Having A Single Combustible Mixture Inlet Combined With Means For Injecting Additional Fuel Into The Combustion Chamber Patents (Class 123/431)
  • Publication number: 20140373811
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can he used to increase the efficiency or the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2014
    Publication date: December 25, 2014
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 8903630
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for fuel systems including a gaseous fuel. Temporary flow restrictions in the fuel line of a first gaseous fuel may be addressed by temporarily shifting to cylinder operation with a second liquid fuel. Upon resumption of first fuel operation, if the flow restriction persists, a diagnostic code may be set and cylinder operation with the second fuel may be restarted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: December 2, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 8862355
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for restarting an engine that can be selectively deactivated during idle-stop conditions. In one embodiment, current is directed to a starter motor and an electric brake sequentially by limiting the current supplied to one while current is supplied to the other, an order of delivering the current based on a timing of a restart request relative to an electric brake request, as well as vehicle operating conditions at the time the requests were received. By coordinating the operation of a starter motor with the operation of an electric brake, loading of the engine system's electrical supply can be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2011
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alex O'Connor Gibson, Chad Everette Griffin, Felix Nedorezov
  • Patent number: 8857410
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency or the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 2014
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 8826888
    Abstract: The present disclosure is a method and apparatus for reducing engine emissions utilizing multiple types of fuels. Apparatus for reducing engine emissions may include a controller which may control delivery of a first fuel to be combined with a second fuel at a combustion chamber of an engine. Controller may be configured to provide a proper amount of the first fuel at the correct point in an engine cycle based upon a current engine performance data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 9, 2014
    Assignee: Cleanflex Power Systems, LLC
    Inventors: Kevin F. Kenney, Ronald A. Preston, Robert Dickey
  • Patent number: 8800269
    Abstract: In a fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine in which a first fuel, which has a property to inhibit the adsorption of exhaust gas components by an exhaust gas purification catalyst, and the second fuel, which has a property not to inhibit the adsorption of the exhaust gas components by the exhaust gas purification catalyst, are able to be selectively used, the present invention has a task to decrease an amount of consumption of the second fuel in a suitable manner. In order to solve this task, the fuel injection system of an internal combustion engine according the present invention is constructed such that the second fuel is first supplied to the internal combustion engine when the exhaust gas purification catalyst is in a cold state, and a change from the second fuel to the first fuel is then made before the exhaust gas purification catalyst subsequently rises in temperature to an activation temperature thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yusuke Nakayama, Toru Kidokoro, Hiroshi Sawada
  • Patent number: 8800533
    Abstract: A system and method for preventing knocking prevents knocking by injecting a sub fuel including ethanol having high octane number to a combustion chamber in a case that the knocking occurs. The system for preventing knocking may include a cylinder, a piston moving in the cylinder reciprocally, forming a combustion chamber with the cylinder, and having a central axis, a first injector mounted at an upper surface of the cylinder with a distance from the central axis of the piston, and directly injecting a main fuel including gasoline into the combustion chamber, a second injector mounted at the upper surface of the cylinder on the central axis of the piston, and directly injecting a sub fuel including ethanol into the combustion chamber, and a spark plug disposed at the upper surface of the cylinder near the second injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 12, 2014
    Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company
    Inventor: Je Hyung Lee
  • Patent number: 8794212
    Abstract: A method of operating an engine comprises introducing into a cylinder volume a non-compression-combustible fuel, such as natural gas, a compression-combustible fuel, such as diesel, and an oxidant and mixing the components for greater than about 275 microseconds, prior to compression combusting the compression-combustible fuel. The mixing may be done such that the two fuels are at least partially homogenized in the cylinder volume. By mixing, or premixing, the two fuels prior to combustion, the compression-combustible fuel is then simultaneously combusted via compression at multiple ignition points in the volume. The second, non-compression-combustible fuel is ignited in response to the combustion of the first fuel. An engine that enables the various methods is also disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2014
