Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Precision Combustion, Inc.

Nippon Leakless Industry Co., Ltd.

Jun Iwamoto

Go Motohashi

Shinya Ishimaru

Hitoshi Mikami

Katsuji Wada

Yuji Yasui

Subir Roychoudhury

Richard Mastanduno

David Lang Spence

Hidemi Ogihara

Dennis E Walsh

Tsutomu Hayashi

Hiroshi Ohno

Masakazu Kitamoto

Yasunobu Kawakami

Hitoshi Takahashi

Naohiro Sato

Yasunori Murakami

Eric Walker

Nobuhiro Komatsu

Naoki Ohta

Yasuhiko Jinbu

Tomoko Tsuyama

Shigeki Muroga

Gaku Hatano

Takeshi Hagiwara

Masaru Oku

Osamu Tosa

Atsushi Matsufuji

Naoki Kamide

David Spence

A system and method for providing a gear selection indication for a vehicle that includes receiving an image of a gear shifting region of the vehicle from a vehicle camera system. The system and method also include processing the image of the gear shifting region into processed image data. Additionally, the system and method include determining a currently selected gear of a plurality of gears of a transmission unit of the vehicle based on the processed image data. The system and method further include outputting the currently selected gear of the plurality of gears. Outputting the determined currently selected gear includes at least one of: communicating the currently selected gear to a gear selection indicator that presents the determined currently selected gear, and communicating the currently selected gear to vehicle systems.

System and method for providing a gear selection indication for a vehicle

A process of catalytic partial oxidation of a hydrocarbon fuel with an oxidant to produce partially-oxidized reaction products including hydrogen, with simultaneous in-situ coke removal. The process involves feeding a hydrocarbon fuel and an oxidant to a reactor in a fuel-rich feed ratio; reacting the fuel and oxidant for a fuel-rich cycle-time so as to produce a partially-oxidized reaction product; varying the fuel feed, or the oxidant feed, or both feeds to produce a fuel-lean feed to the reactor; maintaining the fuel-lean feed for a fuel-lean cycle-time sufficient to reduce coke deposits while maintaining a substantially constant yield of partially-oxidized reaction product; and alternating between the fuel-rich and fuel-lean operating cycles.

In-situ coke removal

An exhaust purification device for an internal combustion engine is provided that can promote the reduction of NOx in a NOx purification catalyst from immediately after startup of the internal combustion engine. The exhaust purification device includes: a fuel reformer that is provided separately from exhaust plumbing, reforms fuel and produces a reducing gas that contains carbon monoxide, hydrogen and hydrocarbons, and supplies the reducing gas upstream of the NOx purification catalyst into the exhaust path; an exhaust gas temperature sensorthat detects a temperature Tof the exhaust flowing in the exhaust plumbing; and a reformer control partthat starts supply of the reducing gas to the exhaust plumbingby starting control of the fuel reformerin a case where the temperature Tthus detected by this exhaust gas temperature sensoris no higher than a predetermined first determination temperature T, and stops the supply of reducing gas to the exhaust plumbingby stopping control of the fuel reformerin a case where the temperature detected by the exhaust gas temperature sensoris at least a second determination temperature T, which is higher than the first determination temperature.

Exhaust purification device for internal combustion engine

Provided is a fuel reforming device, which can produce and supply a reformed gas in quick response to a demand for the reformed gas and which is so inexpensive as can be suitably mounted on a vehicle. The fuel reforming device feeds a material to a reforming catalyst and produces the reformed gas under a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. The fuel reforming device comprises a material supply means for supplying the material to the reforming catalyst, a reforming means having the reforming catalyst, for reforming the material supplied from the material supply means, to produce the reformed gas, and a run control means for controlling the run of the fuel reforming device. The run control means includes a stop mode, in which the drive of the material supply means is stopped to stop the production of the reformed gas, a reform mode, in which the material supply means is driven to produce the reformed gas, and a standby mode, in which the material supply means is driven and in which the temperature of the reforming catalyst is held within a predetermined range while producing the reformed gas as little as possible, so that the standby mode can shift instantly to the reform mode.

