Caterpillar Inc.

Eaton Corporation

Thomas Jeffrey Crowell

David Andrew Pierpont

Wade James Robel

James Richard Weber

Lifeng Wang

Alan Ray Stockner

Scott F Shafer

Scott Alan Leman

Steven J Funke

Jason Kenneth Bloms

Donald Speranza

Martin A Lehman

Hind Malaeb Abi-Akar

George E Donaldson

Daniel G Smedley

Vincent John Neyens

Trent J Cleveland

Derik Warne

Douglas Edgar Wilson

Tryg Carl Tow

Jeff Skorupski

David J Andres

Tom Genise

David Halteman

Ross Wetzel

Rich Nellums

Joseph Brock Oelze

Marian Elizabeth L Neal

D Andy Pierpont

Anurag Menon Kunnath

Jon Ashley Johnson

Brian C Hogan

Gregory D Hoenert

A plug configured to be at least partially inserted into a central housing of a turbocharger. The plug includes a body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and a threaded portion extending from the second end to a location on the body between the first end and the second end. The plug further includes a heat sink coupled to the second end, and a microchip mounted to a substrate that is coupled to the heat sink, the microchip configured to store information related to the turbocharger, wherein the microchip is at least partially submerged in coolant in the central housing when the plug is inserted into the central housing of the turbocharger.

Method and apparatus for tracking a life cycle of turbocharger

A seal configuration for a fuel injector is disclosed. The seal configuration may include a seal ring within a seal groove of the fuel injector. The seal ring may be formed from a first material. The seal configuration may include a spacer ring within the seal groove of the fuel injector. The spacer ring may be formed from a second material. An outer diameter of the spacer ring may be greater than a diameter of a fuel injector bore of the fuel injector. The spacer ring may be configured to be adjacent the seal ring within the seal groove to form a seal of a fuel injector slot of an engine head of an engine, and the fuel injector slot is configured to support the fuel injector.

Seal configuration for fuel injector

A fuel system for an internal combustion engine includes a fuel system, a valve train, and a fuel injector including a cam actuated plunger. The fuel injector has a noise suppressor fluidly connecting a plunger cavity to each of a spill passage and a nozzle supply passage in the fuel injector. The noise suppressor has an inlet configuration forming a fuel admission flow area to the plunger cavity, and an outlet configuration forming a fuel discharge flow area. The fuel discharge flow area is smaller than the fuel admission flow area, and the noise suppressor adjusts to the outlet configuration to throttle discharging of fuel from the plunger cavity to limit valve train noise.

Fuel injector and fuel system with valve train noise suppressor

A fuel injector includes an injector body, and a plunger movable within a plunger cavity in the injector body. The fuel injector also includes a spill valve positioned at least partially within a main fuel passage, a fill passage forming a fluid connection between the plunger cavity and the main fuel passage, and a cross passage forming a second fluid connection between the plunger cavity and the main fuel passage. The fuel injector also includes a metering edge within the plunger cavity and positioned such that the plunger passes the metering edge during pumping to the plunger for valvetrain noise suppression. A metering slot may be formed in the injector body or the plunger.

Fuel injector having cam-actuated plunger and plunger cavity metering edge for valvetrain noise suppression

A control system for a dual fuel engine having a liquid fuel supply and a gaseous fuel supply is disclosed. The control system may include at least one sensor operably coupled to a cylinder of the dual fuel engine and configured to monitor cylinder condition and transmit a cylinder condition signal. Additionally, a controller may be communicably coupled with the at least one sensor and the controller may be configured to receive the cylinder condition signal and determine whether the cylinder is operating in an abnormal operating condition. Whereas the controller determines the cylinder is operating in the abnormal operating condition, the controller sends a control signal for the liquid fuel supply to provide an amount of liquid fuel which is greater than an amount of liquid fuel supplied to the cylinder during a normal operating condition.

Mitigation of intermittent cylinder misfire on dual fuel engines

In one aspect, the present disclosure is directed to a system for reacting with sulfuric acid. The system may include a housing having an inlet and an outlet and may also include a component disposed downstream of the inlet and upstream of the outlet. The component may be configured to restrict a flow of fluid through the housing as a function of sulfuric acid present within the fluid.

