Controlling Timing Patents (Class 701/105)
  • Patent number: 7966989
    Abstract: An engine control apparatus controls changeover of a combustion mode in an engine in which each cylinder has an injector that can perform fuel injection a predetermined number of times for each cylinder combustion. A control unit controls fuel injection and ignition timing from a spark plug. Upon combustion mode changeover from a first combustion mode, in which fuel injection is performed at least once for each cylinder combustion, to a second combustion mode, in which fuel injection is performed a greater number of times with a larger intake air volume than the first combustion mode, the control unit performs the steps of changing in the first combustion mode a target intake air volume required in the second combustion mode; retarding the ignition timing; changing to the second combustion mode; and further retarding the ignition timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshikuni Kurashima, Toshio Hori, Hiroshi Miyamoto
  • Publication number: 20110153175
    Abstract: The technology described herein provides an active driver control system. Additionally, in various example embodiments, this technology provides methods for optimizing fuel economy (or energy consumption) through active compensation of driver controlled inputs. The active compensation functionality is used to moderate ‘sweet spot’ vehicle response with driver desired performance. In particular, the active compensation functionality can be used to smooth the vehicle response and attenuate undesired frequency content from the driver input. One of the benefits to this technology is that it assists all drivers in achieving better fuel economy in real world driving. Another benefit is that active compensation of driver controlled inputs can mitigate some of the negative effects of more aggressive driving styles.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2009
    Publication date: June 23, 2011
    Inventors: Mengyang Zhang, Jayanthi Iyengar
  • Patent number: 7966120
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a regulator with an output waveform which includes a plurality of waves, each wave having a peak portion, a first portion located on a front side of the peak portion, and a second portion located on the other side of the peak portion, the second portion exhibiting a more rapid change in voltage than the first portion. An ECU is configured to turn on a fuel injector of the engine at a first timing and turn off an ignition plug of the engine at a second timing, the first and second timings corresponding to a shift in waveform output from the peak portion toward the first portion of a first wave and a second wave, respectively. The waveform shift corresponds to a predetermined angular shift in the rotational position of a crankshaft of the motorcycle engine of preferably about 3°.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 12, 2009
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2011
    Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yuichi Sasaki
  • Publication number: 20110137504
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is provided with a valve lift varying mechanism for intake valves and a valve phase varying mechanism for exhaust valves. A controller performs a control operation in response to a request to pause at least one cylinder while the engine is in operation. The control operation includes: a first operation of setting an intake valve lift to a zero-lift setpoint by the valve lift varying mechanism; and a second operation of setting an exhaust valve phase by the valve phase varying mechanism so as to set an exhaust valve opening timing to a first timing setpoint on an advance side of bottom dead center and set an exhaust valve closing timing to a second timing setpoint on a retard side of bottom dead center. The first and second timing setpoints are closer to top dead center than to bottom dead center.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 6, 2010
    Publication date: June 9, 2011
    Applicant: HITACHI AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS, LTD.
    Inventors: Makoto Nakamura, Seinosuke Hara, Tomoyuki Murakami, Toru Kitayama
  • Patent number: 7956564
    Abstract: A valve timing adjusting apparatus adjusts valve timing of at least one of intake and exhaust valves of an engine that are opened and closed by a camshaft driven by torque transmitted from a crankshaft. The apparatus includes an electric motor, a plurality of switching elements, a motor driver, and a phase adjusting mechanism. When a target rotational direction of a motor shaft of the electric motor is coincident with the actual rotational direction of the same, the motor driver continuously turns on a selected one of the switching elements for the whole of a predetermined rotation angle range of the motor shaft. When the target rotational direction is opposite to the actual rotational direction, the motor driver continuously turns on the selected switching element only for part of the rotation angle range, and continuously turns off the selected switching element for the remaining part of the rotation angle range.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 3, 2008
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Seiji Morino
  • Patent number: 7954466
    Abstract: In a method for setting the rotary angle position of the camshaft of a reciprocating piston internal combustion engine relative to the crankshaft, the crankshaft is connected to the camshaft by means of a triple-shaft gear mechanism. This triple-shaft gear mechanism has a drive shaft which is fixed to the crankshaft, an output shaft which is fixed to the camshaft, and an adjusting shaft which is driven by an electric motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2011
    Assignee: Schaeffler KG
    Inventors: Minh Nam Nguyen, Heiko Dell, Holger Stork
  • Patent number: 7945372
    Abstract: A fuel system has a fuel rail containing pressured fuel coupled to a plurality of fuel injectors. The system is operable in one embodiment to adjust fuel injector on-times by selecting one of the fuel injectors, determining a critical on-time for the selected injector corresponding to a minimum on-time duration to which the selected fuel injector is responsive to inject a discernable amount of fuel, generating an on-time for the selected fuel injector, determining an adjusted on-time for the selected fuel injector based on the generated on-time for the selected fuel injector, the critical on-time for the selected fuel injector and a reference critical on-time, and activating the selected fuel injector for the adjusted on-time to inject fuel into the engine. Alternatively or additionally, the adjusted on-time may be based on one or more estimated fuel injection quantities injected by the selected fuel injector.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2011
    Assignee: Cummins, Inc.
