Patents by Inventor Alessandro Catanese
Alessandro Catanese 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).
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Patent number: 8676471Abstract: A method is provided for determining an index representing the crank angle at which a given fuel mass fraction has been burnt in a cylinder of the engine during an engine cycle. The method includes, but is not limited to sampling the pressure within the cylinder during the engine cycle, using the pressure samples for determining the heat release rate curve during the engine cycle, using the heat release rate curve for determining the cumulative heat release curve during the engine cycle, determining a minimum value and a maximum value of the cumulative heat release curve, using the given fuel mass fraction for calculating a target value of the cumulative heat release between the minimum and maximum values, finding a goal point of the cumulative heat release curve that corresponds to the target value, assuming the crank angle corresponding to the goal point as the index.Type: GrantFiled: October 28, 2010Date of Patent: March 18, 2014Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Alessandro Catanese, Fabio Autieri, Claudio Monferrato
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Patent number: 8528521Abstract: A method for closed-loop combustion control within an internal combustion engine, that includes, but is not limited to individual calculation of actual Start of Combustion (SoC) information for all cylinders of said internal combustion engine using information from a combustion sensor applied to the engine, calculation of 50% Mass Fraction Burned (MFB50) and SoC information using cylinder pressure sensor information available from at least one leading cylinder of the engine, using pressure-based MFB50 information from the at least one leading cylinder to control it in closed loop, and using pressure-based SoC information from said at least one leading cylinder as a reference value for comparison with the combustion sensor based value of SoC from the same cylinder in order to calculate the desired SoC for the other cylinders of the engine which are then controlled relative to said at least one leading cylinder.Type: GrantFiled: September 8, 2010Date of Patent: September 10, 2013Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Gerhard Landsmann, Alessandro Catanese
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Patent number: 8375776Abstract: A method is provided for determining an in-cylinder pressure curve representative of the evolution of the pressure within a cylinder of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to setting a timeframe during the engine functioning, sampling pressure within at least two sensed cylinders of the engine, the samplings being performed during not contemporary sampling periods within the assumed timeframe, in order to acquire a partial in-cylinder pressure curve for each of the sensed cylinders, and using the partial in-cylinder pressure curves for reconstructing a whole in-cylinder pressure curve.Type: GrantFiled: October 15, 2010Date of Patent: February 19, 2013Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Manuel Tugnolo, Alessandro Catanese, Simone Barbero
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Patent number: 8374772Abstract: A method is provided for controlling an internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to the step of measuring in-cylinder pressure of an expansion phase of a combustion cycle of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine and measuring in-cylinder pressure of a compression phase of the combustion cycle of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. A difference between a polytrophic expansion phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine and a polytrophic compression phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine is then determined using the measured expansion phase pressure and the measured compression phase pressure. A misfiring of the cylinder is later detected using the determined difference.Type: GrantFiled: July 13, 2010Date of Patent: February 12, 2013Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Cristian Taibi, Alessandro Catanese, Luca Fossati
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Publication number: 20120221227Abstract: A method for operating an engine includes, but is not limited to acquiring a value of at least one engine operating parameter, using the set of values for determining a predicted value of a combustion parameter indicative of fuel combustion performance within an cylinder, using the values as input of a data-set returning as output a correlated correction value of the combustion parameter, using the correction value and the predicted value for determining an expected value of the combustion parameter, feed-forward controlling an injection of fuel into the engine cylinder targeting the expected value of the combustion parameter, measuring a value of the combustion parameter within the cylinder due to that injection of fuel, using a difference between the expected value and the measured value of the combustion parameter for correcting the correction value of the data-set that is correlated to the set of engine operating parameter values.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 15, 2012Publication date: August 30, 2012Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Vincenzo ALFIERI, Alessandro CATANESE, Raffaele SAGGESE
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Publication number: 20120095668Abstract: A method is provided for feed-forward controlling fuel injection into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine that includes, but is not limited to setting a desired value of a combustion parameter indicative of a fuel combustion within the cylinder, determining a value of one or more engine operating parameters, using the desired value of the combustion parameter and the determined values of the engine operating parameters for determining a value of a parameter of a fuel injection into the cylinder, and commanding a fuel injector associated to the cylinder to perform a fuel injection having the determined value of the fuel injection parameter.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 18, 2011Publication date: April 19, 2012Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Gerhard LANDSMANN, Alessandro CATANESE
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Patent number: 8146409Abstract: A pressure monitoring system for a combustion engine includes, but is not limited to of combustion chambers and pressure sensors associated to at least some of the combustion chambers. A multiplexer has inputs connected to at least a first one and a second one of the pressure sensors. A non-zero phase shift exists between the operating cycles of first and second ones of the combustion chambers associated to the first and second pressure sensors. A controller controls the multiplexer to output data from the first pressure sensor while the first combustion chamber is in a predetermined portion of its operating cycle and pressure data from the second pressure sensor while the second combustion chamber is in the predetermined portion of its operating cycle.Type: GrantFiled: July 22, 2008Date of Patent: April 3, 2012Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventors: Alessandro Catanese, Filippo Parisi, Eugenio Pisoni, Claudio Monferrato
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Publication number: 20110257921Abstract: An embodiment of the invention provides a method for determining the pressure offset of an in-cylinder pressure sensor of an internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of: setting a plurality of couples of instants during an engine cycle within the cylinder; acquiring the pressure measured by the in-cylinder pressure sensor in each instant of each couple of instants; calculating a plurality of pressure offset values, each of which as a function of the pressures measured in a correspondent couple of instants (?iA, ?iB); setting an admissible pressure offset range; selecting the pressure offset values that fall within the admissible pressure offset range; and, if the number of selected pressure offset values is greater than a minimum allowable limit, calculating a final pressure offset as a function of the selected pressure offset values.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 14, 2011Publication date: October 20, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLCInventors: Claudio MONFERRATO, Alessandro CATANESE
