Patents Examined by Carl C Staubach
  • Patent number: 11686235
    Abstract: A method for controlling an exhaust gas aftertreatment system, wherein the system includes a first selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device, a catalytic particulate filter arrangement arranged downstream of the first SCR device, and a second selective catalytic reduction (SCR) device arranged downstream of the catalytic particulate filter arrangement. The method includes estimating future exhaust conditions based upon predicted vehicle operating conditions (s403); —estimating a future NOx conversion demand based on the estimated future exhaust conditions (s405); —dosing a reducing agent from a first reducing agent dosing device at a rate based at least on the estimated future NOx conversion demand (s406).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Scania CV AB
    Inventor: Björn Harnemo
  • Patent number: 11689906
    Abstract: A ruggedized engine control module (ECU) system includes a plugin-pod, a connector configured to connect the plugin-pod to a connector of an ECU, and signal processing circuitry. The ruggedized ECU system further includes a ruggedized enclosure for the connector and the signal processing circuitry. The ruggedized enclosure is configured to mount the plugin-pod to the ECU. The connection circuit includes signal processing circuitry configured to receive signals from at least one of the connectors, process the signals, and output the processed signals. The ruggedized ECU is configured to dissipate heat from the signal processing circuitry.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 13, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventors: Daniel R. Harshbarger, Nikhil Pandey, Joseph L. Gahimer
  • Patent number: 11686243
    Abstract: An engine system is provided, which includes a cylinder block, a cylinder head, a piston, a main combustion chamber, a subchamber, an injector that injects fuel into the main combustion chamber, a main spark plug that ignites a mixture gas inside the main combustion chamber, a subspark plug that ignites the mixture gas inside the subchamber, and a control device. In a low-speed high-load range, a fuel injection timing is set in compression stroke and the main ignition and the subignition are performed after the fuel injection timing, and the fuel injection timing under a low-speed condition becomes later than that under a high-speed condition, and the ignition devices are controlled so that the subignition timing is retarded from the main ignition timing and an ignition phase difference that is the retard amount of the subignition timing becomes larger under the low-speed condition than under the high-speed condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 27, 2023
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Ryohei Ono, Yuji Harada, Kenji Uchida
  • Patent number: 11680504
    Abstract: A combined power conversion and carbon capture and recycling subsystem including a fossil fueled oxidation unit, a physical adsorbent CO2 capture medium, rotor, motor, heater, CO2 compressor, diffuser and water storage tank. Exhaust gas from fossil fuel oxidation is scrubbed of CO2 via passage across a physical adsorbent and then released from the adsorbent via fuel oxidation waste heat. High CO2 concentration scrubber exhaust air is then compressed and fed to a diffuser which facilitates dissociation of the CO2 into water where it is temporarily stored for use in watering plants. Carbon from fossil fuel is recycled back into the environment and permanently stored as biomass by natural means of photosynthesis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 1, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: Gridiron LLC
    Inventors: Donald Williams, Erik Rodriguez
  • Patent number: 11679752
    Abstract: A hybrid electric vehicle and method of its control include a parallel hybrid powertrain including an engine, a transmission, a battery system, a first electric motor coupled to the engine by a first clutch between the engine and the first electric motor, a second electric motor coupled to the transmission and to the first electric motor by a second clutch between the first and second electric motors, and a controller configured to control the parallel hybrid powertrain for optimal operation across a plurality of different propulsion and charging modes, including calculating cost values for each of the engine and the first and second electric motors and selecting optimal propulsion and charging modes based on the calculated cost values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: FCA US LLC
    Inventors: Meng Li, Yang Liang
  • Patent number: 11679359
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a wall flow filter, to a method for the production and the use of the filter for reducing harmful exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine. Particle filters are commonly used for filtering exhaust gases from a combustion process. Also disclosed are novel filter substrates and their specific use in exhaust gas aftertreatment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2023
    Assignee: UMICORE AG & CO. KG
    Inventors: Astrid Mueller, Meike Antonia Gotthardt, Martin Foerster, Stephanie Spiess, Yannic Weigl, Carsten Herzog
  • Patent number: 11674466
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for detection of a closing time for a solenoid valve. In one example, a method may include monitoring a current of the solenoid valve, filtering the current, and determining the closing time of the solenoid valve based on each of the current and the filtered current. In some examples, the solenoid valve may be an electrically-actuated fuel injection valve. In some examples, determining the closing time may include using the filtered current to determine an inflection point of the current.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: David Zielinski
  • Patent number: 11674419
    Abstract: An engine system includes an engine configured to combust liquid natural gas and generate an exhaust gas comprising methane; a catalytic reactor coupled downstream of the engine and configured to convert methane into a product through one or more of oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) reaction and steam methane reforming (SMR) reaction; and a recirculation loop configured to recirculate at least a part of the product back to the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
    Inventors: Vallinayagam Raman, Seung-Hak Choi, Junseok Chang
  • Patent number: 11674425
    Abstract: A reductant injecting device includes: a honeycomb structure comprising: a pillar shaped honeycomb structure portion having a partition wall that defines a plurality of cells each extending from a fluid inflow end face to a fluid outflow end face; and at least one pair of electrode portions arranged on a side surface of the honeycomb structure portion; an inner cylinder being configured to house the honeycomb structure; a urea sprayer arranged at one end of the inner cylinder; and an outer cylinder arranged on an outer peripheral side of the inner cylinder, the outer cylinder being spaced apart from the inner cylinder. A flow path through which the carrier gas passes is formed between the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: NGK INSULATORS, LTD.
