Patents by Inventor Toshio Hori

Toshio Hori 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: 11242813
    Abstract: Transmission shocks and idling defects such as engine racing and rough idling due to aging of a throttle opening area are prevented from occurring. An internal combustion engine control apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine that has an air flow rate sensor for measuring a rate of air represented as an actual air rate, the air flowing into a cylinder, and a throttle valve for adjusting the rate of air, includes a throttle valve controlling section for controlling a throttle opening of the throttle valve to reach a preset throttle opening set depending on a target air rate for realizing a demand torque, and a throttle opening correcting section for correcting the preset throttle opening on the basis of the target air rate upon fuel cutoff that stops a fuel from being supplied to the internal combustion engine and of an actual air rate measured by the air flow rate sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2022
    Assignee: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Iihoshi, Toshio Hori, Takafumi Arakawa, Haoyun Shi
  • Patent number: 11207968
    Abstract: In a constant-speed traveling mode or a follow-up traveling mode, reduction of fuel consumption and improvement of drivability are both achieved. An ECU 110 has an ISG connected to an engine and a battery connected to the ISG. The ECU 110 has an ISG control unit 606 that performs control for supplying power to the ISG from the battery to rotationally drive the ISG, or to drive the ISG to generate power for charging the battery. In one cycle of a traveling mode until completion of deceleration traveling after acceleration traveling is started so as to achieve a target vehicle speed, the ISG control unit 606 drives the ISG such that a remaining charge amount of the battery falls within a set range at completion of the deceleration traveling, and a traveling acceleration/deceleration falls within a predetermined requested acceleration/deceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: HITACHI ASTEMO, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohei Suzuki, Toshio Hori, Yoshiaki Nagasawa
  • Patent number: 11067041
    Abstract: A novel control device for an internal combustion engine capable of highly accurately estimating an EGR amount (rate) during the transient state is provided. A first EGR rate is determined using, as an input, a detection signal of an EGR sensor provided on the downstream side of a throttle valve which adjusts the flow rate of a mixed gas of air and EGR gas flowing through an intake pipe, a second EGR rate is estimated by calculating a predetermined equation using, as an input, at least a detection signal of an air flow sensor and an EGR valve opening degree sensor, a third EGR rate is determined by carrying out delay processing on the second EGR rate corresponding to a response delay of the EGR sensor, and the second EGR rate is subjected to learning correction by reflecting a difference between the third EGR rate and the first EGR rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 20, 2021
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi Arakawa, Yoichi Iihoshi, Kunihiko Suzuki, Toshio Hori
  • Patent number: 10989120
    Abstract: There is provided a vehicle-mounted control device that, when a restart request is generated during a time interval between the fulfillment of an engine automatic stop condition and complete stop, decreases a charging efficiency of an engine by means of at least one of a throttle valve and an intake valve to prevent an increase in the reverse rotational frequency of the engine, thereby ensuring the durability of the starting device of the engine, and preventing an accelerator response from deteriorating when a restart request based on the accelerator operation is generated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 27, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kohei Suzuki, Toshio Hori, Yoshiaki Nagasawa
  • Publication number: 20210087992
    Abstract: Transmission shocks and idling defects such as engine racing and rough idling due to aging of a throttle opening area are prevented from occurring. An internal combustion engine control apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine that has an air flow rate sensor for measuring a rate of air represented as an actual air rate, the air flowing into a cylinder, and a throttle valve for adjusting the rate of air, includes a throttle valve controlling section for controlling a throttle opening of the throttle valve to reach a preset throttle opening set depending on a target air rate for realizing a demand torque, and a throttle opening correcting section for correcting the preset throttle opening on the basis of the target air rate upon fuel cutoff that stops a fuel from being supplied to the internal combustion engine and of an actual air rate measured by the air flow rate sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 25, 2021
    Inventors: Yoichi IIHOSHI, Toshio HORI, Takafumi ARAKAWA, Haoyun SHI
  • Patent number: 10920683
    Abstract: Provided is a novel control device of an internal combustion engine capable of estimating an EGR rate in a transient state with high accuracy. Thus, in the present invention, unit spaces are formed by dividing a reference space of the intake passage into a plurality of spaces along a streamline through which the gas mixture of the intake air and the EGR gas flows, a physical model based on an advection equation for estimating the EGR rate of the gas mixture is established so as to correspond to each of the unit spaces, and the EGR rate at which the gas mixture flows into the combustion chamber is estimated by sequentially estimating the EGR rates of the unit spaces connected to head unit spaces from the head unit spaces by the physical model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Takafumi Arakawa, Kunihiko Suzuki, Yoichi Iihoshi, Haoyun Shi, Toshio Hori, Yoshikuni Kurashima
  • Patent number: 10767544
