Patent · US Expired

Device for detecting deterioration of a catalytic converter for an engine

US5359853A · kind A · utility

22Cited by
5References
30Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventor

Key dates

Filing dateNov 16, 1993
Grant dateNov 1, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 16, 2013

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY02T10/40
  • WIPO fieldEnvironmental technology
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

The device according to the invention detects deterioration of a catalytic converter disposed in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine based on output signal response curves of the air-fuel ratio sensors disposed in the exhaust passage upstream and downstream of the catalytic converter, by determining that the catalytic converter has deteriorated when relationship of a ratio of the lengths of the output response curves of the upstream and downstream air-fuel ratio sensors and a ratio of the areas bounded by the output signal response curves and reference lines satisfies predetermined conditions during air-fuel ratio feedback control of the engine; to eliminate errors the detection during a transition of the operating condition of the engine, the device also determine a degree of transition of the operating condition of the engine, for example, by detecting number of reversals of the output signal of the upstream air-fuel ratio sensor, and corrects the value of the ratio of the areas of the output signal response curves in accordance with the degree of the transition of the operating condition of the engine; thus the deterioration of the catalytic converter is detected…

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.