Patent Application
20170226907
This disclosure relates to a structures and methods of operation of emission control systems for treating vehicle exhaust gases.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have established U.S. federal rules that set national greenhouse gas emission standards. Beginning with 2012 model year vehicles, automobile manufacturers required that fleet-wide greenhouse gas emissions be reduced by approximately five percent every year. Included in the requirements, for example, the new standards decreed that new passenger cars, light-duty trucks, and medium-duty passenger vehicles had to have an estimated combined average emissions level no greater than 250 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2) per mile in vehicle model year 2016.
Catalytic converters are used in internal combustion engines to reduce noxious exhaust emissions arising when fuel is burned as part of the combustion cycle. Significant among such emissions are carbon monoxide and nitric oxide. These gases are dangerous to health but can be converted to less noxious gases by oxidation respectively to carbon dioxide and nitrogen/oxygen. Other noxious gaseous emission products, including unburned hydrocarbons, can also be converted either by oxidation or reduction to less noxious forms. The conversion processes can be effected or accelerated if they are performed at high temperature and in the presence of a suitable catalyst being matched to the particular noxious emission gas that is to be processed and converted to a benign gaseous form. For example, typical catalysts for the conversion of carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide are finely divided platinum and palladium, while a typical catalyst for the conversion of nitric oxide to nitrogen and oxygen is finely divided rhodium.
Catalytic converters have low efficiency when cold, i.e. the running temperature from ambient air start-up temperature to a temperature of the order of 300 C or “light-off” temperature, being the temperature where the metal catalyst starts to accelerate the pollutant conversion processes previously described. Below light-off temperature, little to no catalytic action takes place. This is therefore the period during a vehicle's daily use during which most of the vehicle's polluting emissions are produced.
For simplicity and clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the accompanying figure are not drawn to common scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements are exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Advantages, features and characteristics of the present disclosure, as well as methods, operation and functions of related elements of structure, and the combinations of parts and economies of manufacture, will become apparent upon consideration of the following description and claims with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form a part of the specification, wherein like reference numerals designate corresponding parts in the various figures, and wherein:
A catalytic converter may take any of a number of forms. Typical of these is a converter having a cylindrical substrate of ceramic material, generally called a brick, an example of which is shown in
The interiors of the tubular passages in the bricks can be wash-coated with a layer containing the particular catalyst material. These tubular passages can have a circular or elliptical cross-section, a rectangular, square or other polygonal cross section or other cross section. A suitable wash-coat can contain a base material, suitable for ensuring adherence to the cured ceramic material of the substrate, and entrained catalyst material for promoting specific pollution-reducing chemical reactions. Examples of such catalyst materials are platinum and palladium which are catalysts effective in converting carbon monoxide and oxygen to carbon dioxide, and rhodium which is a catalyst suitable for converting nitric oxide to nitrogen and oxygen, however other catalysts can also be employed to promote high temperature oxidation or reduction of other gaseous materials. The wash-coating can be prepared by generating a suspension of the finely divided catalyst in a ceramic paste or slurry, the ceramic slurry serving to cause the wash-coat layer to adhere to the walls of the ceramic substrate. As an alternative to wash-coating to place catalyst materials on the substrate surfaces, the substrate material itself may contain a catalyst assembly so that the extrusion presents catalyst material at the internal surfaces bounding the substrate passages or cells.
A catalytic converter may have a series of such bricks, each having a different catalyst layer depending on the particular noxious emission to be neutralized. Catalytic converter bricks may be made of materials other than fired ceramic, such as stainless steel. Also, they may have different forms of honeycombed passages than those described above. For example, substrate cells can be round, square, hexagonal, triangular or other convenient section. In addition, if desired for optimizing strength and low thermal capacity or for other purposes, some of the extruded honeycomb walls can be formed so as to be thicker than other of the walls, or formed so that there is some variety in the shape and size of honeycomb cells. Junctions between adjacent interior cell walls can be sharp angled or can present curved profiles.
Typically, as shown in
In use, the encased bricks are mounted in the vehicle exhaust line to receive exhaust gases from the engine and to pass them to the vehicle tail pipe. The passage of exhaust gases through the catalytic converter heats the brick to promote catalyst activated processes where the flowing gases contact the catalyst layer. Especially when the vehicle engine is being run at optimal operating temperature and when there can be substantial throughput of exhaust gases, such converters operate substantially to reduce the presence of noxious gaseous emissions entering the atmosphere. Such converters have shortcomings however at start-up when the interior of the brick is not at high temperature and during idling which may occur frequently during city driving or when waiting for a coffee at a Tim Hortons drive-through.
Converter shape, profile and cell densities vary among different manufacturers. For example, some converter bricks are round and some are oval. Some converter assemblies have single stage bricks that are generally heavily wash-coated with the catalyst metals, while others may have two or three converter bricks with different wash-coatings on each brick. Some exhausts have 900, 600 and 400 cell per square inch (cpsi) cell densities used in the full exhaust assembly, while others use only 400 cpsi bricks throughout. A close-coupled converter may be mounted up close to the exhaust manifold with a view to reducing the period between start-up and light-off. An underfloor converter can be located further from the engine where it will take relatively longer to heat up but be relatively larger and used to treat the majority of gases once the exhaust assembly is up to temperature. In another configuration, a unit for reducing the period to light-off and a unit to deal with high gas flow after light-off are mounted together in a common casing.
