US5265418A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Exhaust emission control
Assignee: Delphi Technologies Inc
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Filing: 1991-02-27
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Granted: 1993-11-30
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Expires: 2011-02-27
Abstract
Abstract A method of operating an internal combustion engine (20) in order to improve the control of the level of emissions in the exhaust gases, comprising the steps of, at least when the engine (20) is operating under idle and/or low load conditions at a temperature below a predetermined value, applying a parasitic load to the engine (20) to increase engine fuel demand, and increasing fueling rate to the engine (20) in response to said engine fuel demand to thereby raise the temperature of the exhaust gases. The method may further comprise the steps of raising the temperature of the air being inducted into the engine (20) and/or directly heating a catalyst (25) in the engine exhaust system (24), conveniently by respective heater elements (23,26) coupled to an alternator (27) driven by the engine (20).
Inventors
- 👤 Darren A. Smith
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-27 22:53
CPC Classifications
F; F01; F01N; F01N3/00; F01N3/08; F01N3/10; F01N3/24; F01N3/30; F01N3/306; F01N3/18; F01N3/20; F01N3/2006; F01N3/2013; F01N9/00; F02; F02B; F02B75/00; F02B75/12; F02D; F02D41/00; F02D41/02; F02D41/021; F02D41/0235; F02D41/024; F02D41/04; F02D41/08; F02D41/083; F02D41/14; F02D41/1438; F02D41/1444; F02D41/1446; F02M; F02M31/00; F02M31/02; F02M31/04; F02M31/042; F02D2041/026; Y; Y02; Y02T; Y02T10/00; Y02T10/10; Y02T10/12; Y02T10/40
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 24
Claim 1
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of operating an internal combustion engine, characterised by, at least when the engine is operating under idle and/or low load conditions, determining when the engine temperature is below a predetermined value, automatically applying a parasitic load to the engine in response to determining said engine temperature is below said predetermined value to thereby increase the engine fuel demand, and increasing fuelling rate to the engine in response to said increased engine fuel demand to thereby raise the temperature of the exhaust gas.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
84 words
A method of operating an internal combustion engine, characterised by, at least when the engine is operating under idle and/or low load conditions, determining when the engine temperature is below a predetermined value, automatically applying a parasitic load to the engine in response to determining said engine temperature is below said predetermined value to thereby increase the engine fuel demand, and increasing fuelling rate to the engine in response to said increased engine fuel demand to thereby raise the temperature of the exhaust gas.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
30 words
A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the parasitic load is applied by restricting the circulation of engine cooling fluid by fluid circulating means driven by the engine.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 1, characterised in that the parasitic load is applied by coupling an electric load to an alternator driven by the engine.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A method according to claim 3, characterised in that said electric load includes a heater element.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
28 words
A method according to claim 4, characterised by applying the heat generated by said heater element to raise the temperature of the air being inducted into the engine.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
26 words
A method according to claim 4, characterised by applying the heat generated by said heater element to directly heat a catalyst in the engine exhaust system.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
A method according to claim 1, further characterised by raising the temperature of the air being inducted into the engine.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
A method according to claim 1, further characterised by directly heating a catalyst in the engine exhaust system.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
131 words
A management system for an internal combustion engine, characterised in that said system comprises an ECU arranged to receive input signals relating to engine operating conditions to determine the required fuelling rate to the engine, engine loading means, and fuel supply means; said ECU being programmed to, at least when the engine is operating under idle and/or low load conditions, determine when the engine temperature is below a predetermined value, control said loading means to apply a parasitic load to the engine in response to determining said engine temperature is below said predetermined value to thereby increase the engine fuel demand and adjust said fuel supply means to increase fuelling rate to the engine in response to said engine fuel demand to thereby raise the temperature of the engine exhaust gases.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
131 words
A management system for an internal combustion engine, characterised in that said system comprises an ECU arranged to receive input signals relating to engine operating conditions to determine the required fuelling rate to the engine, engine loading means, and fuel supply means; said ECU being programmed to, at least when the engine is operating under idle and/or low load conditions, determine when the engine temperature is below a predetermined value, control said loading means to apply a parasitic load to the engine in response to determining said engine temperature is below said predetermined value to thereby increase the engine fuel demand and adjust said fuel supply means to increase fuelling rate to the engine in response to said engine fuel demand to thereby raise the temperature of the engine exhaust gases.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that said loading means include fluid circulating means driven by the engine to circulate engine cooling fluid and circulation control means to selectively restrict the circulation of the engine cooling fluid for applying said parasitic load.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that said loading means include an electric load means coupleable to an alternator driven by the engine for applying said parasitic load.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
17 words
A system according to claim 11, characterised in that said electric load means includes a heater element.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 12, characterised in that said heater element is arranged to raise the temperature of the air being inducted into the engine.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system according to claim 12, characterised in that said heater element is arranged to directly heat a catalyst in the engine exhaust system.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system according to claim 11, characterised in that the ECU is powered from an electric energy storage coupled to an alternator driven by the engine, said ECU is programmed to only apply said electric load when the level of said storage is above a preset value.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that the ECU is programmed to control the period of the application of the parasitic load.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A system according to claim 16, characterised in that the period is determined by the operating temperature of the engine.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system according to claim 16, characterised in that the period is determined by the number of revolutions from the engine start up.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
23 words
A system according to claim 16, characterised in that the period is determined by a preselected time interval from the engine start up.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
22 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that the input signals relate to the engine temperature, engine load and engine speed.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
26 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that a heater element is provided to raise the temperature of the air being inducted into the engine.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
24 words
A system according to claim 9, characterised in that a heater element is provided to directly heat a catalyst in the engine exhaust system.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1996-11-29 | 1997-05-31 | 1997-11-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2000-11-29 | 2001-05-31 | 2001-11-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2004-11-29 | 2005-05-31 | 2005-11-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |