Nippon Soken, Inc.

Denso Corporation

Other

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Inter-university Research Institute Corporation National Institutes of Natural Sciences

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Engine & Turbocharger, Ltd.

Kenji Kanehara

Jun Yamada

Kazuhiko Miura

Tadashi Hattori

Tokio Kohama

Minoru Ohta

Seizi Huzino

Shingo Morishima

Tohru Yoshinaga

Akimitsu Sugiura

Hisasi Kawai

Norihito Tokura

Toshihiko Igashira

Yukio Iwasaki

Takunori Taira

Nobuo Imatake

Yoshihiro Nakase

Mitsuo Inagaki

Isao Watanabe

Yasushi Yamanaka

Hiroshi Okano

Hideaki Sasaya

Mikio Matsuda

Kimitaka Saito

Osamu Sato

Toshihiro Takada

Kiyonori Sekiguchi

Masaki Takeyama

Takanobu Kawano

Taei Sugiura

Akihiro Yuuki

Hiroshi Hirayama

Masanori Fukutani

Kazuhiko Norota

Michitoshi Onoda

Toshio Imamura

Katsuyuki Tanaka

Yuya Abe

Nobuyuki Murate

Kenichi Yamamoto

Hidetaka Hayashi

Kouzi Ohara

Yoshihiro Miyaji

Osamu Kito

Masanori Okada

Nobuyuki Taguchi

Akinori Harada

Ryu Suzuki

Yoichi Sugiura

Tomohiro Noguchi

Ikuo Watanabe

Katsuhiko Aoyama

Takayoshi Ito

Tomohiro Ishikawa

Kazutaka Hasegawa

Naoki Kido

Jun-ichi Matsudaira

Takeshi Mizobuchi

Kouhei Yamada

Takahiko Kuroda

Fumiaki Aoki

Aki Abe

Yukinobu Anezaki

Minoru Ichihara

A laser ignition device includes a laser oscillation optical system that produces pulsed laser light, a condensing optical element that condenses the pulsed laser light into a combustion chamber, a housing that internally contains the condensing optical element, and an optical window that is provided distally with respect to the condensing optical element in the housing and transmits the pulsed laser light. The pulsed laser light is shaped as a ring around an optical axis at least at a light passage position in the optical window.

Laser ignition device

A laser ignition device capable of achieving stable ignition, preventing deterioration of a semiconductor laser element is provided, by suppressing the intensity of oscillated light leakage leaking towards semiconductor laser side from the laser resonator with a simple configuration. A laser ignition deviceincludes an excitation light sourceemitting coherent excitation light L, an optical elementtransmitting excitation light L, a laser resonatoroscillating oscillated light having high energy density by being irradiated with excitation light L, and condensing meanscondensing the oscillated light Loscillated by the laser resonator. Moreover, the laser ignition deviceis provided with a light-transmissive-reflective filmdisposed between the excitation light sourceand the laser resonator. The light-transmissive-reflective filmpermeating the excitation light Lhaving short wavelength and reflecting oscillated light leakage Lhaving long wavelength.

Laser ignition device provided with transmissive reflective film

In an ignition device having an ignition plug for igniting a fuel mixture gas introduced in a combustion chamber, a super hydrophilic membrane is formed on a surface at the combustion chamber side of a plug forming member of the ignition plug. The super hydrophilic membrane contains super hydrophilic particles and thermal excitation catalyst particles, and satisfies a relationship of &#x3b8;&#x3c;&#x3b8;, where &#x3b8;indicates a water contact angle between water and the plug forming member on which no super hydrophilic membrane is formed, and &#x3b8;indicates a water contact angle between water and the plug forming member on which the super hydrophilic membrane is formed.

Ignition device and method of producing super hydrophilic membrane to be used in ignition device

In a laser ignition device which is mounted in an internal combustion engine and at least includes a laser spark plug equipped with an optical window which protects an optical device from high temperature and high pressure generated in a combustion chamber and a prechamber cap equipped with a cylindrical prechamber, a prechamber throat portion that is a bottomed cylinder with a sectional area smaller than that of the prechamber, and a plurality of prechamber spray holes which communicate with a combustion chamber on a side of a closed end of the prechamber throat portion, the prechamber cap is arranged between the optical window and the combustion chamber. A converging point FP is located inside the prechamber to ignite an air-fuel mixture delivered into the prechamber, thereby jetting combustion flames from the prechamber into the combustion chamber to fire the internal combustion engine. The center axis AXof the prechamber is oriented horizontally eccentrically from the center axis AXof the prechamber throat portion.

