Electrical Sensing Or Regulating Patents (Class 123/350)
  • Patent number: 11598258
    Abstract: A CPU determines that misfires are occurring in a cylinder subject to determination of whether misfires are occurring when a value obtained by subtracting a rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n?2] from a rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n] is greater than or equal to a determination threshold. The rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n] is subject to the misfire determination. The rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n?2] is 360° CA earlier than the rotation fluctuation amount ?T30[n]. When stopping fuel supply to a cylinder #1 and determining whether misfires are occurring in cylinder #4, the CPU determines whether misfires are occurring after executing a correcting process that corrects the determination threshold to a second determination threshold ?th2, which is less than a first determination threshold ?th1.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2023
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 11584376
    Abstract: A method for operating a vehicle that includes a driveline disconnect clutch is described. In one example, the method adjusts torque of an electric machine in response to a estimated torque capacity of the driveline disconnect clutch. The estimated torque capacity of the driveline disconnect clutch is based on a combined inertia of a dual mass flywheel and the driveline disconnect clutch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Fazal Urrahman Syed, Rajit Johri, Shailesh Shrikant Kozarekar, Thomas Scott Gee, Ming Lang Kuang, Kevin Ray Ruybal
  • Patent number: 11555461
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements for reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect, a firing sequence is used to operate the engine in a skip fire manner. A smoothing torque is determined that is applied to a powertrain by an energy storage/release device. The smoothing torque is arranged to at least partially cancel out variation in torque generated by the skip fire firing sequence. Various methods, powertrain controllers, arrangements and computer software related to the above operations are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2020
    Date of Patent: January 17, 2023
    Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark A. Wilcutts, Xi Luo, Anastasios Arvanitis
  • Patent number: 11511728
    Abstract: A control unit that controls a travelling state and an air conditioning state of a vehicle includes: a drive control unit performing a vehicle speed control and a power train control, the vehicle speed control selectively executing an acceleration operation where an engine mounted on the vehicle is operated and a deceleration operation where the engine is stopped to allow the vehicle to coast, the power train control selectively executing activation or deactivation of the engine; m and an air conditioning control unit that controls an air conditioning system provided in the vehicle to execute an air conditioning control. A content of control is changed for at least one of the vehicle speed control, the power train control and the air-conditioning control while the air conditioning system is operating, compared to a case where the air conditioning system is not operating.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: November 29, 2022
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Yutaro Ito
  • Patent number: 11394230
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine, an alternator, and a battery bank electrically connected to the alternator via a connection line. The connection line includes a current sensor configured to measure an electrical current through the connection line. The vehicle also includes a start-stop system configured to determine, during a time when the engine is off, that a voltage of the battery bank is below a first threshold value for a first predetermined period, provide a control signal to a starter to start the engine to initiate charging of battery bank, determine, by the current sensor, that the electrical current is below a second threshold value, and in response to the determination, provide a control signal to turn the engine off to terminate the charging of the battery bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: July 19, 2022
    Assignee: Phillips & Temro Industries, Inc.
