Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Mark Mollon
  • Misfire detector for 50% misfire rate
    Patent number: 5610328
    Abstract: A misfire detector for an internal combustion engine obtains a baseline crankshaft acceleration value that degrades at a 50% misfire rate in a predetermined way that is capable of subsequent correction. The width of a median averaging function is selected that provides a cyclical deviant acceleration under all expected conditions of 50% misfire. The cyclical deviant acceleration is corrected by summing adjacent values. The corrected acceleration is compared to a specially adapted misfire threshold that is exceeded only if the deviant acceleration is cyclical.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 11, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Amit T. Magan, Kathleen A. Grant, Dennis C. Krzyske
  • Vehicle crash data generator
    Patent number: 5608629
    Abstract: Crash data from actual vehicle crashes is manipulated to produce new hybrid crash data which contains different acceleration peaks while retaining the overall characteristics of the original crash data. The new crash data is realistic and can be used to test or verify crash management components such as airbag deployment sensors and to demonstrate the robustness of components to different crashes without the expense of running another crash test.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1994
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Mark A. Cuddihy, J. B. Drummond, Jr., Daniel J. Bourquin
  • Ultrasonic thickness gauge for multilayer plastic fuel tanks
    Patent number: 5608165
    Abstract: The thickness of a vapor barrier layer embedded in a co-extruded plastic fuel tank is measured using ultrasound. An interference method using ultrasonic tone-bursts employs a frequency progression wherein a frequency producing a minimum in the reflection echo from the barrier layer identifies the thickness of the barrier layer. The method is useful in polyethylene fuel tanks wherein an ultrasonic attenuation which is highly dependent upon frequency limits the resolution of barrier layer thickness.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 6, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 4, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: George Mozurkewich, Jr.
  • Fluorescent electroluminescent lamp
    Patent number: 5586879
    Abstract: A lamp panel provides a light source employing dual light producing mechanisms. Specifically, electroluminescence produces a source light which is passed through a translucent fluorescent filter that modifies the color spectrum to a desired color. The use of dual light producing mechanisms allows optimization of electroluminescent lamp durability and luminesce without regard to the final color desired. The light from the optimized EL lamp is converted to any desired color using an appropriate fluorescent pigment or mixture of fluorescent pigments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 24, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Archana Szpak
  • Integrated microphone/pushbutton housing for voice activated cellular phone
    Patent number: 5584052
    Abstract: A voice controlled vehicle accessory system is responsive to voice commands and/or manual commands wherein the manual commands are entered via a single pushbutton 16 having multiple functions depending upon the instantaneous state of a system controller 10. A single housing houses the microphone for the voice recognition unit and the single pushbutton adjacent to each other in a common location in the vehicle, thereby reducing manufacturing costs and increasing user convenience since the two separate input functions are intuitively placed in a common location.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: David B. Gulau, Jeffrey P. Huget, Robert L. Varilone, Mark D. Edwards
  • Vehicular emergency message system
    Patent number: 5572204
    Abstract: A vehicle user can request emergency or roadside assistance from a response center by activating a button in the vehicle. The global positioning system is used to continuously store the vehicle location. A cellular telephone network is used to contact a response center and transfer a data string via modem containing information to assist the response center in acting on the request. If a first attempt to contact the response center at a phone number for receiving a data transfer is unsuccessful, a second call is made to a different number bypassing the data transfer and immediately placing the cellular phone into an unmuted condition. This allows the user to hear and interact with a cellular operator, if necessary, prior to being connected to the response center.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 10, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 5, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Mark J. Timm, Walter A. Dorfstatter
  • Power supply for volatile memory devices and portable electrical appliance in vehicles
    Patent number: 5569997
    Abstract: A nonswitched power circuit energizes volatile memories of electronic devices in an automobile. When the main vehicle battery is present and providing power, the volatile memories are energized by the main battery through a diode. The main battery also maintains a rechargeable battery in a charged state. When the main battery voltage drops due to a discharged or disconnected main battery, the rechargeable battery maintains power to the volatile memories. The rechargeable battery may be included as part of a flashlight for providing a portable, rechargeable light source.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 1993
    Date of Patent: October 29, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Alvin H. Berger
  • Anti-theft system with remote controlled verification of arming
    Patent number: 5568120
    Abstract: A remote controlled anti-theft system for transportation vehicles allows the user to easily determine at will if a faulty door position sensor or an open door will inhibit proper operation of the anti-theft system by pressing the lock button on the remote transmitter in a predetermined sequence. A first lock code from the remote transmitter initiates a locking and arming sequence of the anti-theft system. A second lock code received within a predetermined time of the first lock code causes an audible verification to be produced identifying whether the anti-theft system is successfully arming or whether a door ajar or faulty door sensor is preventing the anti-theft system from arming.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 1994
    Date of Patent: October 22, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Thomas J. LeMense, David R. Tengler
  • Fuzzy logic method for detecting misfiers in internal combustion engines
    Patent number: 5559285
    Abstract: Misfiring of individual cylinders in an internal combustion engine 70 is detected based on simultaneous use of two or more different methods of misfire detection which examine different combustion-related parameters of engine operation, such as crankshaft acceleration and exhaust gas pressure. An analyzer 76 produces a final misfire determination M.sub.f (i) based on the simultaneously obtained misfire determinations in order to provide greater coverage of the speed-load range of engine 70 and to provide increased confidence and accuracy in calling misfires in the portion of the speed-load range where both misfire methods are presumed to function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 24, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Bruce D. Bryant, Kenneth A. Marko, John V. James
