140results about How to "Fuel efficiency" patented technology

A method of operating an internal combustion engine including at least a combustion chamber having a piston disposed therein, wherein the combustion chamber is configured to receive air, a first fuel and a second fuel to form a substantially homogeneous mixture, and wherein the piston is configured to compress said mixture so that auto-ignition of said mixture is achieved is disclosed. The method comprises varying the amount of at least one of the first fuel and the second fuel that is received by the combustion chamber to adjust the timing of auto-ignition, where the first fuel includes diesel fuel and the second fuel includes such low cetane fuels as: methanol and ethanol.

The present invention is a rotary device that may be adapted for use as a propeller assembly and electrical generator for aerial vehicles or other vehicles intended for fluid media. In one example, the device includes a ring assembly having a plurality of centrally linked blades coupled to a rotatable common hub. Rotary motion of the ring assembly is facilitated by coupling it to an opposed cylinder, opposed piston, internal combustion. The ring assembly includes components of an electrical power generating system so that electrical power is produced from the rotation of the ring assembly.

Personal Aircraft capable of vertical take-off and landing (“VTOL”) which comprises:(a) a fuselage having a front end, a rear end and two lateral sides, the fuselage having a central longitudinal axis extending from the front end to the rear end, between the two lateral sides;(b) at least one, and preferably two or more, ducted fans, each arranged in the fuselage between the front end and the rear end and between the two lateral sides, for providing vertical lift; and(c) at least one substantially horizontal wing attached to each side of the fuselage and extending outward with respect to the central longitudinal axis. The wings and fuselage of the aircraft are designed to provide a lift-to-drag (L / D) ratio during flight, when flying at an airspeed in the range of 50 to 100 MPH, of at least 4:1.According to a preferred feature of the present invention, the width and wingspan of the aircraft wings are adjustable during flight so that the L / D ratio and the footprint of the aircraft may be matched to the needs of the pilot.

A method and system are provided for adapting a vehicle control strategy of an on-road vehicle following a reoccurring fixed route to a predetermined destination, which fixed route extends through at least one geographical zone associated with at least one environmental restriction. When it is determined that the vehicle is approaching the geographical zone, historical data collected from previous passages of one or several vehicles through the zone is accessed, and the vehicle control strategy inside the geographical zone is adapted based on the historical data and the environmental restriction.

Fuel cells having an efficient means of thermal insulation such that all of the components requiring high temperature operation are contained within a single housing and whereby such thermal insulation is disposed exterior to such housing.

A system and method are disclosed comprising coupling a compression ignition engine (17) to an AC electrical generator (18) and / or a DC hompolar generator (19), wherein the homopolar generator (19) produces an electric current which is used to electrolyse water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen from the water electrolysis process may be used as a renewable fuel, either in the form of a gaseous fuel or a reactant in a fuel cell. The oxygen from the water electrolysis unit (23) may be used to produce an oxygen enriched combustion atmosphere in the engine (17). The oxygen may optionally be used as a reactant, along with the hydrogen, in a fuel cell.

A method controls an operation of a spacecraft according to a model of the spacecraft. The method determines control inputs for controlling concurrently thrusters of the spacecraft and momentum exchange devices of the spacecraft using an optimization of a cost function over a receding horizon subject to constraints on a pose of the spacecraft and constraints on inputs to the thrusters. The cost function includes components for controlling the pose of the spacecraft and a momentum stored by the momentum exchange devices. The method generates a command to control concurrently the thrusters and the momentum exchange devices according to at least a portion of the control inputs.

A system and method for maximizing a vehicle's fuel efficiency preferably without inconveniencing the driver, includes maximizing a ratio of a real-time parameter proportional to engine load or engine power to fuel flow or air flow rate referred to herein as the P / F ratio. This ratio is calculated to evaluate engine fuel efficiency. With the system and method, the throttle is operated incrementally to increase or decrease the throttle in a manner to maximize the P / F ratio, thus maximizing fuel efficiency, in a pulse phase. The system and method implement an on and off pulse width modulation (“PWM”) style of control to modulate engine power and acceleration to achieve the speed that the driver desires, based on the position of the accelerator pedal. When the desired speed is achieved, the throttle is released and when the speed drops a sufficient amount, the throttle is re-engaged to reach the desired speed again. When the throttle is disengaged or when the driver releases the accelerator pedal, the system and method implement a glide phase, where the vehicle coasts without use of fuel or in neutral with very limited use of fuel and minimum engine drag.

