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. 02, 2002
Filed:
May. 02, 2000
David Karl Bidner, Livonia, MI (US);
Gopichandra Sumilla, West Bloomfield, MI (US);
Imad Hassan Makki, Dearborn Heights, MI (US);
James Michael Kerns, Trenton, MI (US);
Stephen B. Smith, Livonia, MI (US);
Ford Global Technologies, Inc., Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
An air/fuel control method for an engine including a NO sensor in operative relationship to a catalytic converter. The method comprises the steps of providing a base fuel signal related to a quantity of air inducted into the engine and generating a bias signal for biasing the base fuel signal towards a leaner air/fuel ratio. The output of the NO sensor is monitored to detect a predetermined exhaust gas NO value representing a predefined NO conversion efficiency. The base fuel signal is then modified as a function of the bias signal corresponding to the predetermined exhaust gas NO value to maintain the catalytic converter within a desired efficiency range. In one aspect of the invention, the process of detecting the edge of the NO conversion efficiency window is executed at predetermined time periods measured by the distance the vehicle traveled, or the elapsed time since last base fuel value modification.