Patents by Inventor Nathan Atterberry
Nathan Atterberry 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: 11668230Abstract: An annular disk comprises a front surface, a rear surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface. The front surface has a front opening within a front plane. The rear surface has a rear opening within a rear plane. The rear opening, which has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the front opening, communicates with the front opening to define a bore for guiding an exhaust stream flowing from a turbocharger to an exhaust outlet. The outer surface connects the front surface to the rear surface and includes an outer angled portion, an outer radial portion, and an outer axial portion. The inner surface includes an inner angled portion, an inner axial portion, and an inner radial portion extending between the inner angled portion and the inner axial portion. The inner radial portion is configured to obstruct a portion of the exhaust stream to increase back pressure.Type: GrantFiled: January 28, 2021Date of Patent: June 6, 2023Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Aaron Luke Robinson, Jonathan P. Kilkenny, Nathan Atterberry
-
Publication number: 20220235695Abstract: An annular disk comprises a front surface, a rear surface, an outer surface, and an inner surface. The front surface has a front opening within a front plane. The rear surface has a rear opening within a rear plane. The rear opening, which has a diameter that is smaller than a diameter of the front opening, communicates with the front opening to define a bore for guiding an exhaust stream flowing from a turbocharger to an exhaust outlet. The outer surface connects the front surface to the rear surface and includes an outer angled portion, an outer radial portion, and an outer axial portion. The inner surface includes an inner angled portion, an inner axial portion, and an inner radial portion extending between the inner angled portion and the inner axial portion. The inner radial portion is configured to obstruct a portion of the exhaust stream to increase back pressure.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 28, 2021Publication date: July 28, 2022Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Aaron Luke ROBINSON, Jonathan P. KILKENNY, Nathan ATTERBERRY
-
Patent number: 11105278Abstract: An engine control system includes a dual fuel internal combustion engine, a fuel system including a liquid fuel source and a gaseous fuel source, and a controller. The engine control system further includes a liquid fuel control module and at least one gaseous fuel control module associated with a first and second subset of cylinders, each communicatively connected over a network. The controller has an operating mode and a cylinder deactivation mode. The controller in the operating mode is configured to instruct the liquid fuel control module and the at least one gaseous fuel control module to operate the plurality of cylinders in a dual fuel mode. The controller in the cylinder deactivation mode transitions the plurality of cylinders to a liquid-fuel only mode over a phase out period, deactivates the first subset of cylinders, and then transitions to the dual fuel mode in the second subset of cylinders.Type: GrantFiled: February 3, 2017Date of Patent: August 31, 2021Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Publication number: 20210071596Abstract: A fuel control system can operate an internal combustion engine to selectively combust a first fuel, such as diesel, during a single fuel mode and to combust the first fuel and a second fuel, such natural gas, during a fuel substitution mode. An in-cylinder parameter sensor is in communication with the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine to measure an in-cylinder parameter such as, for example, the indicated mean effective pressure, during combustion of the first fuel during the single fuel mode. The fuel control system utilizes the in-cylinder parameter to determine a first fuel quantity error and can adjust delivery of the first fuel to correct for the first fuel quantity error during the single fuel and fuel substitution modes. The fuel control system can also use the first fuel quantity error to determine and adjust for a second fuel quantity error.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 10, 2019Publication date: March 11, 2021Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Parker, Matthew Engfehr
-
Patent number: 10626804Abstract: A dual fuel engine system, such as for diesel and natural gas operation, includes a control system having an electronic control unit structured to vary a stored control valve for a fuel delivery parameter, responsive to engine power output. The engine power output can be determined by in-cylinder pressure monitoring during a liquid fuel mode. The stored control value can be a dynamically updated value in an engine fueling map.Type: GrantFiled: August 1, 2017Date of Patent: April 21, 2020Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Publication number: 20190186391Abstract: A dual fuel engine control system includes a pressure sensor, and an electronic control unit coupled with the pressure sensor and structured to receive cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization, and to switch the system to a limited gas-to-liquid substitution mode based on the cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization. The electronic control unit is further structured to return the system to a normal gas-to-liquid substitution mode, receive cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization after returning the system to the normal gas-to-liquid substitution mode, and responsively