Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

David Karl Bidner

Gopichandra Surnilla

Shane Elwart

Ralph Wayne Cunningham

James Michael Kerns

John Eric Rollinger

Mark Allen Dearth

Jeff Doering

Phillip Bonkoski

Jeffrey Scott Hepburn

Amey Y Karnik

Ross Dykstra Pursifull

Michael John Cullen

Jeffrey Allen Doering

Joseph Norman Ulrey

Michael Benjamin Levin

Jerry Dean Robichaux

Thomas George Leone

Daniel Joseph Styles

Timothy Joseph Clark

Helmut Ruhland

Moritz Klaus Springer

Robert Walter McCabe

Thomas Lorenz

Daniel V Orzel

Georg Louven

Sunil Katragadda

Eva Thanasiu

Carolyn Parks Hubbard

John M Roth

Hugh Hamilton

James C Rollinson

W Cary Cole

John Smiley, Iii

Imad Hassan Makki

Mark W Peters

James Alfred Hilditch

Stephen George Russ

Douglas Raymond Martin

Chris Paul Glugla

Richard E Soltis

Bradley Dean Riedle

Larry Dean Elie

William Charles Ruona

Furqan Zafar Shaikh

Yonghua Li

Garlan J Huberts

Christian Thomas Goralski, Jr

Joseph F Basmaji

Clifford E Maki

Danrich Henry Demitroff

Jamie Charles Hanshaw

Peter Charles Moilanen

Grant Alan Ingram

Gopichandra Sumilla

Glenn A Zimlich

Colby Jason Buckman

Cary Cole

Adam Nathan Banker

Joseph Lyle Thomas

Mrdjan J Jankovic

John Ottavio Michelini

Gregory Daniel Goleski

Diana Yanakiev

Julia Helen Buckland

Michael Damian Czekala

Mathew Alan Boesch

Stephen B Smith

Brad Alan VanDerWege

Carol Louise Okubo

Mark Meinhart

Stephen William Magner

Anthony Mark Phillips

Ravi Gopal

Ed Badillo

Vladimir V Kokotovic

James Thomas Gooden

William Najib Mansur

John W Hoard

Ken O Jahr

Kevin Richard John Ellwood

Dennis Allen Light

Vincent J Winstead

Mark Thomas Linenberg

Richard John Hippley

Robert Jay Natkin

Alexander Y Gopp

Pramod Kumar Jain

Sitaram Rejeti

Arup Kumar Gangopadhyay

Shiguang Zhou

Christopher House

Jeremy L Russell

Ronald Richard Semel

Joseph Scott Slayton

Lynn Edward Davison

Debasish Dhar

Mathew John Fast

Jeff Robert Seaman

Jack Adams

Methods and system for providing heat to a vehicle are presented, whereby a refrigerant loop is operated to heat a cabin of the vehicle via heat generated by a compressor and heat generated by a resistive heating element. The heat generated by the compressor and the heat generated by the resistive heating element are transferred to a refrigerant before it is transferred to the cabin. In one example, in a first mode, an evaporator bypass valve on an evaporator bypass conduit of the A/C system is opened to route the refrigerant around an evaporator of the A/C system to increase a temperature of the refrigerant in the refrigerant loop; and in a second mode, the evaporator bypass valve is closed to route the refrigerant through the evaporator, where heat is released to a flow of air across the evaporator that is directed to the vehicle cabin.

Methods and systems for instant cabin heat for a vehicle

An automotive axle includes a housing including gears and a bath lubricating the gears, the bath including gear oil and about 0.1 to 5 wt. % secondary alcohol ethoxylate based on total weight of the bath such that during automotive operation at temperatures less than a threshold, reverse micelles form to trap air bubbles in the bath, emulsifying the bath, and at temperatures greater than the threshold, the reverse micelles dissipate.

Vehicular gear system friction reduction

Methods and systems are provided for regulating the temperature of rear axle lubrication oil. In one example, a rear axle coolant system may include a coolant loop with a plurality of valves and sensors, regulating the coolant flow in heat exchange relationship with an exhaust gas heat recovery and storage system to deliver warm coolant to a rear axle heat exchanger to warm the rear axle lubrication oil. The method may regulate the components of the rear axle coolant system through a controller, receiving sensor input from the components of the coolant system.

