Patents by Inventor Gopichandra Surnilla

Gopichandra Surnilla 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: 10718289
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for operating a high pressure injection pump to provide each of high fixed fuel pressure at a port injection fuel rail and high variable fuel pressure at a direct injection fuel rail. Port injection fuel rail pressure can be raised above a pressure provided with a lift pump via a fuel system configuration that includes various check valves, pressure relief valves, and a spill valve positioned between an inlet of the high pressure injection pump and the port injection fuel rail. High pressure port injection may be advantageously used to provide fuel at high pressure during conditions when fuel delivery via high pressure direct injection is limited.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 7, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 21, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Joseph F. Basmaji, Mark Meinhart, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Publication number: 20200228950
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a controller, programmed to, send a vehicle status report reflecting current status of the vehicle to a server; responsive to receiving a connection message from the server indicative of a predicted data transaction, wirelessly connect to a fleet vehicle using the connection message; and transmit a data block defined in the connection message to the fleet vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Karl Nathan CLARK, Gopichandra SURNILLA, Julius Thomas CROUCH, II, Vijayababu JAYARAMAN
  • Patent number: 10711672
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling and coordinating control of a post-catalyst exhaust throttle and an EGR valve to expedite catalyst heating. By closing both valves during an engine cold start, an elevated exhaust backpressure and increased heat rejection at an EGR cooler can be synergistically used to warm each of an engine and an exhaust catalyst. The valves may also be controlled to vary an amount of exhaust flowing through an exhaust venturi so as to meet engine vacuum needs while providing a desired amount of engine EGR.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: July 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Norman Ulrey, William Charles Ruona, Thomas G. Leone, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10690070
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for tracking a fuel puddle mass in the intake port of a deactivated engine cylinder. The difference in fuel evaporation rate in the deactivated cylinder intake is accounted for by applying distinct time constant and gain values to a transient fuel compensation model. A fuel vapor content is clipped once the intake vapor pressure in the intake port of the deactivated cylinder reaches a saturation pressure limit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 23, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Adithya Pravarun Re Ranga, Amey Karnik, Pravin Sashidharan, Gopichandra Surnilla, Michael Howard Shelby, Eric Storhok
  • Publication number: 20200191083
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for a battery supplying power to an exhaust oxygen sensor heater. In one example, a method may include estimating a power delivered to the heater during heating of the sensor and in response to a power delivered from a battery being lower than a threshold, adjusting a battery charging strategy prior to an immediately subsequent engine start.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 18, 2018
    Publication date: June 18, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher Paul Glugla, Kenneth Ellison, Hao Zhang, John Roth, Gopichandra Surnilla, John Virga, Richard E. Soltis
  • Patent number: 10648413
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for determining a dilution of recirculated gases, including blowthrough air, combusted exhaust gas, and fuel vapor, in a split exhaust engine. In one example, the dilution rate may be calculated using a steady state model based on temperature measurements from an intake region of the engine. The steady state model may be further used in combination with a feedforward model adapted to estimate engine dilution during engine transients as a correction factor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 20, 2018
    Date of Patent: May 12, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Daniel Madison, Joseph Ulrey, Gopichandra Surnilla, Mohannad Hakeem, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Publication number: 20200122534
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for warming vehicle tires prior to a vehicle launch event. In one example, a method may include, in response to an initiation of a burn out event while locking non-driven wheel brakes, adjusting a spinning of driven wheels based on vehicle performance parameters measured during a previous vehicle launch. In this way, a vehicle controller may control the tire warming to increase tire traction while reducing tire wear.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 18, 2018
    Publication date: April 23, 2020
    Inventors: Christopher Paul Glugla, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10626816
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for compression heating of air. In one example, a method may include, during an engine start and prior to a first combustion event, deactivating cylinder exhaust valves while spinning the engine electrically and unfueled until a threshold intake air temperature is reached, and alternately activating and deactivating the exhaust valves of one or more cylinders to maintain the intake air temperature above the threshold temperature after the first combustion event. In this way, a temperature of an air charge may be increased, resulting in increased fuel economy and decreased vehicle emissions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2018
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Publication number: 20200116099
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improved injector balancing. In one example, fuel rail pressure samples collected during a noisy zone of injector operation are discarded while samples collected during a quiet zone are averaged to determine an injector pressure. The injector pressure is then used to infer injection volume, injector error, and update an injector transfer function.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Publication date: April 16, 2020
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • Patent number: 10620154
    Abstract: Various methods are provided for compensating changes in the relation between impedance setpoint and operating temperature in an oxygen sensor. In one embodiment, a method of operating an oxygen sensor comprises adjusting an impedance setpoint based on a change in dry air pumping current of the oxygen sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 14, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Richard E. Soltis, Daniel A. Makled
  • Patent number: 10605184
