Patents by Inventor Bruce A. Church

Bruce A. Church 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).

  • Patent number: 10344715
    Abstract: A fuel vapor control system for a vehicle includes a fuel vapor canister that traps fuel vapor from a fuel tank of the vehicle. A purge valve opens to allow fuel vapor flow to an intake system of an engine and closes to prevent fuel vapor flow to the intake system of the engine. An electrical pump pumps fuel vapor from the fuel vapor canister to the purge valve. A pressure sensor measures a pressure within a conduit at a location between the electrical pump and the purge valve. A purge control module, based on the pressure measured using the pressure sensor at the location between the electrical pump and the purge valve, controls at least one of a speed of the electrical pump and opening of the purge valve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Martino Casetti, Darrell W. Burleigh, Bruce A. Church
  • Patent number: 10197017
    Abstract: A fuel vapor system for a vehicle includes a fuel vapor canister that traps fuel vapor from a fuel tank of the vehicle. A purge valve opens to allow fuel vapor flow to an intake system of an engine and closes to prevent fuel vapor flow to the intake system of the engine. An electrical pump pumps fuel vapor from the fuel vapor canister to the purge valve. A diagnostic module (a) selectively diagnoses a fault in the fuel vapor system based on at least one of: (i) a speed of the electrical pump measured using a pump speed sensor; and (ii) a pressure at a location between the electrical pump and the purge valve, and (b) illuminates a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) within a passenger cabin of the vehicle when the fault is diagnosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 5, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Martino Casetti, Darrell W. Burleigh, Bruce A. Church
  • Publication number: 20170152813
    Abstract: A fuel vapor system for a vehicle includes a fuel vapor canister that traps fuel vapor from a fuel tank of the vehicle. A purge valve opens to allow fuel vapor flow to an intake system of an engine and closes to prevent fuel vapor flow to the intake system of the engine. An electrical pump pumps fuel vapor from the fuel vapor canister to the purge valve. A diagnostic module (a) selectively diagnoses a fault in the fuel vapor system based on at least one of: (i) a speed of the electrical pump measured using a pump speed sensor; and (ii) a pressure at a location between the electrical pump and the purge valve, and (b) illuminates a malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) within a passenger cabin of the vehicle when the fault is diagnosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Martino CASETTI, Darrell W. BURLEIGH, Bruce A. CHURCH
  • Publication number: 20170152814
    Abstract: A fuel vapor control system for a vehicle includes a fuel vapor canister that traps fuel vapor from a fuel tank of the vehicle. A purge valve opens to allow fuel vapor flow to an intake system of an engine and closes to prevent fuel vapor flow to the intake system of the engine. An electrical pump pumps fuel vapor from the fuel vapor canister to the purge valve. A pressure sensor measures a pressure within a conduit at a location between the electrical pump and the purge valve. A purge control module, based on the pressure measured using the pressure sensor at the location between the electrical pump and the purge valve, controls at least one of a speed of the electrical pump and opening of the purge valve.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 30, 2016
    Publication date: June 1, 2017
    Inventors: Martino CASETTI, Darrell W. Burleigh, Bruce A. Church
  • Patent number: 6116021
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the performance of a catalytic converter (34) computes the oxygen storage capacity and desorption capacity of a catalyst within the catalytic converter (34). An engine control unit (10) receives mass flow rate information of air from a mass air flow rate sensor (12) and an injector driver (24), and receives electrical signals from an upstream exhaust gas sensor (28) and a downstream exhaust gas sensor (30). A rate modifier is determined from excess air ratios and an adaptation parameter. The engine control unit (10) calculates normalized air fuel ratios for the exhaust gas entering and leaving the catalytic converter (34) and performs numerical integration using the rate modifier to determine the oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst in the catalytic converter (34). The calculated oxygen storage capacity of the catalyst can be compared with threshold values to determine the performance of the catalytic converter (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 1998
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2000
    Assignee: Motorola, Inc.
    Inventors: Darren Schumacher, Michael A. Badalament, Jeffrey D. Naber, Alan Chewter, Kevin J. Bush, Bruce Church, David Frankowski, David Price
  • Patent number: 5842340
    Abstract: The catalyst control method of the invention continuously estimates a level of oxygen stored by a catalyst within a catalytic converter. The estimated oxygen stored by the catalyst is compared to a predetermined threshold and positive or negative deviations in the oxygen amount from the threshold is determined. When a positive deviation from the threshold amount is detected, the air/fuel ratio flowing into an engine (16) is decreased. Correspondingly, when a negative deviation is detected, the air/fuel ratio flowing into the engine (16) is increased. The amount of oxygen stored by the catalyst is determined by analyzing signals from a first gas sensor (28) positioned upstream from a catalytic converter (34) and a second gas sensor (30) positioned downstream from the catalytic converter (34). An engine control unit (10) integrates an expression for the mass flow rate of excess oxygen into the catalytic converter (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Bush, Bruce A. Church, David Frankowski, Darren A. Schumacher, Michael Badalament
  • Patent number: 5842339
    Abstract: A method for monitoring the performance of a catalytic converter (34) computes the oxygen storage capacity and desorption capacity of a catalyst within the catalytic converter (34). An engine control unit (10) receives mass flow rate information of air from a mass air flow rate sensor (12) and an injector driver (24), and receives electrical signals from an upstream exhaust gas sensor (28) and a downstream exhaust gas sensor (30). The engine control unit (10) calculates normalized air fuel ratios for the exhaust gas entering and leaving the catalytic converter (34) and performs numerical integration to determine the oxygen storage capacity and oxygen desorption capacity of the catalyst in the catalytic converter (34). The calculated oxygen storage and desorption capacities of the catalyst are compared with threshold values to determine the performance of the catalytic converter (34).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 26, 1997
    Date of Patent: December 1, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Bush, Bruce A. Church, David Frankowski
  • Patent number: 5743244
    Abstract: A method and system for fuel delivery to an engine (400) measures when an exhaust gas sensor (413) is in a non-lit-off condition and when the exhaust gas sensor is in a lit-off condition. A control device (409) estimates fuel puddle dynamics for an intake system of the engine when the exhaust gas sensor is in the lit-off condition, and adapts (511) an open-loop fuel parameter table (229) dependent on the estimated fuel puddle dynamics. The control device (409) adjusts fuel delivery to the engine dependent on the fuel puddle dynamics when the exhaust gas sensor is in the lit-off condition, and adjusts fuel delivery to the engine dependent on the open-loop fuel parameter table (229) when the exhaust gas sensor is in the non-lit-off condition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 18, 1996
    Date of Patent: April 28, 1998
    Assignee: Motorola Inc.
    Inventors: Kevin J. Bush, Darren A. Schumacher, Bruce A. Church