Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Peter Mitchell Lyon

Christopher Oberski

John Eric Rollinger

Adam J Richards

Alan Gutowski

Curtis Mark Jones

Steve T Skikun

David Hancock

Frank Fusco

M Scott Christensen

Stephen Michael White

John Paul Bogema

Norman Hiam Opolsky

Kevin Chen

Fred Koberstein

Michiel Jacques Van Nieuwstadt

Kevin Murphy

Gopal Krishna Chamarthi

Joseph Goode

Scott Thompson

Venkatesh Krishnan

Manfred Koberstein

Brien Lloyd Fulton

Scott James Thompson

Scott Steadmon Thompson

Bret Alan Zimmerman

Alan Robert Dona

Peter Douglas Kuechler

Frank M Korpics

Timothy Webb

Andrew A Adamczyk

Jason Ronald Smith

James David Pakko

Dean Pennala

Kirk Andrew Parrish

David Chester Waskiewicz

Andrew Clement Dame

Ronald G Hurley

Chris Riffle

Jeff Reich

Bradley Dane Gresens

Jeffrey B Schneyer

Lisa A Hansen

Sanket Anil Gujarathi

William Clifford Brown

Todd Fagerman

Todd Crompton

Edwin Allen Krenz

Nanci Ray

John Anthony Mangion

Darrin Blaine Luke

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for cleaning an interior of a vehicle, adjusting a position of a sun shade based on at least one of an ambient temperature outside of the vehicle and a sun load of the vehicle, and operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the interior above an upper threshold temperature for a first threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

Method and system for a vehicle sanitizing mode

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for sanitization of a vehicle interior, activating an ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) system and operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the vehicle interior above an upper threshold temperature for a threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes while the UVGI system may supplement the heat sanitizing.

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, while receiving power from an external power source and responsive to receiving a request for cleaning an interior of a vehicle, operating an electric heater of a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the interior above an upper threshold temperature for a first threshold duration using the power received from the external power source. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes while vehicle battery power and fuel are conserved by using power supplied from the external power source.

Methods and systems are provided for heat sanitizing a vehicle. In one example, a method may include, responsive to receiving a request for sanitization of a vehicle interior, operating a heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) system to heat the vehicle interior above an upper threshold temperature for a threshold duration. In this way, the HVAC system may be advantageously used to expose the vehicle interior to temperatures that kill or inactive microbes.

Methods and systems are provided for regenerating an aftertreatment device of a vehicle. In one example, a method may include adjusting conditions of the regeneration in response to a stickiness of the exhaust valve. Adjusting conditions may include adjusting an air/fuel ratio and/or a post-injection amount.

Methods and systems for regeneration of an exhaust aftertreatment device

Methods and systems for operating an engine to provide small amounts of energy to heat an aftertreatment device are described. In one example, fewer than the actual total number of engine cylinders are supplied with late post fuel injections (LPI) to heat an aftertreatment device without heating the aftertreatment device more than is desired. The engines fuel injectors may be operated at minimum fuel pulse widths to reduce fuel consumption.

System and method generating an exotherm in an exhaust system

Methods and systems are described for an engine with a SCR system including NOx sensors upstream and downstream of catalyst. One method includes monitoring SCR performance via calculating SCR conversion efficiency at different catalyst temperatures. Further, feedgas NOx levels are artificially increased when SCR device temperature is above a threshold to obtain more reliable readings from NOx sensors.

Method to diagnose SCR catalyst

A method generates a useful life indication of a lubricating fluid in an engine. Initially, a quantity of use of an engine and a time of use of the engine are measured. A useful life indication of a lubricating fluid in the engine is generated based upon a first relationship between the quantity of use of an engine and the time of use of the engine when an operating characteristic is at or below a predetermined amount, such as the average speed of a vehicle containing the engine. The useful life indication of the lubricating fluid in the engine is generated based upon a second relationship between the quantity of use of an engine and the time of use of the engine when the operating characteristic is above the predetermined amount.

Method and apparatus for estimating replacement of vehicle engine oil

A method for responding to conditions detected in an on-board diagnostic unit of a motor vehicle and signaling degradation of a component of the motor vehicle. The method includes providing a first response if the conditions signal degradation of the component due to tampering, and providing a second response if the conditions signal degradation of the component not due to tampering.

Motor vehicle on-board diagnostics to distinguish degradation from tampering

Systems and methods for improving operation of a vehicle are presented. In one example, automatic engine stopping is inhibited in response to a driver communicating a desire to not automatically stop an engine. The driver communicates intentions to allow or inhibit automatic engine stopping via a brake pedal.

Methods and systems for a stop/start engine

A method for controlling combustion in an engine is provided. The method comprises under a first condition, adjusting an EGR amount of a total cylinder charge in response to engine out NOx levels being below a first threshold. In this way, NOx levels may be used as feedback to control combustion stability.

NOx feedback for combustion control

Termination of regeneration of a particulate filter may be based on a variable percent threshold of stored particulate, where the percent threshold of stored particulate depends on a current soot burn rate. In one example approach, a method for controlling regeneration of a diesel particulate filter comprises: terminating regeneration based on a particulate burning rate; wherein the particulate burning rate is based on operating conditions of the diesel particulate filter; the operating conditions including an amount of stored particulate in the diesel particulate filter and a temperature of the diesel particulate filter.

Control of diesel particulate filter regeneration duration

Methods and systems are provided for operating a fuel system in an engine, the fuel system including a supply pump for delivering fuel to the fuel system and pressurizing fuel received from a feed pump, a fuel tank, a fuel filter for filtering fuel, a fuel rail, and a fuel injector. One example method comprises, during an engine cold-start, operating the supply pump, and adjusting a supply pump operation mode between at least a pressure-controlled mode and a volume-controlled mode based on a fuel temperature and pressure.

Fuel system control

A method for operating an internal combustion engine Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system that includes producing an EGR valve position signal to decrease the amount of exhaust gas passed to the EGR cooler when a processor determines the EGR cooler efficiency is less than the predetermined level and producing an EGR coolant valve position signal to decrease the amount of coolant passed to the EGR cooler when such processor determines the EGR cooler efficiency is less than the predetermined level. The processor produced EGR valve and the EGR coolant valve position signals result in regeneration within the cooler, returning the effectiveness of the cooler to a near 'clean' condition.

Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system

Growing community of inventors

Birmingham, MI, United States of America

Peter Mitchell Lyon