    Inventors: Jeffrey James Martell, Eric Graham Ruggles, John David Sweazey
  • Patent number: 11294339
    Abstract: There is provision of a control device for outputting an operation amount of a controlled object so as to cause a process value of the controlled object to track a target value. The control device acquires a look-ahead target value within a time series of target values; calculates a look-ahead target value deviation which is a difference between the look-ahead target value and a current process value of the controlled object; calculates an adjusted target value deviation, by calculating a difference between the look-ahead target value and a predicted value of the process value after a look-ahead time length, based on a response model of the controlled object and past change amounts of the operation amount; performs reinforcement learning based on the adjusted target value deviation; and calculates an updated operation amount based on the adjusted target value deviation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2022
    Assignee: FUJI ELECTRIC CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Yoshio Tange, Satoshi Kiryu
  • Patent number: 11235886
    Abstract: A monitoring system is disclosed for identifying an operating state of a motor, the system comprising: a speed sensor for determining a speed of a motor and providing a speed signal as a function of time in response thereto, and a processor configured to identify a symmetric and/or an asymmetric oscillation of the speed signal as a function of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2022
    Assignee: GOODRICH ACTUATION SYSTEMS LIMITED
    Inventors: Graham Hardwick, James Thomas, Herve Menaut
  • Patent number: 11221276
    Abstract: A method for detecting the physical stoppage of an internal combustion engine including a crankshaft that drives a toothed wheel having a plurality of teeth, each tooth corresponding to different angular positions of the crankshaft, a sensor positioned next to the toothed wheel generates a signal characteristic of the passage of a tooth. The method detects a tooth from the signal generated by the sensor, identifies the tooth detected, triggers a timeout, and detects stoppage of the engine if the passage of a tooth adjacent to the tooth detected has not been detected before the end of the timeout.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Inventors: Fabien Joseph, Benjamin Marconato, Stéphane Eloy
  • Patent number: 11220177
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an actuator, a drivetrain configured to receive mechanical power from the actuator, an accelerator pedal position sensor configured to output a driver-demanded torque, and a controller in electric communication with the sensor and the actuator. The controller is programmed to receive the driver-demanded torque and output a shaped torque command to mitigate driveline disturbances caused by backlash and shaft compliance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Maruthi Thiruninravur Ravichandran, Jeffrey Allen Doering, Rajit Johri, Bhavesh Ravindra Paradkar, Dushyant K. Palejiya, Jason Meyer
  • Patent number: 11208965
    Abstract: A method for determining a desired intake manifold pressure of an internal combustion engine by means of an iterative method, wherein a cylinder charge is determined for an intake manifold pressure iterated during the iterative method, and the desired intake manifold pressure is determined as a function of the cylinder air charge that has been determined. In addition, a control device for carrying out the method is provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2021
    Assignee: Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Sebastian Heinken, Marco Bunjes, Tim Thaler, Benjamin Frank, Daniel Beese
  • Patent number: 11204009
    Abstract: If an internal combustion engine that has been automatically stopped is to be restarted under a decreased engine speed, a control unit of the internal combustion engine starts cranking when a crank angle of a cylinder in compression stroke of the internal combustion engine is closer to bottom dead center than a threshold value set in advance. More specifically, if an engine speed of the internal combustion engine is in forward rotation, the cranking is begun when the crank angle of the cylinder in compression stroke is closer to the bottom dead center than a threshold value set in advance. If the engine speed of the internal combustion engine is in backward rotation, the cranking is begun when the crank angle of the cylinder in compression stroke is closer to the bottom dead center than another threshold value set in advance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 21, 2021
    Assignee: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Shouta Hamane
  • Patent number: 11186170
    Abstract: A work vehicle according to an aspect of the present invention is configured to shift, in a transmission unit, a speed of a driving force from an engine mounted on a traveling body and to transfer the shifted driving force to a traveling unit and a work unit. The work vehicle includes: a mode shift switch that is configured to shift a maximum vehicle speed by the traveling unit or a maximum number of revolutions of the engine, the maximum vehicle speed and the maximum number of revolutions being set for each of a plurality of modes; and a work unit operation lever that is configured to be used for operating the work unit. The work unit operation lever is provided with the mode shift switch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: November 30, 2021
    Assignee: YANMAR POWER TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Kouhei Ogura, Toshiyuki Miwa, Kenta Ikenori
  • Patent number: 11149661
    Abstract: A variable combustion cylinder ratio control method variably controls a combustion cylinder ratio of an engine during an intermittent deactivation operation, in which cylinder deactivation is intermittently performed. The method includes, when setting N to an integer greater than or equal to 1, repeatedly performing a cylinder deactivation in a pattern in which combustion is consecutively performed in N cylinders in the order of cylinders entering a combustion stroke, and then a subsequent cylinder is deactivated. The method further includes changing the combustion cylinder ratio by changing the pattern such that the value of N is changed by one at a time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tomohiro Nakano
  • Patent number: 11149671