A variety of methods and arrangements for reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect, a firing sequence is used to operate the engine in a dynamic firing level modulation manner. A smoothing torque is determined by adaptive control that is applied to a powertrain by an energy storage / release device. The smoothing torque is arranged to at least partially cancel out variation in torque generated by the firing sequence. Various methods, powertrain controllers, arrangements and computer software related to the above operations are also described.

An afterburner apparatus that utilizes a novel swirl generator for rapidly and efficiently atomizing, vaporizing, as necessary, and mixing a fuel and an oxidant. The swirl generator converts an oxidant flow into a turbulent, three-dimensional flowfield into which the fuel is introduced. The swirl generator effects a toroidal outer recirculation zone and a central recirculation zone, which is positioned within the outer recirculation zone. These recirculation zones are configured in a backward-flowing manner that carries heat and combustion byproducts upstream where they are employed to continuously ignite a combustible fuel / oxidizer mixture in adjacent shear layers. The recirculation zones accelerate flame propagation to allow afterburning to be completed in a relatively short length. Inherent with this swirl afterburner concept are design compactness, light weight, lower cost, smooth and efficient combustion, high thrust output, wide flammability limits, continuous operation at stoichiometric fuel / oxidizer mixture ratios, no combustion instabilities, and relatively low pressure losses.

A method to operate a vehicle drive train comprising a combustion engine, a turbo charger assigned to the combustion engine, a mechanism for injecting additional compressed air into an air intake system of the combustion engine and a transmission. The method enables practical use of a compressed air injection mechanism, in the drive train, and comprises the step of controlling the time, the duration, the pressure and / or the volume of the additional compressed air, to be injected into the air intake system of the combustion engine, depending upon the performance request of the driver, the actual rotational speed and load condition of the combustion engine, the speed of the vehicle, and the procedures of the gear ratio change of the transmission.

An internal combustion engine and method of operating such an engine are disclosed. In some embodiments, the engine includes a piston provided within a cylinder, wherein a combustion chamber is defined within the cylinder at least in part by a face of the piston, and an intake valve within the cylinder capable of allowing access to the combustion chamber. The engine further includes a source of compressed air, where the source is external of the cylinder and is coupled to the cylinder by way of the intake valve, and where the piston does not ever operate so as to compress therewithin an amount of uncombusted fuel / air mixture, whereby the engine is capable of operating without a starter. In further embodiments, the piston is rigidly coupled to another, oppositely-orientated second piston, and the two pistons move in unison in response to combustion events to drive hydraulic fluid to a hydraulic motor.

A driving-force transmitting device includes a first disengaging mechanism that disengages a driving force from an engine to a driving-force transmitting unit and a second disengaging mechanism having a synchronizing mechanism that disengages the driving force from a driving-force transmitting unit to a right-rear-wheel driving shaft. A change gear ratio between front wheels and rear wheels is constructed so that a driving-force transmitting unit side of the first disengaging mechanism rotates at a speed higher than that of an opposing side at the time of completion of synchronization of the second disengaging mechanism. In switching from a two-wheel drive mode to a four-wheel drive mode, synchronization of the second disengaging mechanism first starts to increase the rotation speed of the driving-force transmitting unit, and next connects the first disengaging mechanism when a rotation speed of the driving-force transmitting unit side of the first disengaging mechanism matches that of an opposing side.

To provide a power converter equipped with a current detector which is small and can carry out highly accurate current detection, in the power converter equipped with a power module 16 having a power controlling semiconductor element 7 disposed on the power module base 27 with a ceramic substrate 28 interposed, and a control unit 26 for controlling the operation of the power controlling semiconductor element 7, a current detector 40 having a magnetic detecting unit 47 which is disposed in the detection conductor 11, electrically connected to the power controlling semiconductor element 7 and disposed on the power module base 27 with the ceramic substrate 28 interposed, and has a magnetic detecting semiconductor element 43 electrically connected to the control unit 26 is provided in the power module 16; and relative distance between the detection conductor 11 and the power module base 27 is larger than the relative distance between the current detection electrode 42 and the power module base 27.

An internal combustion engine includes first and second cylinder assemblies each to repeatedly carry out combustion cycle including intake, compression, combustion with expansion, and exhaust processes. In a surcharging system of the invention, the first cylinder assembly is coupled to the second cylinder assembly in gaseous communication to apply a charge of exhaust gas produced from a first combustion cycle of the first cylinder assembly to a compression process of a second combustion cycle of the second cylinder assembly. In a supraignition system of the invention, the first cylinder assembly is coupled to the second cylinder assembly in gaseous communication to apply a charge of ignition gas produced from a first combustion cycle of the first cylinder assembly to a compression process of a second combustion cycle of the second cylinder assembly. Buffer vessels coupled in gaseous communication with corresponding cylinder assemblies are also used in surcharging and supraignition processes.