    Assignee: General Electric Company
    Inventors: Adam Edgar Klingbeil, Roy James Primus, David James Walker
  • Patent number: 8776761
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine that is structurally similar to a four-stroke engine. The engine comprises at least one cylinder unit, in turn, comprising a cylinder, a piston head that reciprocates within the cylinder, a combustion chamber defined between the cylinder and the front of the piston head, a fuel injector, an oxygen injector, and an exhaust port. The IC engine further comprises a piston rod, one end of which is connected to the piston head and the other end to the crankshaft. The combustion within the combustion chamber is initiated upon the injection of the fuel and the oxygen into the combustion chamber when the piston is at the top dead center. The spent gases are expelled through the exhaust port as the piston returns to the top dead center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2011
    Date of Patent: July 15, 2014
    Inventor: Seyed Meisam Aledavood
  • Patent number: 8739760
    Abstract: A control system of an internal combustion engine provided with a first fuel injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine, a second fuel injection valve that injects fuel into an intake port of the internal combustion engine, an EGR passage that introduces an EGR gas from an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine to an intake passage thereof, an EGR valve that is arranged in the EGR passage, and an obtaining unit that obtains an amount of intake air in the internal combustion engine. When the EGR valve is open, a determination is made as to whether the amount of intake air is in an increasing tendency or in a decreasing tendency with respect to a change in the cylinder injection ratio, and a value of the amount of intake air thus obtained is corrected based on the determination.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 3, 2014
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Hokuto, Tomohiro Shinagawa, Nobuyuki Satake
  • Patent number: 8733321
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2014
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 8707913
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2014
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, Leslie Bromberg, John B. Heywood
  • Patent number: 8689768
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a fuel injection control apparatus for controlling fuel injection and a method therefor in an engine having first and second intake passages provided with first and second fuel injection valves, respectively. Fuel injection modes using the two injection valves include an alternative injection mode in which the first and second fuel injection valves are alternately operated every predetermined number of cycles and a combined injection mode in which both the first and second fuel injection valves are used for each cycle. Then, the combined injection mode is selected in a full load range. In a partial load range, the alternative injection mode is selected in a cold state and the combined injection mode is selected after warm-up. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce an equilibrium amount of adhering fuel to an inner wall of an intake passage.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2014
    Assignee: Hitachi Automotive Systems, Ltd.
    Inventor: Masayuki Saruwatari
  • Patent number: 8667951
    Abstract: Aspects of the present invention relate to systems and method for converting ozone and fuel into mechanical energy and waste products. In some embodiments, a super-combustor may be used to provide a combustion engine with an improved ability to combust fuel. Certain embodiments of the invention may provide for an improved spark plug or modified engine having a super-combustor built in.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Assignee: Megaion Research Corporation
    Inventor: Carlos A. Plata
  • Publication number: 20140026853
    Abstract: To reduce emissions at higher engine loads and speeds, methanol fuel is port-injected with charge-air into a diesel engine, and diesel fuel is then direct-injected to initiate combustion. The charge-air has a reduced oxygen concentration sufficient to prevent pre-ignition of the methanol prior to injection of the diesel fuel, and to reduce NOx formation. At low engine speeds and loads, the engine may run on diesel fuel alone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 25, 2012
    Publication date: January 30, 2014
    Inventors: Charles L. Gray, JR., Matthew J. Brusstar, Michael Prince
  • Patent number: 8622031
    Abstract: Supply of supplementary fuel is controlled by activation of a valve in response to certain engine operating conditions or parameters. For example, the supplementary fuel may be supplied to facilitate starting and warming up a cold engine, or to cool and/or slow down an engine operating above a threshold speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2014
    Assignee: Walbro Engine Management, L.L.C.