    Abstract: An object is to provide a type of device capable of properly cooling a bearing of a throttle body even under a condition that the throttle body receives heat of high-temperature intake air or exhaust gas. In the present invention, an engine coolant passage that guides a coolant of an engine is provided integrally with a member fixing a bearing to be adjacent to a circumferential wall of the bearing of the member fixing the bearing, which supports a throttle shaft, and heat transferred from the bearing (or likely to be transferred to the bearing) via the member fixing the bearing is carried away to the outside of a throttle body by the engine coolant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 8, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Hidefumi Hatsuzawa, Makoto Kawano, Toshio Hori, Toyoshi Nemoto
  • Patent number: 10710589
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to reduce discomfort of a driver, by appropriately controlling a vehicle, when driving a vehicle capable of changing a plurality of different traveling states of a power transmission state and a traveling state of an engine during traveling. The present invention is a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle having a power transmission mechanism which controls a power transmission state between an engine and an axle, and braking means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Naoyuki Tashiro, Toshio Hori
  • Patent number: 10697383
    Abstract: The present invention suppresses the worsening of stability due to a variation in EGR amounts between cylinders in a spark ignition engine. An engine control device for controlling a spark ignition engine equipped with an EGR means for recirculating exhaust gas in a combustion chamber and an air-fuel-ratio detection means for detecting the air-fuel ratio in each cylinder, the engine control device being characterized by being equipped with a means for changing the parameters for ignition control of a rich cylinder, when the air-fuel ratio of cylinders varies and there are richer cylinders and leaner cylinders relative to a prescribed air-fuel ratio during the execution of exhaust gas recirculation by the EGR means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 4, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Nakagawa, Toshio Hori
  • Publication number: 20200200100
    Abstract: There is provided a novel throttle valve controller device for an internal combustion engine that is capable of accurately producing a target torque for the internal combustion engine. The present invention includes a target fresh intake air flow rate calculating section that calculates a target fresh intake air flow rate passing through a throttle valve, an EGR gas flow rate calculating section that calculates an estimated EGR gas flow rate passing through the throttle valve, a target throttle intake gas flow rate calculating section that calculates a target intake gas flow rate passing through the throttle valve on the basis of the target fresh intake air flow rate and the estimated EGR gas flow rate, and a target throttle valve opening calculating section that calculates a target throttle valve opening from the target intake gas flow rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 11, 2018
    Publication date: June 25, 2020
    Inventors: Haoyun SHI, Takafumi ARAKAWA, Yoichi IIHOSHI, Kunihiko SUZUKI, Toshio HORI, Yoshikuni KURASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20200123989
    Abstract: Provided is a novel control device of an internal combustion engine capable of estimating an EGR rate in a transient state with high accuracy. Thus, in the present invention, unit spaces are formed by dividing a reference space of the intake passage into a plurality of spaces along a streamline through which the gas mixture of the intake air and the EGR gas flows, a physical model based on an advection equation for estimating the EGR rate of the gas mixture is established so as to correspond to each of the unit spaces, and the EGR rate at which the gas mixture flows into the combustion chamber is estimated by sequentially estimating the EGR rates of the unit spaces connected to head unit spaces from the head unit spaces by the physical model.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 4, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Takafumi ARAKAWA, Kunihiko SUZUKI, Yoichi IIHOSHI, Haoyun SHI, Toshio HORI, Yoshikuni KURASHIMA
  • Publication number: 20200086749
    Abstract: In a constant-speed traveling mode or a follow-up traveling mode, reduction of fuel consumption and improvement of drivability are both achieved. An ECU 110 has an ISG connected to an engine and a battery connected to the ISG. The ECU 110 has an ISG control unit 606 that performs control for supplying power to the ISG from the battery to rotationally drive the ISG, or to drive the ISG to generate power for charging the battery. In one cycle of a traveling mode until completion of deceleration traveling after acceleration traveling is started so as to achieve a target vehicle speed, the ISG control unit 606 drives the ISG such that a remaining charge amount of the battery falls within a set range at completion of the deceleration traveling, and a traveling acceleration/deceleration falls within a predetermined requested acceleration/deceleration.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 29, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohei SUZUKI, Toshio HORI, Yoshiaki NAGASAWA
  • Patent number: 10556591
    Abstract: While a vehicle is coasting with an engine being automatically stopped and a power transmission path between the engine and wheels being disengaged, when a deceleration request is made and the engine is restarted with the power transmission path being engaged, a deceleration level increases relative to the deceleration level required by a driver or the vehicle, thereby lowering drivability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 11, 2020
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohei Suzuki, Toshio Hori, Yoshiaki Nagasawa, Naoyuki Tashiro
  • Patent number: 10508608
