Patents Assigned to Global Technologies LLC
  • Patent number: 6912844
    Abstract: The invention relates to a new method and system for optimizing the efficiency of an automotive catalytic converter by adjusting the engine air/fuel ratio based on estimates of the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst. An available oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst is determined by establishing an oxidant set point location, i.e., a location in the catalyst about which the system controls the oxidant storage. The oxidant set point is established based on the temperatures of the different potential set point locations and the levels of deterioration of the different potential set point locations, as well as the oxidant storage capacity of the emission control device system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Donald James Lewis, Kevin Ronald Carlstrom, Stanley Larue Bower, Jr., Stephen L. Hahn
  • Patent number: 6913308
    Abstract: A forward facing rear door assembly for a motor vehicle includes a forward facing rear door having a forward end and a rear end. The forward facing rear door assembly also includes a single hinge connected to the rear end of the forward facing rear door and for connection to a “C” pillar of a vehicle body to allow a forward end of the rear door to open and close a door opening in the vehicle body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Musa Azzouz, Michael David Pevovar
  • Patent number: 6915198
    Abstract: Rapidly changing torque demand is coordinated in an automotive vehicle having an engine and at least one motor. An engine base torque level indicating slowly changing torque produced by the engine is received. A motor torque is determined as a difference between a fast desired torque and the engine base torque level. An engine fast torque is determined as a difference between the request for fast desired torque and the motor torque. The motor torque is determined as a motor torque request and the engine fast torque is determined as an engine torque request.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Mark Phillips, Diana Yanakiev, Bengt Norén, Jonas Jerrelind
  • Patent number: 6915196
    Abstract: A vehicle crash safety system (10) for an automotive vehicle has a pre-crash sensing system (17) generating a pre-crash signal, a vehicle dynamics detector (32) generating a vehicle dynamics signal, a pre-crash countermeasure system (40), and a pre-crash controller (12) controlling the pre-crash countermeasure system in response to the pre-crash signal and the vehicle dynamics signal. Vehicle crash safety system (10) also has a coordinated safety system controller (44) coupled to the pre-crash controller (12), an early crash sensing system (46) and an early crash countermeasure system (45). The coordinated safety system controller controls the early crash countermeasure in response to the early crash signal and signals from the pre-crash controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Manoharprasad K. Rao, Kwaku Prakah-Asante, Gary Steven Strumolo
  • Patent number: 6915193
    Abstract: A control system (24) for controlling a safety system (40) of an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of wheel speed sensors (30) generating a plurality of wheel velocity signals, a steering angle sensor (39) generating a steering actuator angle signal, a yaw rate sensor (28) generating a yaw rate signal, a longitudinal acceleration sensor (32) generating a longitudinal acceleration signal and a pitch angle generator generating a pitch angle signal and a controller (26). The controller (26) generates a longitudinal vehicle velocity in response to the plurality of wheel speed signals, the steering angle signal, the yaw rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal and the pitch rate signal. The controller (26) may determine a slip-related longitudinal velocity and a non-slip longitudinal velocity as intermediate steps.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jianbo Lu, Todd Allen Brown
  • Patent number: 6913309
    Abstract: A vehicle 7 is provided having a vehicle body 36 with an opening 16 having first and second ends 18, 20. The vehicle body 7 has a first door 22. A second door 28 has a latched connection 42 with the vehicle body between the opening 16 first and second ends 18, 20. The second door 28 has a window regulator 250 to move a window pane 254 in and out of a window opening 212.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 28, 2003
    Date of Patent: July 5, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Donald G. Mikolai, Matthew Carey, Muhammed Ayub, Stanley Liu, Kelly Kohlstrand, Stephen L. Bruford, David Glickman
  • Patent number: 6910449
    Abstract: An internal combustion engine that can be operated in compression ignition mode, comprising a fuel injector (2) for each cylinder; a fuel injection control unit (4) for controlling fuel injection quantity and a piston (5) in each cylinder whose compression action causes a mixture of air and fuel to be ignited. The engine is further provided with inlet and outlet valves (6, 7) and sensors (12-16) for measuring various engine operating parameters, is disclosed. During compression ignition mode, the control unit controls the fuel injector to perform a first fuel injection before, and a second fuel injection after top dead center of the piston stroke during or after a negative valve overlap period. A method for operating the engine and a computer readable storage device (4) having stored therein data representing instructions executable by a computer to implement a compression ignition for an internal combustion engine is also described.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Hans Strom, Lucien Koopmans
