Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Tuttle
  • Diesel particulate filter control
    Patent number: 8146352
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for managing particulate emissions in an engine including a particulate filter and a CO2 sensor downstream of the filter. A CO2 sensor may be used to infer the presence of particulate matter in the exhaust, downstream of the filter. By sensing particulate matter in the post-filter exhaust, filter degradation may be identified.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Christopher Parnin
  • Joint arrangement for a vehicle
    Patent number: 8147161
    Abstract: A joint arrangement, for a vehicle, is provided with a joint (7), which has a joint housing (8) and a pivot pin (9) mounted movably in relation thereto. The arrangement also includes a rod (4), which has a cavity (6) and is connected to the joint (7); a sealing bellows (10), which defines an interior space (10) and in which the joint (7) is arranged at least partially; and a gas-permeable connection (13), which connects the cavity (6) of the rod (4) to the interior space (11) of the sealing bellows (10) and has at least one groove (15), which is formed in a front side (21) of the joint (7), which said front side faces the rod (4), opens into the interior space (11) and has a radially outer end (27). The groove (15) with its radially outer end ends at a spaced location from the outer circumferential contour of the front surface (21).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
    Inventors: Michael Hahn, Thomas Herrmann
  • Control strategy for multi-mode vehicle propulsion system
    Patent number: 8147377
    Abstract: A method for controlling a vehicle operation in the transmission lash region. One method includes transitioning a combustion mode of a cylinder, and varying a timing of said transition responsive to whether the transmission is operating within the lash region of the transmission.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Harald Stoffels, Klemens Grieser
  • Compact tilt and vibration sensor and method for manufacturing same
    Patent number: 8146432
    Abstract: A tilt and vibration sensor incorporating a plurality of electrodes and a conductive spherical. body which is turned on and off by the moving displacement of the spherical body, and which may be remarkably reduced in size and may have high performance and high operating sensitivity, high durability, and high reliability; and a method of manufacturing the sensor. The case (1) of the sensor comprises a case body (5) formed of a non-conductive material having such excellent gas-barrier property and heat resistance that can stop the transmission of gases which affects the on/off operation of the sensor due to the moving displacement of the conductive spherical body (4) and a cover body (7) sealing airtight the opening part (6) of the case body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: G-Device Corporation
    Inventor: Teruo Shimase
  • Process and device for separating carbon dioxide from a breathing gas mixture by means of a fixed site carrier membrane
    Patent number: 8146593
    Abstract: A process and a device are provided for separating carbon dioxide from a breathing gas mixture by means of a “Fixed Site Carrier” membrane. The breathing gas mixture is guided in the device on a side of a selective, semipermeable membrane, which is provided with amine groups, which are bound covalently to a polymer. Through the membrane, the transport of the components of the gas mixture can take place. The membrane is selected to be such that the permeability for CO2 is substantially higher than the permeability for the other gas components of the breathing gas mixture. The membrane has or is associated with means for guiding the gas, which acts to guide the gas mixture on one side along the membrane. The membrane separates volume areas in which different CO2 partial pressures prevail from one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Dräger Medical GmbH
    Inventor: Michael Riecke
  • Approach for injecting a reductant
    Patent number: 8146343
    Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine having a reductant delivery and storage system in an emission control system is disclosed. The method comprises applying an ultrasonic field to a reductant-containing liquid in the reductant storage device to generate a mist of the reductant-containing liquid, and selectively introducing an amount of mist to an exhaust system coupled to the catalyst based on an engine operating condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 8, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Patterson, Paul M. Laing
  • Process for manufacturing exhaust gas treatment device, e.g., exhaust gas catalytic converters and particle filters
    Patent number: 8146252
    Abstract: A process is provided for manufacturing an exhaust gas treatment device (1), which contains at least one exhaust gas treatment insert (2) in a tubular housing (4), especially for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine. A circumferential geometry of the at least one insert (2) is measured in at least one axial section of the particular insert (2). The at least one insert (2) is inserted axially into the housing (4). The measured circumferential geometry of the at least one insert (2) is taken into account during the deformation of the housing (4).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: J. Eberspächer GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Georg Wirth
  • Method for improving transient engine operation
    Patent number: 8146541
    Abstract: A method for operating an engine with a fuel reformer is presented. In one embodiment a method for operating an engine by injecting a gaseous fuel and a liquid fuel to at least an engine cylinder is presented. The mixture of an engine cylinder may be diluted with EGR and a fraction of gaseous fuel may be increased relative to a fraction of liquid fuel injected to a cylinder in response to an operator tip-out.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 8, 2010
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Thomas G. Leone
  • Auditing tool for a legacy software modernization system
    Patent number: 8150896
    Abstract: A database modernization auditing system and method is disclosed. One embodiment comprises a method for loading a legacy data object, transforming the legacy data object into a modern data object according to a rule set, wherein transforming the legacy data object into the modern data object further includes abstracting at least a portion of the legacy data object into semantic information and transforming the semantic information into the modern data object, and generating an audit log entry corresponding to an error that occurs while transforming the semantic information into the modern data object, wherein the audit log entry contains a unique identifier that relates the audit log entry with the legacy data object.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2007
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: MAKE Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Christian Cotichini, Michael E. F. White, David John Green
  • Method and system for controlling an internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 8150597
