Ford Motor Company Limited

Wallace R Wade

Vemulapalli D Rao

Michael M Schechter

V Durga Rao

Aladar O Simko

Peter John Grutter

Michael A Choma

Michael A Weyburne

Edwin J Ounsted

Peter H Havstad

Michael G Aimone

Louis R Christensen

Joseph L Hughes

Clifton W Owens

Peter Iwu Shen

An electronic driveline controller and traction control method for an engine driven vehicle wherein the tractive effort of the driving wheels is controlled to avoid excess slip of the traction wheels relative to the vehicle road surface, the traction control being achieved by total powertrain torque management whereby the torque delivered to the driving wheels is a control parameter that depends upon the magnitude of sensed operating variables for the vehicle driveline.

Torque managed traction control for the drive wheels of an automotive

Monitoring a catalyst positioned downstream of a Y-shaped exhaust path includes positioning an exhaust gas oxygen sensor just upstream and just downstream of the catalyst and using the two sensors together to monitor catalyst activity. Such monitoring is discontinued when the exhaust gas oxygen sensor switching rate of the upstream exhaust gas oxygen sensor is below a minimum threshold value. The upstream exhaust gas oxygen sensor does not provide an air fuel ratio feedback signal but instead, such a signal is provided by two additional exhaust gas oxygen sensors, one sensor being positioned in each of the two legs of the Y exhaust path coming from the engine.

Catalyst monitor for a Y pipe exhaust configuration

Monitoring a light-off catalyst in conjunction with an internal combustion engine includes providing exhaust gas oxygen sensors upstream and downstream of the light-off catalyst for monitoring operation of the catalyst. The monitoring is disabled when the mass air flow through the light-off catalyst is so high that the catalyst monitor is saturated and unable to detect the operation of the light-off catalyst.

Light-off catalyst monitor

A filtration system operative to remove oxidizable particulates from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine is disclosed. The system has a filter element to trap and collect particulates in the exhaust gas, ignition means supplied with energy for a period only sufficient to ignite a leading portion of the particulate collection, and means for conducting a flow of gas with excess oxygen through the filtration means immediately following ignition without addition of other energy, the flow of gas with excess oxygen being utilized to support the continued oxidation of the ignited particulate collection. The ignition means may comprise (a) apparatus for adding excess hydrocarbon fuel either to (i) the gas flow through the intake manifold of the engine, (ii) the exhaust gas exiting from the engine, or (iii) a separate supply of compressed air, and (b) a supplementary heated catalyst located between the exhaust manifold of the engine and the filter element for acting upon the hydrocarbon rich gas flow, the catalyst being effective to bring about ignition of the hydrocarbon rich gas and produce a heated exhaust gas high enough in temperature to ignite at least a portion of the particulates in the filter element.

Filtration system for diesel engine exhaust-II

An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system and construction is provided in which an EGR flow valve and an air flow valve are mounted on a common shaft or, alternatively, interconnected by stepper motors or electric motors to ensure equal response times for the flow of EGR gases and air flow into the engine combustion chamber. In one embodiment, a secondary EGR valve is provided in the EGR passage to bleed the exhaust back pressures to approximately atmospheric level to equal that of the air being inducted past a main air throttle valve. Finally, an EGR control system is provided for calculating the EGR flow rate as to be able to set the spark timing of the engine according to previously determined mapping data that provides values required for best fuel economy at any EGR rate.

Fast response exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system

An oilless engine having a piston reciprocal within a cylinder and along an axis of such cylinder while providing an annular gap therebetween to receive combustion gases and a gas phase blow-by control system for such engine. The system comprises (a) an annular receptacle in at least one of said piston and cylinder; (b) an annular body of graphite carrying high temperature solid lubricant disposed in said annular receptacle, said body presenting a face projecting out of said receptacle; (c) an elastomer material retentive of elasticity at the maximum operating temperature to be experienced by said body, interposed between said body and receptacle to urge said body to close said gap under all operating conditions of said engine; and (d) axially directed grooves in said body face sized to substantially trap cylinders of combustion gases therein by viscosity under low pressure gradients and to limit the passage of a combustion gases through said grooves under high pressure gradients to one percent or less of the cylinder gas charge volume, the gas cylinders functioning as bearings to ride the piston during reciprocation.

Oilless internal combustion engine having gas phase lubrication

A plunger-type injection pump for use in automotive installations is provided not only with plunger rotating means to vary the quantity of fuel injected but also with a novel tappet assembly that includes hydraulically actuated facing nested parts that can be axially separated as well as angularly rotated relative one to the other to vary the height of the plunger from an initial setting in a continuously variable manner to thereby continuously vary the injection timing.

Diesel fuel injection pump with variable injection timing

An apparatus for providing a gas phase film lubrication between a reciprocal piston and a cylinder of an uncooled oilless internal combustion engine; the piston is effective to drive a rotary crankshaft in response to an expanding gas charge. The apparatus comprises: (a) means connecting the crankshaft to said piston for transferring reciprocal thrust into rotary thrust, such means aligning the piston concentrically within the cylinder wall to limit the imposition of side loads on said piston (i.e., less than 80 psi); (b) interfacing walls on the piston and cylinder (i) sized to provide a predetermined annular gap therebetween at ambient conditions that has a radial dimension in the range of 0.001.+-.0.0005 inches, (ii) consisting of matched materials that prevent closure of the gap due to thermal expansion under the maximum temperature differential to be experienced between the piston and cylinder wall, and (iii) are preshaped to anticipate any thermal growth of the interfacing walls for maintaining the annular gap substantially constant at elevated temperatures.

