valves 14 during all-cylinder operation and cylinder cut-off operation; an oil pump that supplies oil to hydraulically operated devices including the valve stop mechanisms and the VVT through a hydraulic path; and a control device. The control device controls a maintaining oil pressure, which is required to maintain the operated state of the valve stop mechanisms during cylinder cut-off operation, so that the maintaining oil pressure is set to a high value in a high oil viscosity region.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2017
    Publication date: March 1, 2018
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki NISHIMOTO, Masanori HASHIMOTO
  • Patent number: 9840970
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device for a multi-cylinder engine provided with an oil pump, a hydraulically operated valve characteristic control device which changes valve characteristics of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve; and a hydraulically operated valve stop device which stops at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve when a reduced cylinder operation is performed. The control device for a multi-cylinder engine is provided with a valve control unit which operates the valve stop device after an operation of the valve characteristic control device is completed when the valve characteristic control device is operated at a time of request for the reduced cylinder operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 12, 2017
    Assignee: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanori Hashimoto, Hisashi Okazawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Akira Tsuda
  • Patent number: 9638115
    Abstract: A control device of a multi-cylinder engine is provided. The device includes first and second auxiliary components. The first auxiliary component generates energy. The device includes an angular speed variation detecting device for detecting an angular speed variation of a crankshaft, and an auxiliary component control device for controlling drive loads of the first and second auxiliary components. When an engine load is low and the angular speed variation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the auxiliary component control device increases a total drive load of the auxiliary components. Here, if the drive load of the first auxiliary component is increasable, the drive load of the first auxiliary component is increased, and when this increase amount is insufficient, the drive load of the second auxiliary component is increased, whereas if the drive load of the first auxiliary component is not increasable, the drive load of the second auxiliary component is increased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 2, 2017
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Hisashi Okazawa, Masanori Hashimoto, Junsou Sasaki
  • Patent number: 9624843
    Abstract: A control device of a multi-cylinder engine is provided. The control device includes an auxiliary component and a valve stopping device having a locking mechanism for stopping an operation of at least one of intake and exhaust valves of a specific cylinder of the multi-cylinder engine according to an engine operating state. The control device includes an angular speed variation detecting device for detecting an angular speed variation of a crankshaft, an auxiliary component control device for controlling a drive load of the auxiliary component. In an all-cylinder operation, when an engine load is lower than a predetermined value and the detected angular speed variation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the auxiliary component control device performs an auxiliary component drive load increase control in which the drive load of the auxiliary component is increased to reduce the angular speed variation to be lower than the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2017
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Hisashi Okazawa, Masanori Hashimoto, Junsou Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20160319707
    Abstract: A hydraulic supply device for a valve stopping mechanism includes: a specific hydraulic oil supply passage which constantly supplies hydraulic oil, a valve stopping mechanism incorporated in a cylinder head, and configured to stop at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve, a valve stopping oil passage which supplies hydraulic oil to the valve stopping mechanism, a control valve which controls the supply of hydraulic oil to the valve stopping oil passage, and a communication oil passage which communicates between the valve stopping oil passage and the specific hydraulic oil supply passage, and provided with a restrictor therebetween. The specific hydraulic oil supply passage is connected to an oil supply portion for a portion to be lubricated or for a portion to be cooled in the engine at a position downstream of a connection position with respect to the communication oil passage in an oil supply direction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 12, 2014
    Publication date: November 3, 2016
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Toshiaki NISHIMOTO, Yasushi NAKAHARA, Hiroshi TAKAHASHI, Yohei SUZUKI
  • Patent number: 9328688
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for controlling an internal combustion engine system having an internal combustion engine, a fuel injector which directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, and a supercharger which supercharges air into the combustion chamber. One example method comprises, injecting fuel into the combustion chamber multiple times so that a first part of the fuel is self ignited and a last part of the fuel being injected during the compression stroke or later in a cylinder cycle when a desired torque of said internal combustion engine system is in a first range; and increasing a pressure of air which the supercharger charges into the combustion chamber as amount of fuel injected into the combustion chamber during a cylinder cycle increases when the desired torque is in the first range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Hitomi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Takashi Youso, Keiji Araki