At one or more locations in the converter assembly, sensors are mounted in the exhaust gas flow provides feedback to the engine control system for emission checking and tuning purposes. Aside from start-up, control of fuel and air input has the objective typically of maintaining a desired air:fuel ratio, for example a 14.6:1 air:fuel ratio or other air:fuel ratio for an optimal combination of power and cleanliness. A ratio higher than this produces a lean condition—not enough fuel. A lower ratio produces a rich condition—too much fuel. The start-up procedure on some vehicles runs rich for an initial few seconds to get heat into the engine and ultimately the catalytic converter. The structures and operating methods described below for indirectly heating the catalyst layers and the exhaust gases can be used with each of a close-coupled catalytic converter, an underfloor converter, and a combination of the two.
As illustrated in
The coil 20 can be a wound length of copper tube, although other materials such as copper or litz wire, or other conductors such as aluminum, steel, etc. may be used. Copper tube can be offer high surface area in terms of other dimensions of the coil; induction being a skin-effect phenomenon, high surface area is of advantage in generating the varying field. If litz wire or copper wire is used, an enamel or other coating on the wire can be configured not to burn off during sustained high input current and high temperature operation of the converter.
A layer of 22 of electromagnetic field shielding material such as ferrite can be located immediately outside the coil 20 to provide an induction shielding layer and reduces induction loss to the casing 18. The ferrite shield 22 also acts to increase inductive coupling to the ceramic substrate 10 to focus heating.
The coil can be encased in cast and cured dielectric or insulation. The cast dielectric or insulation functions both to stabilize the coil position and to create an air-tight seal to confine passage of the exhaust gases through the brick 10 where the catalytic action takes place. The insulation also provides a barrier to prevent the coil 20 from shorting on the casing 18 or the ferrite shield 22. The insulation can be a suitable alumino-silicate mastic. In an alternative embodiment, the converter is wrapped in an alumino-silicate fibre paper. In one manufacturing method, a copper coil 20 is wrapped around the ceramic substrate 10 and then placed in the casing 18. In an alternative manufacturing method, the coil 20 is placed in the casing 18 and the ceramic substrate 10 is inserted into the coil can assembly.
In one embodiment of the disclosure, a varying electromagnetic induction field is generated at the coil by applying power from either a DC or AC source. Conventional automobiles have 12 VDC electrical systems. The induction system can operate on either DC or AC power supply. The induction signal produced can also be either DC or AC driven. For either DC or AC, this produces a frequency of 1 to 200 kHz or higher, a RMS voltage 130V to 200V and amperage of 5 to 8 A using 1 kw of power as an example. In one example suitable for road vehicles, a DC to DC converter converts the vehicle's 12 VDC battery power to the required DC voltage outlined above. In another example suitable for conventional road vehicles, a DC to AC inverter converts the vehicle's 12V DC battery power to the desired AC voltage outlined above.
Another example is more suited to hybrid vehicles having both internal combustion engines and electric motors with on-board batteries rated in the order of 360V and 50 kW of power. In this case, the battery supply power is higher, but the same basic DC to DC bus or DC to AC inverter electrical configuration can be applied. An IGBT high speed switch can be used to change the direction of electrical flow through the coil. In terms of the effect of a varying electromagnetic induction field on metal in the ceramic substrate, a low switching frequency produces a longer waveform providing good field penetration below the surface of the metal element and therefore relatively uniform heating. However, this is at the sacrifice of high temperature and rapid heating owing to the lack of switching. In contrast, a high switching frequency produces a shorter waveform, which generates higher surface temperature at the sacrifice of penetration depth. Applied power is limited to avoid the risk of melting the metal elements. A suitable power input to a single brick coil can be of the order of 1.1 kw.
As previously described, metal elements are located at selected locations of the ceramic substrate 10. For two identical metal elements, generally, a metal element closer to the source of the induction field becomes hotter than an equivalent metal element located further away from the source because there is an increase in efficiency; i.e. the level of induction achieved for a given power input. With a regular induction coil 10 as illustrated, metal elements at the outside of the brick 10 are near to the coil 20 and become very hot, while an equivalent metal element near the substrate center remains relatively cool. An air gap 26 between the coil 20 and the nearest inductance metal elements prevents significant heat transfer from the inductance metal elements to the coil which would otherwise increase the coil resistivity and so lower its efficiency. In an alternative embodiment, a relatively higher concentration of the metal elements can be sited towards the center of the ceramic substrate to compensate for the fact that the field effect from the coil source can be considerably less near the centre of the substrate than near the outer part of the substrate. In a further embodiment, a relatively higher metal element load can be located at some intermediate position between the centre and perimeter of the ceramic substrate, whereby heat generated within the intermediate layer flows both inwardly to the center and outwardly to the perimeter for more efficient overall heating. The coil 20 can be sized to the metal load to achieve high efficiency in terms of generating heat and in terms of speed to light-off.
