Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Nippon Steel Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho

Nippan Soken, Inc.

Kazuhiro Sakurai

Kyo Hattori

Hisasi Kawai

Takaharu Idogaki

Kazuhiro Wakao

Takaaki Itou

Takashi Watanabe

Koichi Hoshi

Kouji Yoshizaki

Tohru Yoshinaga

Kiyohiko Watanabe

Hiroshi Hirayama

Masahiko Ogai

Toshihiko Igashira

Takeshi Matsui

Muneaki Matsumoto

Hiroki Ichinose

Toshihiro Takada

Tetsuo Nagami

Ikuo Hayashi

Masakatsu Sanada

Yasuyuki Kawabe

Yukihiro Shinohara

Akihiro Izawa

Yutaka Obuchi

Osamu Fujishiro

Takuzou Kako

Hiroaki Ichikawa

Hiroshi Sawada

Yasuyuki Sakakibara

Yutaka Nonomura

Yukio Kinugasa

Hiromichi Yanagihara

Shoji Kawata

Kenichi Harada

Kouji Tsukada

Takaaki Kanazawa

Masaharu Takeuchi

Sumio Ito

Masahiko Hibino

Yuji Nishibe

Shogo Konya

Hiroshi Hosokawa

Tooru Kosuda

Takeharu Ohumi

Masanori Miyashita

Shigetaka Tanaka

Koji Shimoji

Kouichi Akita

Yuuji Nakashima

Kouki Yotsuya

Yasuo Kurahashi

Koichi Takeuti

Takashi Mori

Yukio Ohtaka

Kenichi Hirada

Tetsuzou Tsuchiya

Takaharu Odogaki

Two types of cells (first cells and second cells) are used to constitute a honeycomb structure. The first cells and second cells differ in the catalyst supporting position. The first cells and second cells are alternately arranged. The catalyst supporting position of the second cells is shifted in the direction of the downstream side of the flow of an air-fuel mixture from the catalyst supporting position of the first cells so that when an exothermic reaction occurs on the second cell side of a partition wall for separating a first cell from a second cell, an endothermic reaction occurs on the opposing first cell side of the partition wall.

Fuel reforming apparatus

The internal combustion engine includes a reformer, and a heating unit composed of a power source connected to a reforming catalyst composed by carrying a catalyst on a metal foil, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode of the reforming catalyst. The reformer includes the reforming catalyst, and reforms a reforming mixture of reforming fuel and reforming air by the reforming catalyst to generate reformed gas containing hydrogen. This reformed gas is supplied to a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine. Before the reforming mixture is supplied to the reforming catalyst, a temperature of the reforming catalyst is raised to a predetermined preheating temperature higher than an adiabatic reaction temperature in partial oxidation reaction, and then the internal combustion engine is started.

Internal combustion engine and starting control device of internal combustion engine

According to an apparatus and method for determining degradation of a reforming catalyst degradation which reforms a mixture of air and fuel, in a reformer that supplies a reformate gas to an engine of a vehicle, a temperature sensor detects a temperature of a reforming reaction portion in which is provided a reforming catalyst. An ECU then determines the extent of degradation of the reforming catalyst based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor.

Apparatus and method for determining reforming catalyst degradation

A fuel reforming device for reforming an air-fuel mixture includes a mixing chamber to which fuel and air are introduced and which is composed such that an air-fuel mixture flows upward; a reforming reaction chamber which is arranged downstream of the mixing chamber and which includes a reforming catalyst that reforms the air-fuel mixture; an inclined surface for recovering the fuel which has not reached the inside of the reforming reaction chamber; and a fuel recovery pipe and a fuel recovery pump which are used for re-introducing unvaporized fuel and the like collected by the inclined surface to the mixing chamber.

Fuel reforming device and fuel reforming method

An internal combustion engine includes a reformer for reforming a fuel air mixture to produce a reformed gas, a crank angle sensor for detecting a rotational speed of the engine, and an ECU. The ECU obtains a difference of an actual rotational speed from a target rotational speed of the engine during an idling thereof based on a signal from the crank angle sensor. When the difference thus obtained exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the ECU determines that a reforming catalyst of the reformer has deteriorated or there is any abnormality in the reformer.

Method and apparatus for determining state of reformer

A fuel reforming apparatus includes a reforming reaction section in which a reforming catalyst is disposed, and a reformed fuel distribution chamber. A fuel air mixture of a hydrocarbon fuel and air is reformed in the reforming reaction section. The reformed fuel is supplied from the reformed fuel distribution chamber to chambers of the engine. The adsorbent member is disposed between the reforming reaction section and the reformed fuel distribution chamber. The adsorbent member captures a non-reformed fuel.

Fuel reforming apparatus and method

The internal combustion engine includes a reformer for reforming a fuel air mixture of a predetermined fuel and air to produce a reformed fuel, a bypass pipe for supplying air to the reformer, an on-off valve provided in the bypass pipe, and an ECU. The ECU makes the on-off valve open to start a fuel reforming operation in the reformer when a pressure at a position downstream of the on-off valve is lower than a pressure at a position upstream of the on-off valve.

Internal combustion engine and method of controlling the same

An internal combustion engine in accordance with one aspect of the invention is characterized by comprising a combustion chamber, a reformer, and a control portion. A predetermined fuel component is burnt in the combustion chamber. The reformer has a reforming catalyst, and that produces a reformed gas which contains the fuel component obtained by reforming a mixture of fuel and air and which supplied to the combustion chamber. The control portion sets an air-fuel ratio of the mixture in the reformer such that a reforming efficiency of the reformer is held within a predetermined range, and sets an amount of the mixture supplied to the reformer such that an actual output torque of the internal combustion engine coincides with a target torque.