Air vehicles and associated aerodynamic structures are provided which include ridged solar panels to both reduce the drag and increase the solar energy harvested by the solar panel. The air vehicle may include an airframe and a solar panel carried by the airframe and defining an exterior surface thereof. The solar panel may include a plurality of ridged structures extending in a lengthwise direction. The ridged structures may be arranged such that a majority of the airflow over the exterior surface flows in the lengthwise direction. The plurality of ridged structures may include a plurality of lengthwise extending projections spaced about by respective valleys.

A control system and method for a hybrid construction machine is provided. The control system for a hybrid construction machine includes an engine, a hydraulic pump driven by the engine to drive a hydraulic actuator, a motor-generator driven by the engine to generate electricity and to drive the hydraulic pump as a motor supplementing the engine, an energy storage device charged with electric energy generated by the motor-generator and supplying the electric energy for motor operation of the motor-generator, a mode detector detecting a working mode of the engine, a torque detector detecting an output torque of the hydraulic pump, a memory storing upper and lower baselines of an engine torque set per working mode of the engine, and a hybrid controller comparing the detected output torque of the hydraulic pump with the upper and lower baselines set according to the detected working mode, controlling power generation of the motor-generator so that the engine is loaded as much as much as a short value if the output torque is less than the lower baseline, and controlling the motor operation of the motor-generator so that the engine output is supplemented as much as an excessive value if the output torque exceeds the upper baseline.

A multiple counter-rotating propeller assembly includes a drive shaft, a first propeller and a second propeller. The first propeller has a first hub which is supported on the drive shaft and which is freely rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, a plurality of first blades mounted on the hub, and a gear set connected to the drive shaft and to the hub, the gear set rotating the hub in a direction opposite to the direction of rotation of the drive shaft. The second propeller has a second hub which is supported on the drive shaft and which is freely rotatable with respect to the drive shaft, and a plurality of second blades mounted on the second hub, the second hub connected to the gear set in the first hub to rotate the second hub in the same direction as the rotation of the drive shaft. The entire propeller assembly is supported solely on the drive shaft, and the inclusion of the gear set which provides all of the gear reduction completely within the propeller hub provides a compact design.

Method for release of organic materials from shale oil and like solid substances, by treating shale oil powder in a liquid medium, with vortical movements, wave movements, acoustic turbulent streams, or combinations thereof. The treatment causes foaming of the liquid medium followed by separation of the foam from the liquid medium, whereby the foam is enriched with organic materials released from the shale oil powder. The foam can be placed in a liquid organic solvent and treated with vortical movements, wave movements, acoustic turbulent streams, or combinations thereof. The treatment causes the extraction of hydrocarbons into the solvent, and the inorganic shale material to precipitate. The remaining inorganic sold material can be utilized in the manufacture of construction materials. The obtained solution of the extracted hydrocarbons into the solvent represents a synthetic fuel, which could be used after slight reforming as motor fuel, jet fuel, or the like.

When detecting and recording vehicle data items corresponding to evaluation parameters for fuel-efficient driving (the parameters may include, for example, the speed of the vehicle, the average engine speed during an upshift, or an idle time), it is determined which one of first to N-th preliminarily-set traveling conditions (which may be, for example, highway driving, open-road driving, or idling) a current traveling condition belongs to. The vehicle data items are then recorded according to the determined traveling condition. The amount of fuel consumed in the corresponding traveling condition is also recorded. Each of the vehicle data items of the corresponding traveling condition is given an evaluation score with respect to an evaluation standard. Each evaluation score is then corrected based on a rate of fuel consumption in the corresponding traveling condition. Thus, the evaluation score is corrected in view of the traveling condition. Accordingly, this achieves a proper evaluation for fuel-efficient driving.

A system and method for supplying thrust to a structure, such as a satellite or spacecraft, for the purposes of station keeping and attitude control of the structure in low-gravity (orbital) and zero-gravity environments. The system includes devices for emitting energy beams and targets impacted by the energy beams to cause ablation of the targets. The beam-emitting devices and targets are adapted to cooperate and cause the structure to selectively undergo translational and / or rotational motion in reaction to the motion of material ablated from the targets. The position, alignment, and / or attitude of the structure can thereby be controlled in a zero or low-gravity environment by selectively emitting the energy beams at the targets.

