Eaton Corporation

International Engine Intellectual Property Company, LLC

Eric Otis Barrows

Steven Lee Ambrose

James Edward McCarthy, Jr

Robert Dean Keller

Daniel William Bamber

Peter M Jacobsen

David R Sosnowski

Ananthakrishnan Surianarayanan

Douglas Ernst Boddy

Mark L Dell'Eva

Mark L Dell′ Eva

John R Barla

Mark Louis Dell′Eva

John Robert Barla

Jr James E Mccarthy

A method for monitoring operation of a solenoid valve having an armature and a poppet coupled to the armature includes the steps of energizing a coil in the valve to generate a current signature reflecting current vs. time, detecting a first inflection point in the current signature, wherein the first inflection point occurs when the armature starts to move from one of the open and closed positions toward the other of the open and closed positions, and detecting a second inflection point in the current signature. The second inflection point occurs when the armature moves completely to the other of the open and closed positions. In one embodiment, the first inflection point indicates when the valve begins to open, making it possible to accurately determine the elapsed opening time of the valve.

Solenoid-operated valve and method of monitoring same

A pressure swirl atomizer includes a nozzle having an exit orifice and a plurality of tangential swirl channels and a pintle that is movable within a pintle bearing between a closed position that closes the exit orifice and an open position that opens the exit orifice. The atomizer also has a pole piece having a channel, and the pole piece and the pintle are separated by an air gap when the pintle is in the closed position. A space between the pintle and the pintle bearing, the air gap, and the channel together form at least a part of a return path. Fluid from the tangential swirl channels drains through the return path when the pintle is in the closed position. To open the atomizer, a solenoid generates a magnetic force when energized, attracting the pintle toward the pole piece into the open position. A check valve disposed in the return path generates a fluid back pressure when the solenoid is de-energized to push the pintle toward the closed position. The fluid back pressure helps prevent the pintle from getting stuck in the open position.

Pressure swirl atomizer with closure assist

An exhaust line fuel injection system and associated methods of operation and control are disclosed. The fuel passes through a regulating valve connected to a pressurized fuel source and an outlet connected to an exhaust system fuel supply line. The exhaust system fuel supply line is connected to a nozzle, which generally comprises a check-valve and is configured to inject the fuel into the exhaust line. Using a pressure measuring device, an indication of the exhaust system fuel supply line pressure is obtained. A controller provides control over the flow regulating valve using feedback from the pressure indication and a predetermined relationship between the flow rate through the nozzle and one of the exhaust system fuel supply line pressure and the pressure drop across the nozzle. The method can be implemented with a single pressure measuring device. The same pressure measurements, especially their frequency spectrum, can be used to detect system faults.

Closed loop control of exhaust system fluid dosing

A system for controlling pressure in a transmission comprises a transmission control unit, a valve controller that receives a desired pressure as input from the transmission control unit, a valve driver, a valve that regulates an amount of fluid in a transmission clutch, and a pressure transducer that reads a pressure in the transmission clutch and outputs a pressure reading to the valve controller, wherein the valve controller comprises logic for outputting to the valve driver an instruction for controlling the valve, the instruction being formulated using the desired pressure and the pressure reading.

Closed-loop, valve-based transmission control algorithum

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Richmond, MI, United States of America

Eric Otis Barrows