Patents by Inventor Andrea MOLLAR
Andrea MOLLAR has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).
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Patent number: 11286874Abstract: A method of operating a fuel injection system for a motor vehicle includes one or more of the following: operating a fuel injector to perform a fuel injection, the fuel injector being in fluid communication with a fuel rail; sampling a rail pressure in the fuel rail during the fuel injection; regulating the rail pressure at a desired injection pressure, Pinj, to the fuel injector; measuring an overall leakage on variations of the rail pressure across an engine cycle for the motor vehicle and between two engine positions of an internal combustion engine for the motor vehicle; and restarting a new measurement cycle for a new pressure measurement target.Type: GrantFiled: August 26, 2019Date of Patent: March 29, 2022Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Andrea Mollar, Stefano Nieddu, Paul Leondardo Claude
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Publication number: 20210062749Abstract: A method of operating a fuel injection system for a motor vehicle includes one or more of the following: operating a fuel injector to perform a fuel injection, the fuel injector being in fluid communication with a fuel rail; sampling a rail pressure in the fuel rail during the fuel injection; regulating the rail pressure at a desired injection pressure, Pinj, to the fuel injector; measuring an overall leakage on variations of the rail pressure across an engine cycle for the motor vehicle and between two engine positions of an internal combustion engine for the motor vehicle; and restarting a new measurement cycle for a new pressure measurement target.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 26, 2019Publication date: March 4, 2021Inventors: Andrea Mollar, Stefano Nieddu, Paul Leondardo Claude
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Patent number: 10428970Abstract: A circuit and a method for a digital inlet valve having a shutter moveable between a closed and an open position and actuated by a linear electromagnetic actuator including a movable needle located inside a coil winding connected to a power source by a first electronic switch. An electric current is supplied to the coil winding. A parameter indicative of a movement of the needle is monitored. The electric current supply is adjusted when the monitored parameter exceeds a predetermined value.Type: GrantFiled: October 20, 2016Date of Patent: October 1, 2019Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano Nieddu, Andrea Mollar, Tiziano Sorrentino
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Patent number: 10344703Abstract: A method for operating a combustion engine is provided. A fuel injector is operated to perform a fuel injection, a sequence of pressure signals of the fuel rail pressure during the fuel injection is sampled and filtered and a total pressure difference between a first sample after a top dead center of the fuel pump and before the fuel injection has started and a chosen second sample after the injection and before a next pumping stroke is determined. A linear pressure slope at the second sample and a leakage pressure difference between the first sample and the second sample based on the linear pressure slope is calculated, leading to calculating an injection pressure difference as the difference between total pressure difference and the leakage pressure difference. With this, a value of a fuel quantity injected as a function of the injection pressure difference can be determined, while leakages are compensated.Type: GrantFiled: June 29, 2017Date of Patent: July 9, 2019Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano Nieddu, Andrea Mollar
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Patent number: 10233861Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for determining the fuel quantity that is actually injected by a fuel injector in an internal combustion engine. A fuel injector is operated to perform a fuel injection. The first discharge stroke of the fuel pump is deactivated following a start of the fuel injection for preventing the discharge stroke from delivering fuel into the fuel rail. A value of a pressure drop caused into the fuel rail by the fuel injection is calculated. A value of a fuel quantity injected by the fuel injection is calculated on the basis of the calculated value of the pressure drop.Type: GrantFiled: July 12, 2017Date of Patent: March 19, 2019Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATONS LLCInventors: Stefano Nieddu, Andrea Mollar
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Publication number: 20190003414Abstract: A method for operating a combustion engine is provided. A fuel injector is operated to perform a fuel injection, a sequence of pressure signals of the fuel rail pressure during the fuel injection is sampled and filtered and a total pressure difference between a first sample after a top dead center of the fuel pump and before the fuel injection has started and a chosen second sample after the injection and before a next pumping stroke is determined. A linear pressure slope at the second sample and a leakage pressure difference between the first sample and the second sample based on the linear pressure slope is calculated, leading to calculating an injection pressure difference as the difference between total pressure difference and the leakage pressure difference. With this, a value of a fuel quantity injected as a function of the injection pressure difference can be determined, while leakages are compensated.Type: ApplicationFiled: June 29, 2017Publication date: January 3, 2019Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano NIEDDU, Andrea MOLLAR