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes an internal combustion engine including a fuel injection valve configured to inject fuel into an intake port and a throttle valve configured to control intake air amount for controlling engine torque, and being mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle system further includes a control device configured to control the vehicle. The control device includes a fuel increment controlling component that executes a fuel increment control to make the air-fuel ratio richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in a plurality of cycles started from a fuel injection start cycle at the time of engine start-up. Where a torque rate correlation value correlated with a torque rate that is a time rate of increase of the engine torque is lower, the fuel increment controlling component decreases a total fuel injection amount in the plurality of cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11118529
    Abstract: A drive system for driving a motor vehicle has an internal combustion engine and an operating mode coordination device for determining and controlling the operating mode of the internal combustion engine. The drive system has a function coordination device for coordinating secondary functions of the drive system, the function coordination device being designed for generating, based on the coordination of the secondary functions, an operating mode request for the operating mode coordination device for controlling the operating mode of the internal combustion engine, and transmitting it to the operating mode coordination device. The invention further relates to a motor vehicle having a drive system, and a method for operating a drive system of a motor vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 2019
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2021
    Assignee: VOLKSWAGEN AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
    Inventors: Ulrich Schröder, Michael Tomforde, Christian Dierschke, Johannes Forst, Daniel Leineweber
  • Patent number: 11092098
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes an internal combustion engine including a fuel injection valve configured to inject fuel into an intake port and a throttle valve configured to control intake air amount for controlling engine torque, and being mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle system further includes a control device configured to control the vehicle. The control device includes a fuel increment controlling component that executes a fuel increment control to make the air-fuel ratio richer than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio in a plurality of cycles started from a fuel injection start cycle at the time of engine start-up. Where a torque rate correlation value correlated with a torque rate that is a time rate of increase of the engine torque is lower, the fuel increment controlling component decreases a total fuel injection amount in the plurality of cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 17, 2021
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Keisuke Sasaki
  • Patent number: 11002184
    Abstract: A power generator management system comprises a plurality of power generators, and an information processing apparatus configured to process information acquired from the plurality of power generators. Each power generator comprises: a detection unit configured to detect a remaining fuel amount in a fuel tank of the power generator; a position acquisition unit configured to acquire position information of the power generator; a state acquisition unit configured to acquire information representing an operating state of the power generator; and a communication unit configured to transmit the remaining fuel amount, the position information, and information representing the operating state to the information processing apparatus, and the information processing apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to acquire a margin level of power supply in each of the plurality of power generators and provide a result of the acquisition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Takashi Hashizume, Manabu Dobashi, Tetsuya Matsuhisa, Ryota Hisada
  • Patent number: 11001251
    Abstract: During a hybrid drive, a hybrid vehicle sets an engine required power based on a driving required power and controls an engine to output the engine required power, while controlling a motor to drive the hybrid vehicle with the driving required power. When a catalyst temperature of an exhaust emission control device is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature that requires warming up, in the state that an output upper limit power which a power storage device is allowed to output is equal to or larger than a predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets a power calculated by subtracting the output upper limit power from the driving required power, to the engine required power. In the state that the output upper limit power is smaller than the predetermined power, the hybrid vehicle sets the driving required power to the engine required power.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 11, 2021
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideki Kamatani, Kazuma Aoki, Koji Hokoi
  • Patent number: 10954877
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements for reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect, a firing sequence is used to operate the engine in a dynamic firing level modulation manner. A smoothing torque is determined by adaptive control that is applied to a powertrain by an energy storage/release device. The smoothing torque is arranged to at least partially cancel out variation in torque generated by the firing sequence. Various methods, powertrain controllers, arrangements and computer software related to the above operations are also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2020
    Date of Patent: March 23, 2021
    Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Masaki Nagashima, Mohammad R. Pirjaberi, Louis J. Serrano, Xin Yuan, John W. Parsels, Mark A. Wilcutts
  • Patent number: 10927780
    Abstract: A skip fire controlled internal combustion engine supplies motive power to move to a platform. The skip fire engine controller includes a skip fire module arranged to determine an operational firing fraction and associated cylinder load for delivering a desired engine output. The operational firing fraction is based in part on the platform weight.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignees: Tula Technology, Inc., Cummins Inc.