In a laser ignition apparatus, a focusing optical element is configured to focus a pulsed laser light to a predetermined focal point in a combustion chamber of an engine. An optical window member is arranged on the combustion chamber side of the focusing optical element so as to separate the focusing optical element from the combustion chamber. A catoptric-light focal point, at which a catoptric light is to be focused, is positioned on the anti-combustion chamber side of a combustion chamber-side end surface of the optical window member. The catoptric light results from the reflection of the pulsed laser light by a pseudo mirror that is formed by the optical window member when the combustion chamber-side end surface thereof is fouled with contaminants. Further, the catoptric-light focal point falls in a region where no solid material forming either the focusing optical element or the optical window member exists.

Laser ignition apparatus

A laser ignition apparatus includes a housing that has a male-threaded portion for fixing the housing and a hexagonal portion for tightening the male-threaded portion. Between a combustion chamber-side end of the male-threaded portion and an anti-combustion chamber-side end of the hexagonal portion, there is defined a non-optical element arrangement region in which none of an introducing optical element, an enlarging optical element and a focusing optical element of the apparatus is arranged. At one of a combustion chamber-side end and an anti-combustion chamber-side end of the non-optical element arrangement region, there is formed a reference surface that extends perpendicular to an axial direction of the housing. One of the introducing optical element, the enlarging optical element and the focusing optical element is received in the housing in such a manner as to be elastically pressed against the reference surface from outside of the non-optical element arrangement region.

A laser type ignition device for an internal combustion engine includes a laser oscillator mounted in the internal combustion engine so as to focus its laser beam on an air-fuel mixture supplied into the combustion chamber, a pressure sensor for detecting pressure in the combustion chamber, a power source for the laser oscillator and a control unit for controlling the power source to supply the laser oscillator with the current whose amount changes according to the pressure in the combustion chamber. The power of the laser beam increases as the pressure in the combustion chamber decreases to completely ignite the air-fuel mixture.

Laser type engine ignition device

An injector has an orifice plate formed with plural orifices. At a radially outward position of the orifice plate is disposed a wall at least partially. It is preferable that the wall be disposed at a lower position in the direction of gravity. In the wall is formed a guide hole toward an area on the orifice plate where a strong negative pressure is developed. A portion of fuel injected from the injector adheres as adhered fuel to the orifice plate or the wall. Under the action of a negative pressure on the orifice plate the guide hole sucks in the adhered fuel and returns it onto the surface of the orifice plate. The adhered fuel flows from the wall onto the surface of the orifice plate and again joins a fuel jet injected from the orifices. By utilizing a negative pressure developed near the plural orifices, the adhered fuel can be recovered and again injected. Consequently, it is possible to decrease the amount of adhered fuel.

Fuel injector

It is an object to provide a continuously variable valve timing adjusting device to improve valve timing advance response for an internal combustion engine. The device, capable of continuously and variably controlling the intake valve timing phase, includes: an advance chamber which hydraulically rotates a vane rotor and a camshaft on the advance side relative to the timing rotor; a retard chamber for rotating the camshaft on the retard side relative to the timing rotor; an advance-retard oil pressure control valve; an oil communicating passage for fluid communication between the advance chamber and the retard chamber; a hydraulic piston, flow control valve which controls the oil in the communicating passage according to the retard chamber pressure when the engine is running at a low speed and a high oil temperature; and a ball valve check valve which checks the oil flow from the advance chamber to the retard chamber.

Valve timing adjusting device for internal combustion engine

A damping chamber is formed in a pressure relaxation device connected to a high pressure fuel pipe. Valve bodies are provided at openings of partitions, and a spring force is applied to the valve bodies by a spring in a valve closing direction. When a high pressure portion reaches an inlet of the damping chamber, the valve body opens to hold and absorb the high pressure portion in the damping chamber. When a low pressure portion reaches the inlet of the damping chamber, the high pressure portion held in the damping chamber is gradually released via a restricted orifice to cancel the low pressure portion, thereby reducing the pressure pulsation of fuel.

