Patents by Inventor Joseph Lyle Thomas

Joseph Lyle Thomas 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).

  • Methods and systems for high pressure fuel pump cooling
    Patent number: 10823105
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for temperature control of a high pressure pump (HPP) of a direct injection system. When direct injection is disabled, the HPP and the associated direct injectors are intermittently operated when the HPP temperature rises above a modeled threshold temperature. The HPP and injectors are operated until the HPP temperature falls below the modeled threshold temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: November 3, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Michael Anthony Pierce
  • Method and system for cylinder imbalance estimation
    Patent number: 10801431
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for learning a cylinder-to-cylinder air variation. During conditions when a PFDI engine is operated in a port-injection only mode, prior to port fuel injection, a direct-injection fuel rail pressure may be lowered via direct-injection. Then, prior to a spark event in a port-injected cylinder, the direct-injector may be transiently opened to use the rail pressure sensor for estimating a cylinder compression pressure, and inferring cylinder air charge therefrom.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Date of Patent: October 13, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Ethan D. Sanborn, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa
  • Methods and system for reducing particulate matter produced by an engine
    Patent number: 10794320
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, port fuel injection timing is adjusted to reduce particulate matter formation in the engine so that particulate filter loading may be reduced until a time when the particulate filter may be purged.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 6, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 6, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Stephen George Russ, Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • Method for fuel injection control
    Patent number: 10760520
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for controlling fuel injection in an engine equipped with a dual injector system including a port injector and a direct injector. A ratio of port injected fuel to direct injected fuel is adjusted based at least on intake valve temperature. The proportion of fuel port injected into a cylinder is increased as the intake valve temperature for the given cylinder increases to improve fuel vaporization in the intake port.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 1, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Eric Krengel, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Todd Anthony Rumpsa, Michael Howard Shelby
  • Method and system for fuel injector balancing
    Patent number: 10731593
    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: Grant
    Filed: October 10, 2018
    Date of Patent: August 4, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Ross Dykstra Pursifull
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR DETERMINING FUEL INJECTOR VARIABILITY
    Publication number: 20200232411
    Abstract: Methods and systems are disclosed for operating an engine that includes fuel injectors that supply fuel to cylinders of the engine. According to the methods and system, variation of individual fuel injection amounts injected by a sole fuel injector are determined so that it may be determined if individual fuel injector variation may be contributing to engine air-fuel ratio variation.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2019
    Publication date: July 23, 2020
    Inventors: Ross Pursifull, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Michael Uhrich
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR REPOSITIONING A VEHICLE
    Publication number: 20200223428
    Abstract: Systems and methods for operating a vehicle that includes a starter motor are described. In one example, the starter motor may engage a flywheel of an engine and rotate the engine without starting the engine in response to a request to move the vehicle without starting the engine. The starter motor may provide the propulsive force to move the vehicle a short distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2019
    Publication date: July 16, 2020
    Inventors: Ross Pursifull, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FUEL INJECTOR BALANCING
    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
  • Methods and system mitigating direct injection degradation
    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
  • Methods and systems for dual fuel infection
    Patent number: 10563610
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing port injection fuel errors by selectively reactivating a direct fuel injector. Responsive to an increase in driver demand received while delivering fuel to a cylinder via port injection only, wherein the increase in driver demand is received late in the port injection window, the port injection error is addressed by reactivating a direct injector on the same engine cycle and delivering at least a portion of the fuel mass corresponding to the error via the direct injector. Additionally, a portion of the fuel mass may be delivered by the port injector on the same engine cycle by extending the end of injection timing, if possible.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 8, 2018
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Mary Catherine Farmer, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Methods and systems for adjusting a direct fuel injector and a port fuel injector
    Patent number: 10450997
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing direct injector fueling errors due to injection variability in a transition region of a direct injector map. Fuel injection, including usage of one or more direct and port injected fuel pulses, may be planned based on engine operating conditions including engine temperature and driver demand. Responsive to any of the direct injected fuel pulses having a pulse-width that lies in a high variability transition region of the direct injector, the fuel injection may be adjusted via adjustments to a number and/or split ratio of the injections so as to not operate in the transition region.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 16, 2017