    Inventors: Mert Geveci, Richard Reisinger, Michael Robert Tidwell
  • Patent number: 7938098
    Abstract: An ECU controls an internal combustion engine which generates a tumble flow inside a cylinder and strengthens the tumble flow by fuel injected near bottom dead center of an intake stroke. The ECU includes an injection timing changing device that changes the injection timing of fuel based on the amount of air drawn into a cylinder of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takeshi Ashizawa
  • Patent number: 7931015
    Abstract: A diesel engine may be stably controlled without an exhaust gas temperature at an upstream side of a turbocharger, by a method for controlling a diesel engine that includes: detecting an engine rotation speed; detecting or estimating a lambda value; estimating an exhaust gas temperature at an upstream side of a turbocharger by using relationship between the lambda value and an exhaust temperature; determining whether the estimated exhaust gas temperature exceeds a first predetermined reference value; and limiting an engine output power and/or regeneration of a CPF when the estimated exhaust gas temperature exceeds the first predetermined reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2011
    Assignees: Hyundai Motor Company, KIA Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Jae Yoon Jung
  • Patent number: 7930090
    Abstract: The method and the device serve to adapt the valve characteristic of a fuel injection valve, which has a piezoelectrically driven nozzle needle and by which fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, to production-related or age-related variations in the injection behavior. The activation energy and the needle stroke of the fuel injection valve are controlled in such a way that the engine torque in the case of a fuel injection valve with a reference characteristic would not vary. Here, if an actually occurring variation in the engine torque is detected, then by varying the gradient of the activation-energy/valve-stroke characteristic curve of the fuel injection valve, the engine torque is matched to the engine torque generated with an injection valve with a reference characteristic.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 25, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Weiss, Hong Zhang
  • Patent number: 7921945
    Abstract: A vehicle has an internal combustion engine (ICE) and a electric traction motor (ETM) coupled by a standard transmission through a differential to drive traction wheels. A control system receives sensor signals including speed sensors, a load sensor, and an incline sensors. The control system processes the speed signals to generate indicator signals corresponding to speed of the ETM, the vehicle speed, the shifting gears and the speed of the transmission output shaft. One or more displays present indications of when the speed of a shifting gear corresponding to the speed of the ETM matches the speed of the vehicle thus the speed of the transmission output shaft. An operator may shift, without clutching, from neutral and to a next shifting gear when there is an indication that the speed of the next shifting gear matches the speed of a shifting collar coupled to the transmission output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2011
    Assignee: Clean Emissions Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Warner Olan Harris
  • Publication number: 20110077843
    Abstract: A method for the injector-individual adaption of the injection time of motor vehicles is based on linking the IIC method and the MFMA method. Before starting to drive, the IIC method is carried out, and while driving MFMA measurements are carried out. The measurement points obtained are used as subsequent measurement points for the IIC function. Thus injector-individual characteristic fields can be determined, in which deviations due to manufacturing and also aging and wear of the components during the service life are considered.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2009
    Publication date: March 31, 2011
    Inventor: Christian Hauser
  • Patent number: 7917280
    Abstract: In order to operate an internal combustion engine, a fresh-air quantity, a residual-gas quantity and a fuel quantity are provided as a function of a load demand. During a change of load from a first to a second load demand, provision is made for the residual-gas quantity to first be provided according to the first load demand and for the fuel quantity to first be provided according to the second load demand.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Haering, Wolfgang Fischer, Roland Karrelmeyer
  • Publication number: 20110071748
    Abstract: In an engine having a variable valve timing mechanism to which an intermittent operation control is applied, appropriate execution of a foreign object removal process for the variable valve timing mechanism is enabled. An engine control device (16) which can execute intermittent operation control for an engine (12) having a variable valve timing mechanism (80) comprises a judging part which judges an abnormality in the variable valve timing mechanism (80) (step S10), a foreign object removal process executing part which causes a foreign object removal process to be executed for the variable valve timing mechanism (80) when the judging part judges that there is an abnormality in the variable valve timing mechanism (80) during an engine operation (step S12), and an intermittent operation control prohibiting part which prohibits the intermittent operation control of the engine (12) during execution of the foreign object removal process of the variable valve timing mechanism (80) (step S16).