Fuel supply system for relieving fuel pressure pulsations and designing method thereof

An air-fuel ratio control system for a gas-fueled engine which is capable of achieving the combustion in a target air-fuel ratio to surely purify an exhaust gas through an exhaust purification catalyst. In the air-fuel ratio control system, a three-way catalytic converter is placed in an exhaust pipe of the engine and an O,sensor is located on the upstream side of the three-way catalytic converter. The O,sensor comprises an element, and an atmosphere side electrode is formed on an inner surface of the element while an exhaust gas side electrode is formed on an outer surface thereof. The exhaust gas side electrode is coated with a catalyst layer which can remove hydrogen through a catalytic reaction. A control unit of the control system controls a fuel supply quantity by a gas injector using a feedback correction coefficient on the basis of the output of the O,sensor, thereby reducing the deviation between an air-fuel ratio measured by the O,sensor and a target air-fuel ratio.

Air-fuel ratio control system and gas sensor for engines

A forward flow region in which forward intake air currents are produced and a reverse flow region in which reverse intake air currents are produced are formed in the throttle bore of a throttle body,included in an internal-combustion engine, and the boundary between those regions extends below a throttle valve,. A fuel vapor control system for an internal-combustion engine has a purge tube,joined to the throttle body,to supply fuel vapor into the throttle body,and is provided with an opening,which acts as a purge port. The opening,is positioned at a distance from the inner surface,of the throttle body,defining a throttle bore on the boundary between the forward intake air currents and the reverse intake air currents. Fuel vapor jetted through the opening,of the purge tube,into the throttle bore flows toward an intake manifold,, diffusing into both the forward intake air currents and the reverse intake air currents from the boundary between the intake air currents. Accordingly, the fuel vapor is distributed evenly through the intake manifold,to the cylinders, so that increase in the difference in air-fuel ratio between the cylinders can be suppressed. The purge port can relatively easily be formed, because the purge tube,provided with the purge port is fitted closely in a bore formed in the throttle body

Fuel vapor control system for internal-combustion engine

An apparatus for preventing flow noise which suppresses the noise caused at the time of opening of a throttle valve provided in an intake passage of an internal combustion engine etc. At the downstream side of a pair of clearances formed at the top and bottom when the throttle valve opens, a means is provided acting on the flows of air passing through at least one of the clearances to reduce the flow rate and acting on the flows to cause the point of convergence of the flows of air passing through the pair of clearances to shift to the downstream side.

Apparatus for preventing flow noise in throttle valve

An apparatus for purifying an exhaust gas for an internal combustion engine having units for the adsorption of HC gases in the exhaust gas, arranged in an exhaust manifold of the engine facing corresponding exhaust ports in such a manner that straight flows from the corresponding exhaust ports contact the corresponding adsorption units. A controller receives a signal indicating a temperature of one of a catalytic converter and the adsorption units. The controller sends a signal to a cooling apparatus, such as a fan, indicating a desired on condition of the cooling apparatus based on the temperature signal. The cooling apparatus is provided for generating air flows for cooling the adsorption units. The fan is operated when the engine, in a cold state, is started. The operation of the fan is continued until a catalytic converter arranged downstream from the adsorption units becomes effective, i.e. the temperature of the catalytic converter is higher than a predetermined value.

Apparatus for purifying exhaust gas

The exhaust emission containing large and small particles, discharged from an exhaust port of a cylinder No. 1 of an engine during a first exhaust stroke collides with a first adsorbent opposed to the exhaust port, so that some of the small particles of HC enter a connecting gas passage. Since the latter is not connected to a second adsorbent for a cylinder No. 3 in which a second exhaust stroke consecutively occurs, the exhaust gas discharged from the first cylinder can be easily introduced in the first adsorbent and in the connecting gas passage. When the cylinder No. 4 changes to an exhaust stroke, the exhaust gas discharged therefrom is introduced in the connecting gas passage through the corresponding adsorbent to move the HC remaining in the connecting gas passage toward the first adsorbent. Thus, the HC is adsorbed again by the first adsorbent and little is discharged into the air. Consequently, the HC adsorbing efficiency can be enhanced.

Exhaust emission control apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Nishio, Japan

Kenji Kanehara