Did You Know...
...that several people are credited with the invention of the flush toilet? Most people have heard of Thomas Crapper (1837-1910), the sanitary engineer who invented the valve-and-siphon arrangement that made the modern toilet possible. Another claimant to "the throne" was British inventor Alexander Cumming who patented a toilet in 1775. Then there's a nameless Minoan (a native of ancient Crete) who lived 4,000 years ago who supposedly was ahead of his time and created the first flush toilet!
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 8118008 | Engine and exhaust heating A method for controlling a vehicle engine having a plurality of cylinders is provided. The method comprises: during engine idling, advancing spark timing of at least one cylinder to before a peak torque timing, and retarding spark timing from the advanced timing tow... | 02/21/2012 |
| 7975670 | Control unit and control method for torque-demand-type internal combustion engine An ECU executes a program including: detecting the engine speed NE and the current KL (S1010, S1020) when the ISC learning control is started (“YES” in S1000); changing the ignition efficiency so that the NE and the output torque are kept un... | 07/12/2011 |
| 7854217 | Idling control device of spark ignition type internal combustion engine A spark ignition internal combustion engine in which, during an idling operation, the ignition timing is changed temporarily to the advance side or retard size with respect to the reference ignition timing so that when the engine speed deviates from the target idlin... | 12/21/2010 |
| 7757661 | Engine rotation speed controller for working machine When an engine rotation speed in an engine for working machine without a governor mechanism is increase-and-decrease-controlled by switching ignition timings at a predetermined rotation speed, the response delay of the engine rotation speed with respect to the throt... | 07/20/2010 |
| 7753026 | Ignition control system for internal combustion engine An object to be achieved by the present invention is to achieve ignition timing that is suitable for an environment in which a spark ignition internal combustion engine is used during the period of starting of the internal combustion engine and warm-up thereof just ... | 07/13/2010 |
| 7523738 | Idle quality by torque smoothing An idle speed control system for an engine includes an engine speed module that generates an engine speed signal. A piston reciprocation module determines reciprocation periods of each piston of cylinders of the engine based on the engine speed signal. A difference ... | 04/28/2009 |
| 7418943 | Spark advance foe engine idle speed control An engine idle speed control system for regulating an idle speed of an internal combustion engine includes a first module that determines an indicated torque of the engine based on a current spark timing and a second module that determines a desired indicated torque... | 09/02/2008 |
| 7377258 | Electronic control unit and method for controlling an ignition timing of an internal-combustion engine An ignition timing value of the internal-combustion engine is calculated by using correction terms including a first correction term that is calculated based on a controlled variable without reflecting a desired value and a second correction term that is calculated ... | 05/27/2008 |
| 7367419 | Oxygen concentration sensor for a saddle ride type all-terrain vehicle A saddle ride type all-terrain vehicle includes an engine, a front wheel and rear wheels, a saddle type rider's seat, and a rear fender provided so as to cover the surroundings of the saddle type rider's seat and the rear wheels. The vehicle further includes an exha... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7369932 | System and method for turbine engine fault detection using discrete event system modeling A system and method is provided for fault detection in a turbine engine. The fault detection system and method uses discrete event system modeling to provide improved fault diagnosis and prognosis. The fault detection system and method receives sensor taken at multi... | 05/06/2008 |
| 7353812 | Vehicle engine with integral vacuum generator An integral vacuum generator system for an internal combustion engine includes a throttle body and intake manifold defining a bypass passage which is connected with a vacuum manifold by both a venturi and a direct vacuum supply passage. Vacuum flow through the ventu... | 04/08/2008 |
| 7347184 | Controller and controlling method for internal combustion engine A base engine torque generated with an estimated intake air amount is estimated. An engine torque is corrected by correcting an ignition timing based on a difference between a required engine torque and the base engine torque. A torque correction amount is calculate... | 03/25/2008 |
