Patents by Inventor Randy L. Dufresne

Randy L. Dufresne 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: 11098666
    Abstract: A system includes a three-way catalyst (TWC) sulfur load module, a cylinder/fuel cutoff module, a fuel control module, and a valve control module. The TWC sulfur load module is configured to determine an amount of sulfur deposited on a three-way catalyst of an engine in a vehicle. The cylinder/fuel cutoff module is configured to determine whether to enable deceleration cylinder cutoff (DCCO) based on the amount of sulfur deposited on the three-way catalyst. The fuel control module is configured to control a fuel injector to selectively stop fuel injection in the engine when DCCO is enabled. The valve control module is configured to selectively maintain intake and exhaust valves of the engine in a closed position when DCCO is enabled.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 28, 2020
    Date of Patent: August 24, 2021
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Michael A. Smith, Vijay A. Ramappan, Michael J. Lucido, Jeffrey M. Hutmacher, Scott T. Feldmann, Randy L. Dufresne
  • Patent number: 8353154
    Abstract: An exhaust system for an engine comprises a cylinder head having an integral exhaust manifold to collect exhaust gas exiting the engine combustion chambers. An exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold comprises an inlet end connected to the cylinder head, a portion that extends towards an upper end of the internal combustion engine and an outlet end configured to define an inlet end of a multistage catalytic converter. The catalytic converter comprises a canister having an inlet end located adjacent the top of the engine and includes first and second catalyst substrates and a collector closing an outlet end of the canister. The outlet end of the canister is located adjacent to the bottom of the engine, and the first and the second catalyst substrates receive and convert constituents of exhaust gas passing from the inlet end of the canister to the outlet end.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: January 15, 2013
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Robert Lionel Jacques, William A. Bear, Randy L. Dufresne, Richard Lorenze Johnson
  • Publication number: 20110296820
    Abstract: An engine exhaust gas treatment device may include a housing, a hydrocarbon adsorber, an adsorber bypass passage, and a bypass valve assembly. The hydrocarbon adsorber may be located within the housing and may define a first flow path between an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet of the housing. The adsorber bypass passage may define a second flow path between the exhaust gas inlet and the exhaust gas outlet. The bypass valve assembly may include a bypass valve and an electric actuation mechanism engaged with the bypass valve. The bypass valve may be displaceable between open and closed positions by the electric actuation mechanism.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 2, 2010
    Publication date: December 8, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: HALIM G. SANTOSO, RANDY L. DUFRESNE
  • Publication number: 20110067387
    Abstract: An exhaust system for an engine comprises a cylinder head having an integral exhaust manifold to collect exhaust gas exiting the engine combustion chambers. An exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with the exhaust manifold comprises an inlet end connected to the cylinder head, a portion that extends towards an upper end of the internal combustion engine and an outlet end configured to define an inlet end of a multistage catalytic converter. The catalytic converter comprises a canister having an inlet end located adjacent the top of the engine and includes first and second catalyst substrates and a collector closing an outlet end of the canister. The outlet end of the canister is located adjacent to the bottom of the engine, and the first and the second catalyst substrates receive and convert constituents of exhaust gas passing from the inlet end of the canister to the outlet end.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Publication date: March 24, 2011
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Robert Lionel Jacques, William A. Bear, Randy L. Dufresne, Richard Lorenze Johnson
  • Patent number: 7035730
    Abstract: A method of generating a metric data set for determining a performance of a catalytic converter includes sampling data from a post catalytic converter oxygen sensor to provide a raw data set and generating a revised data set based on the raw data set. Data within the revised data set is eliminated based on characteristics of data points of the revised data set and the revised data set is filtered to provide the metric data set.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: Vincent A. White, David N. Belton, Randy L. Dufresne