An oxy-gaseous fuel burner for a forehearth system having an oxygen conduit, a fuel conduit disposed concentrically within the oxygen conduit and forming an annulus between the fuel conduit and the oxygen conduit, a precombustor conduit disposed at the oxygen outlet end of the oxygen conduit, and a fuel tip disposed at the fuel outlet end of the fuel conduit. The outlet of the fuel tip is disposed at or upstream of the inlet to the precombustor conduit.

The prevent invention provides a device and a method for calculating a distance to empty of an electric vehicle which can reduce an initial error in estimating a distance to empty of an electric vehicle. The device and the method for calculating a distance to empty of an electric vehicle can provide more accurate DTE information from the start to the end of traveling by reducing the earlier error, in estimating the DTE from the amount of the presently remaining fuel (the amount of remaining capacity of a battery) of the electric vehicle.

A variable-draft vessel. The variable-draft vessel including a center hull; a first side hull coupled to a first side of the center hull; a second side hull coupled to a second side of the center hull; and at least one cross support coupling the first and second side hulls, wherein the center hull is configured to be vertically translated with respect to the first and second side hulls.

When two high-strength steel sheets (1A, 1B) whose sheet thickness ratio={the sum of sheet thicknesses of the steel sheets} / {the sheet thickness of the thinner steel sheet (when they have the same thickness, the sheet thickness per one sheet)} is within a range of not less than 2 nor more than 5 and which both have tensile strength of not less than 780 MPa nor more than 1850 MPa are stacked to be subjected to resistance spot welding, a first welding step being pre-welding with a pressurizing force P1 kN and a welding current I1 kA and a second welding step being main welding with a pressurizing force P2 kN and a welding current I2 kA are performed, the pressurizing forces P1, P2 are set to a fixed pressurizing force P=P1=P2 all through the first welding step and the second welding step and are set within a range expressed by {0.5≦P≦3.0t(1 / 3)}, where t mm is an average sheet thickness of the steel sheets (1A, 1B), the welding current I1 is set within a range of not less than 30% nor more than 90% of the welding current I2, and the second welding step is started within 0.1 s after the first welding step is finished.

A diagnostic system for a vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine acquires a diagnostic driving pattern defined by a vehicle speed; stores a drive train model for calculating a torque and rotational speed of the internal combustion engine backward from a vehicle speed and an acceleration; stores map data in which a fuel consumption is associated with a torque and rotational speed of the internal combustion engine; updates the map data on the basis of a result of actual control over the internal combustion engine; uses the drive train model to calculate changes in torque and rotational speed of the internal combustion engine when the vehicle is caused to drive in accordance with the driving pattern; and uses the calculated changes in torque and rotational speed and the map data to calculate a fuel efficiency when the vehicle is caused to drive in accordance with the driving pattern.

The present invention involves modifying certain characteristics of solid and aqueous chemical metal hydride fuels to increase the efficiency of hydrogen generation and / or to reduce the problems associated with such conventional hydride fuel sources. The present invention also relates to an apparatus (10) usable with the release of hydrogen from hydride-water fuel cells in which both the borohydride (110) and the water (210) components are in flowable or liquid form.

The present invention is a rotary device that may be adapted for use as a propeller assembly and electrical generator for aerial vehicles or other vehicles intended for fluid media. In one example, the device includes a ring assembly having a plurality of centrally linked blades coupled to a rotatable common hub. Rotary motion of the ring assembly is facilitated by coupling it to an opposed cylinder, opposed piston, internal combustion. The ring assembly includes components of an electrical power generating system so that electrical power is produced from the rotation of the ring assembly.

Provided is a hybrid electric vehicle that includes a turbocharger and a method for controlling driving of the hybrid electric vehicle accordingly. In particular, an engine and a motor are configured to generate power respectively. An engine clutch may be positioned between the engine and the driving motor to engage and disengage the engine and the driving motor. An integrated starter and generator (ISG) starts the engine or generates power, and a turbocharger is provided therein. A decelerator adjusts revolution speeds and torque of the turbine and the air compressor of the turbocharger and the integrated starter and generator between the turbine and the air compressor of the turbocharger and the integrated starter and generator. Finally, a controller controls the integrated starter and generator, the engine clutch, the turbo charter, and the decelerator based on states of the engine, the driving motor, and the battery accordingly.