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Paul Hollar, Mark Meinhart, Ian D. Campbell
  • Method for operating a dual lift pump system
    Patent number: 10451013
    Abstract: Methods and systems are described for a fuel system in an engine comprising two lift pumps. One example method comprises deactivating one of a first lift pump and a second lift pump if fuel fill level in a common reservoir decreases below a threshold fill level, wherein the first lift pump and the second lift pump are positioned in the common reservoir. By deactivating one of the two lift pumps, the two lift pumps may be protected from degradation due to fuel starvation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Methods and system for improving fuel delivery amount accuracy
    Patent number: 10422296
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, a duration of a port fuel injection window is increased to improve engine performance and a direct fuel injector fuel pulse width is dynamically adjusted to improve accuracy of an amount of fuel delivered during a cylinder cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Methods and system for improving accuracy of injecting smaller amounts of fuel to an engine
    Patent number: 10337442
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, a port fuel injection window is shorted to provide time for scheduling a direct fuel injector pulse width so that the direct fuel injector pulse width may be adjusted so that a desired amount of fuel enters a cylinder.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Method for operating a dual fuel injection system
    Patent number: 10337445
    Abstract: A method of operating an engine with dual fuel injection capabilities to address fuel rail over-pressure due to stagnating hot fuel is shown. The method comprises operating an engine cylinder with only port injection, and selectively activating and deactivating the second injector in response to a rail pressure increase of a fuel rail, the fuel rail coupled to the second injector, and deactivating the second injector in response to a rail pressure decrease of the fuel rail to a lower threshold determined based on engine operating conditions. In this way, degradation of the second injector may be reduced while maintaining a desired level of engine performance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Daniel Dusa
  • Methods and systems for dual fuel injection system
    Patent number: 10323595
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing lean air-fuel ratio excursions due to degradation of a port injector while fueling an engine via each of port and direct injection. During a PFDI mode of engine operation, responsive to an indication of port injector degradation, such as due to circuit or injector power issues, intake airflow is limited by reducing the opening of an intake throttle. Air flow is limited to be based only on the direct injected fuel fraction, and independent of the commanded port injected fuel fraction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 25, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Xiaoying Zhang, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa
  • Methods and systems for dual fuel injection
    Patent number: 10323612
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing fueling errors resulting from pressure pulsations in a port injection fuel rail. The pressure pulsations result from pressure pulsations generated in a high pressure fuel pump delivering fuel to both the port injection fuel rail and a direct injection fuel rail. A center of a port injection fuel pulse is positioned on an average pressure-crossing of the pressure pulsations so as to cancel out the effect of the over-average and under-average pressure pulsations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Methods and system mitigating port injection degradation
    Patent number: 10316773
    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 all of an engine's port fuel injectors may be adjusted in response to degradation of a sole port fuel injector so that an engine may operate as desired with a plurality of direct fuel injectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Paul Hollar, Xiaoying Zhang, Stephen George Russ, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR CYLINDER IMBALANCE ESTIMATION
    Publication number: 20190170073
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for learning a cylinder-to-cylinder air variation. During conditions when a PFDI engine is operated in a port-injection only mode, prior to port fuel injection, a direct-injection fuel rail pressure may be lowered via direct-injection. Then, prior to a spark event in a port-injected cylinder, the direct-injector may be transiently opened to use the rail pressure sensor for estimating a cylinder compression pressure, and inferring cylinder air charge therefrom.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 8, 2019
    Publication date: June 6, 2019
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Ethan D. Sanborn, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa
  • Method and system for engine starting control
    Patent number: 10267257
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for restarting an engine when a high pressure fuel pump is degraded. In response to an indication of high pressure fuel pump degradation, fuel may be injected during an intake stroke, rather than a compression stroke, for a selected number of combustion events since the engine restart. By shifting to an intake stroke injection, the engine may be started even when sufficient fuel rail pressures are not available.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 19, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 23, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Alex O'Connor Gibson, Xiaoying Zhang, Robert Sarow Baskins