Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Tuttle
  • System and method for improving accuracy of a gas sensor
    Patent number: 8168060
    Abstract: A method is disclosed for operating an electrochemical gas sensor with a measuring electrode pair and a pumping electrode pair. The method includes obtaining a measurement of the interfering species at a location spatially adjacent to a measuring electrode of the measuring electrode pair; and adjusting one or more of an operation or an output processing of the electrochemical gas sensor based on the measurement of the interfering species. In this manner, the measurement of the interfering species may be used to adjust the removal rates of the interfering species and/or to adjust an offset of an analyte measurement to compensate for the presence of the interfering species.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Yi Ding, Richard E. Soltis, Jacobus Hendrik Visser, David John Kubinski
  • Noise attenuating device for a heating-ventilation-cooling system of a motor vehicle
    Patent number: 8166775
    Abstract: A system and method for reducing noise in an automotive heating, ventilation, and cooling system is described. A noise attenuation device using radial vanes upstream of a flow discontinuity, such as a bend in the ducting, and downstream of a blower fan is used to reduce noise.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Michael Choi
  • Adjustable refilling assembly
    Patent number: 8167009
    Abstract: A refilling system for a vehicle including a body panel having a fixed opening, an adjustable refilling assembly partially enclosed by the body panel, the adjustable refilling assembly including a first port and a second port, the adjustable refilling assembly movable between at least a first configuration in which the first port is aligned with the fixed opening and a second configuration in which the second port is aligned with the fixed opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Gobal Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Doug Vandervoort, Grant A. Compton, Stanley Jay Novak, Brenda Johnson, Kirk Rasmussen, Marius Efstate
  • Approach for improved fuel vaporization in a directly injected internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 8166959
    Abstract: A system and a method of facilitating fuel vaporization in a directly injected internal combustion engine are provided. As one example, the method comprises: closing an exhaust valve of the cylinder; opening an intake valve after the exhaust valve has closed; moving a piston of the cylinder away from top dead center between the closing of the exhaust valve and the opening of the intake valve to expand the cylinder volume and reduce a pressure within the cylinder to below a pressure of an air intake manifold of the cylinder; and initiating an injection of fuel directly into the cylinder via an in-cylinder injector after the exhaust valve has closed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jianwen James Yi, Claudia Olivia Iyer, FooChern Ting, George Carver Davis
  • Systems and methods for intubation
    Patent number: 8166967
    Abstract: An intubation device is provided. The intubation device comprises a movable guide having a guide extension, and a guide tip; at least one trachea condition sensor to detect a trachea condition wherein the at least one trachea condition sensor is disposed on the guide; and a guide control device operatively coupled to the guide, the guide control device to move the guide in response to the trachea condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 15, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Inventor: Chunyuan Qiu
  • Vehicle and method of determining whether or not to stop engine mounted in vehicle
    Patent number: 8170753
    Abstract: A vehicle including an engine, a tilting sensor configured to detect that a vehicle body of the vehicle has been tilted a predetermined angle or larger, a driving state sensor configured to detect a driving state of the vehicle using a component other than the tilting sensor, and a determiner configured to determine whether or not to stop the engine, based on a signal received from the tilting sensor, and a signal received from the driving state sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Naoki Kawamura, Junji Tamura, Takahiro Ogino, Seiichi Kai, Shinta Kawasetsu
  • Fuel injection control during start-up
    Patent number: 8166952
    Abstract: A method of operation of an internal combustion engine including an intake valve coupled to a combustion chamber, and a port fuel injector positioned upstream of the intake valve in an intake manifold including a throttle, the port fuel injector fluidly coupled to a fuel rail included in a fuel delivery system housing a fuel at least partially composed of alcohol. The method including, during a start-up operation when the temperature of the engine is below a threshold value and fuel is actively being injected into the intake manifold, adjusting a cone angle of a fuel spray from the port fuel injector, via adjustment of the throttle and/or fuel delivery system, based on the position of the intake valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Karl Bidner, John M. Roth, Mark Peters
  • Handling unhandled raster operations in a document conversion
    Patent number: 8169625
    Abstract: The conversion of a document of a first format that supports a set of raster operations into a document of a second format that does not support one or more unhandled raster operations of the set of raster operations is disclosed. For example, one disclosed embodiment comprises locating a region in the document of the first format that contains an unhandled raster operation, rasterizing the region in the document of the first format that contains the unhandled raster operation to form a rasterized region, and incorporating the rasterized region into the document of the second format.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Clifton Kerr
  • Medical workstation for patients
    Patent number: 8166585
    Abstract: A medical workstation and workstation system for patients includes a bed for positioning the patient in the lying position, a plurality of mobile work units, which are connected to the bed, a control unit, which is arranged at the bed and which can be connected via a first supply cable to a stationary media port, on the one hand, and via a second supply cable to a mobile media port, on the other hand, for supplying a work unit. The control unit is designed as a distribution unit, to which a plurality of mobile work units (4, 4?) are connected via connection cables.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Dräger Medical GmbH
    Inventors: Dieter Settgast, Sven Pasdzior, Claus Bunke, Gerald Panitz, Jürgen Manigel, Hermann Hopermann, Kay Frensch, Martin Wunderlich
  • Selection device for shifting a vehicle transmission
    Patent number: 8170757
    Abstract: A selection device for shifting a vehicle transmission, with a operating element (4), which can be rotated into different shift positions (6, 7, 8, 9) about an axis of rotation (5) and with a shaft (21), which is connected to the operating element (4) and is rotatable about the axis of rotation. An angle of rotation sensing device (32) is connected to the shaft, by which a rotation of the operating element (4) about the axis of rotation (5) can be sensed. An actuator (22) is provided by which a torque can be applied to the shaft (21) or a torque can be applied to oppose a rotation of the shaft (21). A control is connected to the angle of rotation sensing device (32) and to the actuator (22) for controlling the torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Lemförder Electronic GmbH
    Inventors: Achim Fürhoff, Knut Schwarz, Gregori Dombrowski, Torsten Stradal
  • Reducing loss of liquid electrolyte from a high temperature polymer-electrolyte membrane fuel cell
    Patent number: 8168339
    Abstract: A method for controlling an amount of a liquid electrolyte in a polymer-electrolyte membrane of a fuel cell is provided. The method comprises enriching one or more of a fuel flow and an air flow with a vapor of the liquid electrolyte, the liquid electrolyte being unreplenishable via an electrochemical reaction of the fuel cell. The method further comprises delivering the vapor of the liquid electrolyte to the fuel cell including the polymer-electrolyte membrane via one or more of the gas-permeable anode and or the gas-permeable cathode. In this manner, loss of liquid electrolyte from the PEM membrane of the fuel cell can be reduced, leading to improved fuel-cell endurance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2011
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: ClearEdge Power, Inc.
