Deteriorated state evaluation device of exhaust emission control equipment
First Claim
1. A method of evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, comprising the steps of:
- sequentially generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by said exhaust gas, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate; and
sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a changing timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state;
wherein a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent is evaluated based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter at said changing timing.
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Accused Products
Abstract
After an engine 1 has started to operate, a state in which a humidity represented by an output of a humidity sensor 19 downstream of a hydrocarbon adsorbent 7 takes a minimum value is sequentially searched for, and a timing at which the humidity changes from the minimum value to a monotonously increasing state is grasped as a timing at which the adsorption of moisture and hydrocarbons by the hydrocarbon adsorbent 7 is saturated. After the engine has started to operate, a parameter representing an integrated amount of moisture given to the hydrocarbon adsorbent 7 by the exhaust gas is sequentially generated, and a deteriorated state of the hydrocarbon adsorbent 7 is evaluated based on the value of the parameter at the timing at which the adsorption is saturated. The deteriorated state of the hydrocarbon absorbent can thus accurately be evaluated by an inexpensive arrangement which employs the humidity sensor 19 disposed downstream of the hydrocarbon adsorbent 7.
5 Citations
36 Claims
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1. A method of evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, comprising the steps of:
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sequentially generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by said exhaust gas, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate; and
sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a changing timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state;
wherein a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent is evaluated based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter at said changing timing. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, comprising the steps of:
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sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity upstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as an upstream changing timing, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate;
sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as a downstream changing timing; and
generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by the exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine from said upstream changing timing to said downstream changing timing;
wherein a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent is evaluated based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. An apparatus for evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, comprising:
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a humidity sensor disposed downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent for outputting a signal depending on the humidity of said exhaust gas;
means for sequentially generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by said exhaust gas, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate; and
means for sequentially searching for a state in which the humidity represented by an output of said humidity sensor takes a minimum value, and detecting a changing timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate;
wherein a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent is evaluated based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter at said changing timing. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. An apparatus for evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, comprising:
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a downstream humidity sensor and an upstream humidity sensor disposed respectively downstream and upstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent for outputting signals depending on the humidity of said exhaust gas;
means for sequentially searching for a state in which the humidity represented by an output of said upstream humidity sensor takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as an upstream changing timing, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate;
means for sequentially searching for a state in which the humidity represented by an output of said downstream humidity sensor takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as a downstream changing timing, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate; and
means for generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by the exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine from said upstream changing timing to said downstream changing timing;
wherein a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent is evaluated based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A recording medium readable by a computer and storing a program for enabling the computer to perform a process of evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, said program including:
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a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of sequentially generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by said exhaust gas, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate, based on given operating state data of said internal combustion engine;
a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a changing timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state, after said combustion engine has started to operate, based on given data representative of the humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent; and
a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of evaluating a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter at said changing timing. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
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31. A recording medium readable by a computer and storing a program for enabling the computer to perform a process of evaluating a deteriorated state of an exhaust gas purifier disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and having a hydrocarbon adsorbent for adsorbing hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas flowing through the exhaust passage, said program including:
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a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity upstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as an upstream changing timing, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate, based on given data representative of the humidity upstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent;
a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of sequentially searching for a state in which a humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent takes a minimum value, and detecting a timing at which said humidity changes from the state in which the humidity takes a minimum value to a monotonously increasing state as a downstream changing timing, after said internal combustion engine has started to operate, based on given data representative of the humidity downstream of said hydrocarbon adsorbent;
a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of generating a deterioration evaluating parameter representative of an integrated amount of moisture that is supplied to said hydrocarbon adsorbent by the exhaust gas from said internal combustion engine from said upstream changing timing to said downstream changing timing, based on given operating state data of said internal combustion engine; and
a program for enabling said computer to perform a process of evaluating a deteriorated state of said hydrocarbon adsorbent based on the value of the deterioration evaluating parameter. - View Dependent Claims (32, 33, 34, 35, 36)
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Specification