System for detecting sulfuric acid

A system and method for managing the heat produced by operation of an internal combustion system utilizes an electronic controller to control operation the engine that is coupled to a transmission. The transmission can include a high drive ratio and a low drive ratio. Stored in the controller are a plurality of different performance curves. When the transmission is in the low drive ratio, the controller selects a performance curve that comparatively increases the amount of torque and/or power the engine produces. When the transmission is in the high drive ratio, the controller selects a performance curve that comparatively reduces torque and/or power produced by the engine. Because the engine generates less heat when it produces less torque, the engine can accommodate additional emissions control devices and/or techniques that may otherwise adversely affect heat rejection.

System and method of changing engine performance curves to manage heat generation

A power train control system for a mobile machine is disclosed. The power train control system has a power source configured to produce a power output, a transmission device operatively connected to receive the power output and propel the mobile machine, and a control module. The control module is configured to receive an indication of a power demand, receive an indication of a current travel speed of the mobile machine, and reference the power demand and the current travel speed with a power train efficiency map to determine a desired power source speed. The power train control system is also configured to control operation of the transmission device to bring a speed of the power source within a predetermined amount of the desired power source speed.

Efficiency based integrated power train control system

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for controlling an intake engine valve capable of variable closing timing. A condition indicative of white smoke production is determined. An intake engine valve is closed at a first crank angle for a given engine operating condition when the condition indicative of white smoke production does not exist. The intake valve is closed at a second crank angle for the given engine operating condition when the condition indicative of white smoke production exists. The second crank angle is less than the first crank angle.

Engine valve actuation system and method for controlling white smoke

Electronically controlled internal combustion engines are operated based upon control calibration algorithms that can come in a variety of forms, including maps, equations, surfaces and other mathematical techniques. Each combination of a control calibration algorithm and a particular engine must satisfy certain constraints such as customer acceptance and value demands, and should have the ability to perform a variety of expected duty cycles for the given engine application. A plurality of different engine control calibration algorithms are made available to an engine control system. Each of the engine calibration algorithms corresponds to a particular duty cycle while being optimized for a performance parameter such as reduced emissions, while meeting a variety of constraints.

Engine control strategies

A method of controlling a variable valve actuation system for an engine is provided. A cam assembly is operated to move an intake valve between a first position and a second position. A parameter indicative of an altitude at which the engine is operating is sensed. A first lookup map is accessed to determine a desired air-to-fuel ratio when the sensed parameter indicates that the engine is operating at an altitude below a first predetermined value. A second lookup map is accessed to determine a desired air-to-fuel ratio when the sensed parameter indicates that the engine is operating at an altitude above the first predetermined value. A desired valve actuation period is determined based on the determined air-to-fuel ratio. The intake valve is prevented from returning to the first position until the end of the determined valve actuation period.

Variable valve actuation control for operation at altitude

A system for operating an internal combustion engine includes an intake valve moveable between a first position at which fluid is blocked from flowing to or from the cylinder and a second position at which fluid is allowed to pass to or from the cylinder. The system includes a fluid actuator selectively operable to hold the intake valve from moving to the first position during a portion of a compression stroke and a control valve configured to control fluid flow between a source of fluid and the fluid actuator. A fuel supply system supplies a predetermined amount of fuel to the cylinder at an appropriate time during an engine cycle based on at least one engine operating parameter, and a controller determines a need to de-rate the engine based on a sensed parameter relating to source fluid viscosity during a cycle in which the fluid actuator is not operated.

System and method for controlling engine operation

Air laden with oil and blow-by gases is evacuated from an engine compartment such as a crankcase. The air is cleaned by removing oil and may be reused for engine combustion by routing it through a turbocharger inlet. The reclaimed oil may be returned to an oil pan for reuse in engine lubrication.

Blow-by gas evacuation and oil reclamation

A method and system for controlling the injection of fuel across a plurality of fuel injectors coupled together along a fuel rail in an internal combustion engine is provided. The method and system involve producing a reference fuel delivery control signal for each of the fuel injectors as a function of the desired fuel mass to be injected and subsequently adjusting the pulse width of each fuel delivery control signal as a function of the fuel temperature proximate each of the respective fuel injectors. The temperature of the fuel proximate each of the respective fuel injectors along the fuel rail is ascertained by measuring the temperature of the fuel near the inlet of the fuel rail using a temperature sensor and subsequently determining the temperature of the fuel proximate each of the fuel injectors based on the measured fuel temperature measured and the location of said fuel injector along said fuel rail.

Growing community of inventors

Metamora, IL, United States of America

Thomas Jeffrey Crowell