Fuel reforming device

An exhaust gas purification device for an internal combustion engine, in which a catalyst installed in an exhaust passage is quickly heated to the activation temperature of the catalyst. The exhaust gas purification device has a NOx purification catalyst () for adsorbing or occluding NOx in exhaust gas and reducing the NOx, a catalytic converter () installed at that position of an exhaust pipe () which is upstream of the NOx purification catalyst (), a fuel reformer () installed separately from the exhaust pipe (), producing a reformed gas, and supplying the reformed gas, as a reducing gas, into the exhaust pipe () from an introduction opening () formed in that portion of the exhaust pipe () which is upstream of the NOx purification catalyst () and the catalytic converter (), and an ECU () which, while the exhaust gas air-fuel ratio is being set to be lean, supplies the reducing gas into the exhaust pipe () and controls at least one of a throttle valve (), an EGR valve (), and a turbocharger () to regulate the flow rate of the exhaust gas flowing in the exhaust pipe ().

Exhaust gas purification device for internal combustion engine

An apparatus for fuel reforming is provided that utilizes pulsed injectors for a fuel flow controller and an air flow controller, and the injectors are integrated with an atomizing mixer thereby producing a fuel-air mixture having an O/C Ratio which, in turn, is passed to a Catalytic Partial Oxidation reactor. Use of this apparatus permits beneficial long term operation of this Catalytic Partial Oxidation reactor.

Reactor flow control apparatus

Provided is an exhaust emission control device for an internal combustion engine capable of preventing NOx purification performance from degrading according to the operating condition. The exhaust emission control device comprises a NOx purification catalyst, a catalytic converter for continuously reducing the NOx in the exhaust emissions, a fuel reformer for reforming fuel to manufacture a reformed gas and supplying the reformed gas as the reducing gas from the upstream side of the NOx purification catalyst and the catalytic converter of the exhaust pipe, an operating condition detecting means for detecting the operating condition of an engine, and an enriching means for enriching the exhaust air-fuel ratio. The enriching means enriches the exhaust air-fuel ratio by supplying the reducing gas into the exhaust pipe by using the fuel reformer when the operating condition detected by the operating condition detecting means is a high-load operating condition.

Exhaust emission control device for internal combustion engine

An exhaust cleaning method and exhaust cleaning apparatus for an internal combustion engine () in which a fuel is fed and burned under periodical rich/lean combustion conditions. In a fuel reformer () disposed independently of an exhaust channel () in the engine (), the fuel for the internal combustion engine () is reformed to produce a reformed gas containing carbon monoxide. The reformed gas is supplied to the exhaust to be introduced into an exhaust converter () having, disposed therein, a catalyst which adsorbs and reduces nitrogen oxides. The nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust gas are adsorbed and reduced. Thus, the nitrogen oxides contained in the exhaust are removed at a high efficiency.

Method of exhaust cleaning for internal combustion engine and exhaust cleaner

Provided is an exhaust gas cleaner by which nitrogen oxides contained in an exhaust gas can be efficiently removed in a wide temperature range from a low temperature. The exhaust gas cleaner () is for use in purifying the exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine () in which fuel is fed under periodical rich or lean conditions and burned. The cleaner () comprises: a reforming means () which generates a reforming gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide; a means of low-temperature oxidation () which contains palladium and which thereby can oxidize and adsorb nitrogen oxides at low temperatures and oxidize the hydrogen and carbon monoxide; and a purifying means () which under lean conditions adsorbs nitrogen oxides and which under rich conditions releases the adsorbed nitrogen oxides and removes the released nitrogen oxides with the hydrogen and carbon monoxide present in the channel. By contriving the layout of the reforming means (), means of low-temperature oxidation (), and purifying means (), nitrogen oxides contained in an exhaust gas can be removed in a wide temperature range from a low temperature.

Exhaust gas cleaner

A system for processing fuel vapor includes a fuel tank having a pressure gauge, a gas separation membrane module having a gas separation membrane for separating fuel vapor into condensed fuel vapor and fuel lean vapor, a fuel-vapor dissolution device for introducing condensed fuel vapor discharged into the fuel tank and dissolving this condensed fuel vapor in fuel, a canister having an adsorption part adsorbing fuel vapor in fuel lean vapor and a desorption device desorbing fuel vapor from the adsorption part, and an ECU programmed to, when the internal pressure of the fuel tank detected by the pressure gauge is at least a predetermined value, drive the pump to actuate the system so as to process fuel vapor. An objective of the present invention is to provide a fuel-vapor processing system that can process fuel vapor even during periods when the engine is stopped and does not require separation of fuel vapor at multiple stages, complicated control of the flow rate of fuel vapor and the flow rate of permeated gas, or liquefaction of fuel vapor.

