Patents by Inventor Daniel G. Brennan

Daniel G. Brennan 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).

  • Publication number: 20140102411
    Abstract: A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a vibration characteristics module and a firing pattern module. The vibration characteristics module, for a first plurality of firing patterns of an engine when a cylinder of the engine is deactivated, stores vibration characteristics associated with at least one of an amplitude, a frequency, and a phase of vibration at a driver interface component resulting from the first plurality of firing patterns. The firing pattern module selects a firing pattern from a second plurality of firing patterns and executes the firing pattern when the vibration characteristics associated with the selected firing pattern satisfies predetermined criteria.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: April 17, 2014
    Inventor: DANIEL G. BRENNAN
  • Publication number: 20140069375
    Abstract: A cylinder control system of a vehicle includes a cylinder control module and an air per cylinder (APC) prediction module. The cylinder control module determines a desired cylinder activation/deactivation sequence. The cylinder control module also activates and deactivates valves of cylinders of an engine based on the desired cylinder activation/deactivation sequence. The APC prediction module predicts an amount of air that will be trapped within a next activated cylinder in a firing order of the cylinders based on a cylinder activation/deactivation sequence of the last Q cylinders in the firing order. Q is an integer greater than one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: GREGORY P. MATTHEWS, Zhiping Steven Liu, Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20140069377
    Abstract: A cylinder control system of a vehicle, includes a cylinder control module and a volumetric efficiency (VE) module. The cylinder control module determines a desired cylinder activation/deactivation sequence. The cylinder control module also activates and deactivates valves of cylinders of an engine based on the desired cylinder activation/deactivation sequence. The VE module determines a volumetric efficiency based on a cylinder activation/deactivation sequence of the last Q cylinders in the firing order. Q is an integer greater than one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: March 13, 2014
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Daniel G. Brennan, Gregory P. Matthews, Layne K. Wiggins
  • Patent number: 8667954
    Abstract: A valve control system includes an engine speed control module that determines an engine speed and a desired engine stop position. A piston position module determines a desired stopping position of a first piston based on the desired engine stop position. A valve control module receives the desired stopping position, commands a set of valves to close at the desired stopping position if the engine speed is less than a predetermined shutdown threshold, and commands the set of valves to reduce the engine speed if the engine speed is greater than the predetermined shutdown threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2014
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20140053805
    Abstract: A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a cylinder activation module and a spark timing module. The cylinder activation module selectively deactivates and reactivates a cylinder of an engine based on a driver torque request. When the cylinder is deactivated, the spark timing module selectively increases an amount by which spark timing of at least one active cylinder of the engine is retarded based on noise and vibration generated by the engine when the cylinder is deactivated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 13, 2013
    Publication date: February 27, 2014
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: DANIEL G. BRENNAN, Sanjeev M. Naik
  • Publication number: 20140041624
    Abstract: A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a cylinder control module and a valve control module. The cylinder control module deactivates and reactivates a cylinder of an engine based on a driver torque request while an ignition system associated with the engine is in an on position. The valve control module selectively adjusts a period for which at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of the cylinder are opened based on a first time when the cylinder is reactivated.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2012
    Publication date: February 13, 2014
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Allen B. Rayl, Daniel G. Brennan
  • Patent number: 8631688
    Abstract: A system according to the present disclosure includes a pressure estimation module and a fault detection module. The pressure estimation module estimates a pressure of hydraulic fluid in a valve actuation system that actuates at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of an engine. The fault detection module compares the estimated pressure to a pressure measured by a pressure sensor disposed in the valve actuation system and detects a fault in the pressure sensor based on a difference between the estimated pressure and the measured pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2014
    Inventors: Allen B. Rayl, Daniel G. Brennan, Craig D. Marriott
  • Patent number: 8602002
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a knock control module and a valve control module. The knock control module adjusts a period that one or more of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a cylinder are open based on engine knock corresponding to the cylinder. The valve control module, based on the adjusted period, controls the one or more of the intake valve and the exhaust valve using one or more hydraulic actuators.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2013
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20130317725
    Abstract: An engine control system for a vehicle includes an air control module and a valve control module. The air control module determines a desired mass of air per cylinder (APC) based on a torque request and selectively increases the desired APC in response to a command to deactivate N cylinders of an engine. The valve control module disables intake and exhaust valves of the N cylinders of the engine in response to the command, determines intake and exhaust valve timing based on the desired APC, and controls camless intake and exhaust valve actuators of M other cylinders based on the intake and exhaust valve timing, respectively. The engine includes Q cylinders, M and N are integers greater than zero, and M plus N equals Q.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 22, 2012
    Publication date: November 28, 2013
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Patent number: 8527120
    Abstract: A method for controlling a powertrain includes operating an engine substantially at wide open throttle, monitoring an output torque request, controlling the engine input torque by controlling a valve overlap setting for a cylinder of the engine based upon the output torque request wherein controlling the valve overlap setting for the cylinder modulates a residual burnt gas fraction within the cylinder utilizing at least one of an extended low slope portion of an exhaust valve closing curve and an extended low slope portion of an intake valve opening curve, and controlling an electric machine input torque based upon the output torque request and a time-lag difference between the output torque request and the controlled engine input torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 3, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Gregory P. Matthews, Daniel G. Brennan