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Patent number: 8019528Abstract: A system for controlling combustion phasing in an internal combustion engine is provided that includes, but is not limited to a first sensor positioned within a first variable volume combustion chamber and a vibration sensor positioned outside of the first and second variable volume combustion chambers. A first signal from the first sensor is used to control the combustion process in the first variable volume combustion chamber and a combination of the first signal from the first sensor and the second signal from the vibration sensor is used to control the combustion process in the at least one second variable volume combustion chamber.Type: GrantFiled: January 12, 2009Date of Patent: September 13, 2011Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLCInventor: Alessandro Catanese
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Publication number: 20110125388Abstract: A method is provided for determining an index representing the crank angle at which a given fuel mass fraction has been burnt in a cylinder of the engine during an engine cycle. The method includes, but is not limited to sampling the pressure within the cylinder during the engine cycle, using the pressure samples for determining the heat release rate curve during the engine cycle, using the heat release rate curve for determining the cumulative heat release curve during the engine cycle, determining a minimum value and a maximum value of thee cumulative heat release curve, using the given fuel mass fraction for calculating a target value of the cumulative heat release between the minimum and maximum values, finding a goal point of the cumulative heat release curve that corresponds to the target value, assuming the crank angle corresponding to the goal point as the index.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 28, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Alessandro CATANESE, Fabio AUTIERI, Claudio MONFERRATO
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Publication number: 20110125427Abstract: A method is provided for estimating a pressure in an exhaust manifold of an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber with an associated exhaust valve, the method includes, but is not limited to acquiring pressure values within the combustion chamber during an acquisition period (AP) chosen within the time interval when the exhaust valve is open, and averaging the pressure values to obtain a single pressure value which is representative for the pressure in the exhaust manifold.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2010Publication date: May 26, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Manuel TUGNOLO, Alessandro CATANESE, Simone BARBERO
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Publication number: 20110088459Abstract: A method is provided for determining an in-cylinder pressure curve representative of the evolution of the pressure within a cylinder of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to setting a timeframe during the engine functioning, sampling pressure within at least two sensed cylinders of the engine, the samplings being performed during not contemporary sampling periods within the assumed timeframe, in order to acquire a partial in-cylinder pressure curve for each of said sensed cylinders, and using said partial in-cylinder pressure curves for reconstructing a whole in-cylinder pressure curve.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 15, 2010Publication date: April 21, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Manuel TUGNOLO, Alessandro CATANESE, Simone BARBERO
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Publication number: 20110083642Abstract: A method for closed-loop combustion control within an internal combustion engine, that includes, but is not limited to individual calculation of actual Start of Combustion (SoC) information for all cylinders of said internal combustion engine using information from a combustion sensor applied to the engine, calculation of 50% Mass Fraction Burned (MFB50) and SoC information using cylinder pressure sensor information available from at least one leading cylinder of the engine, using pressure-based MFB50 information from the at least one leading cylinder to control it in closed loop, and using pressure-based SoC information from said at least one leading cylinder as a reference value for comparison with the combustion sensor based value of SoC from the same cylinder in order to calculate the desired SoC for the other cylinders of the engine which are then controlled relative to said at least one leading cylinder.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 8, 2010Publication date: April 14, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Gerhard LANDSMANN, Alessandro CATANESE
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Publication number: 20110040475Abstract: A method is provided for controlling an internal combustion engine. The method includes, but is not limited to the step of measuring in-cylinder pressure of an expansion phase of a combustion cycle of a cylinder of the internal combustion engine and measuring in-cylinder pressure of a compression phase of the combustion cycle of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine. A difference between a polytrophic expansion phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine and a polytrophic compression phase constant of the cylinder of the internal combustion engine is then determined using the measured expansion phase pressure and the measured compression phase pressure. A misfiring of the cylinder is later detected using the determined difference.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 13, 2010Publication date: February 17, 2011Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Cristian Taibi, Alessandro Catanese, Luca Fossati
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Publication number: 20090204313Abstract: A system for controlling combustion phasing in an internal combustion engine is provided that includes, but is not limited to a first sensor positioned within a first variable volume combustion chamber and a vibration sensor positioned outside of the first and second variable volume combustion chambers. A first signal from the first sensor is used to control the combustion process in the first variable volume combustion chamber and a combination of the first signal from the first sensor and the second signal from the vibration sensor is used to control the combustion process in the at least one second variable volume combustion chamber.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 12, 2009Publication date: August 13, 2009Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventor: Alessandro Catanese
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Publication number: 20090038385Abstract: A pressure monitoring system for a combustion engine includes, but is not limited to of combustion chambers and pressure sensors associated to at least some of the combustion chambers. A multiplexer has inputs connected to at least a first one and a second one of the pressure sensors. A non-zero phase shift exists between the operating cycles of first and second ones of the combustion chambers associated to the first and second pressure sensors. A controller controls the multiplexer to output data from the first pressure sensor while the first combustion chamber is in a predetermined portion of its operating cycle and pressure data from the second pressure sensor while the second combustion chamber is in the predetermined portion of its operating cycle.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 22, 2008Publication date: February 12, 2009Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.Inventors: Alessandro CATANESE, Filippo PARISI, Eugenio PISONI, Claudio MONFERRATO