Patents by Inventor Donald Terry French

Donald Terry French 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).

  • Patent number: 9759142
    Abstract: An engine control system includes an engine calibration module that sets fuel injection timing based on one of N cetane number (CN) values, wherein N is an integer greater than one. A combustion noise module generates a combustion noise signal based on cylinder pressure in a compression ignition (CI) engine during combustion. A fuel quality determination module compares the combustion noise signal to N predetermined combustion noise levels corresponding to the N CN values, and that selects the one of the N CN values based on the comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang, Ognyan N. Yanakiev, Donald Terry French, Paul Anthony Battiston
  • Patent number: 8640679
    Abstract: A method to control an exhaust gas recirculation and a manifold air pressure in an engine includes utilizing a decoupling matrix within a multiple input and multiple output controller to determine an exhaust gas recirculation command and a manifold air pressure command, wherein the decoupling matrix is configured based upon a diagonally dominant model of the engine compensated by the determined exhaust gas recirculation command and the manifold air pressure command. The exhaust gas recirculation and manifold air pressure are controlled based upon the determined exhaust gas recirculation command and the determined manifold air pressure command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2014
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Ibrahim Haskara, Donald Terry French
  • Patent number: 8473180
    Abstract: Combustion pressure in a diesel combustion chamber is monitored to determine a combustion parameter as a function of the monitored pressure. A cetane number of the fuel combusted is determined as a function of a predetermined correlation between the combustion parameter and the cetane number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Ibrahim Haskara, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Donald Terry French
  • Patent number: 8150596
    Abstract: An engine control system comprises a fuel diagnostic module and a fuel control module. The fuel diagnostic module determines a pressure-ratio difference average (PRDA) based on a pressure in at least one cylinder and determines a cetane number (CN) of a fuel based on the PRDA. The fuel control module actuates fuel injectors based on the CN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Inventors: Chol-Bum M Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston, Donald Terry French, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang
  • Publication number: 20120024270
    Abstract: A method to control an exhaust gas recirculation and a manifold air pressure in an engine includes utilizing a decoupling matrix within a multiple input and multiple output controller to determine an exhaust gas recirculation command and a manifold air pressure command, wherein the decoupling matrix is configured based upon a diagonally dominant model of the engine compensated by the determined exhaust gas recirculation command and the manifold air pressure command. The exhaust gas recirculation and manifold air pressure are controlled based upon the determined exhaust gas recirculation command and the determined manifold air pressure command.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2010
    Publication date: February 2, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Ibrahim Haskara, Donald Terry French
  • Publication number: 20110224886
    Abstract: Combustion pressure in a diesel combustion chamber is monitored to determine a combustion parameter as a function of the monitored pressure. A cetane number of the fuel combusted is determined as a function of a predetermined correlation between the combustion parameter and the cetane number.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 10, 2010
    Publication date: September 15, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Yue-Yun Wang, Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Ibrahim Haskara, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Donald Terry French
  • Patent number: 7904233
    Abstract: A system and method comprises operating an engine during a first cycle to drive a piston in a cylinder without energizing a fuel injector of the cylinder; acquiring first pressure data of the cylinder for a predetermined crank angle window during the first cycle; energizing the fuel injector for an energizing time during a second cycle; acquiring second pressure data of the cylinder for the predetermined crank angle window during the second cycle; calculating a pressure ratio difference average (PRDA) from the first pressure data and the second pressure data; and modifying the operation of the fuel injector based on the PRDA value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2011
    Inventors: Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston, Donald Terry French, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang
  • Publication number: 20100228463
    Abstract: An engine control system includes an engine calibration module that sets fuel injection timing based on one of N cetane number (CN) values, wherein N is an integer greater than one. A combustion noise module generates a combustion noise signal based on cylinder pressure in a compression ignition (CI) engine during combustion. A fuel quality determination module compares the combustion noise signal to N predetermined combustion noise levels corresponding to the N CN values, and that selects the one of the N CN values based on the comparison.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 9, 2009
    Publication date: September 9, 2010
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang, Ognyan N. Yanakiev, Donald Terry French, Paul Anthony Battiston
  • Publication number: 20090299605
    Abstract: An engine control system comprises a fuel diagnostic module and a fuel control module. The fuel diagnostic module determines a pressure-ratio difference average (PRDA) based on a pressure in at least one cylinder and determines a cetane number (CN) of a fuel based on the PRDA. The fuel control module actuates fuel injectors based on the CN.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 22, 2008
    Publication date: December 3, 2009
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Chol-Bum M. Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston, Donald Terry French, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-yun Wang
  • Publication number: 20090254262
    Abstract: A system and method comprises operating an engine during a first cycle to drive a piston in a cylinder without energizing a fuel injector of the cylinder; acquiring first pressure data of the cylinder for a predetermined crank angle window during the first cycle; energizing the fuel injector for an energizing time during a second cycle; acquiring second pressure data of the cylinder for the predetermined crank angle window during the second cycle; calculating a pressure ratio difference average (PRDA) from the first pressure data and the second pressure data; and modifying the operation of the fuel injector based on the PRDA value.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2008
    Publication date: October 8, 2009
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Chol-bum M. Kweon, Frederic Anton Matekunas, Paul Anthony Battiston, Donald Terry French, Ibrahim Haskara, Yue-Yun Wang