The electromagnetic induction field can be tuned to modify heating effects by appropriate selection of any or all of (a) the electrical input waveform to the coil, (b) nature and position of passive flux control elements, and (c) nature, position, and configuration of the coil 20. For example, the induction field can be tuned to the location of metal elements or to the location of high concentration of such elements in the ceramic substrate 10. Alternatively, or in addition, the applied field can be changed with time so that there is interdependence between the induction field pattern and the particular operational phase from pre-start-up to highway driving. In an alternative configuration, more than one coil can be used to obtain desired induction effects. For example, as shown in the cross sectional view of
As shown in the fragmentary sectional views of
In an alternative manufacturing embodiment, mixing of the ceramic base material with metal particles and subsequent extrusion of the mixture to form the honeycomb substrate are configured so that selected locations in the substrate have a greater metal particle concentration than other locations. Such a configuration may be attained by bringing together at the extruder several streams of green ceramic material, with the streams having different levels of metal content from one another. The streams are then fused immediately before extrusion so that the variation in metal content is mirrored across the cross-section of the extruded substrate. In a further embodiment, metal particles are used that are elongate or otherwise asymmetric so that they tend to align somewhat closer to converter cell walls in the course of the extrusion process. In another embodiment, the particle lengths are made sufficiently long that at least some adjacent particles come into electrical contact with each other in the course of mixing or subsequent extrusion.
In alternative embodiments of the disclosure, the metal elements are located within the ceramic honeycomb structure, but not embedded within the material of the honeycomb structure itself. For example, during post-processing of ceramic substrate bricks, metal elements are positioned in selected cells 12 of the substrate or brick 10. In one implementation as illustrated in
In another exemplary configuration (not shown), selection of passages in cell 12 to be injected can be made so that the threads of cured mastic metal mixture are not uniformly distributed, but generally occupy an intermediate annular zone of the cylindrical substrate. In the operation of such a structure, heat is preferentially generated at the annular zone and is transferred from the zone sites inwardly towards the substrate core and outwardly towards its perimeter. Metal particles within the mastic metal mixture injected into a cell can be predominantly situated close to the cell interior surface rather than towards the cell center so as to localize heat generation near the cell surfaces and to get greater heat transfer and speed of such transfer to the ceramic substrate. Appropriately directed agitation of the loaded converter brick after during and/or after extrusion and before curing can encourage some migration of metal particles towards the cell walls.
In injected cell implementations, any cell which is fully blocked with a thread of the mastic and metal particles cannot function to catalyze a pollution-reducing reaction as exhaust gas passes through the cell. Such a plugged cell is used solely for heating at start-up or when idling. Consequently, only selected ones of the cells are filled with the composite heating material. In the example illustrated, the substrate has 400 cells per square inch. Of these, from 8 to 40 cells per square inch are filled with the metal mastic composite depending on the radial position of the cells and such that over the full areal extent of the substrate, the blocked cells occupy from 2 to 10% of the substrate area.
In a further embodiment of the disclosure, discrete metal elements that are larger than the particle sizes discussed with the
In one configuration, an insert 34 is formed of wire to have a bow-shape as shown in
Wires may alternatively, or in addition, be fixed into the cells by bonding outer surfaces of the wires to interior surfaces of respective cells. In exemplary bonding processes, the wire is at least partially coated with an adhesive/mastic before insertion, or a small amount of adhesive/mastic is coated onto the cell interior walls before wire insertion. High temperature mastic materials and composite adhesives are used. Suitable mastic, for example, is of the same form as that used in the injection embodiments previously described. A composite adhesive, for example, is a blend of ceramic and metal powders with a binder transitioning between the two main materials. Such a blend is used to minimize temperature cycling stress effects in which there may be significant metal wire expansion/contraction, but vanishingly small expansion/contraction of the ceramic substrate. This differential can produce stresses at the adhesive interface between the two materials. By using such a composite adhesive, movement of a bonded wire relative to the surrounding cell surface is minimized and heat transfer increased heat transfer is obtained by the presence of the composite adhesive material.
As shown in the embodiment of
There are advantages and disadvantages as between using metal particles and larger metal elements such as wire inserts. Induction heating produces a “skin-effect” hot surface of the metal being heated. This can promote heating efficiency depending on the surface area of the metal element. Generally, the more surface area there is, the quicker the metal heats-up. However, induction is a line-of-sight process where the surface that “sees” the inductive field is the one that heats-up first and gets hotter. Powder particles heat-up quickly and larger bodies heat-up more slowly. In the case of particles, whether dispersed and embedded in the ceramic substrate material itself or in mastic injected into selected cells, each particle acts independently of the next so there is little conduction between neighboring particles. Consequently, heat distribution may be relatively poor. Larger metal bodies conduct heat well throughout their bulk and can operate more efficiently in terms of distributing heat. The thin wire embodiments of
Conduction is the primary source of heat transfer to the ceramic substrate and therefore to the exhaust gases when the converter is in operation. In the case of the wire insert embodiments, there is also a small amount of convective heat transfer but this is limited as there is only a small air gap between the wires and the interior surface of the cells so air movement is minimized. There is also a relatively small amount of radiated heat transfer in the case such as inserted wires where the wires are separated over a large part of their surface area from the interior of the cells but where the separation is not occluded.