    Abstract: The purpose of the present invention is to detect deterioration of dead time characteristics of an air-fuel ratio sensor with high accuracy without causing running performance and exhaust performance to worsen. The present invention provides a control device for an engine, characterized by being equipped with: a means for detecting an air-fuel ratio; a means for changing the air-fuel ratio in a predetermined cycle; and a means for sending a notification of an abnormality in the air-fuel ratio detection means or causing at least a portion of the engine control to run in a fail-safe mode when the amplitude of an output signal of the air-fuel ratio detection means at a predetermined frequency is within a predetermined range and the required time or required angle to arrive at a predetermined value of the output signal of the air-fuel ratio detection means from a reference position or reference time point of an engine-related parameter is equal to a predetermined value or higher.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2015
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinji Nakagawa, Toshio Hori, Akihito Numata
  • Publication number: 20190368448
    Abstract: A novel control device for an internal combustion engine capable of highly accurately estimating an EGR amount (rate) during the transient state is provided. A first EGR rate is determined using, as an input, a detection signal of an EGR sensor provided on the downstream side of a throttle valve which adjusts the flow rate of a mixed gas of air and EGR gas flowing through an intake pipe, a second EGR rate is estimated by calculating a predetermined equation using, as an input, at least a detection signal of an air flow sensor and an EGR valve opening degree sensor, a third EGR rate is determined by carrying out delay processing on the second EGR rate corresponding to a response delay of the EGR sensor, and the second EGR rate is subjected to learning correction by reflecting a difference between the third EGR rate and the first EGR rate.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 27, 2017
    Publication date: December 5, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Takafumi ARAKAWA, Yoichi IIHOSHI, Kunihiko SUZUKI, Toshio HORI
  • Patent number: 10465619
    Abstract: Introduction of a low fuel consumption technique such as downsizing turbos and idling stop decreases an intake pipe negative pressure (pump loss) of an internal combustion engine, and results in difficulty in emitting (evaporative fuel purge) a volatile fuel (volatile fuel) in a fuel tank by the negative pressure of the intake pipe of the internal combustion engine. A control device includes: a purge control unit which controls a purge valve which emits a volatile fuel of a fuel tank or a canister to an intake pipe of an internal combustion engine; and a power transmission control unit which controls a power transmission mechanism between the internal combustion engine and a drive wheel, and, in a state where the power transmission control unit disconnects a clutch, and the vehicle is coasting, the purge control unit opens the evaporative fuel valve and purges an evaporative fuel to the intake pipe.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2019
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoichi Iihoshi, Toshio Hori, Yoshihiko Akagi, Shinsaku Tsukada
  • Publication number: 20190107034
    Abstract: An object is to provide a type of device capable of properly cooling a bearing of a throttle body even under a condition that the throttle body receives heat of high-temperature intake air or exhaust gas. In the present invention, an engine coolant passage that guides a coolant of an engine is provided integrally with a member fixing a bearing to be adjacent to a circumferential wall of the bearing of the member fixing the bearing, which supports a throttle shaft, and heat transferred from the bearing (or likely to be transferred to the bearing) via the member fixing the bearing is carried away to the outside of a throttle body by the engine coolant.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 24, 2017
    Publication date: April 11, 2019
    Inventors: Hidefumi HATSUZAWA, Makoto KAWANO, Toshio HORI, Toyoshi NEMOTO
  • Patent number: 10215077
    Abstract: Provided is an engine control apparatus capable of detecting degradation in particulate filter performance. An input unit receives a first signal indicating an exhaust gas state (Tpf_2) inside or downstream of a particulate filter that traps particulate substance contained in engine exhaust gas. A determination unit 16a determines whether the particulate filter is degraded on the basis of the exhaust gas state (Tpf_2) indicated by the first signal in a period (fFC=1) in which fuel supply to the engine is blocked.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2015
    Date of Patent: February 26, 2019
    Assignee: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD
    Inventors: Shinji Nakagawa, Toshio Hori
  • Publication number: 20190039586
    Abstract: While a vehicle is coasting with an engine being automatically stopped and a power transmission path between the engine and wheels being disengaged, when a deceleration request is made and the engine is restarted with the power transmission path being engaged, a deceleration level increases relative to the deceleration level required by a driver or the vehicle, thereby lowering drivability.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 13, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Kohei SUZUKI, Toshio HORI, Yoshiaki NAGASAWA, Naoyuki TASHIRO
  • Publication number: 20180362044
    Abstract: In a vehicle control device for stopping an internal combustion engine when a vehicle is traveling at a predetermined speed or higher and a stop condition of the internal combustion engine is satisfied, fuel is injected to the engine even when the stop condition is satisfied, when an EGR rate of the internal combustion engine is equal to or higher than a set value. Alternatively, when the EGR rate is equal to or higher than the set value, an EGR valve attached to an EGR pipe of the engine is controlled in a valve closing direction when the stop condition is satisfied. Alternatively, when the EGR rate is equal to or higher than the set value, clutch engagement is maintained for a clutch control device that disconnects torque transmission between an output shaft of the internal combustion engine and a vehicle drive shaft, even when the stop condition is satisfied.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2017
    Publication date: December 20, 2018
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Yoichi IIHOSHI, Toshio HORI, Kazuhiro ORYOJI