    Abstract: Methods and systems for controlling an internal combustion engine are provided. One example method may include closing an intake valve later during a cylinder cycle than a timing with which an amount of air inducted into a cylinder from an air intake passage would be maximized, and earlier during the cylinder cycle as a desired amount of air to be inducted into the cylinder increases, while an engine is operating at a given engine speed. The method may further include closing the intake valve earlier during a cylinder cycle as the engine speed increases when the desired amount of air to be inducted into the cylinder is at a maximum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Masahisa Yamakawa, Toshiaki Nishimoto, Hirokazu Matsuura, Takashi Youso, Kouji Shishime, Mikinori Ohashi
  • Coordination of variable cam timing and variable displacement engine systems
    Patent number: 8150605
    Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for operating an internal combustion engine including a variable cam timing (VCT) mechanism in cooperation with a plurality of deactivatable cylinders, each cylinder with a plurality of cylinder valves. One example method comprises, operating at a first cylinder valve timing before a transition of reactivating deactivated cylinders, and, before the transition, advancing cylinder valve timing from the first valve timing, where after the transition the cylinder valve timing remains at a second valve timing, the second valve timing advanced relative to the first valve timing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 17, 2009
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey Allen Doering, John Eric Rollinger
  • Dual inlet turbocharger system for internal combustion engine
    Patent number: 8146359
    Abstract: A dual-inlet turbocharger system for internal combustion engine includes a single-shaft turbocharger with a dual-inlet compressor section. An air router provides a bifurcated air supply for the dual-inlet compressor section, and also provides a bifurcated source of charge air for the engine's cylinders in the case in which the present turbocharger system is applied to a V-block engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Currie, Anthony William Hudson, Patrick Sexton
  • Direct injection event-based engine starting
    Patent number: 8146557
    Abstract: A method for starting an internal combustion engine having direct fuel injection, comprising of adjusting a number of direct injections per combustion cycle based on a cylinder event number from a first cylinder event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Eric Storhok, Eric Curtis, Zheng Xu, Jianwen Yi, Eric Krengal
  • Reducing noise, vibration, and harshness in a variable displacement engine
    Patent number: 8146565
    Abstract: A method for operating an engine of a vehicle, the engine having one or more deactivatable cylinders, the method including controlling the stability of a vehicle in response to vehicle acceleration, and reactivating or deactivating combustion in at least a cylinder in response to vehicle acceleration.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Leone, Donald J. Lewis, Husein Sukaria, Eric Tseng
  • Benefits services privacy architecture
    Patent number: 8150791
    Abstract: A system and method of presenting benefits to a user of a computing device is provided. The method may include detecting user activities via a computer program executed on the computing device, storing a list of detected user activities in a user history in the computing device, and receiving a list of predefined benefits from at least one remote server. Each of the predefined benefits may include an associated trigger user activity. The method may further include storing the list of predefined benefits in the computing device, and determining a predefined benefit to present to the user based at least on the presence of a trigger user activity for the predefined benefit in the user history, via the computer program in the computing device. The method may further include presenting a matched predefined benefit to the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: April 3, 2012
    Inventor: Hartwell Brown
  • Approach for determining exhaust gas sensor degradation
    Patent number: 8145409
    Abstract: A method for determining degradation of an exhaust gas sensor positioned in an exhaust system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is provided. The method includes sensor response durations to rich-to-lean and lean-to-rich transitions, as well as the symmetry of sensor response durations and delays to such transitions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 26, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: James Michael Kerns, Timothy Joseph Clark
  • Method for controlling cylinder air charge for a turbo charged engine having variable event valve actuators
    Patent number: 8141358
    Abstract: A method for controlling cylinder air charge of an engine having a compressor is presented. In one example, the description includes a method for coordinating the control of the throttle, turbo charger, and valves such that the desired cylinder air charge may be achieved while engine pumping work may be decreased.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ilya Kolmanovsky, Alex Gibson, Donald Lewis
  • Ethanol separation using air from turbo compressor
    Patent number: 8141356
    Abstract: Methods and systems for separating fuel and supplying the separated fuel to an engine are disclosed. In one example, alcohol is separated from a blend of alcohol and gasoline. The methods and systems may improve fuel separator operation by adjusting separator operation in response to engine operating conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 2008
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas G. Leone, Robert A. Stein
  • Reductant storage sensing system and method
    Patent number: 8141347
    Abstract: A catalyst supported on a substrate includes a heater embedded in a sub-region of the substrate to heat a local region of the catalyst. The amount of ammonia stored on the catalyst may be determined and controlled through conductivity measurements in the the locally heated portion of the system described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David John Kubinski, Devesh Upadhyay
  • Display screen comprising photoluminescent material
    Patent number: 8143598
    Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed herein related to the use of photoluminescent material to improve the presentation of images being displayed by a user interface device. For example, one embodiment provides a user interface device including a cuplet microstructure sheet that includes a plurality of cuplets. Each cuplet forms a light input opening and a light output opening. The light output opening has a diameter that is larger than a diameter of the light input opening. The user interface device further includes a photoluminescent material that at least partially fills one or more cuplets of the plurality of cuplets. The user interface device further includes a light source configured to generate light that is directed to one or more selected cuplets of the plurality of cuplets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 1, 2009
    Date of Patent: March 27, 2012
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventors: John R. Lewis, Kurt A. Jenkins