As previously described and illustrated, the distribution of inductance metal elements relative to the position of cells can be configured so that the heating effect is generally uniform across the area of the converter. Especially for start-up and idling, where non-uniform exhaust gas flow patterns may develop, there may be advantage in deliberately developing a heat pattern across the converter which is not uniform. As previously noted, this may be achieved by appropriately siting inductance metal elements in selected cells. It may also be achieved in another embodiment of the disclosure by using differently sized or shaped metal inserts or by using different concentrations of particles in the injection embodiments. It may be achieved in a further alternative structure and method by generating a non-radially symmetrical field or generating two or more interfering fields. Such induction fields and their interaction could, for example, be varied in the period from start-up to light-off. Changing heating effects may also be achieved using a combination of such inductance metal siting and field manipulation. Targeted heating that varies in position, time, or both can be implemented with a view to increasing conversion of pollutants, to saving power, or for other reasons.
In another embodiment of the disclosure, the metal elements are not entrained within the material of the ceramic substrate and are not injected or positioned into selected cells. Instead, as shown in the fragmentary section views of
All metals are responsive to some extent to an induction field, with ferrous metals being the materials most readily heated by such a field. Catalyst materials contained within a wash coat applied to a honeycomb substrate cell interior are typically platinum group metals—platinum, palladium and rhodium. Such materials have a low magnetic permeability of the order of 1×10−6 (in the case of platinum) and so are influenced only very slightly by an applied induction field. Moreover, catalyst metals are present in very tiny amounts of the order of a gram per converter brick so there is insufficient metal in the catalyst assembly to generate and transfer any noticeable heat to the ceramic substrate in start-up period or idling periods. In contrast, ferrous metals used for the induction heating are present in an amount of the order of 60 to 200 grams per brick and have magnetic permeability of the order of 2.5×10−1 in the case of iron.
As previously indicated, induction heating is applied in the period before light-off in order to reduce the amount of harmful pollutants which are emitted before the catalyst coatings have reached a temperature at which they start to catalyze reactions in which the pollutants are converted to more benign emissions. Particularly for city driving, engine operation is frequently characterized by bursts of acceleration and braking punctuated by periods of idling. At such times, the temperature of the exhaust gas entering the converter and the walls of the substrate with which the flowing exhaust gas is in contact may start to fall. If the idling and the cooling continue, the temperature of the substrate and the gas fall below that required for the pollutant-reducing catalytic reactions to occur. In such periods, heating of the converter substrate is obtained by switching on the induction heating. At a future point, when the vehicle is no longer idling and the exhaust gas temperature increases past the temperature required for effective catalytic reaction to convert the toxic exhaust gas pollutants to relatively benign products, the induction heating is switched off Embodiments of the induction heating disclosure have been described in the context of ferrous alloys such as steel which are commercially available in common shapes and sizes, and at reasonable cost. Alternative ferromagnetic metals such as cobalt or nickel or their alloys may also be used. The metal used must survive high temperature reached by the catalytic converter and repeated temperature cycling as the metal intrusions move repeatedly from a cold start to operating temperature and back again. Generally, alloying of iron or other ferromagnetic metal gives advantageous mechanical and physical properties such as corrosion/oxidation resistance, high temperature stability, elastic deformation, and formability.
Referring to
In operation, in the period between start-up and light-off, the substrate walls are at a lower temperature than the exhaust gas. More heat is transferred from the flowing exhaust gas to the substrate by stimulation of EHD heat transfer stimulation and the substrate temperature increases at a faster rate than would be the case without the EHD heating process. A control circuit includes a first temperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the converter substrate and a second temperature sensor to monitor the temperature of the exhaust gas immediately upstream of the converter. The control circuit includes a comparator for measuring the difference between the exhaust gas and the converter substrate temperatures and a switch controlled by the comparator to switch on EHD voltage to the emitter. Greater speed to light-off is obtained by switching in the EHD heat transfer process to stimulate heat transfer from the exhaust gas during the start-up to light-off period. At a future point, when the substrate is sufficiently hot to cause the pollution reducing catalytic reaction to occur, EHD heat transfer stimulation is switched off.
In addition, during idling periods, the temperature of the exhaust gas entering the converter may start to drop and a situation may arise where the catalytic converter substrate walls are still at an optimal temperature for catalyst reactions, but the gas entering the converter is below a temperature that it is optimal for such reactions. During the idling phases, the converter may remain at or near an optimal operating temperature from the viewpoint of reducing harmful emissions, even as the gas flowing through the converter is cooling down. In such periods, low power heating of the cooling exhaust gas is obtained by switching in the EHD heat transfer process to draw heat for a limited period of time. At a future point, when the vehicle is no longer idling and the exhaust gas temperature increases past the monitored substrate temperature, the EHD heat transfer stimulation can be switched off.
Referring in detail to
As shown in the
As shown in
In another embodiment, as shown in
In a further emitter collector arrangement as shown in
In a modification (not shown) of the
In further alternatives, the emitter and collector configurations shown previously can be matched differently.
