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: 11668230
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Date of Patent: June 6, 2023
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Luke Robinson, Jonathan P. Kilkenny, Nathan Atterberry
  • Publication number: 20220235695
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 28, 2021
    Publication date: July 28, 2022
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Aaron Luke ROBINSON, Jonathan P. KILKENNY, Nathan ATTERBERRY
  • Patent number: 11105278
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Date of Patent: August 31, 2021
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Publication number: 20210071596
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 10, 2019
    Publication date: March 11, 2021
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Parker, Matthew Engfehr
  • Patent number: 10626804
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Date of Patent: April 21, 2020
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Publication number: 20190186391
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Publication date: June 20, 2019
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Patent number: 10323586
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 18, 2019
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Publication number: 20190040804
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2017
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Patent number: 10145319
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: December 4, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Nathan Atterberry
  • Publication number: 20180223745
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: February 3, 2017
    Publication date: August 9, 2018
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Nathan Atterberry, Matthew Jordan Engfehr, Hua Xu
  • Patent number: 9945308
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Date of Patent: April 17, 2018
    Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Gough, Nathan Atterberry, Jeff Howard, Brian Bell, Hua Xu
  • Publication number: 20180073452
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: September 13, 2016
    Publication date: March 15, 2018
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Michael D. Gough, Nathan Atterberry, Jeff Howard, Brian Bell, Hua Xu
  • Publication number: 20160201627
    Abstract: 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: Application
    Filed: January 9, 2015
    Publication date: July 14, 2016
    Applicant: Caterpillar Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Gough, Ryan Snodgrass, Nathan Atterberry