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Nishigaki, Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Patent number: 7912624
    Abstract: A synchronization device for an engine is provided that has a first active sensor and a second active sensor. The first active sensor is adapted to determine an angular position of a first shaft and the second active sensor is adapted to determine the angular position of a second shaft. The first active sensor and the second active sensor are adapted to provide information on the state of the angular position of the first shaft and the second shaft or the angular position of the first shaft and the phase position between the first shaft and the second shaft to the control device. In addition, the control device is adapted to provide a control signal for setting a given phase difference between the first and the second shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2011
    Assignee: Schaeffler Technologies GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventors: Jens Schafer, Heiko Dell
  • Publication number: 20110066357
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling an internal combustion engine include determining oil responsiveness based on pressure variations associated with oil pump pulses in response to a stimulus, and controlling the engine based on the determined oil responsiveness. The stimulus may be a change in oil temperature, engine speed, or commanded pump pressure, for example. The system and method may also use the rate of change of mean oil pressure to determine the oil responsiveness or measure of oil viscosity. Oil responsiveness may be used to control hydraulic actuators, such as variable cam timing devices, or valve deactivation devices.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2009
    Publication date: March 17, 2011
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: John Eric Rollinger, Jeffrey Allen Doering, Robert Andrew Wade, William Russell Goodwin
  • Patent number: 7908074
    Abstract: An ECU executes a program including the steps of detecting an engine speed, determining whether the engine speed is at least a threshold value or not, detecting a VVT advance angle calculation count after restarting the engine, determining whether a VVT advance angle calculation count is at least a threshold value or not, detecting a VVT advance angle amount, determining whether the VVT advance angle amount is at least a threshold value or not, determining whether the engine is in a stop sequence or not, setting a VVT abnormality determination permission flag to detect a VVT displacement amount if the engine speed is at least the threshold value, the VVT advance angle calculation count is at least the threshold value, the VVT advance angle amount is at least the threshold value, and the engine is not in the stop sequence, and determining that the VVT is abnormal if the VVT displacement amount is less than a criterion threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 28, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2011
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takahiro Nishigaki
  • Patent number: 7900601
    Abstract: An engine system comprises a temperature determination module, a temperature comparison module, and a fuel injection control module. The temperature determination module determines an engine temperature. The temperature comparison module compares the engine temperature and a temperature threshold. The fuel injection control module adjusts a timing of fuel injection from a first range of an intake stroke to a second range of the intake stroke based on the comparison. The first range and the second range do not overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Inventors: Jesse M. Gwidt, Jonathan T. Shibata, Michael Simon, Karen Margaret-Bell Gwidt
  • Patent number: 7899604
    Abstract: A computer simulates a relationship between a fuel-rate of fuel which collides with the cavity of the piston and the fuel injection timing, and/or the relationship between the fuel-rate of fuel which collide with the cylinder inner wall and the fuel injection timing. A range of the fuel injection timing in which the combustion state is stable is computed based on the simulation results. This range of fuel injection timing may be defined as the measuring range in which the measure points are arranged. Furthermore, the fuel injection timing is varied gradually around an upper and lower limit values of the measuring range and the engine torque is measured. The measuring range is corrected so that the combustion state becomes stable.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Masahiko Kimura
  • Patent number: 7895831
    Abstract: An exhaust emission control system for an internal combustion engine with a filter provided in the exhaust system of the engine, for collecting particulates from exhaust gases. An ECU carries out the post injection for additionally injecting fuel into a combustion chamber of the engine after a combustion stroke of the engine to thereby perform a regeneration operation for regenerating the filter. A vehicle speed sensor detects a travel distance of a vehicle on which the engine is installed, and the ECU calculates a post injection allowable amount such that the post injection allowable amount increases in accordance with increase in the detected travel distance. During execution of the post injection, the amount of fuel injected through the post injection is subtracted from the post injection allowable amount, and when the post injection allowable amount becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined first threshold value, the post injection is inhibited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 3, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 1, 2011
    Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Isao Chiba, Yoshinori Ishihara, Kouji Okayasu
  • Patent number: 7894974
    Abstract: A two-stroke engine has a cylinder with a combustion chamber delimited by a reciprocating piston, wherein the piston drives in rotation a crankshaft, and wherein a spark plug projects into the combustion chamber and ignites a fuel/air mixture. The two-stroke engine further has devices for supplying fuel and combustion air to the combustion chamber and a control unit that determines the ignition timing based on an ignition map. The ignition map indicates the ignition timing as a function of the engine speed for at least one first and one second operating states and for at least one first and one second engine speed ranges. The engine is controlled in that for an engine cycle the ignition timing is set in the second operating state at least within the first engine speed range based on the engine speed and on the number of engine cycles since the last combustion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 22, 2011
    Assignee: Andreas Stihl AG & Co. KG
    Inventors: Andreas Bähner, Andreas Lingen, Georg Maier, Heinrich Leufen, Stanislaw Cichon, Leo Kieβling
  • Publication number: 20110040475
    Abstract: A method is provided for controlling an internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to the step of measuring in-cylinder pressure of an expansion phase of a combustion cycle of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine and measuring in-cylinder pressure of a compression phase of the combustion cycle of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. A difference between a polytrophic expansion phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine and a polytrophic compression phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine is then determined using the measured expansion phase pressure and the measured compression phase pressure. A misfiring of the cylinder is later detected using the determined difference.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 13, 2010
    Publication date: February 17, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Cristian Taibi, Alessandro Catanese, Luca Fossati
  • Patent number: 7886712
    Abstract: A method and a device for operating an internal combustion engine make it possible to shift the combustion limit. In this context, a predefined output variable of the internal combustion engine such as the torque, for example, is realized in at least one operating state of the internal combustion engine by at least a retardation of an ignition angle. It is checked whether, due to the retardation of the ignition angle, a variable like, for example, a misfiring, characteristic for the combustibility of the air/fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, exceeds a predefined limiting value in terms of a deterioration of the combustibility, and in this case, at least one actuator of the internal combustion engine, different from an actuator for setting the ignition angle, such as the exhaust-gas recirculation valve or EGR valve, for instance, is controlled along the lines of improving the combustibility of the air/fuel mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2008
    Date of Patent: February 15, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Dirk Hartmann, Georg Mallebrein, Werner Mezger, Andreas Roth, Henri Barbier, Nikolas Poertner, Juergen Rappold, Ingo Fecht
  • Patent number: 7885756
    Abstract: A control system is provided and includes a catalyst module that generates a multi-mode enable signal based on a catalyst light off enable signal. A transition control module controls transitions between a single pulse mode and multi-pulse mode based on the multi-mode enable signal. The transition control module receives a first torque signal and generates a second torque signal based on the first torque signal. The engine torque control module generates an air per cylinder signal, a throttle area signal, and a spark timing signal based on the second torque signal. The single pulse mode is associated with a single fuel injection pulse per combustion cycle. The multi-pulse mode is associated with multiple fuel injection pulses per combustion cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 2009
    Date of Patent: February 8, 2011
    Inventors: Michael Livshiz, Jeffrey M. Kaiser, Christopher R. Graham, Christopher E. Whitney, Robert Francis Semrau, Brian D Francis
  • Patent number: 7881857
    Abstract: In a method for operating an internal combustion engine, the fuel is supplied to at least one combustion chamber via at least one injector, which method includes the following steps: a) a total injection is divided into a basic injection and at least one measured injection; b) the injection time of the measured injection is successively decreased and the injection time of the basic injection is successively increased so that a total injection quantity ascertained from a valve characteristic curve remains the same.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Wolfgang Samenfink, Andreas Kufferath
  • Patent number: 7881854
