Patents by Inventor Gopichandra Sumilla

Gopichandra Sumilla 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: 10900405
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting operation of a split exhaust engine system based on a total flow of gases through a scavenge exhaust gas recirculation system of the split exhaust engine system. In one example, a method may include adjusting engine operation in response to a flow of gases to an intake passage, upstream of a compressor, from a scavenge manifold coupled to scavenge exhaust valves, the flow of gases determined based on a valve opening overlap between the scavenge exhaust valves and intake valves of an engine, the scavenge exhaust valves opened at a different time than blowdown exhaust valves coupled to a blowdown manifold coupled to a turbine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 26, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Mohannad Hakeem, Timothy Clark, Daniel Madison, Gopichandra Sumilla, Ashley Wiese, Joseph Norman Ulrey
  • Patent number: 10876484
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for accurately estimating intake aircharge based on the output of an intake oxygen sensor while flowing EGR, purge, or PCV hydrocarbons to the engine. The unadjusted aircharge estimate is used for engine fuel control while the hydrocarbon adjusted aircharge estimate is used for engine torque control. A controller is configured to sample the oxygen sensor at even increments in a time domain, stamp the sampled data in a crank angle domain, store the sampled data in a buffer, and then select one or more data samples corresponding to a last firing period from the buffer for estimating the intake aircharge.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 3, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 29, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, James Alfred Hilditch, Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Michael McQuillen, Martin Brown, Imtiaz Ali, Naginder Gogna
  • Publication number: 20170204800
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for leveraging the pressure dependency of an oxygen sensor for estimating an engine ambient pressure. An intake or exhaust oxygen sensor is used for ambient pressure estimation by applying a reference voltage to the sensor while the engine is being pulled-down in a hybrid vehicle, and correcting an output of the sensor for dilution effects due to ambient humidity. The estimated ambient pressure is used to correct or confirm pressure estimated by other sources, such as other pressure sensors or a pressure model, as well as to tune the performance of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 15, 2016
    Publication date: July 20, 2017
    Inventors: Daniel A. Makled, Michael McQuillen, Gopichandra Sumilla, Richard E. Soltis
  • Patent number: 8210292
    Abstract: As one example, a vehicle propulsion system is provided. The system includes: an engine with an intake air compressor and an exhaust gas turbine. Further, a control is provided to operate the compressor at a different speed than the turbine, at least under an operating condition, and to adjust an amount of opening overlap between engine valves in response to a rotational speed of the compressor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2010
    Date of Patent: July 3, 2012
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: John D. Russell, Gopichandra Sumilla
  • Patent number: 7104045
    Abstract: In an apparatus having a combustion engine and an emissions system including a catalytic converter and a metal oxide catalyst disposed downstream of the catalytic converter, a method of controlling a chemical transformation of hydrogen sulfide in an emissions stream to a less-noxious sulfur-containing compound is disclosed. The method includes reacting the hydrogen sulfide with the metal oxide catalyst to form a metal sulfide, monitoring a saturation of the metal oxide catalyst with the metal sulfide, and when a predetermined saturation of metal sulfide on the metal oxide is reached, changing an air/fuel ratio supplied to the combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Date of Patent: September 12, 2006
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Shane Elwart, Gopichandra Sumilla, Joseph R. Theis
  • Patent number: 7073494
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael John Cullen, Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian T. Goralski, Jr.
  • Patent number: 7073322
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: July 11, 2006
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian T. Goralski, Jr., Stephen B. Smith
  • Patent number: 7000602
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Date of Patent: February 21, 2006
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael John Cullen, Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian T. Goralski, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6990799
    Abstract: An engine diagnostic system for use with an internal combustion engine coupled to a lean NOx trap with a sensor coupled downstream of the trap. The sensor provides two output signals, one indicative of an air-fuel ratio and the second indicative of a NOx concentration. Construction of the sensor insists that proper indication of NOx concentration is dependent upon proper operation of the first output signal. Degradation of the NOx concentration signal is determined when the first output signal has degraded.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 31, 2006
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: David Karl Bidner, Gopichandra Sumilla
  • Publication number: 20050193986
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Michael Cullen, Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian Goralski
  • Publication number: 20050193997
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Michael Cullen, Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian Goralski,
  • Publication number: 20050193719
    Abstract: Various systems and methods are disclosed for carrying out combustion in a fuel-cut operation in some or all of the engine cylinders of a vehicle. Further, various subsystems are considered, such as fuel vapor purging, air-fuel ratio control, engine torque control, catalyst design, and exhaust system design.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 5, 2004
    Publication date: September 8, 2005
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, Christian Goralski, Stephen Smith
  • Publication number: 20050160720