  • High-quality reception indicating circuit for scanning AM recievers
    Patent number: 5555451
    Abstract: The reception quality of an AM broadcast signal is determined within a very short time of tuning to the channel frequency by modifying the intermediate frequency signal to remove the audio information modulated on the carrier but including residual noise and higher frequencies. The modified IF signal is used to regenerate a pure sine-wave carrier as a replica of the original carrier wave at the transmitter. This pure carrier is compared to the modified IF signal to identify degradation during transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 13, 1994
    Date of Patent: September 10, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John F. Kennedy, Robert D. Plowdrey, Yao H. Kuo
  • Dual-band frequency-selective attenuator for automatic gain control
    Patent number: 5548830
    Abstract: Automatic gain control in a radio receiver is provided using a pair of saturable reactors in resonant circuits for providing variable attenuation. One resonant circuit has a frequency above the desired RF signal while the other has a resonant frequency below the desired RF signal. The resonant frequencies are symmetrically shifted about the desired frequency in response to the AGC signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 27, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 20, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John F. Kennedy, Timothy S. Klepaczyk
  • Directional antenna for vehicle entry system
    Patent number: 5532709
    Abstract: The invention uses a modified Yagi-Uda antenna as a directional antenna for remote entry applications for transportation vehicles. To reduce the area that the antenna requires for packaging in a vehicle headliner, the antenna employs a shared reflector for plural reception zones on opposite sides of the vehicle. Since the antenna is packaged close to body sheet metal, a folded dipole is used as the antenna feed element to increase input impedance and simplify impedance matching with the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 1994
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Timothy J. Talty
  • Adaptive correction of torsional and wheel profile position irregularities for misfire detection
    Patent number: 5531108
    Abstract: A crankshaft based misfire detector for an internal combustion engine detects and identifies misfire over a broad range of engine operating conditions by establishing correction factors to compensate for crankshaft torsional oscillations and static wheel profile errors which corrupt the acceleration signals used to detect misfire. The correction factors are adaptively determined during in-use engine operation and are updated in one manner for most firings but in another manner for any cylinder firing which had the relatively lowest corrected acceleration within an engine cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: July 2, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Lee A. Feldkamp, Gintaras V. Puskorius, John V. James, Kenneth A. Marko
  • Radio station memory presets with stored audio effects
    Patent number: 5530924
    Abstract: Selected broadcast stations are stored in a memory and accessed using preset memory buttons on a radio receiver. Audio effects such as tone settings and sound-field simulations are adjusted for a selected broadcast station in accordance with the tastes of an operator of the receiver. The audio effects are stored for recall whenever the selected broadcast station is accessed through the memory preset.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Miller
  • Engine diagnostic monitor with on-board adjustment of correction factors
    Patent number: 5528931
    Abstract: A system and method compensates for systematic irregularities in measured engine velocities caused by torsional flexing in the crankshaft during rotation to improve the accuracy of misfire detection. A set of generated correction factors is stored in a table that are derived empirically using a test engine. The correction factors are adjusted during on-board operation of the engine whenever a safe adaptation time is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 1995
    Date of Patent: June 25, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: John V. James, Kenneth A. Marko, James M. Dosdall
  • Multi-stage digital RF translator
    Patent number: 5490173
    Abstract: An apparatus for performing digital signal frequency translation in a digital receiver is disclosed. The apparatus uses a plurality of mixer-filter-decimator stages for performing the digital signal frequency translation. The translation function converts the digital signal to an intermediate frequency (IF), where such translation is distributed among the plurality of mixer-filter-decimator stages to thereby simplify the mixing requirements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 2, 1993
    Date of Patent: February 6, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: J. William Whikehart, James A. Wargnier
  • Zero backlash position encoder
    Patent number: 5438172
    Abstract: In an electronic position encoder (or other panel control) of the type having a shaft-retracted position for storage and a shaft-extended position for adjustment, an anti-backlash coupling substantially eliminates backlash between a rotor and a shaft. The anti-backlash coupling includes a first wedge member fixedly coupled to the shaft and a second wedge member fixedly coupled to the rotor. The second wedge member is adapted to mate with the first wedge member when the shaft is in the extended position.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 1993
    Date of Patent: August 1, 1995
    Assignees: Ford Motor Company, Bourns Inc.
    Inventors: James H. Fowler, Edward G. VanNimwegen
  • Crimped wire terminal with mechanical locking
    Patent number: 5425662
    Abstract: A terminal is attached to a multiconductor wire by crimping of a pair of conductor grips around the conductors. Mechanical locking of the conductor grips maintains a firm grasp of the conductors for improved low current and/or low voltage performance. Mechanical locking is obtained using grooves within the contact areas of the conductor grips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 1994
    Date of Patent: June 20, 1995
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventor: Villeneuve: Gary L.
  • Front panel for an automotive climate control
    Patent number: D375908
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 26, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Nevenka Schumaker, Rama R. Sreeramaneni
  • Front panel for an automotive audio system
    Patent number: D376369
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 10, 1996
    Assignee: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Nevenka Schumaker, Mark K. Fosmoen