Patents by Inventor William L. Hardy
William L. Hardy 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).
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Patent number: 9689336Abstract: An engine system is disclosed. The engine system may have an engine. The engine system may also have a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of an amount of power generated by the engine and a speed sensor configured to generate a speed signal indicative of a speed of the engine. The engine system may also have a controller configured to receive the sensor signal and the speed signal. The controller may also be configured to generate an operating histogram based on the sensor signal and the speed signal. Further the controller may be configured to receive modal points for the engine, the modal points having associated emissions limits. The controller may also be configured to generate a calibration parameter set for the operating histogram based on the weights. In addition, the controller may be configured to apply the calibration parameter set to the engine.Type: GrantFiled: November 10, 2014Date of Patent: June 27, 2017Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: William L. Hardy, Christopher K. Wackerle, Jeffrey J. Ribordy, Timothy E. Applegren, Michael S. Bond
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Publication number: 20160131069Abstract: A cloud based engine optimization system is disclosed. The system may have an engine. The system may also have a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of an amount of power generated by the engine and a speed sensor configured to generate a speed signal indicative of a speed of the engine. The system may also have a controller configured to receive the sensor signal and the speed signal. The controller may also be configured to upload the operating histogram to a server and receive, from the server, a calibration parameter set. In addition, the controller may be configured to apply the received calibration parameter set to the engine. The server may be configured to generate the calibration parameter set that reduces both a fuel consumption amount for the engine and an amount of emissions discharged by the engine when performing operations corresponding to the operating histogram.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2014Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: CATERPILLAR INC.Inventors: Christopher K. WACKERLE, Jeffrey J. RIBORDY, William L. HARDY, Timothy E. APPLEGREN, Michael S. BOND
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Publication number: 20160131062Abstract: An engine system is disclosed. The engine system may have an engine. The engine system may also have a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of an amount of power generated by the engine. Further, the engine system may have a speed sensor configured to generate a speed signal indicative of a speed of the engine. The engine system may also have a controller. The controller may be configured to receive the sensor signal and the speed signal. The controller may also be configured to generate an operating histogram based on the sensor signal and the speed signal. Further the controller may be configured to select a calibration parameter set from among a plurality of calibration parameter sets based on the operating histogram. In addition, the controller may be configured to apply the selected calibration parameter set to the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2014Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: CATERPILLAR INC.Inventors: Jeffrey J. RIBORDY, Michael S. BOND, Christopher K. WACKERLE, Timothy E. APPLEGREN, William L. HARDY
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Publication number: 20160131068Abstract: An engine system is disclosed. The engine system may have an engine. The engine system may also have a sensor configured to generate a sensor signal indicative of an amount of power generated by the engine and a speed sensor configured to generate a speed signal indicative of a speed of the engine. The engine system may also have a controller configured to receive the sensor signal and the speed signal. The controller may also be configured to generate an operating histogram based on the sensor signal and the speed signal. Further the controller may be configured to receive modal points for the engine, the modal points having associated emissions limits. The controller may also be configured to generate a calibration parameter set for the operating histogram based on the weights. In addition, the controller may be configured to apply the calibration parameter set to the engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: November 10, 2014Publication date: May 12, 2016Applicant: CATERPILLAR INC.Inventors: William L. HARDY, Christopher K. WACKERLE, Jeffrey J. RIBORDY, Timothy E. APPLEGREN, Michael S. BOND
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Patent number: 7469181Abstract: A homogeneous charge compression ignition engine is set up by first identifying combinations of compression ratio and exhaust gas percentages for each speed and load across the engines operating range. These identified ratios and exhaust gas percentages can then be converted into geometric compression ratio controller settings and exhaust gas recirculation rate controller settings that are mapped against speed and load, and made available to the electronic engine controller. This provides the engine controller with a look up table of what compression ratio and exhaust gas rates should be at each speed and load. The engine controller also balances at least one of combustion phasing and energy release among a plurality of cylinders in order to enable higher load operation.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2007Date of Patent: December 23, 2008Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Andrew J. Kieser, Michael P. Liechty, William L. Hardy, Anthony Rodman, Carl-Anders Hergart