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method of control of an internal combustion engine comprising at least one electrically controlled inlet valve. To reduce hydrocarbon emissions by the cold engine, the opening of the valve is controlled in two successive phases (32, 34), the first phase (32) corresponding principally with the admission of fuel and the second phase (34) mainly corresponding with the air inlet. The opening of the valve is substantially lower during the first phase than during the second phase in order to pulverize the fuel into fine droplets during the first phase.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2006
    Date of Patent: February 1, 2011
    Assignee: Peugeot Citroen Automobiles SA
    Inventors: Fabien Lanteires, Raphael Penet
  • Patent number: 7869931
    Abstract: When an engine torque trace is set during acceleration or deceleration, the ratio of increase or decrease in the engine torque per unit time is restricted so that when the engine torque generated during acceleration or deceleration approaches an engine torque (balance torque) at which the engine is oriented upright with respect to the engine mount, the engine torque stays near the balance torque for a prescribed time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 11, 2011
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Shinya Satou, Hitoshi Konno, Mamoru Nemoto
  • Publication number: 20100332108
    Abstract: A fuel vapor pressure measuring device is provided, in a fuel supplying system, with a fuel tank for containing fuel, a fuel pump for supplying the fuel in the fuel tank to an injector, a fuel vapor generating section having a nozzle, a vaporizing chamber, and a venturi and vaporizing, in the vaporizing chamber, fuel by ejecting the fuel from the nozzle and causing the fuel to pass through the venturi, a first fuel path for interconnecting the fuel pump and the injector, a second fuel path having one end connected to the fuel pump and the other end connected to the fuel vapor generating section, a pressure sensor for detecting the pressure in the fuel vapor generating section, and an ECU for calculating the pressure of fuel vapor based on the result of detection by the pressure sensor. The fuel vapor generating section is mounted in the fuel tank.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: AISAN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Yoshinobu Kato, Masaki Ikeya
  • Publication number: 20100332109
    Abstract: A control device for an internal combustion engine of a spark-ignition type that injects fuel directly into a combustion chamber including a temperature detector that detects the temperature of the combustion chamber, a load detector that detects the load of the internal combustion engine, and a controller. The controller performs a first control when the temperature of the combustion chamber is lower than or equal to a predetermined temperature and the load of the internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined load such that the timing of fuel injection is advanced compared with the timing when the load of the internal combustion engine is lower than or equal to the predetermined load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 18, 2010
    Publication date: December 30, 2010
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hajime Miura
  • Patent number: 7856959
    Abstract: An apparatus and method to detect combustion conditions using ion signals for use in a feedback control of a reciprocation engine is presented. The ion signals are used as a feedback signal to control EGR and diesel injection timing. The apparatus is an ignition system with a spark plug type of sensor. The ignition system is used to provide a cold start mechanism for diesel engines and start of combustion for spark ignition engines. The ignition is combined with ion sensing feedback that can control the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 18, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 28, 2010
    Assignee: Woodward Governor Company
    Inventors: Ed VanDyne, Mark R. Woolston
  • Patent number: 7853396
    Abstract: A multifuel internal combustion engine includes: fuel characteristics determining unit that determines ignitability and anti-knocking performance of the fuel introduced into the combustion chamber CC; combustion mode setting unit that sets a compression hypergolic diffusion combustion mode when ignitability of the fuel is excellent, sets a premixed spark-ignition flame propagation combustion mode when the ignitability of the fuel is poor and anti-knocking performance is excellent, and sets a spark assist compression hypergolic diffusion combustion mode when both the ignitability and anti-knocking performance of the fuel are poor; and combustion control execution unit that makes the engine to drive in a combustion mode which is set by the combustion mode setting unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yasushi Ito, Shiro Tanno
  • Patent number: 7853399
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine control apparatus executes an exhaust-valve-early-closing valve timing control in which an exhaust valve is closed before the intake stroke top dead center. The fuel injection timing mode is normally set to an intake-stroke non-synchronized fuel injection mode. However, if the internal combustion engine is idling and the combustion gas temperature is relatively high, the fuel injection timing mode is switched from the intake-stroke non-synchronized fuel injection mode to an intake-stroke synchronized fuel injection mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: December 14, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Koichi Hoshi, Makoto Tomimatsu