    Inventor: Vijay Srinivasan
  • Patent number: 10926765
    Abstract: A cruise control interlock system detects a current set of conditions for a vehicle, compares the current conditions with cruise control interlock conditions (e.g., an adjustable threshold state of a windshield wiper system), and executes a process to deactivate the cruise control system. The process to deactivate functionality of the cruise control system may include presenting a notification to the operator to alert the operator to an upcoming automatic deactivation or to encourage the operator to deactivate cruise control. The process also may include a vehicle de-rate process (e.g., reducing vehicle speed) to induce the operator to deactivate cruise control. Deactivation of cruise control may be postponed in some situations, such as when the vehicle is ascending an uphill grade or where doing so may deactivate an active downhill speed control function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 23, 2021
    Assignee: PACCAR INC
    Inventors: Josef Lotz, Nathan Paul, Tristan Pyle, Bryan Ross
  • Patent number: 10920689
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving engine torque response during transient condition. In one example, a method may include adjusting intake throttle and exhaust waste-gate valve based on the operator torque demand and concurrently, scheduling exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) and variable cam timing (VCT) based on a predicted torque shortfall ratio. The scheduling of EGR and VCT is independent of the actual position of intake throttle and exhaust waste-gate valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 16, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John Erik Mikael Hellstrom, Mrdjan J. Jankovic, Michael Howard Shelby, John Eric Rollinger, Adam J. Richards, Paul A. Pietrzyk
  • Patent number: 10793153
    Abstract: The vehicle controller performs gear position switch control in which a gear position of an automatic transmission set based on the automated drive control is changed to an upper-level gear position if the driver operates the accelerator pedal under the automated drive control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Hisashi Ishikawa, Kentaro Arai, Masayuki Sadakiyo, Takashi Adachi, Tomoyuki Noguchi
  • Patent number: 10738719
    Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine defines a difference between a throttle opening degree target value before correction and a throttle opening degree target value after correction as a correction amount. The difference between a downstream pressure that is a pressure downstream of a throttle valve in the intake passage and a required value of the downstream pressure is defined as a pressure difference. The controller corrects the throttle opening degree target value so that the correction amount increases as the absolute value of the pressure difference increases, the correction amount is smaller when the throttle opening degree is large than when the throttle opening degree is small, and the correction amount is smaller when the flow velocity of intake air in the intake passage is low that when the flow velocity of the intake air is high.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 11, 2020
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Masahiro Wanibe, Toshiaki Otani
  • Patent number: 10699566
    Abstract: A system includes a processor configured to determine traffic density over a road segment. The processor is also configured to model traffic parameters to maximize traffic flow over the road segment, based on the traffic density and travel characteristic data received from a plurality of vehicles exiting the road segment. The processor is further configured to determine a speed to density curve, using the model, that would maximize traffic flow and send the speed to density curve to a vehicle entering the road segment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 30, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Perry Robinson MacNeille, Nunzio Decia, Joseph Wisniewski, Andrea Bowes Chowanic
  • Patent number: 10632840
    Abstract: A straddled electric vehicle includes an electric motor including an output shaft oriented in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to a vehicle width direction, a drive bevel gear that rotates around a rotation axis oriented in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the vehicle width direction, a driven bevel gear that rotates around a rotation axis oriented in the vehicle width direction, and a drive pulley that rotates around a rotation axis which is oriented in the vehicle width direction. The drive bevel gear and the driven bevel gear convert rotation generated by the electric motor around a rotation axis oriented in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to the vehicle width direction into rotation around a rotation axis oriented in the vehicle width direction, which is transmitted to the drive pulley.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 28, 2020
    Assignee: YAMAHA HATSUDOKI KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Toshiro Orimo
  • Patent number: 10627824
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for automatically controlling ground speed of a work vehicle. The apparatus includes a speed sensor generating a vehicle speed signal, the speed sensor operatively connected to a controller. A traction device angle sensor generates an angle signal which represents an angle of the traction device with respect to an axis of the work vehicle, wherein the traction device angle sensor operatively connected to the controller. A vehicle guidance system is configured to generate a vehicle position signal, wherein the controller determines the ground speed of the vehicle based on at least one of: i) a tracking error of the vehicle relative to the vehicle position signal; ii) a planned curved vehicle path; iii) a planned location of the vehicle within a defined portion of a field; and iv) a planned path segment and an associated change in direction of travel of the work vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: DEERE & COMPANY
