Denso Corporation

Nippon Soken, Inc.

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Toyoda Jidosha Kabushika Kaisha

Shingo Morishima

Kenji Kanehara

Jun Yamada

Tohru Yoshinaga

Akimitsu Sugiura

Toshihiko Igashira

Tokio Kohama

Masahiko Suzuki

Tatsuo Kobayashi

Kimitaka Saito

Toshihiro Takada

Eitaro Tanaka

Tadayoshi Terao

Hiroshi Hirayama

Hidehiko Hiramatsu

Yuya Abe

Nobuo Imatake

Toshihiro Mafune

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 sealing structure seals a clearance between a housing and a brake rotor. The housing defines a fluid chamber for sealing a magnetic viscous fluid inside. The brake rotor penetrates through the housing and generates brake torque by contacting the magnetic viscous fluid. The housing has a magnetic sleeve section and a magnetic screw section provided to the brake rotor. The magnetic sleeve section is continuous in a rotational direction of the brake rotor and generates a magnetic flux. The magnetic screw section is an external screw having a screw thread, which extends away from a fluid chamber side toward a phase adjusting mechanism side when traced in a rotational direction of the brake rotor. The magnetic flux is guided to the magnetic screw section through a sealing gap between the magnetic screw section and an inner peripheral section of the magnetic sleeve section.

Valve timing adjusting device

A variable valve timing apparatus has a case, a rotor, and a magneto-rheological fluid. The magneto-rheological fluid gives variable braking force to the rotor. The rotor is connected with a phase adjusting mechanism. The phase adjusting mechanism adjusts a phase of an internal combustion engine according to braking force. A sealing device is disposed between the case and the rotor. In one embodiment, the sealing device has a magnet and a plurality of flux guide members. In other embodiment, a diaphragm which acts as a damper mechanism for absorbing an internal pressure change is disposed on a fluid chamber in which the magneto-rheological fluid is kept.

Variable valve timing apparatus

An ejector pump is provided which works to use dynamic energy of a jet of a main fluid emitted from a nozzle to suck a sub-fluid therein. When it is required to stop the ejector pump, the needle is moved to bring a sealing surface formed on a head thereof into abutment with a sealing surface formed around a main fluid flow path extending inside the ejector pump to close the main fluid flow path, thereby inhibiting the fluid pressure from acting on any downstream device. Upon the abutment, the needle is kept away from a nozzle, thereby avoiding undesirable wear or deformation of the needle and nozzle.

Structure of ejector pump

A fuel cell system is provided which includes a fluid pump such as an ejector pump. The fluid pump is designed to be driven by energy of air flowing within an air line through which air is supplied to a fuel cell. The fluid pump works to suck a fluid containing drops of water and residual gasses from the hydrogen line, thereby ensuring desired startability and stability of operation of the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system with improved startability

A fuel cell system is provided which includes an off-gas recirculating mechanism working to mix an off-gas discharged from a fuel cell with a hydrogen gas supplied to the fuel cell. The off-gas recirculating mechanism is implemented by an ejector vacuum pump which is controllable of an area of an outlet thereof to bring an output pressure into agreement with a target one. Use of such a type of ejector vacuum pump ensures desired accuracy of recirculation of the off-gas and regulation of the pressure of fuel supplied to the fuel cell.

Fuel cell system working to control supply pressure of fuel accurately

Provided is a fuel cell system capable of activating a fuel cell even under low-temperature environments. The fuel cell system detects an outside air temperature in the vicinity of the fuel cell to, after the fuel cell enters a deactivated state, estimate a transition of outside air temperature on the basis of a variation of the detected outside air temperature, and makes a decision as to whether or not the estimated outside air temperature falls below a predetermined freezing temperature at which moisture freezes. When a decision is made that the estimated outside air temperature falls below the predetermined freezing temperature, freezing prevention processing is conducted to prevent moisture from freezing in the interior of the fuel cell. The estimation of the outside air temperature transition is made by time-differentiating a variation of outside air temperature.

Fuel cell system

A tube is provided with elastically deformable tube deforming sections (tube curved sections), and a fin is provided with the quality of spring so that the fin deforms in accordance to changes of dimension between the tubes. Accordingly, it is possible to weaken (absorb) stress by the tube deforming sections (tube curved sections), and to prevent the fin from separating from the tube even when the tube deforming section (tube curved section) deforms.

Hydrogen occluding core

A fuel injection control device in a cylinder direct injection engine which switches between premixed combustion by intake stroke injection and stratified combustion by compression stroke injection in accordance with a change of an engine speed or a required load, where an unpleasant torque shock occurring when the injection mode is changed and the combustion state is changed despite the vehicle operating in the driving pattern such as driving on an upward slope or downward slope is prevented by maintaining the same injection mode while the vehicle continues to operate in the same driving state and where stratified combustion by the compression stroke injection is carried out when the vehicle is in driving on a downward slope, but is augmented by intake stroke injection when the vehicle sharply accelerates and the torque becomes insufficient.

Fuel injection control device of cylinder direct injection engine

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

An adsorption apparatus provided with a means for physically separating and removing moisture, such as a cyclone type separating means or metal honeycomb or other cooling and condensing means, at the upstream side of a hydrocarbon adsorbent so as to enable the hydrocarbons exhausted at the time of engine start-up to be efficiently adsorbed by eliminating the decline in the adsorption power caused by the moisture in the exhaust gas.

Adsorption apparatus for unburnt hydrocarbons for internal combustion

A bent portion (adsorption box) is formed in part of an exhaust pipe connecting exhaust ports and a catalyst for purifying HC or the like in the exhaust gas, and a HC adsorbent of a honeycomb structure is placed forward with respect to the direction in which the exhaust gas travels straight without turning at the bent portion. The exhaust gas flowing from the exhaust ports, turns, and flows into the exhaust pipe, but HC having a large particle size travels straight along rectifier blades to be adsorbed by the HC adsorbent and held for a while. During such process, the catalyst connected to the exhaust pipe is heated up to be activated, thereby for purifying the HC or the like which is desorbed by the temperature rise of the adsorbent. Another HC catalyst may be carried in the front of the adsorbent that is easily heated to a high temperature, or an EGR passage including an EGR control valve may be connected downstream from the adsorbent.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Shingo Morishima