Delphi Technologies, Inc.

Delco Electronics Corporation

Other

Joel Franklin Downey

Alfred Henry Barrett

Richard F Rouser

Frans Peter Lautzenhiser

John Karl Isenberg

Marion Edmond Ellis

Gordon D Cheever, Jr

Daniel H Hopper

Steven J Martin

Steven Mark Bezdek

David Ross Crecelius

Nigel P Baker

Joseph A Engel

Mark A Laubenstein

Carlton T Davis

Robert W Mince

Rodger B Evans

Larry Andrew Kunk

Gerard Darryl Nichols

Royland Anthony Walker

A drive circuit is provided in a full H-bridge and half H-bridge configuration for controlling one or more piezoelectric fuel injectors. The drive circuit includes a voltage input for receiving a voltage signal, an energy storage device coupled to the voltage input for storing an electrical charge, a bidirectional current path coupled to one or more piezoelectric injectors, an inductor coupled in series with the piezoelectric injector(s) in the bidirectional current path, and switching circuitry for controlling current flow through the piezoelectric injector(s) and the inductor to open and close the piezoelectric injector(s). The switching circuitry is controlled to provide a recirculation current to recover energy stored in the piezoelectric injector(s) for storage in the energy storage device.

Piezoelectric injector drive circuit

A capture apparatus for an insect containment trap includes a disposable capture vessel (which may be a plastic milk jug), a funnel element (which may be a modified plastic beverage container), and a mechanical spring-loaded clip. The funnel element interfaces the capture vessel to the baiting device, and the clip joins the mouth of the capture vessel to the mouth of the funnel element.

Insect containment trap having disposable capture vessel and joining mechanism

An improved gate drive circuit powered by a DC source voltage, the drive circuit having an isolated output stage with a parallel-connected by-pass capacitor and a switched input capacitor circuit that maintains a charge on the by-pass capacitor for driving the gate of a controlled MOS transistor while isolating the by-pass capacitor from the source voltage. In a fully isolated embodiment of the improved gate drive circuit, a bank of controlled switches alternately couples the input capacitor to the source voltage and the by-pass capacitor, while in another embodiment, uni-directional isolation is achieved by replacing one or more of the controlled switches with diodes.

Isolated gate drive circuit having a switched input capacitor

A conductor pad, formable on a substrate or a printed circuit board, for conducing the reduction of gas voids in solder when an electronic device is soldered to the conductor pad, wherein the conductor pad includes a uniform and electrically conductive base layer having an interface surface, and also includes a patterned layer formed on the interface surface of the base layer, wherein one of the base layer and the patterned layer is substantially non-wettable and the other is substantially wettable, and wherein the base layer and the patterned layer cooperatively define strips of non-wettable surface areas which extend across the interface surface of the base layer. The strips of non-wettable surface areas can be defined upon the interface surface of the base layer in various ways to thereby create various non-wettable patterns upon the base layer. Preferably, the base layer is substantially wettable, and the patterned layer is both substantially non-wettable and electrically conductive.

Multi-layer conductor pad for reducing solder voiding

A compression sense ignition system includes a sensing capacitor having a conductive sensing element disposed in proximity to the secondary winding leads of a first and a second ignition coil for developing a compression sense ignition signal. Epoxy potting material encapsulates the leads and the sensing element to reduce variation of the effective capacitance of the sensing capacitor. The compression sense ignition signal is processed to generate a cylinder identification signal which is used to determine absolute engine position. A fault mode detection and correction scheme is implemented wherein a controller responsive to the cylinder identification signal can determine correct absolute engine position notwithstanding the occurrence of one or more engine or ignition system faults which may impair the cylinder identification signal.

Compression sense ignition system with fault mode detection and having improved capacitive sensing

An improved low-cost gate drive circuit drives the bridge transistors of a multiple power supply bridge circuit with a single logic level voltage. In general, the single logic level voltage is referenced to a first power supply and provides gate drive voltages for bridge transistors associated with a second power supply. The logic level voltage is bootstrapped to a first by-pass capacitor to provide a first gate drive voltage for a high-side transistor associated with the first power supply, and the charge on the first by-pass capacitor is consecutively bootstrapped to second and third by-pass capacitors to provide second and third gate drive voltages for bridge transistors associated with the second power supply.