Uncooled oilless internal combustion engine having uniform gas squeeze

A multipart ceramic cylinder head construction, comprises: a ceramic plate having (i) opposed faces, (ii) a central zone through which extends a transverse central axis, (iii) a peripheral zone about the central zone, the plate further having three or more gas or fluid transfer openings extending transversely through the central zone and spaced about the central axis to divide the central zone into radial sectors, each sector containing one of the openings; a first ceramic intake port block having sufficient ceramic mass to define a gas passage and define an integral compression receiving portion, the first block being adapted to mate with one of the radial sectors of the plate to align the first passage with the opening in such one radial sector; a second ceramic exhaust port block having sufficient ceramic mass to define a second gas passage and define an integral compression receiving portion, the second block being adapted to mate with another of the radial sectors of the plate to align such second passage with the opening in such other radial sector; and means effective to (i) secure the blocks mated to the plate in compression, and (ii) provide an air gap spacing between the blocks.

Multipart ceramic cylinder head

An apparatus for use with an internal combustion engine such as a diesel engine which emits hydrocarbons and particulates is disclosed. The apparatus is for use with an engine having a primary exhaust conduit, a flow divider defining parallel exhaust conduits connected to the primary exhaust conduit, and a pair of particulate traps, one each disposed in each of the parallel exhaust conduits and each of said traps having a frontal face exposed to the exhaust gas flow and one of the parallel exhaust conduits. The apparatus comprises (a) a heat exchange means disposed in the primary exhaust conduit for reducing the temperature of the exhaust gases for promoting partial condensation of hydrocarbons; (b) syphon means to conduct a separate syphoned flow of exhaust gas from the primary exhaust conduit around the heat exchanger to the frontal face of each of the traps; (c) a pair of valves, each responsive to a pressure differential between the primary exhaust conduit and a different parallel exhaust conduit to separately control each flow of the exhaust gas through said syphon means; (d) flow control means for selectively promoting pressure differential between one of the parallel exhaust conduits and a primary exhaust conduit while dissipating any significant pressure difference between the primary exhaust conduit and the other parallel exhaust conduit; and (e) means to augment the heat of the syphoned exhaust gas to facilitate ignition of the collected particles at the frontal face of a trap exposed to such exhaust gas.

Low energy regeneration system for particulate trap for an internal

A filtration system operative to remove oxidizable particulates from the exhaust gas of a diesel engine is disclosed. The system has a filter element to trap and collect particulates in the exhaust gas, ignition means supplied with energy for a period only sufficient to ignite a leading portion of the particulate collection, and means for conducting a flow of gas with excess oxygen thorough the filtration means immediately following ignition without addition of other energy, the flow of gas with excess oxygen being utilized to support the continued oxidation of the ignited particulate collection. The ignition means may comprise (a) apparatus for adding excess hydrocarbon fuel either to (i) the gas flow through the intake manifold of the engine, (ii) the exhaust gas exiting from the engine, or (iii) a separate supply of compressed air, and (b) a supplementary heated catalyst located between the exhaust manifold of the engine and the filter element for acting upon the hydrocarbon rich gas flow, the catalyst being effective to bring about ignition of the hydrocarbon rich gas and produce a heated exhaust gas high enough in temperature to ignite at least a portion of the particulates in the filter element.

A heated fuel injection system includes a fuel injector assembly that receives the output of a diesel type fuel pump against a piston that normally biases an injector valve closed; the pump also supplying a fuel reservoir with high pressure fuel, the output of the reservoir being heated and fed to the injector valve to act upon it to move it open when the force of the piston acting against it is relieved by the pump output pressure as it increases to a predetermined level during the charging stroke; the fuel heat being derived from the engine exhaust gases during normal running operation, and by an electrical starter, during engine startup.

Heated fuel injection system

An apparatus and method for continuously regenerating a particulate filter trap comprises: movable means effective to shield a segment of the trap entrance face from the full flow of exhaust gas while permitting a portion of the exhaust gas flow to bleed therethrough; (b) electrical resistance heating means having a movable heating element carried by the shield and interposed between the trap face and the shield; and (c) means for substantially continuously moving the shield and element conjointly across the trap face to ignite one or more columns of the particulates in the trap aligned with the shield and element. The ignited particles and bleed flow cause oxidation to proceed throughout the extent of the columns of particulates without need for additional exterior heat.

Continuous rotary regeneration system for a particulate trap

A dispensing apparatus is disclosed for adding a fluid agent to the fuel supply of an automotive engine, the agent is effective in depressing the ignition temperature of soot collected in an exhaust trap. The apparatus comprises: (a) a reservoir for containing a supply of the fluid agent such as copper octoate and hexane; (b) an electrically operated pulse pump for positively displacing a measured amount of the agent from the reservoir into the fuel supply; (c) register means for registering the amount of fuel replenished to the engine fuel supply and for transmitting an electrical signal proportional to the amount of fuel so added; and (d) control means responsive to the electrical signal to permit electrical operation of the pulse pump for a number of predetermined pulses to dispense a required amount of the agent for maintaining a desired uniform concentration of the agent throughout the fuel supply.

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Wallace R Wade