Engine refurbishment using ionized air

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9670849-B2
Application number	US-201514632856-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2015
Priority date	Feb 26, 2015
Publication date	Jun 6, 2017
Grant date	Jun 6, 2017

Abstract

Methods and systems are provided for refurbishing an engine using ionized air. During a service mode, a service technician may stream ionized air from an external ionized air source to an engine cylinder via the engine intake system. Concurrently, the service technician may connect a service tool to a vehicle diagnostics port to relay operator input, the input allowing a vehicle control system to rotate the engine and adjust engine throttle and cams.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for an engine of a vehicle, comprising:
introducing ionized air into an engine cylinder while rotating the engine unfueled; and
oxidizing organic matter in the cylinder using the introduced ionized air, wherein the introducing of ionized air and rotating the engine unfueled is responsive to input from an operator, the operator including a service technician.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein introducing ionized air includes introducing ionized air from an ionized air source external to the engine.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein introducing ionized air into the cylinder includes receiving ionized air from the ionized air source at an engine air induction system, and flowing the received ionized air from the air induction system to the engine cylinder.

4. The method of claim 3 , further comprising, flowing ionized air from the engine cylinder to an engine exhaust and oxidizing organic matter in the exhaust using the ionized air.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the operator input is received via a service tool coupled to a diagnostics port of the vehicle.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising, communicatively coupling the service tool to a control system of the vehicle.

7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, fully opening one or more of an intake throttle and an EGR valve while introducing the ionized air based on operator input received via the service tool.

8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, fully advancing intake and/or exhaust cams while introducing the ionized air based on operator input received via the service tool.

9. The method of claim 6 , further comprising, after a threshold duration, discontinuing the introducing of the ionized air, and decoupling the service tool from the control system of the vehicle.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the introducing includes introducing ionized air during selected non-combusting engine conditions in which the vehicle has been placed into a service mode.

11. A method for an engine coupled in a vehicle, comprising:
during a service mode of vehicle operation where the engine is not combusting, receiving input from an operator via a service diagnostic tool coupled to the vehicle; and concurrently, receiving ionized air in an engine air intake system from an ionized air source coupled to the vehicle.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, based on the operator input, adjusting one or more of an intake throttle opening, an EGR valve opening, an intake cam timing, and an exhaust cam timing.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the adjusting includes one or more of fully opening the intake throttle, fully opening the EGR valve, and fully advancing the intake cam timing and exhaust cam timing.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the vehicle includes an electric starter motor for cranking the engine during an engine start, the method further comprising, based on the operator input, rotating the engine unfueled via the electric starter motor to a position based on the operator input and maintaining the engine at the position via motor torque until an operator input indicating completion of ionized air engine cleaning is received.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising, flowing the received ionized air into engine cylinders to oxidize organic matter in the cylinders using the ionized air, and then flowing the received ionized air to an engine exhaust to oxidize organic matter in the exhaust using the ionized air.

16. A vehicle system, comprising:
an engine including an intake, an exhaust, and a plurality of engine cylinders;
a diagnostics port; and
a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory for:
shifting a vehicle to a service mode during selected non-combusting conditions when a service mode is requested by an operator;
receiving operator input via a service tool connected to the diagnostics port, the service tool communicatively coupled to a vehicle control system during the service mode; and
flowing ionized air, received from an external ionized air source coupled to the engine intake, through the plurality of engine cylinders while spinning the engine unfueled.

17. The system of claim 16 , wherein the engine intake includes an intake throttle, and wherein the controller includes further instructions for increasing an opening of the intake throttle based on the operator input.

18. The system of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of engine cylinders includes an intake valve operated via an intake cam and an exhaust valve operated via an exhaust cam, and wherein the controller includes further instructions for fully advancing each of the intake cam and the exhaust cam based on the operator input.

19. The system of claim 16 , wherein the vehicle system is a hybrid vehicle system including an electric motor, and wherein the controller includes further instructions for spinning the engine unfueled via the motor based on the operator input while flowing the ionized air.

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Martin Douglas Raymond
• Miller Kenneth James

Classifications

• F02D41/0002

  Controlling intake air · CPC title

• F02D21/02 Primary

  peculiar to oxygen-fed engines · CPC title

• F02M25/12

  the apparatus having means for generating such gases (using rays and simultaneously generating ozone F02M27/06) · CPC title

• F02M27/04 Primary

  by electric means, {ionisation, polarisation} or magnetism · CPC title

• F01L1/34

  characterised by the provision of means for changing the timing of the valves without changing the duration of opening {and without affecting the magnitude of the valve lift} · CPC title