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).

  • Method and system for selecting a cylinder for engine starting
    Patent number: 9599057
    Abstract: A method and system for improving starting of an engine is presented. In one example, the method selects a first cylinder to receive fuel since engine stop the cylinder's position relative to the cylinder's top-dead-center compression stroke. The method also describes adjusting a number of fuel injections for a first combustion event since engine stop.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2017
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Alexander O'Connor Gibson, Steven Wooldridge, Joseph Lyle Thomas, David Oshinsky
  • METHOD FOR OPERATING A DUAL LIFT PUMP SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20170051701
    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: Application
    Filed: August 20, 2015
    Publication date: February 23, 2017
    Inventors: Ross Dykstra Pursifull, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR A DUAL INJECTION FUEL SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20170022917
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling fuel injectors for a fuel system configured to deliver fuel to an engine via each of port fuel injection and direct fuel injection. In one example, a method may include, during an engine green start condition, injecting fuel with the port injector while not injecting fuel with the direct injector, and after the green start condition, injecting with each of the port injector and the direct fuel injector at a fuel ratio determined based on engine operating conditions.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Xiaoying Zhang, Daniel Dusa, Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn
  • METHOD FOR OPERATING A FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20170022927
    Abstract: A method of operating an engine with dual fuel injection capabilities to enable fuel rail over-pressure control is shown. The method comprises operating an engine cylinder with only port injection, while selectively activating and deactivating a direct injector in response to an estimated minimum fuel injection mass from the direct injector. Direct fuel injection is actuated until the minimum fuel mass injected by the direct injector has reached a lower threshold that is above an NVH limit of the engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Daniel Dusa
  • METHOD FOR OPERATING A DUAL FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
    Publication number: 20170022926
    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: Application
    Filed: July 21, 2015
    Publication date: January 26, 2017
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Daniel Dusa
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DUAL FUEL INJECTION
    Publication number: 20160377018
    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 repositioned on a nearest fuel rail pressure sampling point in the advanced direction to improve the accuracy of the delivered fuel pulse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 20, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR PORT FUEL INJECTION CONTROL
    Publication number: 20160377019
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for reducing hot fuel vapor formation in a port injection fuel rail. In one example, a method may include operating a dual fuel injection system with at least a calibrated minimum amount of port fuel injection over a wide range of engine operating conditions, even as conditions change. A direct fuel injection amount is adjusted in accordance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2016
    Publication date: December 29, 2016
    Inventors: Stephen George Russ, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Scott Allan Lehto, Christopher Arnold Woodring, Jeanne Wei, David Shelley
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM MITIGATING DIRECT INJECTION DEGRADATION
    Publication number: 20160363091
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Paul Hollar, Xiaoying Zhang, Gopichandra Surnilla, Stephen George Russ
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING ACCURACY OF INJECTING SMALLER AMOUNTS OF FUEL TO AN ENGINE
    Publication number: 20160363087
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR TRANSITIONING BETWEEN FUEL INJECTION WINDOWS
    Publication number: 20160363088
    Abstract: Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, different duration port fuel injection windows are provided to maximize fuel injection amount and improve accuracy of an amount of fuel injected during a cylinder cycle via port and direct fuel injectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING FUEL DELIVERY AMOUNT ACCURACY
    Publication number: 20160363089
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Paul Hollar, Ethan D. Sanborn, Daniel Dusa, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM MITIGATING PORT INJECTION DEGRADATION
    Publication number: 20160363066
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Paul Hollar, Xiaoying Zhang, Stephen George Russ, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR DUAL FUEL INJECTION
    Publication number: 20160363104
    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: Application
    Filed: April 13, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Paul Hollar, Daniel Dusa, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING PARTICULATE MATTER PRODUCED BY AN ENGINE
    Publication number: 20160363090
    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: Application
    Filed: April 18, 2016
    Publication date: December 15, 2016
    Inventors: Stephen George Russ, Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Gopichandra Surnilla
  • METHOD FOR FUEL INJECTION CONTROL
    Publication number: 20160356236
    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: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2016
    Publication date: December 8, 2016
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Eric Krengel, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Todd Anthony Rumpsa, Michael Howard Shelby
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR SUPPLYING FUEL TO AN ENGINE
    Publication number: 20160341143
    Abstract: Methods and systems are presented for adjusting an amount of fuel supplied to an engine via port and direct fuel injectors during transient engine operating conditions where the fuel injection amount is adjusted responsive to the transient engine operating conditions. In one example, a fuel injection amount is adjusted based on a time constant for a filter that is based on a direct fuel injection fuel fraction.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 19, 2015
    Publication date: November 24, 2016
    Inventors: Ethan D. Sanborn, Xiaoying Zhang, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Marcus William Fried
  • Controlling an internal combustion engine through modeling compensation of PCV fuel flow due to oil dilution
    Patent number: 9482174
    Abstract: A method for controlling an internal combustion engine based on the amount of un-burned fuel dissolved in the engine oil, and returned into the manifold through the PCV valve as the engine oil temperature rises via adjusting fuel injection into a cylinder from a fuel injector, in a fuel delivery system. The fuel dilution in engine oil and the amount of fuel entering the intake manifold through the PCV valve can be determined based on one or more of oil volume, fuel composition (e.g., ethanol content), oil temperature, engine temperature, engine speed, engine load, engine run time, injected fuel mass, and exhaust gas composition.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 20, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 1, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Joseph Michael DeAngelis, Michael Ryan Scannell, Gregory Blin, Rama Sanghvi, Joseph Lyle Thomas
  • Method for fuel injection control
    Patent number: 9435287
    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: February 25, 2014
    Date of Patent: September 6, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Gopichandra Surnilla, Eric Krengel, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Todd Anthony Rumpsa, Michael Howard Shelby
  • Methods and systems for adjusting fuel injector operation
    Patent number: 9404435
    Abstract: Systems and methods for improving fuel injection of an engine that includes a cylinder receiving fuel from two different fuel injectors is disclosed. In one example, a transfer function or gain of a direct fuel injector is adjusted in response to an exhaust lambda value and a fraction of fuel supplied to a cylinder during a cylinder cycle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2014
    Date of Patent: August 2, 2016
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Adithya Pravarun Re Ranga, Gopichandra Surnilla, Ethan D. Sanborn, Joseph Lyle Thomas, Mark Meinhart
  • METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REMOVING ASH WITHIN A PARTICULATE FILTER
    Publication number: 20160160723
    Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for injecting water to reduce an ash load on a PF. In one example, a method may include injecting water from a reservoir to between a PF and a three-way catalyst in order to reduce an ash load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2014
    Publication date: June 9, 2016
    Inventors: Joseph Lyle Thomas, Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt, Kenneth John Behr, Mira Bumbaroska