A benefit of induction heating is that converter assemblies can be smaller. A cold start produces 75 to 90% of the pollutants of an internal combustion engine and this drives the size of the overall exhaust assemblies. Since the induction heating technology addresses much of this 75 to 90%, there is the ability to shrink the converter package. By introducing added heat and mass transfer with the implementation of an EHD sub-system, further size reduction is possible.
National emissions standard requirements are a prime driver for catalytic converter design. The requirements are very high and difficult to meet by with a single converter. Currently, therefore, most cars now in production employ a two converter assembly—one at a close-coupled position and the other at an underfloor position. The close-coupled converter is normally lighter in weight than the underfloor converter which means that is has low thermal capacity and so will attain a catalytic reaction operating temperature as quickly as possible. However, the close-coupled converter is of relatively lower efficiency compared with the heavier underfloor converter once the two converters have reached their respective catalytic reaction operating temperatures. By introducing induction heating to the exhaust process at start-up, it may be manufacturers can return to a single converter installation and meet emission standards by eliminating the need for the close-coupled converter.
Although embodiments of the disclosure have been described in the context of ceramic catalytic converter substrates, stainless steel substrates can also be used, with induction heating being implemented in a similar way to that described above. Substrates made of 400 series magnetic alloys can exhibit significant magnetic hysteresis. With a surrounding coil, the outer annular regions of small diameter stainless steel substrates heat up extremely quickly owing to their small thermal capacity.
In the case of EHD heat and mass transfer, in an alternative embodiment of the disclosure using a stainless steel substrate, the catalytic converter has two steel bricks with the first functioning as an emitter and the second as a collector. In such cases, insertion of wire inserts or injection and curing of metal mastic threads are obviated because the steel bricks themselves function to emit and collect the free electrons.
Embodiments of the EHD heat and mass transfer disclosure have been described in the context of ferrous alloys such as steel which are commercially available in common shapes and sizes, and at reasonable cost. Alternative metals may be used for the EHD electrodes provided that they can survive high temperature reached in the catalytic converter and repeated temperature cycling as the metal elements in the converter substrate body move repeatedly from a cold start to operating temperature and back again. Generally, alloying gives advantageous mechanical and physical properties such as corrosion/oxidation resistance, high temperature stability, elastic deformation, and formability.
In applying the induction heating and EHD mass and heat transfer disclosures to the structure and operation of a catalytic converter, the electrical circuit and electrical inputs required to implement induction heating are different from the are electrical circuit and electrical inputs required to implement EHD heat and mass transfer. In this respect, it is likely that the EHD effect is influenced by the applied induction field. This could be a positive influence with the induction field adding a zigzag component to the electron flow resulting in enhanced heat and mass transfer. Alternatively, the induction field may eclipse the EHD effect.
The induction heating process and the EHD mass and heat transfer process may be applied simultaneously or at separate times during, or in the case of induction heating, immediately before start-up.
Outputs from the temperature sensors 50 are taken to a controller 52 at which the monitored temperature or temperatures are used to control the induction heating via control of an AC generator such as AC source 64. The controller 52 generates a control signal 58 based on the temperature(s) indicated by these temperature signals. At least one electromagnetic field generator including AC source 64 and coil 20 responds to the control signal 58 by generating an electromagnetic field to inductively to heat the catalytic converter 60. The AC source 64 can, for example, be a variable AC generator that generates an AC signal having a magnitude, duty cycle or power that varies as a function of the control signal 58. In another example, the control signal 58 turns the AC source 64 on and off with a duty cycle that varies as a function of the magnitude of the desired level of heating. The AC source can generate a signal such as a 50 Hz or 60 Hz signal however medium frequency signals in the range 1 kHz-100 kHz and radio frequency signals in the range of 100 kHz-10 MHz or higher frequencies can likewise be employed.
Controller 52 can be implemented via a processor such as a standalone processor or a shared processing device such as an engine control module. The controller 52 uses one or more algorithms to control the applied induction and EHD processes in implementations where the induction field characteristics or the EHD high voltage characteristics are selectable to achieve a particular induction heating pattern or EHD effect. The controller 52 can be mounted independently of the catalytic converter. For example, the controller 52 can be mounted inside the vehicle where the electronic control circuitry is relatively well protected. Alternatively, with a weatherproof casing, the converter control module can be placed in the engine bay close to the battery or under the vehicle close to the catalytic converter.
Consider an example where the catalytic converter 60 is implemented via a bolt-in assembly in a vehicle to treat internal combustion engine emissions. Platinum group metals or other catalysts in the wash-coating work in combination with heat to treat the majority of pollutants in the exhaust gas. The catalytic treatment can be heavily dependent on temperature. For the process to be effective, a minimum light-off temperature of about 300 C may need to be reached and maintained. The exhaust gas treatment process may rapidly drop in efficiency below this temperature. In normal engine operation, there are several instances where the temperature of the catalytic converter can be below this threshold: cold start, cool down and start-stop hybrid vehicle operation as well as other electric vehicles with internal combustion engines.
