Abstract: Systems and methods are provided for monitoring reverse flow of fuel vapors and/or air through a vehicle fuel vapor recovery system, said fuel vapor recovery system coupled to an engine intake of a boosted internal combustion engine. One example method comprises, during boost, when the fuel vapor recovery system is commanded to be sealed from the intake, indicating degradation based on a pressure value at a venturi in the fuel vapor recovery system.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 7, 2010
Date of Patent:
March 8, 2011
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Mark William Peters, Richard Shimon, Robert Roy Jentz, Scott Bohr, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
Abstract: A fuel injection nozzle for a diesel engine. The fuel injection nozzle may include a plurality of injection hole groups, each having two injection holes respectively. A distance between the two injection holes, an angle between longitudinal axes of the two injection holes and an angle between horizontal axes of said two injection holes of each injection hole group are each set such that fuel sprays injected from said two injection holes will form a single fuel spray cloud after the fuel sprays collide with a side wall of a combustion chamber formed in a top surface of a piston of the engine, and such that the distance between collision points of the fuel sprays will be in a predetermined range in which a penetration force of said fuel spray cloud along a longitudinal direction of said combustion chamber received after collision with said wall of said combustion chamber is at or near a predetermined maximum value.
Abstract: A method for identifying available resources for responding to an incident is provided. The method includes receiving a communication from each of a plurality of first responders, where the communication is responsive to an incident generated request, processing each of the communications to generate a response status for each of the plurality of first responders, and sending the response status for each of the plurality of first responders to a remote program.
Abstract: An electro-impedance tomography (EIT) system (2), with a computing unit (4) and a respirator (1) is described for gentle mechanical lung ventilation especially in case of atelectases. The presence, the extent and/or the spatial distribution of atelectases is detected by the EIT system (2) and sent to the respirator (1) so that the respiration pressure is increased step by step by the respirator (1) until the current image of the lung status corresponds to a first status image of healthy lungs or comes close to it with minimal deviations. The respiration pressure is subsequently reduced again step by step by the respirator (1) until the computing unit (4) detects a reduction of the ventilated lung areas and the respiration pressure is subsequently increased again by means of the respirator (1) to the last value at which no change occurred in the ventilated lung areas.
Abstract: A method adjusts a torque differential between firing cylinders based on engine speed such that greater torque differentials are provided at higher engine speeds. Further, the torque differential may be adjusted based on the firing pattern of the cylinders.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 6, 2009
Date of Patent:
February 22, 2011
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Gopichandra Surnilla, Al Henry Berger, Wan Joe Chen, Christopher House
Abstract: A lubricating system for a valve operating system includes a valve operating system configured to reciprocate a valve for substantially opening and closing a port connected to a combustion chamber of an engine, and an ejecting device provided with an outlet from which a lubricating liquid is ejected. The valve operating system includes a drive cam, a driven member configured to contact the drive cam, a pivot member which is attached to the driven member and is configured to transmit movement of the driven member to the valve, and a relative position changing device configured to change relative positions of the driven member and the pivot member. The outlet of the ejecting device is oriented to face sliding surfaces of the driven member and the drive cam at least in a period which is a part of one rotation of the drive cam.
Abstract: A method for operating a fuel delivery system with a first pressure pump fluidly coupled to a second higher pressure pump is described. In one example, the fuel pumps are adjusted based on measured fuel pressure during a first condition. The fuel pumps are adjusted independent of the measured fuel pressure during a second condition.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 30, 2008
Date of Patent:
February 22, 2011
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Gopichandra Surnilla, David George Farmer, Davor David Hrovat
Abstract: A method for improving hybrid vehicle is disclosed. In one embodiment, a torque differential across a transmission is controlled while torque is provided to the vehicle driveline/wheels to meet driver demand. The method may improve transmission shifting by allowing earlier shifts, for example.
Abstract: A method for controlling fuel injection timing of at least one fuel injector in a direct injection fuel delivery system of an internal combustion engine is presented. In one example, the timing of a second fuel pulse in a combustion cycle is adjusted in response to injector needle position bounce. The method can improve fuel delivery control.