  • Patent number: 8443784
    Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment of the invention an internal combustion engine includes a piston disposed in a cylinder, a valve configured to control flow of air into the cylinder and an actuator coupled to the valve to control a position of the valve. The internal combustion engine also includes a controller coupled to the actuator, wherein the controller is configured to close the valve when an uncontrolled condition for the internal engine is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Patent number: 8437927
    Abstract: An engine control system includes a combustion torque determination module, a friction torque determination module, and a control module. The combustion torque determination module determines a combustion torque of an engine based on pressure inside a cylinder of the engine during an engine cycle. The friction torque determination module determines friction torque of the engine based on the combustion torque, acceleration of an engine crankshaft, effective inertia of the engine crankshaft, and a pumping loss in the cylinder during the engine cycle. The control module adjusts an operating parameter of the engine based on the friction torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 7, 2013
    Inventors: Daniel G. Brennan, Robert Douglas Shafto
  • Publication number: 20130087111
    Abstract: In one exemplary embodiment of the invention an internal combustion engine includes a piston disposed in a cylinder, a valve configured to control flow of air into the cylinder and an actuator coupled to the valve to control a position of the valve. The internal combustion engine also includes a controller coupled to the actuator, wherein the controller is configured to close the valve when an uncontrolled condition for the internal engine is determined.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 6, 2011
    Publication date: April 11, 2013
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20130079960
    Abstract: A system for controlling an engine in a vehicle according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a fuel control module and a valve control module. The fuel control module controls fuel delivery to a cylinder of the engine. The valve control module closes an exhaust valve of the cylinder when fuel delivery to the cylinder is disabled during operation of the vehicle and exhaust gas has been exhausted from the cylinder after fuel delivery to the cylinder is disabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2011
    Publication date: March 28, 2013
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Daniel G. Brennan, Steven Joseph Swantick
  • Publication number: 20130068194
    Abstract: A valve control system includes an engine speed control module that determines an engine speed and a desired engine stop position. A piston position module determines a desired stopping position of a first piston based on the desired engine stop position. A valve control module receives the desired stopping position, commands a set of valves to close at the desired stopping position if the engine speed is less than a predetermined shutdown threshold, and commands the set of valves to reduce the engine speed if the engine speed is greater than the predetermined shutdown threshold.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 21, 2011
    Publication date: March 21, 2013
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20130054109
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a time stamping module, a period determination module, a stochastic pre-ignition (SPI) indication module, and an SPI remediation module. The time stamping module generates first and second timestamps when a crankshaft of an engine is in first and second crankshaft positions during an engine cycle, respectively. The period determination module determines a period between the first and second timestamps. The SPI indication module selectively indicates that an SPI event occurred within a cylinder of the engine based on the period. The SPI remediation module selectively adjusts at least one engine operating parameter in response to the SPI indication module indicating that the SPI event occurred within the cylinder.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Publication date: February 28, 2013
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Buslepp, Daniel G. Brennan, Julian R. Verdejo, David S. Mathews
  • Patent number: 8301362
    Abstract: A method and a control module for diagnosing an engine component function includes a comparison module comparing an in-cylinder pressure signal to a threshold and a fault indication module generating a diagnostic signal for an engine component in response to comparing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: October 30, 2012
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Buslepp, Douglas R. Verner, Joseph R. Dulzo, Jonathan T. Shibata, Daniel G. Brennan, Joshua Cowgill
  • Patent number: 8265853
    Abstract: An engine control system includes a piston movement modeling module, a cylinder volume determination module, and a cylinder pressure estimation module. The piston movement modeling module models movement of a piston within a corresponding cylinder based on angular change of an engine crankshaft. The cylinder volume determination module determines a volume of the cylinder based on an angular position of the engine crankshaft and the modeled movement of the piston. The cylinder pressure estimation module estimates pressure in the cylinder based on the determined volume, an intake manifold absolute pressure (MAP), an intake valve timing, an exhaust valve timing, and an exhaust back pressure (EBP).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 11, 2012
    Inventors: Kenneth J. Buslepp, Daniel G. Brennan
  • Publication number: 20120097121
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a first lift control module and a second lift control module. The first lift control module increases lift of M valves of the engine to a predetermined valve lift during a period before disabling or re-enabling N valves of the engine. The second lift control module decreases the lift of the M valves to a desired valve lift during a period after enabling or re-enabling the N valves of the engine, wherein N and M are integers greater than or equal to one.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 22, 2010
    Publication date: April 26, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Daniel G. Brennan, Craig D. Marriott, Joel Cowgill, Matthew A. Wiles, Kenneth James Patton
  • Publication number: 20120031373
    Abstract: A control system for an engine includes a knock control module and a valve control module. The knock control module adjusts a period that one or more of an intake valve and an exhaust valve of a cylinder are open based on engine knock corresponding to the cylinder. The valve control module, based on the adjusted period, controls the one or more of the intake valve and the exhaust valve using one or more hydraulic actuators.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 5, 2010
    Publication date: February 9, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventor: Daniel G. Brennan