In a cold start condition, the engine and exhaust system are at ambient temperature. In really cold environments, this temperature can be as low as −30 C on a regular basis in winter. Consequently, it can take several minutes of engine operation before the engine and catalytic converters heat up to the required temperature. In fact, there is little to no emissions treatment until the system gets up to the threshold temperature, typically referred to as “light-off”. Conventional catalytic converters are solely reliant on the engine for heat to raise their temperature. Cool down occurs when the engine and exhaust system start out hot and then the temperature drops below the threshold point. Excessive idling after the engine is hot can produce this effect. A low engine RPM will not produce enough heat to keep the catalytic converter 60 hot. The gradual cooling may result in a steady-state temperature that is below the light-off temperature. Decelerating from high speed can also produce this effect. The engine RPM drops to close to idling levels because no power is required and, as in the case of idling, there is not enough heat generated by vehicle exhaust to keep the catalytic converter 60 hot. Also, there is a large amount of convection under the vehicle that robs heat from the engine and catalytic converter, thus adding to the cooling rate. The issues with current converter technology is the reason that idling bans have been put in place by the law makers and also why stop-and-go traffic can be so polluting.
In start-stop hybrid vehicle operation, the vehicle engine can be automatically turned-off and restarted during vehicle operation. In mild hybrid vehicles, the vehicle engine is stopped by the engine control module to avoid idling when a vehicle is at rest, such as when a vehicle is stopped in traffic. When the driver removes his/her foot from the brake and engages the accelerator to resume motion, the engine control module quickly restarts the engine is as little as 350 milliseconds. In hybrid electric vehicles, the internal combustion engine can be turned-off for more extended periods and used only when necessary to supplement the operation of one or more electric motors that operate via battery power. Similar to the cold-start and cool-down conditions previously described, the catalytic converter may be at ambient temperature or otherwise lower than light-off temperature.
The induction heating and EHD heat/mass transfer processes previously described enhance the performance of the emissions treatment by the catalytic converter system 75 under normal driving conditions including cold starts and cool down, etc. and otherwise improve emissions treatment of exhaust gas 56 by the catalytic converter 60. Control operations can include, but are not limited to:
In a control method according to an embodiment, the temperature sensors 50 include one or more thermocouples embedded on the surface of the catalyst substrate at some point along its length such as at the converter mid-point. The thermocouple(s) provide direct feedback to the controller 52 with no calculation or inference being required. Calibration is first performed to compensate for offset between the outside and inside of the catalyst substrate. At steady state, the greatest heat losses from the catalytic converter 60 are at its periphery with convection from driving, with rainwater, snow and ice contributing to the losses. During preheating, the perimeter, core, or entire substrate is heated to light-off temperature with compensation being made for the calculated offset in temperature between the light-off temperature of the desired region relative to the temperature sensor(s) 50.
While described above in conjunction with the use of separate temperature sensors 50, in addition or in the alternative, the controller 52 can use the coil 20 itself for temperature tracking. In particular, the resistance of the coil 20 increases with increasing temperature as molecular vibration from heat interferes with the current flow. Colder temperatures produce less interference than hotter temperatures. This interference can be characterized and, from it, a bulk temperature can be determined by the controller 52. Consider a coil 20 constructed of a copper wire having a resistance R1 at 20° C. The resistance R2 at some other temperature T2 below can be calculated as:
Furthermore, inductance of the coil 20 falls off with increasing temperature as molecular vibration from heat interferes with the magnetic field. This interference can be characterized for the particular coil parameters and, from it, a bulk temperature can be determined by the controller 52 based on inductance as well.
For example, the controller 52 can monitor a coil current, coil voltage, current draw and/or other operational parameters of the AC source 64 in order to determine the coil resistance, coil inductance or other coil impedance and include a look-up table or calculation in order to estimate the bulk temperature based on changes to the coil resistance inductance or other coil impedance. The substrate is the most massive component of the induction system and heat contained within the substrate has the greatest influence on inductance and resistance. The monitored temperature in this method is an average temperature as the presence of hot and cold spots is not detected. Use of the induction coil method obviates the need for an extra wire to the catalytic converter.
Although control methods and apparatus have been described in the context of induction heating, similar control methods and apparatus are also applied to control electrohydrodynamic (EHD) heat and mass transfer. It should be noted that controller 52 can be configured to generate the control signals 58 and 66 to operate the induction heating and EHD processes independently—together or at separate times.
In one example, the induction heating process is implemented before engine start-up, for a short time after start up, during idling and during deceleration. The controller 52 is configured to generate control signal 66 to switch on the EHD process only when the engine is running because the process depends on the flow of exhaust gas through the converter. In this example, the EHD process is run at any time that there is flow of exhaust gas through the converter. In another example, the same or similar induction heating program is adopted but EHD process is switched off at a temperature above light-off.
While the battery 62 is shown as providing power to the EHD process, it should be noted that a battery such as a vehicle battery or other vehicle power system can be used to selectively power the other components of the catalytic converter system 75. In other examples, an alternative power source such as a solar cell, external plug in vehicle power such as provided in conjunction with a block heater or hybrid vehicle plug in system can also be used to power the components of the catalytic converter system 75 in circumstances where alternative power is available. In operation, the induction heating and EHD processes can be selectively enabled or disabled under control of the controller 52. In various embodiments, inductive heating can be initiated by the controller 52 in response to conditions such as: key in the ignition, key strike to run position; key strike to start position, proximity of the key within X feet of vehicle, initiation of a remote start function, plug-in vehicle to grid, block heater plug-in, etc. The operations of controller 52 can be disabled in response to light-off temperature achieved, battery state of charge too low, battery reserve required for starter reached, manual shut-off of the system, shut-off of the engine, etc.