Rear axle lubrication oil temperature control using exhaust heat recovery and a thermal battery

Methods and system for operating a thermal storage device of a vehicle system are provided. In one example, a method comprises estimating a temperature of a thermal battery after the battery and coolant included therein have reached thermal equilibrium, and determining a state of charge of the battery based on the estimated temperature and one or more chemical properties of two phase change materials included within the battery. Specifically, the thermal battery may include two phase change materials with different melting points for providing thermal energy to warm coolant in a vehicle coolant system.

Systems and methods for thermal battery control

Methods and systems are provided for rear axle having a wet bath. In one example, a system comprises a pump configured to spin in a first direction to flow lubricant to a cooler and a second direction to entrain the lubricant with gas.

Methods and systems for a drive axle

A cooling system differential oil contained in the housing of a differential for a vehicle. The differential includes a housing containing a first portion of differential oil. A tank contains a second portion of differential oil. An inlet passage is provided through which differential oil flows from the housing to the tank. An outlet passage is provided through which differential oil flows from the tank to the housing. A valve is disposed in the outlet passage that has a closed position preventing differential oil from flowing through the outlet passage. The valve has an open position in which differential oil is permitted to flow from the tank to the housing in response to the temperature of the differential oil in the housing exceeding a predetermined temperature.

Differential thermal management system

Methods and systems are provided for a pre-chamber. In one example, a system comprises flowing a mixture of coolants to a coolant chamber of the pre-chamber. Additionally or alternatively, only one coolant may be directed to the coolant chamber during some conditions.

Systems and methods for engine pre-chamber coolant flow

Methods and systems are provided for increasing an amount of oxygen in a pre-chamber of a cylinder prior to combustion. In one example, a method may include purging residual gases from a pre-chamber to a cylinder via a pre-chamber air injection, and reducing a flow of the oxygen from the pre-chamber to the cylinder via a cylinder fuel injection directed toward an orifice fluidically connecting the pre-chamber with the cylinder. In this way, a composition of pre-chamber gases may be adjusted during a combustion cycle of a cylinder.

Systems and methods for increasing oxygen levels in an active pre-chamber

The present description relates generally to methods and systems to compensate for oxygen sensor drift caused by hydrogen diffusion within the exhaust system. In one example, a method includes adjusting a fuel amount supplied to an engine based on an estimated amount of hydrogen in the reference cell of an oxygen sensor. In this way, oxygen sensor bias on sensed AFR may be corrected.

Modeling to compensate for HEGO sensor drift

Methods and systems are provided for controlling coolant flow through parallel branches of a coolant circuit including an AC condenser and a charge air cooler. Flow is apportioned through each of an air-conditioning condenser, a charge air cooler (CAC), and a transmission oil cooler (TOC) of the coolant circuit to maintain an estimated transmission oil temperature (TOT) below a threshold. The TOT is estimated from a torque converter slip ratio.

Methods and systems for control of coolant flow through an engine coolant system

Methods and system for operating a thermal storage device of a vehicle system are provided. In one example, a method comprises determining a state of charge of the thermal battery based on an accurate estimation of a melting temperature of one or more phase change materials (PCMs) at a specific aggregate pressure inside the thermal storage device. Variation in melting temperature of the PCM may be minimized by reducing pressure variation inside the thermal storage device by regulating a position of one or more pressure relief valves of the thermal storage device.

Embodiments for controlling condensate in a charge air cooler are provided. In one example, a charge air cooler comprises an inlet to admit charge air, a plurality of heat exchange passages to remove heat from the charge air, an outlet configured to discharge the charge air from the heat exchange passages to an intake passage upstream of an intake manifold of an engine, and a dispersion element extending at least partially across the outlet.

Charge air cooler condensation dispersion element

A vehicle computer includes a memory and a processor. The processor is programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include determining a vehicle speed, selecting at least one actuator to vibrate a sensor housing based on the vehicle speed, and commanding the at least one actuator to vibrate the sensor housing in accordance with the vehicle speed to remove debris from the sensor housing.

Lidar windscreen vibration control

A computing device in a vehicle can emit a sequence of light pulses having a first speed, then receive a signal from another vehicle. Following this, the computing device can emit a message as a sequence of light pulses having a second speed based on the signal received from the vehicle, wherein the first speed is different from the second speed.

Modulated infrared lighting

Methods and systems are provided for controlling coolant flow through parallel branches of a coolant circuit including an AC condenser and a charge air cooler. Flow is apportioned responsive to an AC head pressure and a CAC temperature to reduce parasitic losses and improve fuel economy. The flow is apportioned via adjustments to a coolant pump output and a proportioning valve.

Methods and systems for coolant system

Growing community of inventors

Livonia, MI, United States of America

David Karl Bidner