The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 22, 1997
Filed:
Oct. 05, 1994
Yukihiro Yamashita, Kariya, JP;
Kenji Ikuta, Rolling Hills Estates, CA (US);
Shigenori Isomura, Kariya, JP;
Nippondenso Co., Ltd., Kariya, JP;
Abstract
In an apparatus for detecting a saturation gas amount absorbed by a catalytic converter disposed in an exhaust system of an engine, an air-to-fuel ratio detecting device is disposed in a region of the engine exhaust system downstream of the catalytic converter for monitoring exhaust gas, which has passed through the catalytic converter, to detect an air-to-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture causing the exhaust gas. An air-to-fuel ratio changing device serves to change an air-to-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture fed to the engine by a correction quantity in a given direction, and serves to maintain changing the air-to-fuel ratio during a correction time. A change increasing device serves to increase the correction quantity and/or the correction time by the air-to-fuel ratio changing device to execute an air-to-fuel ratio changing process again in cases where the air-to-fuel ratio detected by the air-to-fuel ratio detecting device does not vary even when the air-to-fuel ratio changing device executes changing the air-to-fuel ratio. A saturation gas amount calculating device serves to calculate a saturation gas amount absorbed by the catalytic converter on the basis of the correction quantity and the correction time in cases where the air-to-fuel ratio detected by the air-to-fuel ratio detecting device varies when the air-to-fuel ratio changing device executes changing the air-to-fuel ratio.