    Inventor: Tsuyoshi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 8601984
    Abstract: Engine system comprising a compression ignition engine (20) including at least one combustion chamber and a cold flame vaporizer (40) in which a fuel is partially oxidized in preheated air to form a cold flame gas. The cold flame vaporizer (40) is in fluid communication with the combustion chamber of the compression ignition engine (20). There is further provided means (50) for supplying air such that the cold flame gas can be mixed with the additional air before being injected into the combustion chamber, and means (22) for injecting a pilot fuel into the combustion chamber, thereby producing a pilot flame in the combustion chamber which ignites the mixture of cold flame gas and air. There is also provided a method for a substantially NOx-free combustion of diesel fuel in a compression ignition engine (20).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Assignee: Cool Flame Technologies AS
    Inventors: Klaus Lucka, Dag Øvrebø, Heide Pohland Vom Schloss
  • Patent number: 8590510
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating an engine fuel system including fuels of different fuel types. A first fuel type is delivered for port injection upon circulation through a high pressure pump when direct injection of a fuel is not requested to cool and/or lubricate the high pressure pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Joseph Basmaji, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 8590497
    Abstract: A split-cycle air-hybrid engine includes a rotatable crankshaft. A compression piston is slidably received within a compression cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft. An expansion piston is slidably received within an expansion cylinder and operatively connected to the crankshaft. An exhaust valve selectively controls gas flow out of the expansion cylinder. A crossover passage interconnects the compression and expansion cylinders. The crossover passage includes a crossover compression (XovrC) valve and a crossover expansion (XovrE) valve therein. An air reservoir is operatively connected to the crossover passage. An air reservoir valve selectively controls air flow into and out of the air reservoir. In an Air Compressor (AC) mode of the engine, the XovrE valve is kept closed during an entire rotation of the crankshaft, and the exhaust valve is kept open for at least 240 CA degrees of the same rotation of the crankshaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2011
    Date of Patent: November 26, 2013
    Assignee: Scuderi Group, Inc.
    Inventors: Riccardo Meldolesi, Nicholas Badain, Ian Gilbert
  • Patent number: 8589084
    Abstract: Ethanol emissions from a direct ignition spark ignition are measured using mass spectrometry. The method exploits specific fragment ions from ethanol. Ethanol contributes ions of mass number 31, and no other gas species produces ions at this mass number. The method and a device for implementing the method can be used for online detection of ethanol in emissions from engines burning E85 or other ethanol/gasoline mixtures.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 19, 2013
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Kenneth Kar, Wai K. Cheng
  • Patent number: 8522746
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2012
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 8515649
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to fuel injection devices for internal combustion engines. An object of the present invention is to provide a fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine capable of identifying a non-contributing fuel quantity when port injection and cylinder injection are simultaneously performed. If an explosion count and a coolant temperature for any cycle can be acquired, they can be applied to a first map and a second map to thereby find non-contributing fuel for 100% port injection and non-contributing fuel for 100% cylinder injection, respectively. Each of these found values of the non-contributing fuel is multiplied by a corresponding injection share ratio during injection of the non-contributing fuel to thereby find non-contributing fuel that takes into account the injection share ratio. Finally, these values are added up to arrive at a non-contributing fuel requirement value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 20, 2013
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Noboru Takagi, Hiromitsu Seo, Eiichiro Kido, Takamitsu Mizutani, Hirokazu Ando
  • Patent number: 8479718
    Abstract: A hydrogen fueled powerplant including an internal combustion engine that drives a motor-generator, and has a two-stage turbocharger, for an aircraft. A control system controls the operation of the motor-generator to maintain the engine at a speed selected based on controlling the engine equivalence ratio. The control system controls an afterburner, an intercooler and an aftercooler to maximize powerplant efficiency. The afterburner also adds power to the turbochargers during high-altitude restarts. The turbochargers also include motor-generators that extract excess power from the exhaust.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2012
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2013
    Assignee: AeroVironment Inc.
    Inventors: Alexander Nelson Brooks, James Gallagher Daley
  • Patent number: 8478508
    Abstract: An ON-ignition signal is outputted from an ignition control portion in a period from a posterior time point of the power stroke to an valve opening timing of an exhaust valve so that a capacitor is charged. Then, when it is determined that the maximum value of an ion-output value detected during a negative valve overlap period becomes greater than or equal to a threshold, it is determined that the applied voltage between an center electrode and a ground electrode of a spark plug is dropped. The ON-ignition signal is outputted again to charge the capacitor before the intake valve is opened.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2013
    Assignees: Nippon Soken, Inc., Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Masahiro Shigenaga, Kimitaka Saitoh, Masatoshi Basaki, Makoto Miwa
  • Patent number: 8443783
