Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ace Koua Kue

Edward Badillo

David Oshinsky

David George Farmer

John Paul Bogema

Bret Alan Zimmerman

Donald Fenwick Dickison

William P Boone

Dennis Blanchard

Lohpartap Ahluwalia

Fuel gelling determination methods and systems are provided for identifying and displaying to a vehicle operator a message conveying that the conditions are suitable for the formation of a fuel gel. In one particular example, at a fuel refill event the average ambient air temperature is calculated over the last fifty miles and used to characterize the grade of fuel as a summer or winter grade of fuel. Then, when the ambient temperature next drops near the cloud point of a summer fuel grade while driving, a message is displayed to a vehicle operator indicating that the conditions are suitable for fuel gelling to occur.

Diesel fuel gelling determination method

A method and system for controlling output torque of an internal combustion engine during a gearshift in an automatic shift manual transmission coupled to the engine is disclosed. The transmission includes a multiplicity of gears and a clutch actuated by a transmission control unit (TCU), which controls clutch disengagement, gear change, and clutch re-engagement. The engine includes an engine control unit in communication with the TCU. The method includes determining engine operator demanded engine torque; sending a signal to the engine control unit in response to actuation of the clutch; and, computing in the engine control unit in response to the sent clutch actuation signal and the determined engine operator demanded engine torque, a control signal for the engine, such engine, in response to such control signal changing engine torque during the gear change to substantially match demanded engine torque when the clutch is re-engaged.

Method for managing engine torque during a gear shift in an automatic shift manual transmission

A method and system for controlling engine speed during a vehicle launch (from a rest condition to a moving condition), such vehicle having the engine is coupled to an automatic shifting manual transmission. The method comprises determining a spark timing offset based on one or more of engine speed, a time rate of engine speed, relative air charge, engine coolant temperature, accelerator pedal position, and a time rate of change of accelerator pedal position. A new spark timing is determined as the base spark timing minus the spark timing offset. By adjusting spark timing based primarily on a time rate of change of engine speed, engine speed fluctuations arising during a clutch engagement associated with vehicle launch are largely attenuated.

Engine speed control in a vehicle during a transition of such vehicle from rest to a moving condition

Onboard diagnostic monitors that are affected by a changing A/F activity resulting from fuel type mixture are disabled during such activity to avoid false malfunction diagnosis. A changing A/F is detected from the difference between a fast and a slow filtered value of an input signal from a fuel type sensor. If the difference value exceed a predetermined threshold, the monitors that are affected are disabled. After the A/F has stabilized, the filtered values converge and the monitoring is resumed.

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Franklin, MI, United States of America

Ace Koua Kue