  • Patent number: 6910990
    Abstract: An engine control system controls engine torque to transition through the transmission and driveline's lash zone. The transmission and driveline's lash zone is indicated using information of the speed ratio across the torque converter. This information is then supplemented with information of the driver's request and vehicle speed so that engine torque is adjusted at various predetermined rates based on current operating conditions. As such, the system can reduce undesired drive feel that otherwise may occur as the system passes through the transmission and driveline's lash zone. By limiting the change of torque in this way, driveability, while at the same time maintaining acceptable performance response.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffrey A. Doering, Michael J. Cullen, Rob Ciarrocchi
  • Patent number: 6910457
    Abstract: The invention relates to a method for switching off an internal combustion engine and to an internal combustion engine suitable for carrying out said method. Here, after a switching off command for an internal combustion engine, the throttle valve in the air intake system is again opened to enable a relatively large amount of fresh air to be sucked into the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine. This considerably increases the gas forces in the combustion chambers while the engine slows to a standstill, so that the internal combustion engine can be switched off in a controlled manner. At the same time, products of combustion, which may possibly still be present, are removed from the combustion chambers of the internal combustion engine. As a result, the preconditions for directly starting the internal combustion engine without a starter are created.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Klemens Grieser, Ulrich Kramer, Klaus Badke
  • Patent number: 6910455
    Abstract: A piston for use with a direct injection, spark ignition engine includes a piston body with a top face having a piston deck and a shallow bowl. Furthermore, the shallow bowl has a maximum depth that is in the range of one to five millimeters below the piston deck.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 28, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Jeffry Gerard Sczepanski, Jianwen Yi, Nizar Trigui, Zhiyu Han
  • Patent number: 6908269
    Abstract: A dynamic cargo restraint system has a stationary hook member mounted in a bezel for engagement with a second movable hook member that is stored in a second bezel. The movable hook member is attached to a cord that is engaged with a retraction mechanism housed within the corresponding wall of the cargo area to retract the cord for automatic storage when the movable hook member is not in use. The movable hook member can be threaded through the handles of grocery bags before being attached to the stationary hook member to support the grocery bags in an upright orientation. The hook members and the bezels can be formed in a variety of shapes, and are stored substantially flush with the walls of the cargo area. The stationary hook member can be pivoted within it's bezel to project outwardly therefrom for engagement with the movable hook member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Bruce Youngs, Curt Aumiller, Chelsia Ka Po Lau, Nicholas Waskul, Richard Beck
  • Patent number: 6908408
    Abstract: A multiple-speed transmission for use in an automotive vehicle driveline includes a torque converter, three simple planetary gear units, or two simple planetary gear units and a compound planetary gear unit, friction clutches and brakes, and an optional one-way coupling. The engaged and disengaged states of the friction elements permit the transmission to produce several underdrive speed ratios, a direct drive ratio, and several overdrive speed ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Albert Nielsen
  • Patent number: 6908145
    Abstract: A process or method of making a vehicle passenger compartment floor component such as a central tunnel or rocker panel. Base extrusion pieces and upper pieces are secured by a friction stir welding process to each other and to a portion of a passenger compartment floor. Upper pieces may be formed by extrusion or may be formed by a sheet forming process and secured to base extrusion pieces by means of the friction stir welding process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Armando Mateo Joaquin, Matthew John Zaluzec
  • Patent number: 6908644
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a photocurable composition that is combinable with a thermally curable clearcoat composition to form a dual curable composition that is useful for forming clearcoats with improved sag resistance. The photocurable composition of the invention includes at least one photocurable oligomer; a first photoinitiator that absorbs light in a first spectral region such that curing of the photocurable composition preferentially occurs near the surface of the of the coating; and a second photoinitiator that absorbs light in a second spectral region such that curing of the photocurable composition occurs throughout the coating. The present invention also provides a method of coating a substrate with a dual curable composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 21, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventor: Timothy P. Weingartz