    Inventors: Jeffrey E. Runde, Qiang R. Liu
  • Patent number: 10605184
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a throttle based on an intake oxygen sensor output. In one example, a method may include adjusting a position of a throttle based on a dilution threshold and a total aircharge dilution level, the total dilution aircharge level based on an output of an intake oxygen sensor. Additionally, spark timing may be adjusted based on the total aircharge dilution level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Michael Howard Shelby, James Alfred Hilditch, Jason Williams
  • Patent number: 10576838
    Abstract: A controller for a motor vehicle powertrain, the controller being configured to control the amount of torque generated by each of a plurality of drive torque sources in order to generate a net torque corresponding to a predetermined torque demand value, the predetermined torque demand value being determined at least in part by reference to a torque demand signal received by the controller, each drive torque source being coupled via a respective torque transfer arrangement to a respective group of one or more wheels, the controller being configured to cause at least one drive torque source to generate positive or negative torque in dependence on the predetermined torque demand value and to cause the drive torque source to undergo a torque reversal operation in which the direction of torque generated by the at least one drive torque sources changes from one direction to the other, the controller being configured wherein, during a torque reversal operation, the controller limits the rate of change of torque gene
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Jaguar Land Rover Limited
    Inventors: Simon Message, Steve Liggins, Matthew Hancock
  • Patent number: 10493982
    Abstract: A vehicle control device includes a vehicle speed control unit configured to execute a vehicle speed control for automatically accelerating a vehicle, regardless of an accelerator operation. The vehicle speed control unit prohibits an execution of the vehicle speed control during a predetermined period, after a detection is made that the vehicle collided, and permits the execution of the vehicle speed control after an elapse of the predetermined period.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 3, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Tatsuya Shiraishi
  • Patent number: 10458356
    Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus performs an in-excess determination control by monitoring a drive power in-excess indicator at a time when a temporary in-excess state occurs which indicates that a drive power excess amount exceeds a predetermined value. As such, when a vehicle-dynamic safety parameter fulfills a prescribed condition, the vehicle control apparatus lowers an indicator threshold for determining an excess drive power continuation time from an original value to a lowered value. As a result, the excess drive power continuation time is determined as exceeding the indicator threshold, which indicates that a drive power of a vehicle is in excess, and a fail-safe instruction signal output is brought forward from an original timing to an earlier timing. Therefore, when a degree of dangerousness of a vehicle behavior is estimated to be relatively high, a fail-safe action is promptly taken.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventor: Masaki Kono
  • Patent number: 10452074
    Abstract: When an ADV is detected to transition from a manual driving mode to an autonomous driving mode, a first pedal value corresponding to a speed of the ADV at a previous command cycle during which the ADV was operating in the manual driving mode is determined. A second pedal value is determined based on a target speed of the ADV at a current command cycle during which the ADV is operating in an autonomous driving mode. A pedal value represents a pedal percentage of a maximum pedal pressure or maximum pedal pressed distance of a throttle pedal or brake pedal from a neutral position. A speed command is generated and issued to the ADV based on the first pedal value and the second pedal value, such that the ADV runs in a similar acceleration before and after switching from the manual driving mode to the autonomous driving mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignees: BAIDU USA LLC, BAIDU.COM TIMES TECHNOLOGY (BEIJING) CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Qi Luo, Qi Kong, Fan Zhu, Sen Hu, Xiang Yu, Zhenguang Zhu, Yuchang Pan, Jiarui He, Haoyang Fan, Guang Yang, Jingao Wang
  • Patent number: 10407055
    Abstract: A method for learning engine clutch kiss point of a hybrid vehicle is provided. The method includes adjusting a speed of a driving motor to be reduced when a deceleration event is generated in front of the hybrid vehicle and adjusting a speed of an engine to be synchronized with the speed of the driving motor. An engine clutch that connects the engine with the driving motor or disconnects the engine from the driving motor is engaged to start and then a kiss point of the engine clutch is learned by detecting the kiss point that is generated when the engine clutch is in a slip state.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: September 10, 2019
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Do Hee Kim
  • Patent number: 10288033
