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:
May. 08, 2001
Filed:
Aug. 23, 1999
Luca Poggio, Spinetta Marengo, IT;
Marco Secco, Nizza Monferrato, IT;
Daniele Ceccarini, Rimini, IT;
Magneti Marelli, S.p.A., Milan, IT;
Abstract
Method for controlling the strength of the air/fuel mixture supplied to an internal-combustion engine after the engine has been in a fuel cut-off operating condition during which a catalytic converter arranged along the exhaust pipe of the engine is acted on by a flow of air and stores oxygen; the method comprising the steps of measuring the strength of the mixture supplied to the engine by means of an oxygen sensor arranged along the exhaust pipe upstream of the catalytic converter; estimating the quantity of oxygen stored by the catalytic converter during the fuel cut-off condition on the basis of the measured strength; and, at the end of the fuel cut-off condition, correcting the strength of the mixture with respect to a target value in relation to the quantity of estimated oxygen, so as to ensure controlled enrichment of the mixture which allows rapid disposal of the oxygen stored by the catalytic converter; the correction of the strength allowing minimization of the time interval during which the catalytic converter operates at low efficiency at the end of the fuel cut-off condition.