  • Publication number: 20050126259
    Abstract: A method for quantifying droplet fluxes of a water mist spray uses different measuring apparatuses and compares the measurements of the two apparatuses with one another. One of the measuring apparatuses is an iso-kinetic sampling probe in which the air velocity of the portion of the water spray mist entering the probe is made equal to the air velocity of the water mist spray around the probe by connecting a source of vacuum to the probe. The drops of the spray entering the probe are prevented from passing out of the probe. The air velocity of the spray entering the probe is measured by an anemometer, the drops of the entering spray are collected in a reservoir, and the depth of water in the reservoir is measured by a differential pressure transducer. The output of the pressure transducer is sent to a computer that calculates the water collection rate based on the sectional area of the probe opening and the water collection rate in the reservoir.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Publication date: June 16, 2005
    Applicant: FM Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Benjamin Ditch, Hong-Zeng Yu
  • Patent number: 6907347
    Abstract: Systems and methods for estimating the bias and scale factor in a speed sensor and pitch sensor using a modified adaptive filter. A filter learns adaptively in a random manner to estimate the errors in the vehicle speed and pitch angle. The aiding measurements used in this approach are exemplarily DGPS travel distances. The filter adaptively estimates error source values during the availability of DGPS, and can then use these estimates to aid an INS during DGPS outages.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Faroog Abdel-Kareem Ibrahim, Thomas Edward Pilutti, Nizar Alholou
  • Patent number: 6904751
    Abstract: A system and method for controlling an internal combustion engine for low emissions include an inner feedback control loop to control the engine fuel/air ratio with feedback provided by a first exhaust gas sensor and an outer feedback control loop that modifies a reference fuel/air ratio provided to the inner feedback control loop based on feedback signals provided by a second exhaust gas sensor positioned downstream relative to a portion of the catalyst and a third exhaust gas sensor positioned downstream relative to the second exhaust gas sensor. Catalyst gains are determined by modeling the catalyst as an integrator with an unknown gain and estimating the catalyst gain based on the exhaust gas sensors with the gain used to monitor catalyst performance and/or modify the engine fuel/air ratio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Imad Hassan Makki, Gopichandra Surnilla, James Michael Kerns, Stephen B. Smith
  • Patent number: 6904762
    Abstract: A novel pump pressure limiting method for preventing coolant in a cooling system from reaching pressures that exceed predetermined system coolant pressure limits. The method includes reducing the system coolant pressure, as needed to prevent system over-pressurization, by reducing the operational speed of a coolant pump used to pump the coolant through the system. In one embodiment, the system coolant pressure is determined directly, by measurement of the pressure of the coolant in the system typically using pressure sensors. The operational speed of the coolant pump is then reduced until the system coolant pressure decreases to within the predetermined pressure limits. In another embodiment, the system pressure is determined indirectly, by obtaining pressure-indicating data such as coolant temperature. The coolant system pressure is then correlated with the coolant temperature or other data and then the operational speed of the coolant pump is reduced accordingly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: William Schwartz, Mukesh Kumar, Gene Cox
  • Patent number: 6907337
    Abstract: Hybrid vehicles and other vehicles with one or more torque producing devices operate more effectively with proper resolution of torque requests. In one aspect of the present invention, a plurality of vehicle force and torque requests are resolved at different levels depending on the vehicle architecture. In another aspect of the present invention, torque requests are resolved into base requests and fast requests depending upon response times of torque devices satisfying these requests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Anthony Mark Phillips, Johan Karl Henning Tollmen, Bengt Norén, David Karl Bidner, Fredrick Hansson, Diana Yanakiev
  • Patent number: 6904813
    Abstract: A method for monitoring torque in an electric motor is provided. First, the motor current is measured and the AC torque is determined based on the measured current. The speed of the motor and the DC motor power are then determined. The DC torque is calculated as a function of the DC motor power and the motor speed. The DC torque is then compared to the AC torque. After the AC torque is verified, it is compared to a reference torque to determine if the difference between the torques is within a torque deviation tolerance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 14, 2005
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander T. Zaremba, Miroslava Jankovic