Patents by Inventor Valerio Nuzzo

Valerio Nuzzo 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: 10450987
    Abstract: A method of operating a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine includes setting a value of a target fuel quantity to be injected by the fuel injector, initializing a value of a fuel quantity requested from the fuel injector to the value of the target fuel quantity, and correcting the value of the requested fuel quantity. A first learning cycle is performed to correct the value of the requested fuel quantity in which a difference between the target fuel quantity and the injected fuel quantity is calculated and added to the requested fuel quantity to provide a corrected value. The corrected value of the requested fuel quantity is used to determine a reference value of an energizing time that causes the fuel injector to inject a fuel quantity corresponding to the target fuel quantity. The fuel injector is operated based on the determined reference value of the energizing time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Date of Patent: October 22, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Serena Tordin, Valerio Nuzzo, Paul Leonardo Claude, Angelo Cancellieri
  • Publication number: 20190226414
    Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is provided to maintain cylinder balance. A first operating mode corresponding to a steady state operation of the internal combustion engine is differentiated from a second operating mode corresponding to a transient operation of the internal combustion engine based upon a first operating parameter of the internal combustion engine. In the first operating mode, a first control strategy provides cylinder balance. In the second operating mode, a second control strategy, different than the first control strategy, provides cylinder balance. The second control strategy utilizes a dynamic factor based upon a second operating parameter of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Luca Lauritano, Valerio Nuzzo
  • Patent number: 10337429
    Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is provided to maintain cylinder balance. A first operating mode corresponding to a steady state operation of the internal combustion engine is differentiated from a second operating mode corresponding to a transient operation of the internal combustion engine based upon a first operating parameter of the internal combustion engine. In the first operating mode, a first control strategy provides cylinder balance. In the second operating mode, a second control strategy, different than the first control strategy, provides cylinder balance. The second control strategy utilizes a dynamic factor based upon a second operating parameter of the internal combustion engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2018
    Date of Patent: July 2, 2019
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Luca Lauritano, Valerio Nuzzo
  • Patent number: 9644566
    Abstract: A control apparatus for operating a fuel injector is provided. The control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to: identify when the engine is running under a fuel cut-off condition, and then perform a learning procedure to determine an actual value of energizing time that causes the fuel injector to inject a target fuel quantity. The learning procedure provides for the electronic control unit to perform several test injections with different energizing time values and measure an engine torque value caused by the test injection. The measured engine torque values and their correspondent energizing time values are used to extrapolate the actual value of the energizing time as the value that corresponds to a reference value of engine torque that is consistent with the target fuel quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2017
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Marco Girotto, Valerio Nuzzo, Angelo Cancellieri
  • Publication number: 20170107927
    Abstract: A method of operating a fuel injector of an internal combustion engine includes setting a value of a target fuel quantity to be injected by the fuel injector, initializing a value of a fuel quantity requested from the fuel injector to the value of the target fuel quantity, and correcting the value of the requested fuel quantity. A first learning cycle is performed to correct the value of the requested fuel quantity in which a difference between the target fuel quantity and the injected fuel quantity is calculated and added to the requested fuel quantity to provide a corrected value. The corrected value of the requested fuel quantity is used to determine a reference value of an energizing time that causes the fuel injector to inject a fuel quantity corresponding to the target fuel quantity. The fuel injector is operated based on the determined reference value of the energizing time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2016
    Publication date: April 20, 2017
    Applicant: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Serena TORDIN, Valerio NUZZO, Paul Leonardo CLAUDE, Angelo CANCELLIERI
  • Patent number: 9523324
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling fuel injection in an internal combustion engine is disclosed which controls a fuel injection pressure and a fuel injection energizing time, by using as input parameter an estimated corrected injector fuel quantity (Qcrtd). In particular, an injector fuel quantity deviation (?QCB) corresponding to a current engine operating point is estimated and stored in a corresponding point of a map, representing engine operating points defined in terms of injection pressure and injector fuel quantity values. The stored injector fuel quantity deviation (?Qstored) are spread or propagated to each map point. For each engine operating point, the corrected injector fuel quantity (Qcrtd) is calculated by blending estimated values of the injector fuel quantity deviation (?QCB) with corresponding spread values of the stored injector fuel quantity deviation (?Qstored) and summing this result to corresponding target values of the injector fuel quantity (Qtarget).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Date of Patent: December 20, 2016
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Fabio Ramundo, Valerio Nuzzo, Fabrizio Abrate
  • Publication number: 20150088402
    Abstract: A control apparatus for operating a fuel injector is provided. The control apparatus includes an electronic control unit configured to: identify when the engine is running under a fuel cut-off condition, and then perform a learning procedure to determine an actual value of energizing time that causes the fuel injector to inject a target fuel quantity. The learning procedure provides for the electronic control unit to perform several test injections with different energizing time values and measure an engine torque value caused by the test injection. The measured engine torque values and their correspondent energizing time values are used to extrapolate the actual value of the energizing time as the value that corresponds to a reference value of engine torque that is consistent with the target fuel quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 23, 2014
    Publication date: March 26, 2015
    Inventors: Marco Girotto, Valerio Nuzzo, Angelo Cancellieri
  • Publication number: 20150051813
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling fuel injection in an internal combustion engine is disclosed which controls a fuel injection pressure and a fuel injection energizing time, by using as input parameter an estimated corrected injector fuel quantity (Qertd). In particular, an injector fuel quantity deviation (?QCB) corresponding to a current engine operating point is estimated and stored in a corresponding point of a map, representing engine operating points defined in terms of injection pressure and injector fuel quantity values. The stored injector fuel quantity deviation (?Qstored) are spread or propagated to each map point. For each engine operating point, the corrected injector fuel quantity (Qertd) is calculated by blending estimated values of the injector fuel quantity deviation (?QCB) with corresponding spread values of the stored injector fuel quantity deviation (?Qstored) and summing this result to corresponding target values of the injector fuel quantity (Qtarget).
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2014
    Publication date: February 19, 2015
    Inventors: Fabio Ramundo, Valerio Nuzzo, Fabrizio Abrate