Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Vincent J Winstead

Jeffrey Allen Doering

Donald James Lewis

Alex O'Connor Gibson

David Karl Bidner

Bradley Dean Riedle

Nate Trask

Brian Moorhead

A method is disclosed for operating an engine with a first cylinder providing a net flow of gases from the intake to the exhaust while combusting; and a second cylinder providing a net flow of gases from the exhaust to the intake. Both the first and second cylinders may carry out combustion during such operation.

Cylinder charge temperature control for an internal combustion engine

A method for operating a multi-stroke homogeneous charge compression ignition engine is described. The method includes late intake valve opening (LIVO) and also cycling air and fuel charge from the cylinder back into the intake manifold during a compression stroke to mix the air and fuel charge for later reintroduction and combustion.

HCCI heavy mixing mode

A method of operating an engine is provided. The engine includes operating a cylinder with net exhaust flow from the exhaust manifold, through the cylinder, to the intake manifold. Concurrently, another cylinder may operate to carry out combustion with net flow from the intake to the exhaust. In this way, exhaust in the intake manifold may be adjusted by varying valve operation of the first cylinder.

A system for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders with electronically actuated valves (EVA) is presented. The system is designed to improve the torque delivery of an EVA engine that operates a portion of cylinders in an HCCI combustion mode.

Torque delivery

An engine is operated with a first cylinder to provide a net flow of gases from the engine intake to the engine exhaust while a second cylinder returns combusted gases back to the intake to control a timing of auto-ignition combustion in the first cylinder.

A system for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine with electromagnetic valve actuation, comprising of at least one cylinder with an engine cylinder valve, a second controller operably coupled to the engine cylinder valve, said second controller configured to adjust at least one of the valve opening and closing timing of the engine cylinder valve, and a first controller connected with the second controller over a first link and a second link, wherein the first controller is configured to send an engine position indication signal to the second controller over the first link and receive a status signal from the second controller over the second link, and wherein the first controller outputs a synchronization degradation signal responsive to a synchronization error between the engine position indication signal and the status signal.

Valve control synchronization and error detection in an electronic valve actuation engine system

A method of operating an engine is provided. The engine includes at least one cylinder communicating with an intake manifold via an intake manifold valve and an exhaust manifold via an exhaust manifold valve, the cylinder including a piston arranged within the cylinder, wherein the piston is coupled to a crankshaft of the engine. The method comprises discontinuing combustion in the cylinder during a plurality of cycles of the engine; during the plurality of cycles, operating the exhaust manifold valve and the intake manifold valve to provide a net flow of gases from the exhaust manifold to the intake manifold via the cylinder and adjusting a torque signature provided to the crankshaft during each cycle by the piston responsive to an operating condition.

A method for controlling exhaust gas recirculation is presented. In one embodiment, exhaust gases are routed from the exhaust manifold through a cylinder and into an intake manifold. In some embodiments, the method may be used when a large amount of EGR is desired.

A system for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine is presented. The system operates a first portion of cylinders in a homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) mode and a second portion of cylinders in a non-HCCI mode, and uses an engine controller that is coupled to the first and second portions of cylinders to electronically actuate valves to hold a combusted air and fuel charge in the second portion of cylinders, and exhaust the combusted air and fuel charge to adjust the residual air-to-fuel ratio of the engine.

Emissions control

A system and method for controlling a multiple cylinder internal combustion engine include determining a driver-demanded torque, determining a first torque based on the driver-demanded torque and a torque converter model, and determining a second torque based on an engine speed error between a current and target engine speed multiplied by a calibratable gain factor based on the speed ratio of the torque converter. The engine is then controlled to deliver the sum of the first and second engine torques to improve system response to part-throttle acceleration requests, particularly for vehicle launch and drive away.

Engine torque determination for powertrain with torque converter

A method and apparatus for dynamically and periodically determining the amount of energy expended by a hybrid vehicle Particularly, apparatus or controller dynamically computes the amount of utilized energy based upon the initial charge resident within the battery the amount of power supplied to the battery and the discharge efficiency of the battery thereby allowing an overall energy management strategy to be implemented and allowing an accurate operational analysis and/or simulation to be conducted.

Method and apparatus for determining the operational energy cost of a hybrid vehicle

A method and an apparatus for operating a hybrid vehicle,which requires the creation of a state of charge value and which further requires the modification of the state of charge value in accordance with the monitored speed of the vehicle,, effective to allow the hybrid vehicle,to be efficiently operated.

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Mankato, MN, United States of America

Vincent J Winstead