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:
Dec. 14, 2004
Filed:
Dec. 26, 2001
Naoto Suzuki, Fujinomiya, JP;
Makoto Yamazaki, Susono, JP;
Takashi Suzuki, Susono, JP;
Masaki Kusada, Susono, JP;
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
Method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle so as to purify an exhaust emission from an internal combustion engine with an exhaust-emission purifying catalyst disposed in an exhaust system of the engine, and such that the engine is brought into a temporary engine-stop state while a predetermined vehicle condition is satisfied, wherein the engine is operated for heating the catalyst, when a temperature of the catalyst has been lowered below a predetermined lower limit threshold, even while the predetermined vehicle condition is still satisfied. The catalyst maintains an exhaust-emission purifying ability at a temperature above the lower limit threshold. When the catalyst temperature has been raised to a predetermined upper limit threshold, as a result of the engine operation, the engine is restored to the temporary engine-stop state if the predetermined condition is still satisfied. The present method and apparatus permit the catalyst temperature to be held at a level higher than the activation lower limit, while minimizing the reduction of an effect of the temporary engine stop in an economy-running-system vehicle or a hybrid vehicle.