    Abstract: When an abnormality judgement section judges that there is a failure of an energy inputting circuit, an energy inputting line, through which electrical energy is inputted from the energy inputting circuit to a primary winding, is changed over to a disconnected state by output halt switching means. As a result, since inputting of electrical energy to the primary winding is thereby halted, problems arising due to continuation of inputting electrical energy to the energy inputting circuit can be prevented, even in the event of a failure of the energy inputting circuit, so that reliability can be enhanced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 14, 2019
    Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Makoto Toriyama, Satoru Nakayama
  • Patent number: 10203034
    Abstract: An output control system incorporated in a vehicle including a clutch device which shifts a drive system from a no-load state to a connected state, comprises an upper limit setting section which sets an upper limit value of an output of the drive source while the output control system is performing a starting control; and a state determiner section which determines a state of the drive system while the output control system is performing a starting control, the upper limit setting section sets the upper limit value to a first upper limit value, while the state determiner section is determining that the drive system is in the no-load state, and the upper limit setting section sets the upper limit value to a second upper limit value larger than the first upper limit value, when the state determiner section determines that the connected state of the drive system is initiated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 7, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 12, 2019
    Assignee: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Tatsuya Hirokami, Shohei Terai, Seiji Azuma, Kengo Ueda
  • Patent number: 10196968
    Abstract: The present disclosure provides a boosting control method of an engine for cylinder de-activation (CDA). The method includes: a CDA operable area confirming step of determining, by a controller based on a driving state of the engine, whether the CDA is in an operable area after the engine starts; an actual boosting deriving step of deriving a total target boosting from the controller and calculating the desired actual boosting; a supercharger operable area confirming step of determining, by the controller, whether the supercharger is in the operable area; a supercharger target rotation speed deriving step of deriving, by the controller, a target rotation speed of the supercharger; and a supercharger passage opening step of closing a bypass valve to open a supercharger passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY
    Inventors: Hyo Sang Cho, Jung Sub Lee, Seung Eun Yu
  • Patent number: 10190519
    Abstract: The invention relates to a control device for an internal combustion engine that includes a turbocharger, and an actuator that changes a turbocharging pressure by regulating exhaust energy for use in drive of the turbocharger. When a target torque is increased during execution of a lean burn operation, the control device switches an operation mode of the internal combustion engine from the lean burn operation to a stoichiometric operation. When the operation mode switching is performed in a turbocharging state, the control device determines whether a target torque is within a range of a torque realizable under the lean air-fuel ratio. When the target torque is within the range, the control device operates the actuator so as to keep the turbocharging pressure at a magnitude equal to or larger than a magnitude at a time point at which the operation mode is switched.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2015
    Date of Patent: January 29, 2019
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Shigehiro Sugihira, Naoto Kato, Satoshi Yoshizaki
  • Patent number: 10184439
    Abstract: A method and apparatus is disclosed for testing a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine equipped with a plurality of fuel injectors to detect injector clogging. A test injector is switched off. A requested value of a fuel quantity to be injected by the other fuel injectors of the plurality of fuel injectors is adjusted to operate the internal combustion engine in idle mode. A value of an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas is measured. A value of a fuel quantity that has been injected is estimated as a function of the measured value of the oxygen concentration. A fuel quantity drift of each fuel injector is calculated as a function of the requested values and the estimated values of the fuel quantity provided by the injector tests. Each fuel quantity drift is used to identify if the corresponding fuel injector is clogged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 22, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Paul Leonardo Claude, Serena Tordin
  • Patent number: 10169821
    Abstract: A vehicle may be configured to determine a characteristic of a software program operating on the vehicle. The characteristic may be provided to an insurer, and the insurer may determine a property of an insurance policy based on the characteristic. The characteristic may be, for example, a feature, a setting, and/or a version of the software program. The insurer may indicate to a vehicle operator and/or owner how changing the characteristic may affect the property of the insurance policy. The insurance policy may be formalized and agreed to by the insurer and/or the insured. The vehicle may also or instead save pre-collision status data, such adjustable parameters, internal variables, dynamic decisions, and/or identification of a software program, when a collision is detected. The pre-collision status data may be used to diagnose problems with the software program, determine fault, and/or determine future properties of insurance policies.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2019