Abstract: A test cassette for the detection of analytes from fluid samples is provided which has a housing (1, 2) with an inlet opening and with a reservoir for receiving a fluid sample containing the analyte. A separate carrier platform (3) can be horizontally displaced in the housing (1, 2), for fixing one or more flexible, strip-like, capillary-active detection elements. The carrier platform (3) in the housing (1, 2) is designed such that the capillary-active detection elements are deflected from the longitudinal direction of the strips and dip into the fluid sample in the reservoir during a lateral motion of the carrier platform (3).
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 15, 2006
Date of Patent:
February 15, 2011
Assignee:
Dräger Safety AG & Co. KGaA
Inventors:
Thomas Wuske, Rainer Polzius, Jessika Mahn
Abstract: Systems and methods are described for generating electrical energy and/or charging a system electrical energy storage device in a vehicle, such as a locomotive. The vehicle includes at least one airflow device coupled to an electric machine. In one example, the method includes, generating electrical energy at the electric machine, said machine being driven by an ambient air flow interacting with the airflow device; and delivering at least some of the harnessed energy to an electrical component of the locomotive. The harnessed energy may be delivered to an electrical load, or delivered to the system electrical energy storage device to charge the device, or combinations thereof.
Abstract: The convenient recharging of a charge storage device is disclosed. In one embodiment, a system comprises a portable device accessory with a charge storage device holding mechanism and a recharging circuit. The system also comprises a portable device with an interface at which the portable device and the portable device accessory are connectable. A charge storage device-switching mechanism is disposed within the portable device accessory or the portable device. The charge storage device-switching mechanism is actuatable to switch a first charge storage device in the portable device with a second charge storage device in the charge storage device holding mechanism of the portable device accessory by mechanically connecting and/or disconnecting the portable device from the portable device accessory.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 8, 2007
Date of Patent:
February 15, 2011
Assignee:
Microsoft Corporation
Inventors:
Glen C Larsen, James C Marshall, Michael R Schweers
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.
Abstract: Systems and methods for an engine are described. In one example, a system may include a variable venturi coupled in an intake of the engine; an exhaust gas recirculation system having an exhaust gas recirculation flow path, the exhaust gas recirculation flow path coupled to the variable venturi; and a vacuum-utilizing device or system coupled to the variable venturi. In another example, a method may include coordinating adjustment of an exhaust gas recirculation valve coupled to the exhaust gas recirculation system, a fuel vapor purging valve coupled to the fuel vapor purging system, and the variable venturi in response to operating conditions.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
May 26, 2009
Date of Patent:
February 15, 2011
Assignee:
Ford Global Technologies, LLC
Inventors:
Joseph Norman Ulrey, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
Abstract: This document discusses, among other things, systems and methods for receiving a local input video signal, processing the video signal, and providing a processed video signal to a local digital television display panel. A communications port includes an Ethernet or other communications network connector for allowing access to the video signal processing system by a remote device. This allows a remote user to remotely diagnose, debug, and even modify operation of the video signal processing system. In certain examples, this involves downloading a Lua script that can take partial or complete control over operation of the video signal processing system from resident instruction code. In certain examples, the video signal processing system includes pipelined image analysis or processing stages. Video signal data intermediate to such processing, or the processed video signal being provided to the local display can be communicated to the remote user.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
August 26, 2005
Date of Patent:
February 15, 2011
Assignee:
NVIDIA Corporation
Inventors:
John Mead, Carl J. Ruggiero, Thomas Moxon
Abstract: An engine system includes two spark plugs in a cylinder of an engine. The two spark plugs have different heat ranges in order to address pre-ignition, where only a first spark plug operates during a first condition, and only a second spark plug operates during a second condition.
Abstract: A smartcard interface system is described. The interface system supports a plurality of different smartcard types. By providing a plurality interface modules and selecting an appropriate one of the available modules for effecting communication with a presented smart card, the system provides for interaction with the presented smart card in a manner specific to that smart card.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 16, 2006
Date of Patent:
February 15, 2011
Assignee:
Sequoia Smart Solutions Pty. Ltd.
Inventors:
Michael Edward Abbiss, Ian Mark Coulson, Anthony Charles Jarvis, Ian Ronald Anderson