  • Patent number: 7845333
    Abstract: When a condition for the prediction of the occurrence transient knocking has held, that is, when a cooling water temperature ?w is not less than a threshold value ?wref and an intake air flow Qa is not less than a threshold value Qaref and a deviation of the intake air flow ?Qa is not less than a threshold value ?Qaref (S550 to S570), ignition is performed with timing on the delay angle side compared to timing FT1 by a delay angle amount ? that tends to decrease as an amount increase coefficient Kf increases (S600 to S680). Because of this, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of knocking without causing the ignition timing to be delayed more than necessary. As a result of this, it is also possible to suppress the worsening of drivability.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: December 7, 2010
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Hitoki Sugimoto
  • Publication number: 20100305833
    Abstract: In one embodiment, a determination is made of whether or not in a condition in which a compressed gas temperature will reach a fuel self-ignition temperature by only a compression operation in the compression stroke, and in a case where the compressed gas temperature will reach the fuel self-ignition temperature, pilot injection is judged to be unnecessary, so this pilot injection is prohibited.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 31, 2008
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Akio Matsunaga, Mitsuhiro Nada, Yasuyuki Terada, Makio Tsuchiyama
  • Publication number: 20100305834
    Abstract: An engine fuel injection control apparatus includes a variable valve device that at least varies an intake valve open timing of an intake valve. A controller adjusts the variable valve device and a fuel injection timing of a fuel injection valve. The controller controls a fuel injection end timing in accordance with an overlap amount of the intake valve and an exhaust valve. The controller adjusts the fuel injection timing such that the fuel injection end timing is more advanced than the intake valve open timing and such that as an amount by which the overlap amount exceeds a prescribed overlap amount becomes larger, a time interval between the fuel injection end timing and the intake valve open timing is set to become increasingly larger, upon determining that the engine is being cold started and the overlap amount is larger than the prescribed overlap amount.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 24, 2010
    Publication date: December 2, 2010
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Tomoki Ito, Satoshi Watanabe
  • Patent number: 7835851
    Abstract: There is well known that the more the timing of fuel injection is advanced, the more the start ability of an engine is improved. However, with regard to the conventional fuel injection system, when a stopping process of the engine is performed, a timer piston determining timing of fuel injection remains at a position at which the piston exists at the time that the stopping process is performed. Then, at the time of next starting of the engine, the timer piston does not often exist in the advanced angle side and the start ability may be poor. For solving this problem, an engine control module (ECM) 21 advances a timer piston 52 and stops fuel injection of a fuel injection pump 40 at the time that actual phase difference C reaches stopping target phase difference Z so as to stop an engine 20.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 16, 2010
    Assignee: Yanmar Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Takafumi Teramoto, Takashi Miyamoto, Kazuhiro Yamada, Rio Takahashi, Hidenori Nomura, Yasurou Kimura
  • Patent number: 7831374
    Abstract: A method of controlling combustion of an internal combustion engine that use fuel injection and that uses lean and rich modes of operation. Combustion control values, such as for fuel injection timing and quantity are determined by a torque representative value. This value is obtained from estimated in-cylinder conditions and from engine speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 9, 2010
    Assignee: Southwest Research Institute
    Inventors: Shizuo Sasaki, Gary D. Neely, Jayant V. Sarlashkar
  • Publication number: 20100280744
    Abstract: A device (D) is dedicated to controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine (M) including at least two cylinders (Ci), each equipped with at least one inlet valve (SA) and at least one injector (IJ), and of the so-called indirect and sequential fuel injection type. This device (D) includes detection elements (MD) designed to detect an injection event phasing error relative to reference angular positions specific to the various cylinders (Ci), and control elements (MC) designed to rephase, if a phasing error of a cylinder (Ci) is detected, the command to open the injector (IJ) of this cylinder (Ci) after closure of the inlet valve (SA).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 15, 2008
    Publication date: November 4, 2010
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE FRANCE
    Inventor: Alain Aubourg
  • Patent number: 7826960