Internal combustion engine and method of operating internal combustion engine

It is an object of the present invention to contribute to prevention of worsening an exhaust gas emission at the time of cold starting up of an internal combustion engine by providing a technology for accurately determining the degradation of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine, specifically, the degradation of a low temperature activation capability of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst. In order to achieve this object, the catalyst degradation detecting device of the internal combustion engine of the present invention includes an adsorbent provided in the exhaust passage at downstream of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst, for adsorbing a predetermined component contained in the exhaust gas when a temperature is lower than a predetermined temperature range, and desorbing the adsorbed predetermined component when the temperature is within the predetermined temperature range; an adsorbing amount detector for detecting the amount of the predetermined component adsorbed in the adsorbent; and a catalyst degradation determining device for determining the degradation of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst based on a predetermined component adsorbing amount detected by the adsorbing amount detector.

Catalyst degradation detecting device and method thereof in internal combustion engine

An emission control apparatus for an internal combustion engine has a bypass passage bypassing a portion of a main exhaust passage located upstream of an exhaust gas-purifying catalyst device, an adsorbent provided in the bypass passage, a passage switching device for switching between flow of exhaust gas to the bypass passage and flow of exhaust gas to the main exhaust passage, and a bypass flow control device for adjusting a flow that occurs through the bypass passage when the unburned gas component is desorbed (released) from the adsorbent so that the flow through the bypass passage becomes equal to or less than a predetermined flow and assumes a proportion that is equal to or less than a predetermined proportion relative to the flow through the main exhaust passage.

Emission control apparatus and method of internal combustion engine

It is an object of the present invention to effectively utilize the performance of an adsorbent by providing an art for controlling flow of exhaust gas to the adsorbent in accordance with a mode in which unburnt fuel components discharged from an internal combustion engine reach the adsorbent or a mode in which the unburnt fuel components adsorbed by the adsorbent are desorbed therefrom. An exhaust gas purifier for an internal combustion engine in accordance with the present invention includes an exhaust passage connected to the internal combustion engine and partially formed of a main exhaust passage and a bypass passage bypassing the main exhaust passage, an adsorbent disposed in the bypass passage, a flow passage switching unit for switching the flow of the exhaust passage to the main exhaust passage and the bypass passage, a reaching mode prediction unit for predicting a mode in which unburnt fuel components reach the adsorbent from the internal combustion engine, and a switching control unit for controlling the flow passage switching unit in accordance with the predicted mode.

Exhaust gas purifier for internal combustion engine

A hybrid vehicle driven using power from an internal combustion engine and power from an auxiliary power source, includes an exhaust gas purification catalyst disposed in an exhaust passage of the engine. The catalyst stores oxygen and a power controller causes the engine to discharge exhaust gas including excess oxygen and causes the auxiliary power source to assist the engine in driving the vehicle when oxygen is to be stored in the exhaust gas purification catalyst. It is possible to supply the catalyst with exhaust gas containing excess oxygen while inhibiting the driveability from being adversely affected.

Exhaust gas purifier and method of purifying exhaust gas for a hybrid vehicle

A hydrocarbon adsorption apparatus is provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine. The hydrocarbon adsorption apparatus is equipped with a main passage, a switching valve for opening and closing the main passage, and a bypass passage for bypassing the main passage. The switching valve is coupled to a diaphragm of a diaphragm mechanism. A variable chamber in the diaphragm mechanism is connected to an intake manifold through a negative pressure feed line and a vacuum switching valve. When the vacuum switching valve is turned on, a negative pressure is supplied to the variable pressure chamber so that the diaphragm is deflected. In response to the deflection of the diaphragm, the switching valve is closed. The state of the switching valve is judged based on a tendency of changes in pressure of the negative pressure feed line when the vacuum switching valve is turned on.

Exhaust passage switching unit and method for internal combustion engine

An HC-adsorbent capable of adsorbing various kinds of hydrocarbon including lower and higher hydrocarbon, of which the adsorbable amount per unit volume is large, and which exhibits excellent durability at elevated temperatures. The HC-adsorbent is composed of a first zeolite of ZSM-5 of which the silica/alumina (SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) mole-ratio is 500 or more, and a second zeolite of Y-type zeolite of which the silica/alumina (SiO.sub.2 /Al.sub.2 O.sub.3) mole-ratio is 200 or more. The second zeolite mainly adsorbs higher hydrocarbon while the first zeolite mainly adsorbs lower hydrocarbon, thus enabling adsorption of many kinds of hydrocarbon.

Hydrocarbon-adsorbent

Disclosed is a technology of diagnosing an exhaust gas purifying apparatus about a fault in its temperature control function of controlling a temperature of an exhaust gas purifying catalyst. The exhaust gas purifying apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes the exhaust gas purifying catalyst, and a temperature control means for controlling the temperature of this exhaust gas purifying catalyst. The exhaust gas purifying apparatus is judged to be faulted, wherein at least one of a state of the temperature control means and a state of the exhaust gas purifying catalyst serves as a parameter.

Exhaust gas purifying apparatus for internal combustion engine

Growing community of inventors

Gotemba, Japan

Kazuhiro Sakurai