    Inventors: Yang Song, Craig E. Evans, Nicolas DeFalco, Jason M. Tang
  • Fuel system control
    Patent number: 8166943
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a fuel system in an engine, the fuel system including a supply pump for delivering fuel to the fuel system and pressurizing fuel received from a feed pump, a fuel tank, a fuel filter for filtering fuel, a fuel rail, and a fuel injector. One example method comprises, during an engine cold-start, operating the supply pump, and adjusting a supply pump operation mode between at least a pressure-controlled mode and a volume-controlled mode based on a fuel temperature and pressure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopal Krishna Chamarthi, Brien Lloyd Fulton, Christopher Oberski, Peter Mitchell Lyon
  • Cascade control of HCCI phasing
    Patent number: 8165779
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an internal combustion engine that can be operated in a homogeneous charge combustion mode as well as a method and a computer readable storage device for controlling such an engine. The engine comprises at least one fuel injector, a fuel injection controller that controls a fuel amount injected into a first cylinder, and a piston in the first cylinder whose compression causes an air and fuel mixture to be ignited. The engine further comprises at least one intake valve, at least one exhaust valve, a valve operation controller, and at least one sensor for measuring an engine operation parameter in the first cylinder. The engine is particularly characterized in that the valve operation controller is adapted to determine the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves of the first cylinder on the basis of a first fuel injection or injections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Claes Ostberg, Lucien Koopmans
  • Hydrocarbon retaining and purging system
    Patent number: 8161733
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating an engine having a hydrocarbon retaining system and an emission control device coupled to an engine exhaust, the engine exhaust comprising a venturi. One example method comprises, during a storing condition, routing exhaust gas through the venturi without generating a venturi action, and then to the hydrocarbon retaining system, while bypassing the emission control device, to store hydrocarbons in the hydrocarbon retaining system, and during a purging condition, routing exhaust gas through the venturi while generating venturi action, then to the emission control device, and then to the hydrocarbon retaining system, to purge stored hydrocarbons, wherein a flow of purged hydrocarbons is drawn back to the venturi via venturi action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 3, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael James Uhrich, Stephen B. Smith, James Michael Kerns, Shane Elwart, Jason Aaron Lupescu
  • Methods and systems for engine start control
    Patent number: 8164206
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for starting an engine in a vehicle. In one example, two or more energy storage devices are coupled in series to improve engine starting. The method and system may reduce engine starting time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alex O'Connor Gibson, Allan Roy Gale, Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull, John DeMarco
  • Methods and systems for heating transmission fluid
    Patent number: 8162797
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for heating transmission fluid in a vehicle, the vehicle comprising an engine and a transmission, the engine including a heat exchanger. One example method comprises, during a first engine running condition, operating an auxiliary transmission fluid pump to generate pressure in the transmission fluid and pump transmission fluid to the heat exchanger, and during a second condition where the engine is not running, operating the auxiliary transmission fluid pump to generate pressure in the transmission fluid and pump transmission fluid to the heat exchanger.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Method and system for providing air to an engine
    Patent number: 8161746
    Abstract: Systems and methods for supplying air to an engine are disclosed. In one example, an air inlet throttle is at least partially closed in response to a change in engine torque request. In another example, the air inlet throttle is adjusted in conjunction with adjusting an engine throttle. The approach can reduce compressor noise and may reduce the possibility of compressor surge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey, Jeffrey Allen Doering, Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Donald J. Lewis
  • Back torque reducing device of a friction clutch and motorcycle comprising the same
    Patent number: 8162119
    Abstract: A friction clutch includes a clutch cam which is movable with respect to a clutch hub in a center axis direction of a transmission shaft. The clutch cam has a release rod which penetrates through the clutch hub and is extended toward the pressure plate. An adjustment bolt which is provided at the pressure plate and is configured to restrict a moving range of a clutch cam in the center axis direction is disposed to face an end portion of the release rod which is closer to the pressure plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshimoto Matsuda
  • Boosted engine control responsive to driver selected performance
    Patent number: 8165780
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are described for operating an engine in a vehicle in response to a driver performance/economy mode. One example method comprises delivering a first fuel to a cylinder of the engine from a first injector, delivering a second, different, fuel to the cylinder of the engine from a second injector, varying a relative amount of said first and second fuel as an operating condition varies; and adjusting delivery of at least said second fuel based on a driver-selected performance mode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: John D. Russell
  • Light emitting diode lamp
    Patent number: D658312
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 24, 2012
    Assignee: CCS Inc.
    Inventor: Takuzo Togawa