output a gas substitution fault signal.Type: ApplicationFiled: December 20, 2017Publication date: June 20, 2019Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Patent number: 10323586Abstract: A dual fuel engine control system includes a pressure sensor, and an electronic control unit coupled with the pressure sensor and structured to receive cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization, and to switch the system to a limited gas-to-liquid substitution mode based on the cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization. The electronic control unit is further structured to return the system to a normal gas-to-liquid substitution mode, receive cylinder pressure data indicative of cylinder over-pressurization after returning the system to the normal gas-to-liquid substitution mode, and responsively output a gas substitution fault signal.Type: GrantFiled: December 20, 2017Date of Patent: June 18, 2019Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Publication number: 20190040804Abstract: A dual fuel engine system, such as for diesel and natural gas operation, includes a control system having an electronic control unit structured to vary a stored control valve for a fuel delivery parameter, responsive to engine power output. The engine power output can be determined by in-cylinder pressure monitoring during a liquid fuel mode. The stored control value can be a dynamically updated value in an engine fueling map.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 1, 2017Publication date: February 7, 2019Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Patent number: 10145319Abstract: Operating a dual fuel engine system includes firing combustion cylinders on a liquid fuel or both the liquid fuel and a gaseous fuel, and selectively cutting out at least one of the combustion cylinders based on a cylinder pressure parameter. A subset of those combustion cylinders remaining active after cylinder cutout is fired at a gas-to-liquid substitution ratio based on a user-settable combustion optimization term. The optimization term can include an efficiency term, an emissions term, and/or a fuel cost term, each of which has a finite range of values including a diesel equivalency value.Type: GrantFiled: January 23, 2018Date of Patent: December 4, 2018Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Nathan Atterberry
-
Publication number: 20180223745Abstract: An engine control system includes a dual fuel internal combustion engine, a fuel system including a liquid fuel source and a gaseous fuel source, and a controller. The engine control system further includes a liquid fuel control module and at least one gaseous fuel control module associated with a first and second subset of cylinders, each communicatively connected over a network. The controller has an operating mode and a cylinder deactivation mode. The controller in the operating mode is configured to instruct the liquid fuel control module and the at least one gaseous fuel control module to operate the plurality of cylinders in a dual fuel mode. The controller in the cylinder deactivation mode transitions the plurality of cylinders to a liquid-fuel only mode over a phase out period, deactivates the first subset of cylinders, and then transitions to the dual fuel mode in the second subset of cylinders.Type: ApplicationFiled: February 3, 2017Publication date: August 9, 2018Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
-
Patent number: 9945308Abstract: A system and method for automatically calibrating an engine operating with a first fuel and a second fuel includes comparing each of a plurality of engine operating parameters with a corresponding limit, determining whether any of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit and, while none of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit, automatically and incrementally advance start of injection timing.Type: GrantFiled: September 13, 2016Date of Patent: April 17, 2018Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Gough, Nathan Atterberry, Jeff Howard, Brian Bell, Hua Xu
-
Publication number: 20180073452Abstract: A system and method for automatically calibrating an engine operating with a first fuel and a second fuel includes comparing each of a plurality of engine operating parameters with a corresponding limit, determining whether any of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit and, while none of the plurality of engine operating parameters has exceeded its corresponding limit, automatically and incrementally advance start of injection timing.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 13, 2016Publication date: March 15, 2018Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Michael D. Gough, Nathan Atterberry, Jeff Howard, Brian Bell, Hua Xu
-
Publication number: 20160201627Abstract: The disclosure relates to a system and method for sizing of system components in a dual fuel port injection system. The system includes a pressure regulator and a safety shut-off valve that feeds a main gas rail. The gas rail is operatively connected to a gas admission valve by a gas jumper tube. The gas admission valve is operatively connected to a gas admission port in a cylinder head or to an intake runner via a gas delivery tube. The gas admission valve has an effective cross sectional area that is defined by the actual cross sectional area multiplied by a modifying coefficient. The components of the system are sized based upon the effective cross sectional area of the gas admission valve.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 9, 2015Publication date: July 14, 2016Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Michael Gough, Ryan Snodgrass, Nathan Atterberry