    Abstract: The invention is directed toward a device for controlling an internal combustion engine. An aspect of the invention is determining a polytropic exponent according to at least two measured values of the pressure in a combustion chamber of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine during the working stroke of the cylinder once an air/fuel mixture of a cylinder has been burned and before the gas discharge valve is opened. A first exhaust gas temperature is determined and a second temperature of the exhaust gas is determined in accordance with the first exhaust gas temperature. The pressure associated in the combustion chamber, the pressure prevailing in the combustion chamber after closing the gas discharge valve, and the polytropic exponent are determined. An actuation signal for controlling an actuating member of the internal combustion engine is generated according to the second temperature of the exhaust gas.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 2, 2010
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Dietmar Ellmer, Rüdiger Herweg, Thorsten Lauer, Michael Mladek, Mayk Stelter
  • Patent number: 7819106
    Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling an engine, an irregular-region start detector detects that a predetermined-directed level change in an input signal is synchronized with a start of appearance of an irregular region thereof. An irregular-region end detector detects that a predetermined-directed level change in the input signal is synchronized with an end of the irregular region thereof. A fixing unit fixes a reference interval to a predetermined value when it is detected that the predetermined-directed level change in the input signal is synchronized with the start of appearance of the irregular region thereof. A resetting unit resets the reference interval from the predetermined-value to one of the measured intervals when it is detected that the predetermined-directed level change in the input signal is synchronized with the end of the irregular region thereof.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 26, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Haruhiko Kondo
  • Publication number: 20100268444
    Abstract: An electronic controller for a diesel engine (1) performs primary injection control in which primary injection of fuel is controlled based on an operational status of the diesel engine and additional injection control in which additional injection of the fuel is controlled for estimation of a cetane number of the fuel. The electronic controller includes a control means that, as the additional injection control, causes a plurality of fuel injections to be performed at different injection timings as the additional injection, calculates the amount of increase in torque of a crankshaft (14) due to each of the fuel injections, estimates injection timing at which misfiring starts to occur based on a trend of variation in the calculated torque increase amount as the injection timing of the fuel injections is shifted in one direction, and estimates the cetane number of the fuel based on the estimated injection timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 13, 2008
    Publication date: October 21, 2010
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takeshi Miyaura, Yasuyuki Terada, Atsushi Morikawa
  • Patent number: 7818113
    Abstract: A valve timing control apparatus for a valve timing adjustment mechanism that adjusts timing of opening and closing an intake or exhaust valve of an engine includes an output-side rotor, a cam-side rotor, a hydraulic pump, a control device, a control valve, a storage device. The control device outputs a signal associated with rotation of one of the rotors relative to the other one. The control valve controls the speed of the rotation. The storage device prestores standard data indicating a predetermined relation between a dead zone width and a parameter correlated with the dead zone width for each hydraulic oil temperature. A value of the parameter of the adjustment mechanism during a hold state is learned by changing the signal. The control device computes the signal based on the value learned, the standard data, and hydraulic oil temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 15, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 19, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiro Kajiwara, Minoru Wada
  • Patent number: 7810468
    Abstract: A requested injection time InjT that is necessary for a fuel injector to inject a fuel per one combustion cycle is computed in response to variables of an accelerator manipulated by a driver. An injectable time InjMax per one combustion cycle is computed on the basis of an engine speed, and whether the requested injection time InjT is larger than the injectable time InjMax is determined. Then, when it is positively determined that the requested injection time InjT is larger than the injectable time InjMax, the fuel pump is subjected to load-up operation so as to increase a fuel feed pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: October 12, 2010
    Assignee: Denso Corporation
    Inventor: Yasuo Hirata
  • Publication number: 20100256892
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a block heater determination module, an adjustment module, and an engine control module. The block heater determination module generates a block heater usage signal based on ambient temperature, measured engine coolant temperature, and a length of time of the engine being off prior to engine startup. The adjustment module generates a temperature signal based on the ambient temperature. The engine control module determines a desired fuel mass for fuel injection at engine startup based on the temperature signal when the block heater usage signal has a first state. The engine control module determines the desired fuel mass at engine startup based on the measured engine coolant temperature when the block heater usage signal has a second state.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2009