    Abstract: The invention relates to an internal combustion engine that can be operated with different types of liquid fuel, which includes a device that can determine the current type of liquid fuel used. The invention further relates to a method for operating such an internal combustion engine. According to the invention, at least two different paths are provided, by which the liquid fuel can reach the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. The internal combustion engine comprises a control and regulation device, controlling or regulating the use of the different paths as a function of the type of the liquid fuel that was determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Oliver Miersch-Wiemers
  • Patent number: 8413643
    Abstract: Various example approaches are described, one of which includes a method for adjusting relative delivery of liquid and gaseous fuel to a cylinder of the engine to effect rapid changes in cylinder air charge via changes in the displacement of fresh air by the gaseous fuel. In one particular approach, turbocharger lag is addressed by decreasing gaseous fuel injection while increasing liquid fuel injection to increase cylinder fresh air over and above any changes to fresh air via the throttle, wastegate, and/or turbocharger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 9, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Tehnologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, John D. Russell
  • Patent number: 8396644
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine employing PCCI combustion, capable of realizing high-stability operation of the engine throughout a large operation area, is provided. The engine control device comprises a fuel supply system which supplies light oil or mixed fuel containing light oil to the engine, a gas supply system which supplies hydrogen to the engine, and a required premixed gas calculating unit which previously stores and uses multiple combustion waveforms (changing depending on hydrogen addition concentration) as data. The required premixed gas calculating unit selects one of the combustion waveforms so as to achieve high thermal efficiency depending on the status of the engine and determines the hydrogen addition concentration (addition concentration of the hydrogen to be supplied to the engine) corresponding to the selected combustion waveform, by which the generation of PM and NOx can be reduced while also improving the thermal efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 21, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 12, 2013
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hajime Kabashima, Yasuhiro Urata, Kazushi Yamamoto
  • Patent number: 8352154
    Abstract: In a control unit, a method, a computer program and a computer program product for operating an internal combustion engine in the context of a combined direct and manifold injection, fuel is injected by at least one first injection valve into an induction manifold and/or by at least one second injection valve directly into a combustion chamber for combustion. In at least one predefined operating state of the internal combustion engine, fuel is only injected by the at least one first injection valve into the induction manifold for a predetermined number of successive combustion cycles. In a subsequent combustion cycle, fuel is injected by the at least one first injection valve into the induction manifold and by the at least one second injection valve directly into the combustion chamber or only by the at least one second injection valve directly into the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 8, 2013
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Mallebrein, Michael Frank, Alexander Schenck Zu Schweinsberg, Helerson Kemmer, Wolfgang Samenfink
  • Patent number: 8342158
    Abstract: In one example, a system for a vehicle travelling on a surface is described. The system includes an engine with a cylinder. The cylinder includes a fuel injector that is supplied with gaseous fuel and liquid fuel by a fuel delivery system. The fuel injector is mounted in the vehicle such that the fuel injector inlet faces at least partially toward the road surface. The orientation of the fuel injector enables a quick transition from liquid fuel to gaseous fuel because the gaseous fuel can rise to the injectors and be preferentially injected. Further, various approaches are described from transitioning operation between gaseous and liquid fuel injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 1, 2013
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 8335632
    Abstract: A fuel delivery system for an internal combustion engine and a method of operating the fuel delivery system is described. As one example, the method includes delivering a first fuel blend from a first fuel tank to the engine; delivering a second fuel blend from a second fuel tank to the engine, the proportion of said second fuel blend delivered to the engine to said first fuel blend delivered to the engine being related to the desired engine output; transferring said first fuel blend from said first fuel tank to said second fuel tank to prevent an amount of said first fuel blend and said second fuel blend in said second fuel tank from falling below a predetermined level; and boosting air delivered to the engine, the amount of boosting being related to latent heat of vaporization of said second fuel blend delivered to the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 18, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Allan J. Lippa, Donald J. Lewis
  • Patent number: 8332091
    Abstract: A method for operating a hybrid drive of a motor vehicle in particular. An internal combustion engine is connected to a generator via a force-conducting connection. In a learning mode, the generator is operated as a motor and drives the internal combustion engine. In this learning mode, a so-called zero quantity calibration is performed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Dietmar Zeh, Holger Rapp, Thomas Pauer, Markus Rueckle, Werner Teschner
  • Patent number: 8327823
    Abstract: A compression ignition engine is supplied with a first fuel in a flow of air and a second fuel is injected into the combustion chamber. The first fuel comprises a more volatile fuel than diesel such as ethanol, LPG or other combustible gas; the second fuel comprises diesel or biodiesel; and the second fuel is injected in multiple pulses in each ignition cycle with the first pulse acting as a pilot pulse to trigger ignition, and the timing of the second pulse being such as to modify the temperature through evaporation of the second fuel and thereby reduce the combustion temperature and mitigate knock susceptibility. Preferably the pilot pulse is followed by a single further pulse of the second fuel in the ignition cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2012
    Assignee: G-Volution Ltd.