| 7343240 | Fuel injection controller In a case that actual values of a fuel injection quantity and fuel pressure are not in consistent with a representative point, an interpolation process is conducted by used of a learn value of a plurality of representative points. During the interpolation process, a... | 03/11/2008 |
| 7328686 | System and method to control cylinder activation and deactivation Engine cylinder reactivation from a fuel-cut state is controlled based on a calculated future engine speed and a minimum allowable engine speed. The future engine speed is calculated based on the current rate of change of engine speed and a duration required to reac... | 02/12/2008 |
| 7311080 | Idle speed controller of internal, combustion engine, and internal combustion engine controller and internal combustion engine An idle rotational speed controller of an internal combustion engine includes an intake path for supplying air to a combustion chamber. An auxiliary intake path communicates the intake path on upstream and downstream sides of a throttle valve in the intake path. An ... | 12/25/2007 |
| 7300381 | Method for managing engine torque during a gear shift in an automatic shift manual transmission A method and system for controlling output torque of an internal combustion engine during a gearshift in an automatic shift manual transmission coupled to the engine is disclosed. The transmission includes a multiplicity of gears and a clutch actuated by a transmiss... | 11/27/2007 |
| 7284367 | Control apparatus of internal combustion engine The ignition timing is sustained at an initial value during a predetermined time beginning at a start of an engine, and is retarded after the predetermined time is elapsed to heat a catalyst at an early time. The predetermined time ends when the negative pressure of... | 10/23/2007 |
| 7273033 | Engine control device An engine control device can be capable of suppressing a rise in engine speed at starting. The engine speed can be detected by a speed sensor and a determination can be made whether the engine speed has changed from a starting mode to a normal mode. If the engine sp... | 09/25/2007 |
| 7258001 | Ventilation mast monitoring system for filling stations A ventilation-mast monitoring system for filling stations contains a thermal through-flow measuring device (30) and a hydrocarbon-measuring device (30). The thermal through-flow-measuring device (30) has a heating device and a temperature sensor... | 08/21/2007 |
| 7235034 | Method for controlling the adjustment of the valves in a combustion engine with variable valves and a vehicle with such an engine with electronic controlling device for the valve control Method and arrangement for providing a vehicle having a combustion engine (1) with valves (7, 8) adapted to have variable valve timing and/or valve lift height. The valves are provided with operating devices (9,10) that are controlled by electro... | 06/26/2007 |
| 7230345 | Method for exercising a stand-by electrical generator A method is provided for exercising an engine-driven, electrical generator. The generator has a first operation mode wherein the generator generates a predetermined output voltage at a predetermined frequency with the engine running a predetermined operating speed a... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7229381 | Method for controlling engine starts for a vehicle powertrain A method is disclosed for controlling an internal combustion engine in a vehicle powertrain. A filtered driver demand for torque at vehicle traction wheels is used to determine an engine torque command. The engine torque command is initialized to a percentage of a t... | 06/12/2007 |
| 7228221 | Control apparatus and control method for internal combustion engine A control apparatus retards ignition timing of the engine, and increases an amount of a fuel supplied to the engine based on a retard amount of the ignition timing, by calculating a maximum engine intake air amount at which an exhaust system temperature can be maint... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7225801 | Default mode for lean burn engine A multi-cylinder group engine system operable in at least a first mode and a second mode, where in the first mode a first and second cylinder group combust air and fuel with a lean air-fuel ratio, and where in the second mode at least one of the first and second cyl... | 06/05/2007 |
| 7225074 | Engine control system for an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders An engine control system comprises a first control device which is associated with a first section of the cylinders, and a second control device which is associated with a second section of the cylinders. The first control device is designed in order to determine an... | 05/29/2007 |
| 7216479 | Exhaust emission control system for vehicle internal combustion engine Normally, at the time of cold-start of an internal combustion engine or the like, the flow of exhaust in an exhaust passage of the internal combustion engine is suppressed or two-stage combustion is carried out so as to promote exhaust purification in an exhaust sys... | 05/15/2007 |
