Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

John M Roth

Gopichandra Surnilla

Mark W Peters

David Karl Bidner

John Ottavio Michelini

John Edward Hedges

Jason Eugene Devries

Jeffrey Scott Hepburn

Ken O Jahr

James Michael Kerns

Richard E Soltis

Timothy Joseph Clark

Christopher Paul Glugla

Joseph Robert Theis

Hao Zhang

Grant Alan Ingram

John Joseph Virga

Jason Williams

Kenneth Ellison

Methods and systems are provided for improving catalyst temperature control while reducing oxygen saturation. Secondary air is injected at a location downstream of the catalyst during selected conditions. A mixing valve position is coordinated with the air injection to improve local turbulence and thereby enhance air and fuel mixing in the exhaust passage, in at least one arrangement.

Method and system for exhaust air injection

Methods and systems are provided for a battery supplying power to an exhaust oxygen sensor heater. In one example, a method may include estimating a power delivered to the heater during heating of the sensor and in response to a power delivered from a battery being lower than a threshold, adjusting a battery charging strategy prior to an immediately subsequent engine start.

Systems and methods for oxygen sensor light-off

A method of operating an engine including varying a level of ignition energy provided to the engine during an engine start is provided. For example, the ignition energy level may be varied responsive to the amount of alcohol in fuel delivered to the engine in order to improve cold engine starting with higher alcohol fuels.

Ignition energy control for mixed fuel engine

A system for trapping liquid exhaust during a cold start of an internal combustion engine is provided. As one example, a system includes, an exhaust inlet, an exchange area fluidly coupled downstream of said exhaust inlet, a trap coupled to said exchange area having a liquid exhaust chamber for collection of liquid exhaust, and a catalytic converter fluidly coupled downstream to said exchange area. In another example, a method includes condensing, at least partly, exhaust from the engine in an exchange area in an exhaust system into liquid exhaust, collecting liquid exhaust into a trap disposed in the exchange area, and evaporating the liquid exhaust into the exchange area after an evaporation temperature is reached in the trap.

Trap for exhaust system

A method of operation of an internal combustion engine including an intake valve coupled to a combustion chamber, and a port fuel injector positioned upstream of the intake valve in an intake manifold including a throttle, the port fuel injector fluidly coupled to a fuel rail included in a fuel delivery system housing a fuel at least partially composed of alcohol. The method including, during a start-up operation when the temperature of the engine is below a threshold value and fuel is actively being injected into the intake manifold, adjusting a cone angle of a fuel spray from the port fuel injector, via adjustment of the throttle and/or fuel delivery system, based on the position of the intake valve.

Fuel injection control during start-up

A system and method for improving emissions of an engine capable of combusting a multi-component fuel comprised of two or more fuels is presented. According to the method, the passage exhaust gases are processed in said exhaust system is determined in part from the concentration of one component fuel.

System and method to improve engine emissions for a dual fuel engine

A method is disclosed for controlling operation of an engine coupled to an exhaust treatment catalyst. Under predetermined conditions, the method operates an engine with a first group of cylinders combusting a lean air/fuel mixture and a second group of cylinders pumping air only (i.e., without fuel injection). In addition, the engine control method also provides the following features in combination with the above-described split air/lean mode: idle speed control, sensor diagnostics, air/fuel ratio control, adaptive learning, fuel vapor purging, catalyst temperature estimation, default operation, and exhaust gas and emission control device temperature control. In addition, the engine control method also changes to combusting in all cylinders under preselected operating conditions such as fuel vapor purging, manifold vacuum control, and purging of stored oxidants in an emission control device.

Method to improve fuel economy in lean burn engines with variable-displacement-like characteristics

Overall scheduling of a lean burn engine system

A method is described for operating an engine coupled to an emission control device that stores and reacts oxidants such as NO. The method transitions from lean to stoichiometric or rich operation under various conditions. For example, a periodic transition is performed with an amount of NOstored in the device reaches a threshold, or when a tip-in from idle conditions has been identified.

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Grosse Ile, MI, United States of America

John M Roth