  • Publication number: 20150377151
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device for a multi-cylinder engine provided with an oil pump, a hydraulically operated valve characteristic control device which changes valve characteristics of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve; and a hydraulically operated valve stop device which stops at least one of the intake valve and the exhaust valve when a reduced cylinder operation is performed. The control device for a multi-cylinder engine is provided with a valve control unit which operates the valve stop device after an operation of the valve characteristic control device is completed when the valve characteristic control device is operated at a time of request for the reduced cylinder operation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2014
    Publication date: December 31, 2015
    Applicant: MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
    Inventors: Masanori HASHIMOTO, Hisashi OKAZAWA, Toshiaki NISHIMOTO, Akira TSUDA
  • Publication number: 20150053174
    Abstract: A control device of a multi-cylinder engine is provided. The control device includes an auxiliary component and a valve stopping device having a locking mechanism for stopping an operation of at least one of intake and exhaust valves of a specific cylinder of the multi-cylinder engine according to an engine operating state. The control device includes an angular speed variation detecting device for detecting an angular speed variation of a crankshaft, an auxiliary component control device for controlling a drive load of the auxiliary component. In an all-cylinder operation, when an engine load is lower than a predetermined value and the detected angular speed variation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the auxiliary component control device performs an auxiliary component drive load increase control in which the drive load of the auxiliary component is increased to reduce the angular speed variation to be lower than the predetermined threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Hisashi Okazawa, Masanori Hashimoto, Junsou Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20150053175
    Abstract: A control device of a multi-cylinder engine is provided. The device includes first and second auxiliary components. The first auxiliary component generates energy. The device includes an angular speed variation detecting device for detecting an angular speed variation of a crankshaft, and an auxiliary component control device for controlling drive loads of the first and second auxiliary components. When an engine load is low and the angular speed variation exceeds a predetermined threshold, the auxiliary component control device increases a total drive load of the auxiliary components. Here, if the drive load of the first auxiliary component is increasable, the drive load of the first auxiliary component is increased, and when this increase amount is insufficient, the drive load of the second auxiliary component is increased, whereas if the drive load of the first auxiliary component is not increasable, the drive load of the second auxiliary component is increased.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Publication date: February 26, 2015
    Inventors: Toshiaki Nishimoto, Hisashi Okazawa, Masanori Hashimoto, Junsou Sasaki
  • Patent number: 8544444
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for controlling an internal combustion engine system having an internal combustion engine, and a fuel injector which directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. One example method comprises, when a desired torque for the internal combustion engine system is in a first range, injecting a first stage fuel into the combustion chamber so that it ends during a middle stage of a compression stroke at the latest in a cylinder cycle; determining combustion of the first stage fuel initiated by its compression self-ignition; and injecting a second stage fuel into the combustion chamber in a period when the determined combustion of the first stage fuel continues at a timing determined so as to cause combustion of the second stage fuel with its compression self-ignition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Hitomi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Takashi Youso, Keiji Araki
  • Patent number: 8468823
    Abstract: Disclosed is a supercharged direct-injection engine, which comprises a supercharging device (25, 30) for compressing intake air, and an injector 10 for directly injecting fuel into a combustion chamber 5. In the engine, an excess air factor ? as a ratio of an actual air-fuel ratio to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, at least in an engine warmed-up mode, is set to 2 or more in the entire engine-load region. Further, compressed self-ignited combustion is performed in a low engine-load region, and a supercharging amount by the supercharging device (25, 30) is increased along with an increase in engine load in a high engine-load region to allow the excess air factor ? to be kept at 2 or more. The engine of the present invention can effectively reduce NOx emission, while improving fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Mitsuo Hitomi, Masahisa Yamakawa, Takashi Youso, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Keiji Araki