Ford Motor Company Limited

Robert W Ridgway

Ross Dykstra Pursifull

Thomas Scott Gee

Michael P Falandino

Julie A Konrad

Keith Z Doorenbos

A method, system and device for gasketing and sealing of locomotive diesel engine power assembly's internal combustion cooling medium process. The method, system and device comprise a single metal gasket having a plurality of individual elastomeric grommets specifically constructed for sealing the internal power assembly cooling fluid movement through the muting surfaces of the two-piece assembly consisting of the cylinder liner and the cylinder head. The grommets pre-assembled into the gasket at a plurality of internal fluid passage locations are selectively configured to withstand the critical assembly clamping pressure condition and the extreme temperature fluctuations experienced during the combustion process itself. The grommet material composition includes a percentage of carbon black, and eliminates any elastomeric yellow coloration additive.

Locomotive diesel engine power assembly cylinder head-to-cylinder liner gasket grommet

An engine operating system includes an exhaust aftertreatment device and a fuel delivery system for providing fuel to the engine so as to cause the engine's air/fuel ratio to vary on a periodic basis. The exhaust aftertreatment device has a window of maximum operating efficiency characterized by storage and release of an exhaust constituent within the aftertreatment device. A controller operates the fuel delivery system and performs a statistical analysis of signals from an exhaust constituent concentration sensor downstream of the exhaust aftertreatment device, so as to assure that the exhaust aftertreatment device is being operated within its window of most efficient operation.

Engine operating system for maximizing efficiency and monitoring

An engine air/fuel controller (12) is responsive to a two-state exhaust gas oxygen sensor (16) positioned upstream of a three-way catalytic converter (20) and a proportional exhaust gas oxygen sensor (24) positioned downstream of the catalytic converter. A base fuel signal is trimmed by a feedback variable derived by integrating (402-428) the upstream (16) sensor output. The feedback variable is biased towards leaner air/fuel ratios when a distribution of the downstream sensor output amplitudes has a peak value indicating a rich air/fuel ratio. And the feedback variable is biased towards richer air/fuel ratios when the downstream sensor output distribution has a peak value indicating a lean air/fuel ratio (320-396).

Engine air/fuel control responsive to catalyst window locator

An electronic fuel injection system in which an electronic engine control module connected to engine-position-responsive sensors generates a cylinder identification waveform which is synchronized with a fuel demand control waveform. The two waveforms are transmitted to an electronic driver module which distributes high-level actuating signals to the individual fuel injectors based on the two waveforms received from the engine control module. To assure the reliability of the communication link connecting the two modules, synchronized signal excursions on the two waveforms are displaced in time one from another by a preset delay interval. At the driver module, the delay interval between corresponding excursions on the two received waveforms is measured and, if the measured interval deviates substantially from the preset interval as transmitted, the generation of actuating pulses is inhibited to prevent potentially dangerous engine surging. Waveform generation and measurement is accomplished the microcontroller used to implement the engine control and driver modules.

Electronic engine control interface

A heated exhaust gas oxygen sensor assembly for an internal combustion engine that changes the heater status in order to detect a malfunction of the heater. The assembly includes an oxygen sensor, heater, impedance sensor, and controller. The oxygen sensor has a sensing element and a pair of output leads. The sensing element detects the relative oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas and responsively provides an oxygen level signal on the output leads. The heater physically warms the oxygen sensor. The impedance sensor is interconnected to the output leads of the oxygen sensor and measures the impedance between them. The controller first activates and then deactivates the heater. The controller also receives the impedance signals representing the impedance of the oxygen sensor when the heater is both on and off. The controller compares these two impedance levels and, if the difference between (or ratio of) these two values fails to meet a predetermined standard, the controller issues a heater malfunction signal. The malfunction signal may then alert the driver or mechanic that a heater malfunction has been detected.

Oxygen sensor system with a dynamic heater malfunction detector

A heated exhaust gas oxygen sensor assembly that automatically detects whether the heater in the assembly is malfunctioning. The assembly includes an oxygen sensor, heater, impedance sensor, and controller. The oxygen sensor detects the relative oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine and issues signal along a pair of output leads. The heater physically warms the oxygen sensor. The impedance sensor is interconnected to the output leads of the oxygen sensor and provides an impedance measurement to the controller. The controller compares the impedance to a predetermined threshold value to judge the effect of the heater in physically warming the sensor. If the impedance is above a predetermined threshold, the controller determines that the heater is not operating properly and issues an alarm signal.

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Royal Oak, MI, United States of America

Robert W Ridgway