    Publication date: October 7, 2010
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Samuel Bryan Shartzer, Wajdi B. Hamama, Roberto De Paula, Jaehak Jung, Igor Anilovich, John W. Siekkinen
  • Patent number: 7809492
    Abstract: A method for controlling the air-fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine operating with alternating intake valves is presented. According to the method, engine air-fuel ratio can be adjusted by changing valve timings or fuel during a cylinder cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 5, 2010
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander O'Connor Gibson, Ilya Vladimir Kolmanovsky, John Ottavio Michelini, Gang Song
  • Publication number: 20100242880
    Abstract: The valve timing controller for the internal combustion engine determines, based on a control parameter during phase angle feedback control, whether or not the valve timing variable mechanism is pressed against a limiting position defined by a stopper, sets a second target phase angle on a reference rotational phase angle value side of the camshaft by a first predetermined value from a detected real phase angle value of the camshaft when the stopper pressing determination means determines that the valve timing variable mechanism is pressed against the limiting position defined by the stopper, and switches a target phase angle during the phase angle feedback control from the first target phase angle to the second target phase angle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 6, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION
    Inventors: Shinji Watanabe, Akira Furuta
  • Publication number: 20100250102
    Abstract: A fuel injection detecting device computes an actual fuel-injection-end timing based on a rising waveform of the fuel pressure detected by a fuel sensor during a period in which the fuel pressure increases due to a fuel injection rate decrease. The rising waveform is modeled by a modeling formula. A reference pressure Ps(n) is substituted into the modeling formula, whereby a timing “te” is obtained as the fuel-injection-end timing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 25, 2010
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: DENSO CORPORATION
    Inventors: Minoru Imai, Naoyuki Yamada
  • Publication number: 20100242471
    Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which can generate exhaust pressure pulsation at an early period while suppressing the degradation of volumetric efficiency, when a request to enhance the exhaust pressure pulsation is made in the internal combustion engine which includes a variable valve mechanism that makes variable a valve overlap period, and a variable nozzle type turbocharger.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 10, 2008
    Publication date: September 30, 2010
    Applicant: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventors: Terutoshi Tomoda, Shinobu Ishiyama, Tomoyuki Ono, Koichiro Nakatani, Tomoyuki Kogo, Katsuhiro Ito
  • Publication number: 20100241338
    Abstract: A motor control strategy for a hydraulic camshaft adjuster. The motor control strategy has a mechanical central lock which in turn has at least one rotor and one stator, between which hydraulically loadable chamber A and chambers B are provided. Locking pistons supported in an axially displaceable manner are provided in the rotor for the mechanical central lock. A hydraulic system and an electrically controllable solenoid valve are provided The valve is powered in a controlled manner by a motor control device, which receives an “ignition off” signal; the motor being turned off, and at least one signal for current angular position of the camshaft adjuster, which compares the angular position to at least one zone definition stored in the motor control device, forms control commands from the same, and transmits the control commands to the electric solenoid valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 27, 2008
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicant: SCHAEFFLER TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. KG
    Inventors: Michael Busse, Lutz Witthoeft
  • Publication number: 20100241336
    Abstract: A method for determining a cylinder charge of an internal-combustion engine having valves with a variable valve gear, may include determining a maximum intake valve lift, calculating a standardized cylinder charge relative to at least one of a defined intake spread of an intake valve opening phase and a defined exhaust spread of an exhaust valve opening phase, as a function of the maximum intake valve lift, determining an overlap value, which characterizes an actual overlap of the intake valve opening phase and the exhaust valve opening phase, and determining a corrected cylinder charge based on the standardized cylinder charge and the overlap value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 30, 2009
    Publication date: September 23, 2010
    Applicants: Hyundai Motor Company, Kia Motors Corporation, Hyundai Motor Europe Technical Center GmbH
    Inventors: Patrizio AGOSTINELLI, Juergen WERNER