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Publication number: 20080178848Abstract: A homogeneous charge compression ignition engine is set up by first identifying combinations of compression ratio and exhaust gas percentages for each speed and load across the engines operating range. These identified ratios and exhaust gas percentages can then be converted into geometric compression ratio controller settings and exhaust gas recirculation rate controller settings that are mapped against speed and load, and made available to the electronic engine controller. This provides the engine controller with a look up table of what compression ratio and exhaust gas rates should be at each speed and load. The engine controller also balances at least one of combustion phasing and energy release among a plurality of cylinders in order to enable higher load operation.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 29, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Andrew J. Kieser, Michael P. Liechty, William L. Hardy, Anthony Rodman, Carl-Anders Hergart
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Publication number: 20080178843Abstract: A multi cylinder homogeneous charge compression ignition engine includes actuators and an engine controller configured to reduce variations in combustion phasing and/or combustion energy release among the different engine cylinders. By sensing both the phasing and magnitude of the combustion energy release, the engine controller generates control signals to combustion phase controllers and combustion energy release controllers for the engine cylinders. The control signals may be different from one another to reduce variations across the group of engine cylinders. A combustion energy release controller may be a direct injection fuel injector, and the combustion phase controller may be a variable intake valve actuator. Reducing variations in these aspects of the combustion events, allows the engine to operate at higher speeds and loads.Type: ApplicationFiled: January 25, 2007Publication date: July 31, 2008Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Andrew J. Kieser, David Schuh, Michael P. Liechty, William L. Hardy, Anthony Rodman
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Patent number: 7380540Abstract: A homogenous charge compression ignition engine is operated by compressing a charge mixture of air, exhaust and fuel in a combustion chamber to an autoignition condition of the fuel. The engine may facilitate a transition from a first combination of speed and load to a second combination of speed and load by changing the charge mixture and compression ratio. This may be accomplished in a consecutive engine cycle by adjusting both a fuel injector control signal and a variable valve control signal away from a nominal variable valve control signal. Thereafter in one or more subsequent engine cycles, more sluggish adjustments are made to at least one of a geometric compression ratio control signal and an exhaust gas recirculation control signal to allow the variable valve control signal to be readjusted back toward its nominal variable valve control signal setting.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2007Date of Patent: June 3, 2008Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Parag Mehresh, David Schuh, Andrew J. Kieser, Carl-Anders Hergart, William L. Hardy, Anthony Rodman, Michael P. Liechty
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Patent number: 7377254Abstract: An HCCI engine has the ability to operate over a large load range by utilizing a lower cetane distillate diesel fuel to increase ignition delay. This permits more stable operation at high loads by avoidance of premature combustion before top dead center. During low load conditions, a portion of the engines cylinders are deactivated so that the remaining cylinders can operate at a pseudo higher load while the overall engine exhibits behavior typical of a relatively low load.Type: GrantFiled: August 2, 2006Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Carl-Anders Hergart, William L. Hardy, Kevin P. Duffy, Michael P. Liechty
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Patent number: 7377270Abstract: A homogeneous charge compression ignition engine operates by injecting liquid fuel directly in a combustion chamber, and mixing the fuel with recirculated exhaust and fresh air through an auto ignition condition of the fuel. The engine includes at least one turbocharger for extracting energy from the engine exhaust and using that energy to boost intake pressure of recirculated exhaust gas and fresh air. Elevated proportions of exhaust gas recirculated to the engine are attained by throttling the fresh air inlet supply. These elevated exhaust gas recirculation rates allow the HCCI engine to be operated at higher speeds and loads rendering the HCCI engine a more viable alternative to a conventional diesel engine.Type: GrantFiled: October 23, 2006Date of Patent: May 27, 2008Assignee: Caterpillar Inc.Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Andrew J. Kieser, Anthony Rodman, Michael P. Liechty, Carl-Anders Hergart, William L. Hardy
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Publication number: 20080092861Abstract: A homogeneous charge compression ignition engine operates by injecting liquid fuel directly in a combustion chamber, and mixing the fuel with recirculated exhaust and fresh air through an auto ignition condition of the fuel. The engine includes at least one turbocharger for extracting energy from the engine exhaust and using that energy to boost intake pressure of recirculated exhaust gas and fresh air. Elevated proportions of exhaust gas recirculated to the engine are attained by throttling the fresh air inlet supply. These elevated exhaust gas recirculation rates allow the HCCI engine to be operated at higher speeds and loads rendering the HCCI engine a more viable alternative to a conventional diesel engine.Type: ApplicationFiled: October 23, 2006Publication date: April 24, 2008Inventors: Kevin P. Duffy, Andrew J. Kieser, Anthony Rodman, Michael P. Liechty, Carl-Anders Hergart, William L. Hardy
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Publication number: 20080029057Abstract: An HCCI engine has the ability to operate over a large load range by utilizing a lower cetane distillate diesel fuel to increase ignition delay. This permits more stable operation at high loads by avoidance of premature combustion before top dead center. During low load conditions, a portion of the engines cylinders are deactivated so that the remaining cylinders can operate at a pseudo higher load while the overall engine exhibits behavior typical of a relatively low load.Type: ApplicationFiled: August 2, 2006Publication date: February 7, 2008Inventors: Carl-Anders Hergart, William L. Hardy, Kevin P. Duffy, Michael P. Liechty