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:
Sep. 23, 2014
Filed:
Sep. 10, 2012
Don Mcalpine Lawrence, Birmingham, MI (US);
Scott Donald Cooper, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
David T. Zultowski, Plymouth, MI (US);
Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Roberto Teran, Jr., Livonia, MI (US);
Emile Wheeler, Iii, Oak Park, MI (US);
Don McAlpine Lawrence, Birmingham, MI (US);
Scott Donald Cooper, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
David T. Zultowski, Plymouth, MI (US);
Michiel J. Van Nieuwstadt, Ann Arbor, MI (US);
Roberto Teran, Jr., Livonia, MI (US);
Emile Wheeler, III, Oak Park, MI (US);
Ford Global Technologies, LLC, Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A method of supplying fuel vapor to an exhaust aftertreatment device of a motor vehicle is provided. The method includes evaporating fuel on a voltage-biased, resistive heating element, the element set in an enclosure configured to release fuel vapor to the exhaust-aftertreatment device, and indicating that the element is degraded if a current flowing through the element is less than a threshold current. In some embodiments, the threshold current is based on the ambient temperature and/or the amount of fuel in the enclosure.