Patents by Inventor James A. Goodall

James A. Goodall 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: 11542884
    Abstract: A system and method of providing real-time calculation of heat flow in an engine. A piston is disposed in a cylinder of an engine block and movable relative to the cylinder in response to combustion inside the cylinder. A temperature of the combustion inside the cylinder, an average temperature of the wall of the cylinder, and a surface area of the wall of the cylinder based on timing of combustion are determined. An estimated temperature of the piston is derived from calculating a heat fraction to the piston in real-time, via a controller, based on the determined temperature of the combustion, the determined average temperature of the wall of the cylinder, and the determined surface area of the wall of the cylinder. A state of the engine is controlled based on the estimated temperature of the piston as derived from the real-time calculation of the heat fraction to the piston.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2023
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: James A. Goodall, Vignesh Vivek
  • Publication number: 20210189993
    Abstract: A system and method of providing real-time calculation of heat flow in an engine. A piston is disposed in a cylinder of an engine block and movable relative to the cylinder in response to combustion inside the cylinder. A temperature of the combustion inside the cylinder, an average temperature of the wall of the cylinder, and a surface area of the wall of the cylinder based on timing of combustion are determined. An estimated temperature of the piston is derived from calculating a heat fraction to the piston in real-time, via a controller, based on the determined temperature of the combustion, the determined average temperature of the wall of the cylinder, and the determined surface area of the wall of the cylinder. A state of the engine is controlled based on the estimated temperature of the piston as derived from the real-time calculation of the heat fraction to the piston.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 23, 2019
    Publication date: June 24, 2021
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: James A. Goodall, Vignesh Vivek
  • Patent number: 9534543
    Abstract: A system including a DFCO module. The DFCO module is configured to operate in a DFCO mode to deactivate fuel to a cylinder of an engine. A first flow rate module is configured to determine a reaction gas flow rate. An offset module is configured to determine a temperature offset value based on the reaction gas flow rate. A first temperature module is configured to estimate a first temperature of a catalyst of an exhaust system of the engine. A summer is configured to sum the temperature offset value and the first temperature to generate a summation value. A second temperature module configured to estimate a second temperature of the catalyst based on the summation value. A comparison module is configured to perform a first comparison between the second temperature and a threshold and generate an inhibit signal to inhibit operation in the DFCO mode based on the first comparison.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2014
    Date of Patent: January 3, 2017
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventor: James A. Goodall
  • Patent number: 9416741
    Abstract: An output pressure module that sets an output pressure of a first component of an exhaust system of the vehicle equal to one of: an input pressure of a second component that is immediately downstream of the first component in the exhaust system; and ambient air pressure. A pressure drop module determines a pressure drop between an input of the first component and an output of the first component based a temperature of exhaust input to the first component. An input pressure module determines an input pressure of the first component based on a sum of the output pressure of the first component and the pressure drop between the input and the output of the first component. An actuator control module selectively controls at least one engine actuator based on at least one of the input and output pressures of the first component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 24, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2016
    Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: James A. Goodall, Maher El-Jaroudi
  • Patent number: 8857157
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a steady-state (SS) temperature module and a mass temperature module. The SS temperature module generates a SS temperature of a downstream-most catalyst of an exhaust system at a predetermined location between upstream and downstream faces of the downstream-most catalyst. The predetermined location is a predetermined distance upstream from the downstream face. The mass temperature module generates an instantaneous temperature of the downstream-most catalyst at the predetermined location as a function of the SS temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: October 14, 2014
    Inventors: Wajdi B. Hamama, Alan Root Lockwood, James A. Goodall, Robert J. Genslak, Mather El-Jaroudi
  • Publication number: 20120047875
    Abstract: A system for a vehicle includes a steady-state (SS) temperature module and a mass temperature module. The SS temperature module generates a SS temperature of a downstream-most catalyst of an exhaust system at a predetermined location between upstream and downstream faces of the downstream-most catalyst. The predetermined location is a predetermined distance upstream from the downstream face. The mass temperature module generates an instantaneous temperature of the downstream-most catalyst at the predetermined location as a function of the SS temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2010
    Publication date: March 1, 2012
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC.
    Inventors: Wajdi B. Hamama, Alan Root Lockwood, James A. Goodall, Robert J. Genslak, Mather El-Jaroudi