    Abstract: In an apparatus having a combustion engine and an emissions system including a catalytic converter and a metal oxide catalyst disposed downstream of the catalytic converter, a method of controlling a chemical transformation of hydrogen sulfide in an emissions stream to a less-noxious sulfur-containing compound is disclosed. The method includes reacting the hydrogen sulfide with the metal oxide catalyst to form a metal sulfide, monitoring a saturation of the metal oxide catalyst with the metal sulfide, and when a predetermined saturation of metal sulfide on the metal oxide is reached, changing an air/fuel ratio supplied to the combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2004
    Publication date: July 28, 2005
    Inventors: Shane Elwart, Gopichandra Sumilla, Joseph Theis
  • Patent number: 6735937
    Abstract: A control method for an internal combustion engine has multiple cylinder groups with at least one control device positioned between an intake manifold and a cylinder group. The engine operates the cylinder groups at different air/fuel ratio and uses the control device to balance torque produced by the different cylinder groups. In one aspect of the invention, one cylinder group is operated rich and another cylinder group is operated lean thereby providing heat to an exhaust system located downstream of the engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 18, 2004
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, Jing Sun, David George Farmer, Ilya V. Kolmanovsky
  • Publication number: 20020189234
    Abstract: An engine control system for managing lean NOx trap decontamination uses associated fuel economy impacts to determine when decontamination is enabled. In particular, a maximum achievable benefit provided by lean operation with a decontaminated NOx trap, a present fuel economy benefit being provided by lean operation, and a fuel economy penalty for performing decontamination are used. When a resulting benefit is greater than a penalty, decontamination is enabled.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 6, 2002
    Publication date: December 19, 2002
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, David Karl Bidner
  • Patent number: 6467442
    Abstract: A method for controlling mode transitions, such as from stratified to homogeneous mode, in a direct injection engine adjusts an intake manifold outlet control device, such as a cam timing, to rapidly control cylinder fresh charge despite manifold dynamics. In addition, a coordinated change between an intake manifold inlet control device, for example a throttle, and the outlet control device is used to achieve the rapid cylinder fresh charge control. In this way, engine torque disturbances during the mode transition are eliminated, even when cylinder air/fuel ratio is changed from one cylinder event to the next.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2002
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: John David Russell, Gopichandra Sumilla, Stephen Lee Cooper
  • Patent number: 6425373
    Abstract: A system and method for determining control parameters for an engine include modifying a first engine torque based on estimated losses associated with a previously determined desired engine load to determine a second engine torque, modifying the second engine torque based on a desired ignition angle and air/fuel ratio to determine a third engine torque, determining a desired engine load based on the third engine torque, and converting the desired engine load to at least one engine control parameter. The invention recognizes that the transformation between torque and airflow is an affine transformation rather than a linear transformation. The present invention also recognizes the significant interrelations between various engine control parameters such as air/fuel ratio and ignition timing by determining control parameters after the desired torque has been fully compensated for losses and using a single function to account for air/fuel ratio and ignition angle excursions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 4, 1999
    Date of Patent: July 30, 2002
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Jerry Dean Robichaux, Gopichandra Sumilla, Tobias John Pallett
  • Publication number: 20020038541
    Abstract: A control method for an internal combustion engine has multiple cylinder groups with at least one control device positioned between an intake manifold and a cylinder group. The engine operates the cylinder groups at different air/fuel ratios and uses the control device to balance torque produced by the different cylinder groups. In one aspect of the invention, one cylinder group is operated rich and another cylinder group is operated lean thereby providing heat the an exhaust system located downstream of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2001
    Publication date: April 4, 2002
    Inventors: Gopichandra Sumilla, Jing Sun, David George Farmer, Ilya V. Kolmanovsky
  • Patent number: 6363715
    Abstract: An air/fuel control method for an engine including a NOx sensor in operative relationship to a catalytic converter. The method comprises the steps of providing a base fuel signal related to a quantity of air inducted into the engine and generating a bias signal for biasing the base fuel signal towards a leaner air/fuel ratio. The output of the NOx sensor is monitored to detect a predetermined exhaust gas NOx value representing a predefined NOx conversion efficiency. The base fuel signal is then modified as a function of the bias signal corresponding to the predetermined exhaust gas NOx value to maintain the catalytic converter within a desired efficiency range. In one aspect of the invention, the process of detecting the edge of the NOx conversion efficiency window is executed at predetermined time periods measured by the distance the vehicle traveled, or the elapsed time since last base fuel value modification.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 2, 2002
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: David Karl Bidner, Gopichandra Sumilla, Imad Hassan Makki, James Michael Kerns, Stephen B. Smith
  • Publication number: 20020007628
    Abstract: An engine diagnostic system for use with an internal combustion engine coupled to a lean NOx trap with a sensor coupled downstream of the trap. The sensor provides two output signals, one indicative of an air-fuel ratio and the second indicative of a NOx concentration. Construction of the sensor insists that proper indication of NOx concentration is dependent upon proper operation of the first output signal. Degradation of the NOx concentration signal is determined when the first output signal has degraded.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 25, 2001
    Publication date: January 24, 2002
    Inventors: David Karl Bidner, Gopichandra Sumilla