Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Visteon Global Technolgoies, Inc.

Mike Dong

Dhaval P Vaishnav

Mohammad Usman

Syed K Ali

Yi Zhang

Mark W Peters

Eric Myers

Carlos Armesto

Niels Kragh

Kevin William Plymale

Luis Felipe Blas Martinez

Donald Ignasiak

Michael G Heim

Francisco Javier Gomez Mata

Mayur C Shah

Maria Fernanda Maya Diaz

Niels Christopher Kragh

Charles Frank Bartus

Methods and systems are provided for a baffle system of a fuel tank. In one example, a baffle system for a fuel tank may include a horizontal section and a vertical section, where the vertical section is arranged perpendicular to the horizontal section and includes a first end coupled to the horizontal section. The vertical section may be rigidly attached to a top surface of the fuel tank via an attachment interface.

Fuel tank baffle including vertical and horizontal surfaces for reduction of fuel slosh noise

A system for reducing fuel slosh noise in a storage tank is described. In one particular example, the system comprises a slatted baffle with angularly arranged louvers extending therefrom to reduce sloshing noise in the tank by redirecting fuel waves while preventing surface wave collisions in the tank. In this way, the louvered baffle has the ability to provide different fuel flows based on the direction of flow incident on the slatted baffle, which may enhance the driving experience, particularly in hybrid and start-stop vehicles, where periods exist in the drive cycle where background engine noise is absent.

Louvered screen baffle for reduction of fuel slosh noise

A method, comprising: purging fuel vapors from a fuel vapor canister and/or a fuel vapor bleed element to an engine intake with air routed through a transmission bellhousing. In this way, purge air may be warmed by heat generated in the transmission bellhousing during engine operation, thereby increasing desorption efficiency and reducing bleed emissions. Further, purge air may be pressurized in the transmission bellhousing to allow purging operations irrespective of intake manifold vacuum.

Systems and methods for purge air flow routing

A fuel-air separator includes a chamber with an interior side-wall surface and adjacent interior top and bottom surfaces. An inlet of the fuel-air separator opens to the interior side-wall surface to admit fuel and air and to cause the fuel and air to flow helically down and along the interior side-wall surface. A diptube opens to the bottom surface and extends along an axis of the interior side-wall surface to a fuel outlet, while the separated air is released to the atmosphere.

Fuel-air separator and pulse dampener

A vapor storage device is provided. The vapor storage device includes a diffuser plate positioned on an axis of an inlet port and comprising one or more openings extending through the plate from a leading edge to a trailing edge and a dome coupled to the inlet port of the device and the diffuser plate, where the dome includes side walls spaced away from the diffuser plate.

Vapor storage device having a diffuser plate and dome

A filter assembly having: an air filter; an air filter compartment having the air filter disposed therein; and a cap covering the air filter compartment. The cap has ribs disposed along inner sidewalls of the cap. The ribs, outer sidewalls of the compartment, and inner sidewalls of the cap form a plurality of channels having inlets for receiving a mixture of air and water. The walls of the channels collect droplets of a water portion of the mixture entering the channels. The collected water portion is removed from the filter assembly by gravity. The air filter compartment receives the air portion of the mixture exiting outlets of the channels. The exiting air portion received by the compartment passes through the air filter and after passing through the air filter passes out of the filter assembly.

Water/air separator

A low noise valve assembly () mitigates noise induced by near sonic gas flow encountering stagnant flow in the region of the valve (). An inlet tube () terminates in an annular chamber (). An outlet tube () has a generally annular valve seat () disposed within the chamber (). The valve () moves toward and away from a closed condition in direct contact with the valve seat (). The valve () includes an insert body () that is spatially segregated from direct contact with the outlet tube () while partially filling the flow channel () of the outlet tube () when the valve () is in its closed condition. The insert body () has a generally circular base with a diameter that is larger than the throat diameter (T), which is the internal diameter of the flow channel () adjacent the valve ().

Low noise valve assembly

A fuel pump for an automotive vehicle includes a housing having an opening extending therethrough, and a piston slidably supported within the opening. A pair of end caps are mounted to the housing, thereby encasing the piston within the opening. First and second pumping chambers are defined by the opening, first and second ends of the piston, and the end caps. Each of the first and second pumping chambers has an inlet adapted to allow fuel to flow into the pumping chambers and an outlet adapted to allow fuel to flow out of the pumping chambers. A drive device is adapted to move the piston back and forth within the opening, thereby alternately increasing and decreasing the volumes of the first and second pumping chambers.

Single piston dual chamber fuel pump

An in-tank fuel pump for an automotive vehicle includes a pump housing having a pumping element, a low pressure inlet, and a high pressure outlet. A motor housing defining a motor cavity is mounted to the pump housing and a motor is mounted within the motor cavity in driving engagement with the pumping element. A bypass channel is adapted to allow a portion of the fuel flowing through the high pressure outlet to flow into the motor cavity.

Bypass/leakage cooling of electric pump

A four-stroke reciprocating internal combustion engine that uses stratified exhaust gas recirculation to improve combustion is disclosed. The engine includes at least one combustion chamber defined by a cylinder, a reciprocating piston contained within the cylinder, and a cylinder head. Each combustion chamber is in fluid communication with at least one intake port and at least one exhaust port. At least one intake port includes an associated intake valve and an intake flow motion generating device for creating an intake fluid flow near the intake port. At least one exhaust port includes an exhaust valve that opens during the intake stroke at part load, and an exhaust flow motion generating device for creating an exhaust fluid flow near the exhaust port during the intake stroke at part load. An engine controller processes signals from at least one sensor and outputs a control signal to a variable valve lift and timing system for operating each intake valve and each exhaust valve such that an exhaust residual flow is inducted through at least one exhaust port into the combustion chamber and air or an air/fuel mixture is simultaneously inducted through at least one intake port into the combustion chamber. If air is inducted into chamber, fuel is injected into the air in the chamber. The engine produces a stratified exhaust gas and air-fuel mixture that includes: (i) recirculated exhaust gas which rotates in a first portion of the combustion chamber adjacent the exhaust port and which rotates about an exhaust vortex axis that extends substantially in the direction of reciprocation of the piston within the combustion chamber; and (ii) an air-fuel mixture which rotates in a remaining portion of the combustion chamber adjacent the intake port and which rotates about an intake fluid vortex axis extending substantially in the direction of reciprocation of the piston within the combustion chamber. Because of the stoichiometric operation of the engine, conventional three-way catalysts can be used for emission control.

Growing community of inventors

Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

Mike Dong