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting a throttle based on an intake oxygen sensor output. In one example, a method may include adjusting a position of a throttle based on a dilution threshold and a total aircharge dilution level, the total dilution aircharge level based on an output of an intake oxygen sensor. Additionally, spark timing may be adjusted based on the total aircharge dilution level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 15, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Michael Howard Shelby, James Alfred Hilditch, Jason Williams
  • Patent number: 10605192
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, operation of a port fuel injector is deactivated in response to an indication of reduced performance of a direct fuel injector so that degradation of the direct fuel injector may be reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 31, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Paul Hollar, Xiaoying Zhang, Gopichandra Surnilla, Stephen George Russ
  • Publication number: 20200086714
    Abstract: Methods and system for providing heat to a vehicle are presented. In one example, a refrigerant loop is operated to heat a passenger cabin via heat generated by a compressor and heat generated by a resistive heating element. The heat that is generated by the compressor and the heat that is generated by the resistive heating element is transferred to a refrigerant before it is transferred to the passenger cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 14, 2018
    Publication date: March 19, 2020
    Inventors: Debasish Dhar, Gopichandra Surnilla, Ross Pursifull, Brad Alan VanDerWege
  • Patent number: 10583710
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving operation of a vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. In one example, a method may include calibrating a vehicle humidity sensor position inside a cabin of the vehicle by obtaining one or more humidity measurements with one or more personal computing devices positioned inside the cabin, and may further include adjusting operation of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system responsive to the calibration. In this way, an interior humidity sensor of a vehicle may be regularly calibrated, which may improve operation of the vehicle heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, and may further increase fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 5, 2017
    Date of Patent: March 10, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael McQuillen, Daniel A. Makled, Gopichandra Surnilla, Richard E. Soltis, Radhakrishnan Swaminathan
  • Patent number: 10582351
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a controller that is configured to establish a first and second cellular connection, transfer vehicle diagnostic data over the first cellular connection, and transfer entertainment data over the second cellular connection. The first cellular connection may be according to a first cellular standard based on a vehicle Subscriber Identification Module (SIM) profile, and the second cellular connection may be according to a second cellular standard, different than the first, based on a personal SIM profile received from a cellular device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2018
    Date of Patent: March 3, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Karuna Devi Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10570872
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for improving the operating range of an electric vehicle having an engine wherein waste heat generated during motor operation is transferred to pre-heat the engine. Engine starting is predicted based on the electrical torque demand of the vehicle relative to the actual and predicted electrical energy consumption of the electric vehicle. Prior to starting the engine to charge a battery of the motor, various engine components are pre-heated in an order that improves vehicle range while also optimizing fuel economy.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Kenneth Miller, Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Thomas Leone, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10550783
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for adjusting engine cranking speed, fueling, and spark initiation to increase fuel vaporization during cold-start conditions. In one example, a method may include, during engine cold-start, cranking the engine at a lower speed relative to a nominal cranking speed while injecting fuel and disabling spark for a number of engine cycles, and after the completion of the number of engine cycle increasing the cranking speed and initiating spark.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 17, 2017
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gary Alan Coulson, Steven Wooldridge, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Patent number: 10539482
    Abstract: The present description relates generally to methods and systems for detecting thermal aging and blackening in oxygen sensors. Thermal aging and blackening effects may be differentiated based on a monitored change in impedance in each of a pump cell and a Nernst cell of the oxygen sensor following application of an alternating voltage. In response to detection of thermal aging and/or blackening in the oxygen sensor corrective measures may be taken to ensure accurate oxygen estimation using the sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 21, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael McQuillen, Gopichandra Surnilla, Richard E. Soltis, Daniel A. Makled, John Joseph Virga
  • Patent number: 10528850
    Abstract: Method, apparatus and computer readable media are disclosed for object classification adjustment based on vehicle communication. An example vehicle includes a camera to detect an object and an object classifier. The example object classifier is to determine first classification data for the object. The first classification data includes a classification confidence of the object. Also, the example object classifier is to associate second classification data for the object with the first classification data. The second classification data is collected from a second vehicle. Additionally, the example object classifier is to adjust the classification confidence of the object based on the second classification data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 2, 2016
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Stephen B. Smith, Daniel A. Makled, Michael Mcquillen
  • Patent number: 10525845
    Abstract: Method and apparatus are disclosed for electric vehicle charging station parking spot monitoring system. An example electric vehicle charging station includes a communication module, sensors, and a charge controller. The communication module communicatively couples to a vehicle parked in a parking spot associated with the charging station. The sensors monitor the parking spot. The charge controller receives identifying information and battery information from the vehicle parked in the parking spot, and when the vehicle is not eligible for charging, sends the identifying information of the vehicle to a parking enforcement authority.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2017
    Date of Patent: January 7, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Gopichandra Surnilla, Daniel A. Makled, Mohannad Hakeem, Michael McQuillen