System and method for controlling catalyst storage capacity
First Claim
1. In an internal combustion engine coupled to an exhaust system having a catalyst, a method of adjusting an oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst, comprising:
- estimating a current amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst;
estimating an amount of oxidant storage available in the catalyst;
comparing said estimated amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst to said estimated amount of oxidant storage available;
adjusting an engine operating parameter in response to said comparison to affect a temperature of the catalyst.
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Abstract
The invention relates to a new method and system for optimizing the efficiency of an automotive catalytic converter by adjusting the engine air/fuel ratio based on estimates of the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst. The oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst is adjusted by controlling engine spark in response to an estimate of a current amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst and an estimate of the total available oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst. To maintain engine speed in spite of adjustments to the engine spark, the engine air mass is also adjusted.
36 Citations
14 Claims
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1. In an internal combustion engine coupled to an exhaust system having a catalyst, a method of adjusting an oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst, comprising:
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estimating a current amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst;
estimating an amount of oxidant storage available in the catalyst;
comparing said estimated amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst to said estimated amount of oxidant storage available;
adjusting an engine operating parameter in response to said comparison to affect a temperature of the catalyst. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In an internal combustion engine coupled to an exhaust system having a catalyst, a method of adjusting an engine air/fuel ratio, comprising:
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estimating an actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst;
comparing said actual oxidant amount to a target amount of stored oxidants;
adjusting an amount of fuel provided to the engine based on said comparison; and
adjusting an oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst based on said estimate of the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for adjusting an air/fuel ratio in the cylinders of an internal combustion engine coupled to an exhaust system, comprising:
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a catalyst positioned in the exhaust stream; and
a controller for estimating an actual amount of oxidants stored in said catalyst, comparing said actual oxidant amount to a target amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst, adjusting an amount of fuel provided to the cylinders based on said comparision, and adjusting an oxidant storage capacity of the catalyst based on said estimate of the actual amount of oxidants stored in the catalyst. - View Dependent Claims (14)
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Specification