Patents by Inventor David Bilby
David Bilby 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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Publication number: 20260081268Abstract: A battery includes a battery cell having an optical window configured to allow external optical spectroscopy of internals of the battery cell. The window includes an aperture formed in a housing of the battery cell, and a layer of material spanning the aperture.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 16, 2024Publication date: March 19, 2026Inventors: Nathan KEMPEMA, David BILBY, Elham HONARVARFARD, Ann Marie STRACCIA
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Publication number: 20250372739Abstract: A method of extracting lithium from black mass produced by battery recycling includes analyzing the black mass to determine a type of lithium entrapment, quantifying a carbon content of the black mass, adding oxidizing or reducing reagents based on the type of lithium entrapment, monitoring completion of oxidation or reduction with at least one oxygen sensor providing a delta lambda value, and extracting lithium from the black mass with a solvent.Type: ApplicationFiled: May 30, 2024Publication date: December 4, 2025Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Eva Thanasiu, Renata Michaela Arsenault, Jacqueline A. Lymburner, Mark John Jagner, David Bilby, Andrew Gregory Getsoian, Giovanni Cavataio, Christine Kay Lambert
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Patent number: 12405312Abstract: A system, such as an electrified vehicle, includes a battery, such as a traction battery. The controller controls the battery based on adaptive sampled electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements of the battery. The controller may perform the adaptive sampled EIS measurements. The controller may use the adaptive sampled EIS measurements to identify values of parameters of a model, such as an equivalent circuit model (ECM), of the battery. The controller may use the model, with the identified values of the parameters, to detect an internal state of the battery whereby the controller detects the internal state of the battery based on the adaptive sampled EIS measurements.Type: GrantFiled: September 26, 2023Date of Patent: September 2, 2025Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: Nathan Kempema, David Bilby
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Patent number: 12384273Abstract: A traction battery controller of an electrified vehicle controls the traction battery based in part on a value of a non-linear circuit element of a model of the traction battery in which the value of the non-linear circuit element is estimated in part on distribution of relaxation time (DRT) information of measured impedance data of the traction battery.Type: GrantFiled: March 15, 2023Date of Patent: August 12, 2025Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLCInventors: David Bilby, Nathan Kempema
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Publication number: 20250206184Abstract: An electrified vehicle (EV) includes a battery pack, one or more sensors, and a vehicle controller. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells and is operable to provide at least a portion of propulsion power. The vehicle controller is configured to charge and discharge the battery pack according to power limits defined by output of a battery impedance model. The battery impedance model associates battery impedance values with frequency-dependent polarization impedance values representing diffusion states of the battery cells, and receives measured parameters from the one or more sensors indicative of the frequency-dependent polarization impedance values of the battery pack.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 21, 2023Publication date: June 26, 2025Inventors: David Bilby, Nathan Kempema, Richard Dyche Anderson
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Publication number: 20250102586Abstract: A system, such as an electrified vehicle, includes a battery, such as a traction battery. The controller controls the battery based on adaptive sampled electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements of the battery. The controller may perform the adaptive sampled EIS measurements. The controller may use the adaptive sampled EIS measurements to identify values of parameters of a model, such as an equivalent circuit model (ECM), of the battery. The controller may use the model, with the identified values of the parameters, to detect an internal state of the battery whereby the controller detects the internal state of the battery based on the adaptive sampled EIS measurements.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: March 27, 2025Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Nathan Kempema, David Bilby
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Patent number: 12259357Abstract: An automotive exhaust gas sensor includes a gas chamber, an ultraviolet light source configured to emit ultraviolet light into the gas chamber and to photolyze an exhaust gas sample in the gas chamber, and an electrochemical detector disposed in the gas chamber and configured to detect a specified chemical in the photolyzed exhaust gas sample.Type: GrantFiled: April 20, 2022Date of Patent: March 25, 2025Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: David Bilby, Reinoud Felix Wolffenbuttel
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Patent number: 12222272Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a particulate matter sensor. In one example, the particulate matter sensor may include a light source, a waveguide aligned with the light source to receive incident light from the light source, and a photodetector positioned to receive light the incident light from the waveguide. The incident light may be reflected off a reflective surface of the waveguide more than one time to generate a plurality of evanescent waves. The plurality of evanescent waves may interact with particulate matter in exhaust gas, causing the incident light to be attenuated.Type: GrantFiled: March 3, 2022Date of Patent: February 11, 2025Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Nathan Kempema, David Bilby
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Publication number: 20240308388Abstract: A traction battery controller of an electrified vehicle controls the traction battery based in part on a value of a non-linear circuit element of a model of the traction battery in which the value of the non-linear circuit element is estimated in part on distribution of relaxation time (DRT) information of measured impedance data of the traction battery.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 15, 2023Publication date: September 19, 2024Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: David Bilby, Nathan Kempema
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Patent number: 11933721Abstract: A method for spectroscopically detecting a chemical in a gas sample includes illuminating the gas sample with ultraviolet light and photolyzing a first chemical in the gas sample to generate a photolyzed gas sample and spectroscopically detecting a second chemical in the photolyzed gas sample. The second chemical has an optical absorption range within a respective optical absorption range of the first chemical.Type: GrantFiled: April 22, 2022Date of Patent: March 19, 2024Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Reinoud Wolffenbuttel, David Bilby, Nathan Kempema, Jacobus Hendrik Visser