    Assignee: Elwha LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Bowers, Peter L. Hagelstein, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, Clarence T. Tegreene, Lowell L. Wood, Jr., Victoria Y. H. Wood
  • Patent number: 10160449
    Abstract: A cruise control device of a vehicle including an engine and a multistep automatic transmission, includes an acceleration operation part, a driving-force operation part, and a control part that carries out acceleration control in which a driving force is brought close to a target driving force by changing a throttle-valve opening of the engine at least to bring the driving force close to a demand driving force. The control part carries out the acceleration control in a target gear shift stage fixed mode that is a control mode in which the acceleration control is carried out in a state where change of a gear shift stage is forbidden after changing the gear shift stage from a current gear shift stage that is a gear shift stage at present to a target gear shift stage that is a gear shift stage required for obtaining the target driving force at a stretch.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 25, 2018
    Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Minoru Nakadori
  • Patent number: 10132255
    Abstract: A method and system for controlling vehicle engine speed during a garage shift includes determining a K-factor of a torque converter based upon a speed ratio of the torque converter, normalizing the K-factor, and controlling an engine speed based upon the normalized K-factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 4, 2017
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2018
    Inventors: Koon Chul Yang, You Seok Kou
  • Patent number: 10119516
    Abstract: A spark ignition engine system for communicating data includes a capacitive discharge ignition system using a microcontroller for controlling the spark ignition of a light-duty internal combustion engine; a memory device communicated with the microcontroller, wherein the micro-controller obtains engine data from the light-duty internal combustion engine and stores the engine data or software using the memory device; and a powering connection and a separate data connection that are electrically connected to different pins of the microcontroller, wherein the powering connection supplies power to the microcontroller while engine data or software is communicated via the data connection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2018
    Assignee: Walbro, LLC
    Inventors: Martin N. Andersson, Cyrus M. Healy, Russell R. Speirs
  • Patent number: 10100720
    Abstract: A turbocharged engine air system is disclosed. The system includes a vacuum consuming device, a turbocharger having a compressor fluidly connected to an intake manifold of an engine, a first check valve located upstream of the compressor, a second check valve located downstream of the compressor and upstream of the intake manifold, and an evacuator. The evacuator includes a converging motive section, a diverging discharge section, at least one suction port, and a Venturi gap located between an outlet end of the converging motive section and an inlet end of the diverging discharge section. The diverging discharge section of the evacuator is fluidly connected to both the first check valve and the second check valve. The suction port is fluidly connected to the vacuum consuming device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 6, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 16, 2018
    Assignee: Dayco IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: David E. Fletcher, Brian M. Graichen, James H. Miller, Keith Hampton
  • Patent number: 10094313
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements are described for controlling transitions between firing fractions during skip fire or other dynamic firing level modulation operation of an engine. In general, actuator first transition strategies are described in which an actuator position (e.g., cam phase, TCC slip, etc.) is changed to, or close to a target position before a corresponding firing fraction change is implemented. When the actuator change associated with a desired firing fraction change is relatively large, the firing fraction change is divided into a series of two or more firing fraction change steps. A number of intermediate target selection schemes are described as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 9, 2018
    Assignees: Tula Technology, Inc., GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Louis J. Serrano, Steven E. Carlson, Steven J. Haase, Donavan L. Dibble, Allen B. Rayl
  • Patent number: 10086828
    Abstract: A method controls the startup of a heat engine of a hybrid power train of a vehicle. The power train includes the heat engine and an electric drive machine, two concentric main shafts coupled one to the heat engine and one to the electric machine, at least one step-down gear of each of the main shafts on a secondary shaft connected to wheels of the vehicle, and a coupling of the two main shafts. The method includes coupling the two main shafts, inhibiting fuel injection of the heat engine, launching the heat engine by the electric machine, synchronizing a speed of the heat engine and a speed of the electric machine without fuel injection, activating the fuel injection and turning off the electric machine and decoupling the two main shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2018
    Assignee: RENAULT s.a.s.