Multiple output bootstrapped gate drive circuit

16 A thick-film circuit (10) includes an electrically conductive substrate (12), such as stainless steel, and a first layer of a gold-rich conductor (15) applied directly thereon. The gold layer is fired in a non-oxidizing atmosphere, such as nitrogen, to ensure a solid mechanical and electrical connection between the gold and the substrate. A next layer of a silver composition (20) containing a first proportion of silver to a conductive metal is directly applied to the gold layer (15). Preferably, the composition (20) includes palladium in equal parts with the silver to achieve a secure mechanical and electrical contact with the gold layer with a minimum resistivity. A silver-rich layer (23) is then applied directly onto the intermediate layer. This silver-rich layer (23) is a composition of silver and the conductive metal in a second proportion greater than the first proportion. In one embodiment, this second proportion is three parts silver to one part palladium by weight. The thick-film stack-up (10) provides a minimum resistance conductive path between electrical components mounted on the silver-rich layer (23) and the conductive substrate (12).

Thick-film circuits and metallization process

An adaptive digital filter for filtering noise from a binary signal having a baseline that is low and including valid pulses that are high, a system for monitoring a rotating element employing such an adaptive digital filter, and a method for filtering. The adaptive filter discriminates noise pulses from valid pulses by eliminating pulses of shorter duration than a specified high time threshold and eliminating pulse occurring prior to the expiration of a specified low time threshold from the filtered signal generated by the filter from the binary signal. The filter also includes a mechanism for analyzing the filtered signal and dynamically and automatically adjusting the specified high time threshold and specified low time threshold based on timing changes in the filtered signal. A method of filtering is also presented whereby the specified high time and low time thresholds are adjusted dynamically in accordance with the timing data calculated by the filter. Also disclosed is a system for monitoring a rotating element having a discontinuity thereon as may be utilized in a timing or positioning system. In the system, the binary signal is generated by a discontinuity sensor for sensing the presence of at least one discontinuity. The valid pulses are thus representative of at least one discontinuity and the specified high and low time thresholds are adjusted by the filter of the system based on changes in rotational speed of the rotating element.

Adaptive digital filter for automotive applications

A circuit for providing a synchronizing signal based on detected ignition voltages in a coil-per-plug ignition system. In this type of ignition system, each spark plug has its own step-up transformer, typically packaged in close proximity to the spark plug itself. Normally, the plugs are fired individually to extend plug life, but according to this invention, at least two of the plugs are fired concurrently during engine cranking. During such operation, the circuit senses the voltages at the primary transformer windings of two different spark plugs to identify the respective spark plug firings, and the synchronizing signal is produced based on the sequence of the identified firings.

Synchronization circuit for a coil-per-plug ignition system

Ignition events in a direct ignition system are sensed by capacitively coupling positive and negative ignition voltages generated by the secondary winding of the ignition transformer. A pair of planar conductive plates disposed remote from each of the secondary winding leads capacitively couple the ignition voltages to a common node to provide an input to a processing circuit for determination of absolute engine position. The secondary coil and leads are at least partially immersed in an epoxy potting material, which forms a dielectric through which the conductive plates are capacitively coupled to the respective coil leads. The plates are electrically coupled by a conductor to form a common node, which in turn is electrically coupled to a signal processing circuit. Conveniently, the plates and conductors are formed as a single leadframe element and insert molded in the polyester material. Also, the areas of the plates are relatively sized so that the capacitively coupled voltages are balanced, and the common node voltage is substantially zero prior to spark discharge.

Remote planar capacitive sensor apparatus for a direct ignition system

Absolute engine position sensing is provided by monitoring the temporal relationship of energization of multiple spark plugs sharing a common source of drive energy in a direct ignition application. The spark plugs are connected across the source with opposing electrical polarity, and the relative time of discharge across the plugs compared by sensing the time and polarity of high speed transient activity in proximity to the source.

Method of indicating combustion in an internal combustion engine

A composite device includes a junction transistor and an MOS transistor in which the channel region of the MOS transistor corresponds to a portion of the base region of the junction transistor. Such a device has a variety of applications in NAND and NOR circuits and as an analog transmission gate useful in a multiplexer.

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Kokomo, IN, United States of America

Joel Franklin Downey