Fuel-vapor processing system

An exhaust gas purifying apparatus and method for an internal combustion engine, and an engine control unit are provided for appropriately determining the amount of reducing agent supplied to a NOx selective reduction catalyst to ensure good exhaust gas characteristics. The exhaust gas purifying apparatus comprises an ECU; a NOx selective reduction catalyst for purifying NOx in exhaust gases in an exhaust pipe; a NOx sensor disposed in the exhaust pipe at a location downstream of the NOx selective reduction catalyst for detecting a NOx concentration in exhaust gases; and an injector for supplying the NOx selective reduction catalyst with ammonia produced in an ammonia production unit. The ECU determines the amount of ammonia injected to the NOx selective reduction catalyst by the injector such that an estimate of the NOx concentration detected by the NOx sensor reaches a minimum value.

Exhaust gas purifying apparatus and method for internal combustion engine, and engine control unit

Disclosed is a metal gasket which is capable of securing a sealing properties by strongly pressing a portion of a bead thereof, which faces a portion where a pressuring surface of one joining surface of one of an intake manifold and an EGR plate does not exist, to the other joining surface thereof. A metal gasket which is clamped between the two joining surfaces and has at least one hole for fluid, includes a bead for sealing the two joining surfaces, the bead surrounding the at least one hole for fluid, each of which allows openings for fluid to be communicated with each other, the openings being provided in the respective joining surfaces. The metal gasket further includes a convex portion, the tip of which abuts one of the joining surfaces, is provided in the vicinity of a portion of the beads abutting the other joining surface.

Metal gasket

There is provided a control system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of meeting a driver's demand of torque, and achieving high combustion efficiency and high emission-reducing performance by a three-way catalyst in lean-burn operation in a compatible manner. The control system sets a control amount indicative of either an oxygen mass supplied to a combustion chamber or a fuel injection amount such that oxygen concentration in exhaust gases becomes equal to a value corresponding to stoichiometric combustion. A target value corresponding to a demanded torque is set based on detected engine operating conditions. A degree of opening of a main throttle valve and a degree of opening of a sub-throttle valve in a passage by passing an intake passage equipped with a nitrogen-enriching device are controlled such that the control amount becomes equal to the set target value.

Control system and control method for internal combustion engine, and engine control unit

An abrasive wheel made of an abrasive which is chemically reactive with a ceramic workpiece and a binder mixed with the abrasive is held against the ceramic workpiece at a temperature ranging from 40.degree. C. to 300.degree. C. preferably 100.degree. C. to 180.degree. C., under at least an atmospheric pressure in a moistening atmosphere within a pressure vessel. The abrasive wheel is rotated in abrading contact with the ceramic workpiece. A surface layer of the ceramic workpiece which is held against the abrasive wheel is mechanically abraded and also subjected to a tribochemical reaction with the abrasive wheel, so that the surface layer of the ceramic workpiece can smoothly and neatly be removed from the ceramic workpiece. The ceramic workpiece thus ground is finished highly accurately and efficiently.

Method of and apparatus for tribochemically finishing ceramic workpiece

A swash-plate hydraulic pressure device for use as a hydraulic pump or motor includes a cylinder block having an annular array of cylinder holes defined therein around an axis. A plurality of plungers of a ceramic material are reciprocally movably disposed in the cylinder holes, respectively, the plungers having respective partly spherical tip ends. A swash plate of metal is disposed around the cylinder block for rotation with respect to the cylinder block, the swash plate having a annular groove of a partly spherical cross section defined therein and, the partly spherical tip ends of the plungers engaging in the groove. The tip ends of the plungers preferably have a pore area percentage of at most 7.8% and a maximum surface roughness of at most 1.6 s. The partly spherical tip end of each of the plungers has a radius R.sub.0 of curvature, each of the plungers has a diameter D, the groove has a radius R.sub.1 of curvature and a depth E. The ratios R.sub.0 /D, R.sub.0 /R.sub.1, and E/R.sub.0 preferably are in the ranges of 0.52.ltoreq.R.sub.0 /D.ltoreq.0.62, 0.81.ltoreq.R.sub.0 /R.sub.1 .ltoreq.0.87, and 0.36.ltoreq.E/R.sub.0 .ltoreq.0.42. Each of the plungers has a beveled surface on an end thereof opposite to the partly spherical tip end thereof, the beveled or rounded surface preferably having an axial depth of at least 0.6 mm.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Jun Iwamoto