    Inventors: Jean-Marie Vespasien, Maxime Debert, Ahmed Ketfi-Cherif
  • Patent number: 10047685
    Abstract: An engine control device (2) of a motor vehicle includes: a control device (6) with elements for generating a control signal; and at least one output circuit (8) including: an input (14) intended to receive a control signal generated by the control device (6), and an output (16) connected to a component (4) and equipped with switching elements (18). The control device (2) further includes a monitoring device (20), which has: a first input (24) receiving the signal from the input (14) of the output circuit (8) connected to the control device (6), a second input (22) connected to the output (16) of the output circuit (8), and control elements associated with time delay elements for interrupting the connection between the output of the output circuit (8) and the component (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 20, 2013
    Date of Patent: August 14, 2018
    Assignees: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE, CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventor: Jean-Luc Boyer
  • Patent number: 9982611
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements for improving the fuel efficiency of internal combustion engines based on skip fire operation of the engine are described. In one aspect the skip fire decisions are made on a working cycle by working cycle basis. During selected skipped working cycles, the corresponding cylinders are deactivated such that air is not pumped through the cylinder during the selected skipped working cycles. In some implementations, the cylinders are deactivated by holding associated intake and exhaust valves closed such that an air charge is not present in the working chamber during the selected skipped working cycles.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2017
    Date of Patent: May 29, 2018
    Assignee: Tula Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: Adya S. Tripathi, Chester J. Silvestri, Christopher W. Chandler, Christopher C. Hand, Joshua P. Switkes, Mark A. Wilcutts, Matthew A. Younkins
  • Patent number: 9944280
    Abstract: A vehicle control system includes: multiple control units which controls operation of a vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a first electric motor connected to the internal combustion engine, and a second electric motor; and a network connected to the control units such that the control units perform communication with each other. The control units include a first control unit which controls the internal combustion engine, a second control unit which controls the first motor, and a third control unit which controls the second motor, and each detect abnormality in communication via the network among the control units. Upon detection of abnormality in communication between the second control unit and the other control units via the network, the first control unit stops operation of the internal combustion engine, and the third control unit performs control such that the second motor outputs power for the vehicle to travel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Mikami, Yoichi Yamashiro, Yoshikazu Fujimoto, Shintaro Mito, Yasuhiro Ohara
  • Patent number: 9926826
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided with a hydrocarbon feed valve arranged in an engine exhaust passage. When injection control for injecting hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon feed valve for exhaust treatment is stopped, to prevent the hydrocarbon feed valve from clogging, hydrocarbons for preventing clogging are injected from the hydrocarbon feed valve when the engine is not discharging soot, that is, when the feed of fuel to the inside of the combustion chamber is stopped and, after hydrocarbons for preventing clogging are injected once, the injection of hydrocarbons for preventing clogging from the hydrocarbon feed valve is stopped until injection control for exhaust treatment is started.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 14, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Umemoto, Kohei Yoshida, Yuki Bisaiji
  • Patent number: 9926868
    Abstract: A variety of methods and arrangements are described for controlling transitions between firing fractions during skip fire and potentially variable displacement operation of an engine. In general, cam first transition strategies are described in which the cam phase is changed to, or close to a target cam phase before a corresponding firing fraction change is implemented. When the cam phase change associated with a desired firing fraction change is relatively large, the firing fraction change is divided into a series of two or more firing fraction change steps—with each step using a cam first transition approach. A number of intermediate target selection schemes are described as well.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2018
    Assignees: Tula Technology, Inc, GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Louis J. Serrano, Steven E. Carlson, Steven J. Haase, Donavan L. Dibble, Allen B. Rayl