Patents by Inventor Tom Raymond Culbertson

Tom Raymond Culbertson 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).

  • Systems and methods for reducing release of undesired evaporative emissions in plug-in hybrid electric vehicles
    Patent number: 11268473
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing a potential for release of undesired evaporative emissions to atmosphere for vehicles that rely primarily on an electric-only mode of operation for vehicle propulsion. In one example, a method may include in response to a vehicle-on request via a driver of a vehicle, maintaining off a fuel pump that supplies a fuel to a set of port fuel injectors, and re-pressurizing the set of port fuel injectors via operation of the fuel pump based on a predicted engine-start request during a drive cycle following the vehicle-on request. In this way, escape of fuel from pressurized port fuel injectors may be reduced or avoided during engine-off conditions, which may reduce opportunity for release of undesired evaporative emissions to atmosphere.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 8, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Tom Raymond Culbertson, Kenneth L. Pifher, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR REDUCING RELEASE OF UNDESIRED EVAPORATIVE EMISSIONS IN PLUG-IN HYBRID ELECTRIC VEHICLES
    Publication number: 20210156331
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing a potential for release of undesired evaporative emissions to atmosphere for vehicles that rely primarily on an electric-only mode of operation for vehicle propulsion. In one example, a method may include in response to a vehicle-on request via a driver of a vehicle, maintaining off a fuel pump that supplies a fuel to a set of port fuel injectors, and re-pressurizing the set of port fuel injectors via operation of the fuel pump based on a predicted engine-start request during a drive cycle following the vehicle-on request. In this way, escape of fuel from pressurized port fuel injectors may be reduced or avoided during engine-off conditions, which may reduce opportunity for release of undesired evaporative emissions to atmosphere.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 25, 2019
    Publication date: May 27, 2021
    Inventors: Tom Raymond Culbertson, Kenneth L. Pifher, Ross Dykstra Pursifull