| 7207856 | Engine control device An engine control device can include a throttle valve for adjusting an amount of air supplied to an engine, operation amount detecting sensors for detecting an operation amount of a throttle lever, a motor for driving the throttle valve between open and closed posit... | 04/24/2007 |
| 7204229 | Method and device for determining an output torque In a method for determining an output torque in order to prevent pedal play in a gas pedal assigned to a combustion engine, a correction torque Muffset is calculated in this respect, which is dependent on the activation speed Nact of the idling... | 04/17/2007 |
| 7198028 | Ignition timing control system for light duty combustion engines A control system for a low cost, light duty combustion engine, where the control system generally utilizes an engine speed input signal and independent operating sequences to determine a desired ignition timing. There are several independent operating sequences, eac... | 04/03/2007 |
| 7174883 | Intake-negative-pressure-increasing apparatus for engine An intake-negative-pressure-increasing apparatus is disclosed, for use with an engine, and comprises a bypass passage extending from an intake pipe portion in the neighborhood of the throttle valve to an intake pipe portion downstream of the intake pipe portion in t... | 02/13/2007 |
| 7162998 | Method of starting an internal combustion engine for strong hybrid powertrains A control system for a vehicle includes a combustion engine and an electric propulsion system. The combustion engine includes a camshaft and a crankshaft. The control system improves NVH by deactivating the compression pulses during a cranking phase of the combustio... | 01/16/2007 |
| 7143741 | Torque controller for internal combustion engine A throttle position corresponding to a R—R torque representing a torque in which a reserve torque is added to a required torque at MBT is computed. The throttle position is offset by an amount of a reserve torque in a torque increasing direction. An ignition retar... | 12/05/2006 |
| 7140351 | Method and device for operating an internal combustion engine A method and a device for operating an internal combustion engine allow an optimal restriction of the ignition angle. In this context, a limit value for an ignition angle is specified as a function of an operating point of the internal combustion engine. The limit v... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7141000 | Engine idle speed control device An engine idle speed control device set a target idle speed NsetN for a non-traveling range is set to a high value to activate the catalytic converter early, after the engine is started. Upon detecting that the automatic transmission has been shifted from a non-trav... | 11/28/2006 |
| 7134412 | Method for increasing the reproducibility of the start-up during start-stop operation of an internal combustion engine This invention relates to a method for increasing the reproducibility of the start-up in the start-stop operation of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle with start optimization. The reproducibility of the start-up is increased by reducing a maximum spee... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7136739 | Engine control device An engine control device for detecting misfire of an engine. Based on a detected crank angle of the engine, an angular velocity at a first crank angle at which the engine speed is close to a minimum within one combustion cycle of each cylinder is calculated as a pre... | 11/14/2006 |
| 7121260 | Ignition timing control apparatus for engine An ignition timing control apparatus for an engine includes a controller that sets an ignition timing considering a change of a temperature or a pressure in a combustion chamber at a time when an opening/closing characteristic of an intake valve is changed, the open... | 10/17/2006 |
| 7102304 | Control device for a reversible rotating electrical machine The invention relates to a control device for a reversible, multi-phased rotating electrical machine which can operate in alternator or motor mode. The inventive device comprises a main battery (4), an electric network (5) and a unit (3) for con... | 09/05/2006 |
| 7093426 | Starting apparatus, starting method, control method and exhaust filtration apparatus of internal combustion engine To improve startability and reduce the amount of HC emission at start-up with the aid of a construction where vaporized fuel is supplied to the bypass passage that bypasses the main passage. The main air control valve 16 is installed near the intake po... | 08/22/2006 |
| 7082923 | Idling speed control system and method An controller detects a change in a load generation state of an accessory device that generates a load on the internal combustion engine during operation, and the controller in turn controls a variable valve mechanism to change at least one of an operation angle and... | 08/01/2006 |