In should be noted that the vehicle engine can operate via one or more of the following fuel types including gasoline, diesel, propane, ethanol, natural gas, etc. The control methodologies can be applied to vehicle operating configurations including fulltime conventional internal combustion, hybrid—series, parallel, mild parallel, series-parallel or power-split, plug-in hybrid electric, mild hybrid auto start-stop, range extended, constant RPM engines, variable RPM engines, or other configurations. The vehicle engine can be normally aspirated, turbo-charged, super-charged, gas-direct-injected, electronic-fuel-injected, operate via a distributor or other technologies.
The catalytic converter 60 can operate via platinum, palladium, rhodium or other catalyst and can include a diesel oxidation catalyst, particulate filter and/or urea injection system. The substrate can include ceramic honeycomb, woven metal, a porous membrane or other substrate. The catalytic converter system can be directed to reducing exhaust emissions such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, sulphur dioxide, particulate matter and/or other emissions to a full range of air-fuel ratios (lambda) such as stoichiometric, rich-burn, lean-burn and/or other ratios.
Further examples regarding the catalytic converter system 75, including several optional functions and features, are presented in conjunction with
The output temperature Y(s) can be calculated as follows:
Y(s)=G(s)[X(s)−Y(s)H(s)]+D(s)
Or,
Y(s)=D(s)+X(s)[G(s)/[1+G(s)/H(s)]]
Consider an example where the transfer function G(s) is modelled as a first-order system as follows:
G(s)=a/(s+ω)
And further, a cold start condition where D(s)=Tam, the feedback function H(s)=k, corresponding to simple proportional control. In this case,
Y(s)=Tam+X(s)[a/(s+ω+ka)]
Considering further that the ambient temperature is Tam, the controller seeks to use induction heating to maintain a reference temperature Tref, and the control input is initiated via a step function at a time t0=0 with a magnitude kTref. Then the temperature of the catalytic converter in the time domain y(t) can be found from the inverse Laplace transform as:
X(s)=kTref/s
Y(s)=Tam+kTrefa/[s(s+ω+ka)]
y(t)=−1[Y(s)]=Tam+(Tref−Tam)(1−e−t/τ)
where τ=1/(ω+ka). In this case, the value of the control signal in the time domain e(t) for times t>0 is simply:
e(t)=k[Tref−y(t)]
It should be noted that the value of e(t) may be limited by the following inequality:
0≦e(t)≦emax
Where emax represents the maximum output of the AC source 64. Note that, in most implementations, the induction heating capability does not extend to active cooling—with cooling of the catalytic converter happening normally via thermal radiation and convection. Therefore negative values of the e(t) may not be permitted.
An example of operation of such a feedback control loop is presented in conjunction with
y(t)=Tam+(Tref−Tam)(1−e−t/τ)
and
e(t)=k[Tref−y(t)]
As shown, the temperature y(t) begins at the ambient temperature Tam. When the control e(t) is applied at t0=0, the induction heating causes the catalytic converter temperature to rise and asymptotically approach and hold a reference temperature Tref, such as the minimum light-off temperature required for efficient catalytic conversion. At a time t1, the temperature of the catalytic converter has reached the Tref within an acceptable tolerance and the vehicle engine can be started with emission controls being fully functional. Also, at a time t1, the control signal e(t) has approached zero because the catalytic converter temperature has approached its reference temperature and heating is no longer required.
It should be noted that the graphs 110 and 110′ only reflect the operation of an example catalytic converter system to a cold start condition. Once the vehicle engine starts and the vehicle begins to move, D(s) is no longer simply Tam. Exhaust gases from the vehicle engine contribute heat and motion of the vehicle increases convection and heat loss. The controller 52 responds to these changes in conditions to maintain the temperature of the catalytic converter to a value that is at or above the reference temperature.
In various embodiments, the controller 120 includes a processor and a memory that stores a look-up table (LUT) 122 that responds to the states of the vehicle indicated by the vehicle control data 125 and generates control signals 58 and 66 that corresponds to the current states. For example, the LUT 122 can store control data in accordance with a state-space control algorithm based on vehicle states such as catalytic converter temperature, ambient temperature, vehicle RPM, vehicle speed indicated by temperature data 130, ambient temperature data 132, RPM data 134, and vehicle speed data 148. In this fashion, the temperature of the catalytic converter can be controlled based on changes in exhaust volume caused by variations in vehicle engine RPM, changes in ambient temperature, and heat loss due to convection at different vehicle speeds.