    Inventors: Pierre Courtoy, Andrew Frances Gamble Smith, Douglas Greenhalgh
  • Patent number: 8302580
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 6, 2012
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, John B. Heywood, Leslie Bromberg
  • Patent number: 8276565
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Date of Patent: October 2, 2012
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, Leslie Bromberg, John B. Heywood
  • Patent number: 8275538
    Abstract: Various example approaches are described, one of which includes a method for controlling injection of gaseous and liquid fuel to a cylinder during engine starting. Specifically, gaseous fuel is injected during or before an intake stroke of the cycle to form a well-mixed overall lean air-fuel mixture, and then liquid fuel is directly injected to the cylinder at least during one of a compression and expansion stroke of the engine cycle to form a rich air-fuel cloud near the spark plug, where a spark initiates combustion of the injected fuels. In one example, the rich cloud enables additional spark retard, and thus faster catalyst light-off, while maintain acceptable combustion stability of the gaseous fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 25, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 8261721
    Abstract: An abnormality diagnosing system for an internal combustion engine including a first fuel injection valve that injects fuel into a cylinder, and a second fuel injection valve that injects fuel into an intake passage is provided which has a control device controls an injection pattern of the first fuel injection valve and the second fuel injection valve. The control device stores engine operating conditions when an abnormality occurs in the engine, and make a return-to-normal determination as to whether the engine returns to a normal operating state when similar operation conditions that are the same as or within predetermined ranges of the stored operating conditions are established. The injection pattern is selected from patterns in which the fuel is injected solely from the first fuel injection valve, solely from the second fuel injection valve, and from both of the first and second fuel injection valves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2010
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hiroyuki Mizuno, Naoya Okubo
  • Patent number: 8260525
    Abstract: A method and a device for operating an internal combustion engine and an internal combustion engine are described, the fuel being injectable directly into a combustion chamber in particular via at least one first injector and also being injectable into an intake manifold in particular via at least one second injector. For injection of fuel in a full-load operating state of the internal combustion engine, a first selection is made from the at least one first injector and the at least one second injector having a first metering range, including a full-load injection quantity required for the full-load operating state. For injection of fuel in a partial-load operating state of the internal combustion engine, a second selection is made from the at least one first injector and the at least one second injector having a second metering range, including the adjustment of a minimum fuel injection quantity required for operating the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 4, 2012
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Georg Mallebrein, Michael Frank, Alexander Schenck Zu Schweinsberg, Helerson Kemmer, Wolfgang Samenfink
  • Publication number: 20120152204
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 2, 2012
    Publication date: June 21, 2012
    Applicant: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, Leslie Bromberg, John B. Heywood
  • Patent number: 8170775
    Abstract: The device including: a fuel correction value calculating unit for calculating a correction value for a fuel injection quantity so that an actual air-fuel ratio becomes equal to a target air-fuel ratio; a fuel switching detecting unit for detecting that fuel switching has occurred; a fuel property estimating unit for setting a period, in which there is a possibility that a fuel property changes, as a property change period when the fuel switching is detected to calculate a fuel property correction value corresponding to another correction value for the fuel injection quantity based on the correction value within the property change period; and a property change judging unit for judging whether or not a change in the correction value is due to the change in the fuel property in a case where the correction value becomes out of a predetermined range even though the property change period is not set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuyoshi Hori
  • Patent number: 8156920
    Abstract: Procedure for the transition of an internal combustion engine, particularly a gasoline engine with direct gasoline injection and with a partially variable valve-train assembly, from an initial mode of operation into a target mode of operation, whereby the initial mode of operation and the target mode of operation are either a mode of operation with an externally-supplied ignition or one with self-ignition. The procedure comprises the procedural steps: Adaptation of the operating parameters of the initial mode of operation to the required values for the target mode of operation in a map-based pilot control phase Changeover of the mode of operation after the map-based pilot control phase Closed-loop control of the operating parameters after the changeover.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 17, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2012
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ansgar Christ, Wolfgang Fischer, Andre F. Casal Kulzer
  • Patent number: 8146568
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, Leslie Bromberg, John B. Heywood
  • Patent number: 8150599
    Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including detecting, when refueling with an alcohol fuel is performed, a refueling amount of the alcohol fuel based on a signal transmitted from a sender gauge, increasing DI ratio r that is a ratio between a fuel injection amount from an in-cylinder injector and a fuel injection amount from an intake passage injector, according to the refueling amount of the alcohol fuel, such that the ratio of the fuel injection amount from the in-cylinder injector is higher, and retarding the ignition timing according to the refueling amount of the alcohol fuel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Taichi Nishimura
  • Patent number: 8132555
    Abstract: A system for starting an engine is described. In one example, the engine is supplied two fuels via two injectors. The method may improve engine starting and reduce engine emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 30, 2005
    Date of Patent: March 13, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Donald J. Lewis, Allan J. Lippa, John D. Russell
  • Patent number: 8126636
    Abstract: An arrangement includes, but is not limited to an internal combustion engine, a pressure reducer that reduces gas pressure of gaseous fuel for the engine. The reducer connects on a high-pressure side to a gas tank and connects on the low-pressure side to a controllable gas injection valve regulating the gas flow. A high-pressure shutoff valve is on the high-pressure side and connected to the reducer to shut-off the gas flow from the gas tank. The high-pressure shutoff valve includes, but is not limited to a pilot valve with a small opening and a main valve with a large opening, and an electronic controller used at least for controlling the high-pressure valve and a gas injection valve. The pilot valve of the high-pressure valve opens in chronological order before the gas injection valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 30, 2007
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2012
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Andreas Jauss
  • Patent number: 8118014
    Abstract: An engine system and corresponding control method are described. As one example, the control method includes transferring one type of fuel from one fuel tank to a second fuel tank holding another type of fuel and adjusting an engine operating parameter based on the blended fuel mixture by selective operation of a first and second fuel pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2011
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Allan J. Lippa, Donald J. Lewis
  • Patent number: 8091538
    Abstract: In a method for diagnosing an internal combustion engine having first and second fuel injectors, if a misfire is detected, the following steps are performed in sequence: a first fuel quantity of the fuel is introduced only by the first fuel injector; a check is performed to determine whether a misfire results from the introduction of a first fuel quantity in the first step; a second fuel quantity of the fuel is introduced only by the second fuel injector; a check is performed to determine whether a misfire results from the introduction of the second fuel quantity in the third step; and an engine error is diagnosed if a misfire was detected in the second or in the fourth step.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 11, 2009
    Date of Patent: January 10, 2012
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Hartmann, Winfried Langer, Armin Huber
  • Patent number: 8069839
    Abstract: Fuel management system for efficient operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder of the engine. A fuel management microprocessor system controls injection of the anti-knock agent so as to control knock and minimize that amount of the anti-knock agent that is used in a drive cycle. It is preferred that the anti-knock agent is ethanol. The use of ethanol can be further minimized by injection in a non-uniform manner within a cylinder. The ethanol injection suppresses knock so that higher compression ratio and/or engine downsizing from increased turbocharging or supercharging can be used to increase the efficiency of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 27, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Inventors: Daniel R. Cohn, Leslie Bromberg, John B. Heywood
  • Patent number: 8073638
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for determining the ignitability of fuel, particularly of diesel, biodiesel, gas-to-liquid or biomass-to-liquid fuel, with an unknown fuel quality for an internal combustion engine. Provision is made for the density of the fuel to be ascertained and for the ignitability to be derived from this.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 6, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Manfred Birk, Michael Scheidt, Andreas Rupp
  • Patent number: 8037874
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are described for controlling operation of engine cylinders, where each cylinder has a first and second injector for delivering fuel. One example method maintains air-fuel ratio in the exhaust by adjusting fuel injection of a common fuel injector type among the cylinders, where different cylinders operate with different combinations of injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 18, 2011
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Chris Paul Glugla
  • Patent number: 8032294
    Abstract: The procedure and device of the present disclosure enable an accurate determination of the composition of the fuel mixture at a self-igniting combustion engine on the basis of present sensor signals. The procedure and device of the present disclosure furthermore enable the detection and compensation of a combustion that is unstable due to the composition of the fuel mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 4, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Axel Loeffler, Wolfgang Fischer, Roland Karrelmeyer, Gerald Graf, Daniel Scherrer