    Inventors: Katsumi Saiki, Yukinari Shibagaki
  • Patent number: 11674459
    Abstract: A control apparatus includes: a data acquisition part that is configured to acquire torque data indicating a drive torque of an electric motor, rotation number data indicating a rotation number of the electric motor, and DC voltage data indicating a DC voltage supplied to an inverter which supplies an AC current to the electric motor; a determination basis derivation part that is configured to derive a determination basis based on a drive efficiency of the electric motor by using the torque data, the rotation number data, and the DC voltage data; and a control method determination part that is configured to determine, based on the determination basis, which one of a one-pulse control and a pulse-width modulation control is employed as a control method of the inverter.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 13, 2023
    Assignee: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Masaki Tanaka, Yoichi Yamashiro
  • Patent number: 11668218
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a location of a fuel injection in response to a substitution rate and a desired EGR flow. In one example, a method may include injecting a first fuel to a combustion chamber via a direct injector positioned to inject directly into the combustion chamber, injecting a second, different, fuel to the combustion chamber via an exhaust port injector positioned to inject toward an exhaust valve of the combustion chamber, and combusting the first and second fuels together in the combustion chamber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Transportation IP Holdings, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Edgar Klingbeil, Thomas Michael Lavertu
  • Patent number: 11668255
    Abstract: An engine braking system includes engine braking actuators for adjusting exhaust valve timings to engine braking timings in a cylinder-number braking mode. The system further includes an engine braking controller coupled to a control switch that produces a request indicating a requested cylinder-number braking mode. The engine braking controller is structured to transition exhaust valves to the engine braking timings, determine a control term to adjust intake air pressure for varying a braking power of the engine, and to adjust geometry of an exhaust turbine based on the control term. An adjusted speed of a compressor rotated by the exhaust turbine provides a change to intake air pressure that adjusts the braking power of the engine. Different levels of braking power are provided within different cylinder-number braking modes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 9, 2020
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Rajesh Narayanan Nair, Samuel Were, James Harris Mutti, Behnaz Ensan, James Vernon Dornberger, II, Rodney L. Menold, Timothy David Schwartz, Kevin Walsh
  • Patent number: 11668261
    Abstract: A method and system is provided of controlling a pump having a pumping element comprising: determining, by a controller, a suspension of one or more fuel delivery events for a pumping element of the at least one pumping element; subsequent to determining the suspension of the one or more fuel delivery events, providing, by the controller, a first command to open an inlet valve of the pumping element to remove a portion of residual fluid within a pumping chamber based on pressure within the pumping chamber of the pumping element; and subsequent to providing the first command, providing, by the controller, a second command to close the inlet valve of the pumping element based on a top dead center (TDC) position of the pumping element.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 2019
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Cummins Inc.