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Patent number: 9874151Abstract: A method for automatically operating a cam-driven pump is disclosed. The pump is monitored to determine whether a specified detachment condition or potential detachment of an actuator of the pump from a driving cam is occurring. The pump is operated in a minimal pressure holding mode to provide a minimal pressure within a working chamber of the pump so as to bias the actuator towards the cam if it is determined that the detachment condition is occurring.Type: GrantFiled: May 13, 2016Date of Patent: January 23, 2018Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATONS LLCInventors: Massimiliano Melis, Francesco Concetto Pesce, Stefano Nieddu, Andrea Mollar
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Publication number: 20180017010Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for determining the fuel quantity that is actually injected by a fuel injector in an internal combustion engine. A fuel injector is operated to perform a fuel injection. The first discharge stroke of the fuel pump is deactivated following a start of the fuel injection for preventing the discharge stroke from delivering fuel into the fuel rail. A value of a pressure drop caused into the fuel rail by the fuel injection is calculated. A value of a fuel quantity injected by the fuel injection is calculated on the basis of the calculated value of the pressure drop.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 12, 2017Publication date: January 18, 2018Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano NIEDDU, Andrea MOLLAR
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Patent number: 9845736Abstract: A method of determining the timing and quantity of fuel injection to operate an internal combustion engine is disclosed. While operating the fuel injector to perform a fuel injection; a signal of a fuel pressure within the fuel rail during the fuel injection is sampled. The signal is used to determine first and second integral transforms yielding as output a value of first and second functions having as variables the fuel rail pressure drop caused by the fuel injection and the timing parameter indicative of the instant when the fuel injection started. Values of the first and second functions are used to calculate a value of the fuel rail pressure drop caused by the fuel injection and a value of the timing parameter. A value of a fuel quantity injected by the fuel injection is calculated as a function of the value of the fuel rail pressure drop.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 2016Date of Patent: December 19, 2017Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano Nieddu, Andrea Mollar
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Publication number: 20170108139Abstract: A circuit and a method for a digital inlet valve having a shutter moveable between a closed and an open position and actuated by a linear electromagnetic actuator including a movable needle located inside a coil winding connected to a power source by a first electronic switch. An electric current is supplied to the coil winding. A parameter indicative of a movement of the needle is monitored. The electric current supply is adjusted when the monitored parameter exceeds a predetermined value.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 20, 2016Publication date: April 20, 2017Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano NIEDDU, Andrea MOLLAR, Tiziano SORRENTINO
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Publication number: 20160333799Abstract: A method for automatically operating a cam-driven pump is disclosed. The pump is monitored to determine whether a specified detachment condition or potential detachment of an actuator of the pump from a driving cam is occurring. The pump is operated in a minimal pressure holding mode to provide a minimal pressure within a working chamber of the pump so as to bias the actuator towards the cam if it is determined that the detachment condition is occurring.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 13, 2016Publication date: November 17, 2016Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Massimiliano MELIS, Francesco Concetto PESCE, Stefano NIEDDU, Andrea MOLLAR
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Publication number: 20160215708Abstract: A method of determining the timing and quantity of fuel injection to operate an internal combustion engine is disclosed. While operating the fuel injector to perform a fuel injection; a signal of a fuel pressure within the fuel rail during the fuel injection is sampled. The signal is used to determine first and second integral transforms yielding as output a value of first and second functions having as variables the fuel rail pressure drop caused by the fuel injection and the timing parameter indicative of the instant when the fuel injection started. Values of the first and second functions are used to calculate a value of the fuel rail pressure drop caused by the fuel injection and a value of the timing parameter. A value of a fuel quantity injected by the fuel injection is calculated as a function of the value of the fuel rail pressure drop.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 22, 2016Publication date: July 28, 2016Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Stefano NIEDDU, Andrea MOLLAR