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Publication number: 20230341319Abstract: A method for spectroscopically detecting a chemical in a gas sample includes illuminating the gas sample with ultraviolet light and photolyzing a first chemical in the gas sample to generate a photolyzed gas sample and spectroscopically detecting a second chemical in the photolyzed gas sample. The second chemical has an optical absorption range within a respective optical absorption range of the first chemical.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 22, 2022Publication date: October 26, 2023Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Reinoud Wolffenbuttel, David Bilby, Nathan Kempema, Jacobus Hendrik Visser
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Publication number: 20230341352Abstract: An automotive exhaust gas sensor includes a gas chamber, an ultraviolet light source configured to emit ultraviolet light into the gas chamber and to photolyze an exhaust gas sample in the gas chamber, and an electrochemical detector disposed in the gas chamber and configured to detect a specified chemical in the photolyzed exhaust gas sample.Type: ApplicationFiled: April 20, 2022Publication date: October 26, 2023Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: David Bilby, Reinoud Felix Wolffenbuttel
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Publication number: 20230280258Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a particulate matter sensor. In one example, the particulate matter sensor may include a light source, a waveguide aligned with the light source to receive incident light from the light source, and a photodetector positioned to receive light the incident light from the waveguide. The incident light may be reflected off a reflective surface of the waveguide more than one time to generate a plurality of evanescent waves. The plurality of evanescent waves may interact with particulate matter in exhaust gas, causing the incident light to be attenuated.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 3, 2022Publication date: September 7, 2023Inventors: Nathan Kempema, David Bilby
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Patent number: 10871118Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for an oxygen sensor heater. In one example, a method may include applying a less than maximum duty cycle of voltage to the oxygen sensor heater during an engine cold start (e.g., when a temperature of the oxygen sensor is less than its light-off temperature) and adjusting the applied duty cycle of voltage to maintain a constant amount of power. In this way, the oxygen sensor may be heated at a constant rate even as a resistance of the oxygen sensor heater increases, decreasing an amount of time before the oxygen sensor reaches its light-off temperature.Type: GrantFiled: November 13, 2017Date of Patent: December 22, 2020Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Hao Zhang, Richard E. Soltis, William Russell Goodwin, Robert F. Novak, David Bilby, Evangelos P. Skoures
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Patent number: 10309944Abstract: Particulate matter (PM) sensors and diagnostics performed using the PM sensors are disclosed. The PM sensors and diagnostics may be used in exhaust systems, such as vehicle exhaust systems, to detect soot. In at least one embodiment, an electrostatic particulate matter (PM) sensor is provided including first and second spaced apart electrodes forming a bulk gap therebetween having a bulk distance and a localized gap therebetween having a localized distance less than the bulk distance. A controller may be configured to control a voltage between the electrodes to induce an electrostatic discharge at the localized gap at a lower voltage than at the bulk gap. Various diagnostics may be performed using the disclosed PM sensors, including a wiring/continuity diagnostic, a soot detection plausibility diagnostic, and/or an installation diagnostic.Type: GrantFiled: September 6, 2016Date of Patent: June 4, 2019Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventors: Michael Brendan Hopka, David John Kubinski, David Bilby, Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt
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Publication number: 20190145333Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for an oxygen sensor heater. In one example, a method may include applying a less than maximum duty cycle of voltage to the oxygen sensor heater during an engine cold start (e.g., when a temperature of the oxygen sensor is less than its light-off temperature) and adjusting the applied duty cycle of voltage to maintain a constant amount of power. In this way, the oxygen sensor may be heated at a constant rate even as a resistance of the oxygen sensor heater increases, decreasing an amount of time before the oxygen sensor reaches its light-off temperature.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 13, 2017Publication date: May 16, 2019Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Hao Zhang, Richard E. Soltis, William Russell Goodwin, Robert F. Novak, David Bilby, Evangelos P. Skoures
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Patent number: 9951672Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for sensing particulate matter by a particulate matter sensor positioned downstream of a diesel particulate filter in an exhaust system. In one example, a method may include accumulating incoming particulate matter by applying a higher bias to a first trap of the particulate matter sensor, and further charging the particulate matter and forming highly charged dendrites. The method further includes capturing the dendrites exiting the first trap by applying a lower bias to a second trap also housed within the same particulate matter sensor, thereby reducing the effects of exhaust flow rate on the particulate matter sensor and further increasing the sensitivity of the particulate matter sensor.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2015Date of Patent: April 24, 2018Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLCInventor: David Bilby
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Publication number: 20180067090Abstract: Particulate matter (PM) sensors and diagnostics performed using the PM sensors are disclosed. The PM sensors and diagnostics may be used in exhaust systems, such as vehicle exhaust systems, to detect soot. In at least one embodiment, an electrostatic particulate matter (PM) sensor is provided including first and second spaced apart electrodes forming a bulk gap therebetween having a bulk distance and a localized gap therebetween having a localized distance less than the bulk distance. A controller may be configured to control a voltage between the electrodes to induce an electrostatic discharge at the localized gap at a lower voltage than at the bulk gap. Various diagnostics may be performed using the disclosed PM sensors, including a wiring/continuity diagnostic, a soot detection plausibility diagnostic, and/or an installation diagnostic.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 6, 2016Publication date: March 8, 2018Inventors: Michael Brendan HOPKA, David John KUBINSKI, David BILBY, Michiel J. VAN NIEUWSTADT
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Publication number: 20170130636Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for sensing particulate matter by a particulate matter sensor positioned downstream of a diesel particulate filter in an exhaust system. In one example, a method may include accumulating incoming particulate matter by applying a higher bias to a first trap of the particulate matter sensor, and further charging the particulate matter and forming highly charged dendrites. The method further includes capturing the dendrites exiting the first trap by applying a lower bias to a second trap also housed within the same particulate matter sensor, thereby reducing the effects of exhaust flow rate on the particulate matter sensor and further increasing the sensitivity of the particulate matter sensor.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2015Publication date: May 11, 2017Inventor: David Bilby