    Inventor: Donald J. Benson
  • Patent number: 11661877
    Abstract: The subject matter of the present invention relates to trained machine-learning models (300), methods (200, 400) and apparatuses (500) allowing a future resonant frequency of a catalyst for selective reduction of nitrogen oxides (SCR) to be predicted, the resonant frequency being representative of a concentration of a reducing agent within the SCR. The SCR forms part of a system for after-treatment of a flow of exhaust gases of an internal combustion engine with which a motor vehicle is provided. The general principle of the invention is based on the observation of correlations between the resonant frequency of an SCR and the concentration of ammonia present within the SCR. This observation led the inventor to envision using machine learning to create a trained machine-learning model in order to predict the resonant frequency of an SCR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 31, 2019
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2023
    Assignee: VITESCO TECHNOLOGIES GMBH
    Inventor: Michel Povlovitsch Seixas
  • Patent number: 11654885
    Abstract: A coasting regeneration control method of a vehicle equipped with a continuously variable valve duration (CVVD) engine includes: determining, by an engine control unit (ECU), whether a current state of the vehicle satisfies coasting regeneration conditions; and entering, by the ECU, a coasting regeneration mode and performing regenerative braking when the current state of the vehicle satisfies the coasting regeneration conditions, in which when the coasting regeneration mode is entered, a throttle valve is fully opened so that the amount of intake air of the engine is maximized, a CVVD target duration is controlled to be maximized, and a closing time of an intake valve is delayed after a start point of time of a compression stroke, thereby decreasing pumping loss of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2021
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: Hyundai Kefico Corporation
    Inventors: Young Ho Jun, Jung Min Yoon
  • Patent number: 11655154
    Abstract: In one aspect, there is provided a process for converting gaseous carbon dioxide, comprising: emplacing a reaction zone material, including gaseous carbon dioxide, gaseous carbon monoxide, and an operative reagent, within a reaction zone, such that gaseous carbon dioxide, gaseous carbon monoxide, and an operative reagent are disposed within the reaction zone, with effect that a reactive process is effected, such that a product material is produced; wherein: the ratio of total number of moles of gaseous carbon dioxide, disposed within the reaction zone material, to total number of moles of gaseous carbon monoxide, disposed within the reaction zone material, is at least 1:4; the operative reagent is at least one of metallic iron, metallic nickel, and metallic magnesium; and the product material includes solid carbon-comprising material.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2020
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: CVMR ENERGY METALS INC.
    Inventors: Nanthakumar Victor Emmanuel, Kamran Khozan, Serge Kovtun, Mohammad Al Quayyum
  • Patent number: 11655775
    Abstract: A system that controls a combustion engine stores network vectors in a memory that represent diverse and distinct spiking neural networks. The system decodes the network vectors and trains and evaluates the spiking neural networks. The system duplicates selected network vectors and crosses-over the duplicated network vectors that represent modified spiking neural networks. The system mutates the crossed-over duplicated network vectors by randomly modifying one or more portions of the crossing-over duplicated network vectors. The system meter exhaust gas into an intake manifold when an engine temperature exceeds a threshold, an engine load exceeds a threshold, an engine's rotation-per-minute rate exceeds a threshold, and a fuel flow exceeds a threshold. The system modifies fuel flow into an engine's combustion chamber on a cycle-to-cycle basis by the trained spiking neural network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2022
    Date of Patent: May 23, 2023
    Assignee: UT-BATTELLE, LLC
    Inventors: Bryan P. Maldonado Puente, Brian C. Kaul, Catherine D. Schuman, John Parker Mitchell, Steven R. Young
  • Patent number: 11649777
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine is operated at fuel-rich conditions by adjusting one or more operating parameters such as, for example, a throttle, an ignition timing, a load coupled to the engine, a fuel pressure, power to a supercharger, and power to a preheater to maintain a specified engine speed and a temperature of an exhaust gas. Operating the engine under these conditions allows the engine to function as a reformer producing a synthesis gas comprising hydrogen and carbon monoxide.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2023
    Assignee: Research Triangle Institute
    Inventors: John Reeves Carpenter, III, David Douglas Barbee, Apoorv Agarwal
  • Patent number: 11629659
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating an engine that is started via expansion stroke combustion are described. In one example, the method increases air flow through the engine during an engine stopping process so that a larger amount of air may be trapped in a cylinder that is on its expansion stroke so that greater amounts of engine torque may be provided during engine starting.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Adam Banker, Jeffrey Doering, Chris Glugla
  • Patent number: 11629870
    Abstract: An environmental control system of a vehicle including a first inlet for providing a first medium, a second inlet for providing a second medium, a compression device arranged in fluid communication with the first inlet, and an expansion device separate from the compression device. The expansion device is arranged in fluid communication with the second inlet. Energy extracted from the second medium within the expansion device is provided to one or more loads of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2021
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: HAMILTON SUNDSTRAND CORPORATION
    Inventor: Aiden Coutin