In addition, the controller 120 compares the temperature data 130 with the reference temperature, such as the light-off temperature of the catalytic converter. The controller 120 generates an at-temperature indication signal 152 that indicates when the temperature of the catalytic converter has reached or is being maintained at or above the reference temperature. This at-temperature indication signal 152 can be used to trigger at-temperature indicator 160, such as a dashboard light, pop-up message on a dash board screen or other user interface that indicates to the driver of the vehicle when the catalytic converter has reached or is being maintained at or above the reference temperature, or that it is ok to start the vehicle. The at-temperature indication signal 152 can also be used to trigger vehicle start lock-out 170 as part of the vehicle ignition system that enables the vehicle engine to be started only when the catalytic converter has reached or is being maintained at or above the reference temperature.
Most vehicles now being manufactured are equipped with a wireless communication device in the form of a keyless remote which typically includes door lock, door unlock, trunk release, panic alarm, and, occasionally, remote start capabilities. Smartphone technology is likely to replace the keyless remote at some point in the future and is already used by some manufactures to enable remote start features via a smartphone application (“app”). In one embodiment, control of catalytic converter preheating is incorporated into a wireless control device such as those mentioned previously. In particular, an induction preheating start procedure is initiated as part of a remote start procedure, the converter preheat procedure being initiated at a fixed or selectable period of time before the remote engine start is activated. In an alternative, the remote wireless control device includes a dedicated circuit wherein converter preheating procedure is activated independently of any other remote control capability for the vehicle.
With the press of the preheat button or remote start, a vehicle communication system receives a wireless communication signal that is used to generate start data 146. In response, the controller 120 generates control signal 58 to begin control of the inductively heated catalytic converter system. Warming the catalytic converter either to the light-off temperature or to a temperature close to the light-off temperature before the vehicle is started, produces less pollutants in gaseous emissions when an engine is cold started. Using a wireless remote obviates the driver from needing to be in the vehicle in order to perform the preheating procedure because many consumers may not tolerate a delay in the normal start-up procedure. In this way, the driver can get into the vehicle, switch on the ignition to start the vehicle, and then drive away using a hot converter. As an alternative to this procedure, the driver enters the vehicle and turns or presses the ignition key which generates the start data 146. However, in this case, a delay can be automatically instituted between the time that the ignition key is pressed and the time at which the ignition circuit is energized. During the period of this delay, the controller 120 initiates the converter preheating procedure. When the vehicle engine is started, the controller 120 can respond by generating control signal 66 to enable the EHD process to achieve further efficiency.
Other vehicle control data 125 can be used by controller 120 to generate the control signals 58 and 66 and/or to adapt the operation of controller 120 to differing vehicle states and conditions. Current converter technology uses pre-converter and post-converter oxygen sensors to calculate the effective catalytic converter temperature with the discrepancy between the sensors providing a measure of the converter temperature. Emissions data 144 generated by these oxygen sensors or from other emissions sensors of the vehicle can be used by controller 120. For example, when no difference is detected in the emissions data 144 between input and output oxygen sensors, the catalyst is not working so the temperature is below light-off (300 C). Above 300 C, the difference between the sensors grows and the calculated temperature increases proportionately with oxygen conversion. This emissions data 144 can be used to supplement the temperature data 130, detect temperature sensor failure etc.
As previously discussed, in mild hybrid vehicles and electric hybrid vehicles, the vehicle engine can be automatically turned-off and restarted during vehicle operation. Extended stoppage of the vehicle engine during operation can cause the catalytic converter to cool below the minimum light-off temperature and increase vehicle emissions. In various embodiments, the controller 120 can be adapted to auto start-stop operation. In particular, start-stop mode data 142 can indicate whether auto start-stop functionality is enabled or disabled on vehicles that include this functionality. When auto start-stop functionality is enabled, the RPM data 134 can indicate whether the engine is started or stopped. Brake data 136, clutch data 138 and vehicle speed data 148 can further indicate to controller 120 when an auto stop may be imminent. In an embodiment, the controller 120 responds to starting and stopping of the vehicle engine by generating control data 66 to start and stop the EHD process in a synchronous fashion. In addition, the controller 120 can generate control data 52 to maintain the temperature of the catalytic converter when the engine is stopped, preventing a cold start condition when the engine is subsequently restarted.
In a further embodiment, the controller 120 includes a drive mode prediction generator 124 analyzes the vehicle control data 125 in order to predict a current driving mode from a set of possible driving modes such as:
Likewise, in hybrid electric mode, the controller may allow the temperature of the catalytic converter to fall below the light-off temperature as long as the controller predicts that reheating to light-off temperature can be initiated and completed before the controller 120 predicts that a restart will occur. In an embodiment auto-start data from the engine control module may indicate based on vehicle speed, navigation route guidance, traffic conditions, that a restart of the engine is imminent and may initiate heating from the current temperature or from a standby temperature to light-off temperature, as required, for completion before the controller 120 predicts that a restart will occur. Further in electric-only mode of a hybrid vehicle, the controller may pre-heat the catalytic converter only when electric only mode is exited or when the controller 120 predicts that a restart of the vehicle engine will occur.
Converter preheating power can be, as previously discussed, provided from an on-board battery. Car batteries can supply heating power only for a short period of time depending on the power draw. Preheating with the vehicle engine off may be more limited due to lower battery voltages when compared with cases where the car engine is running and a consistent 14 VDC is available from the car battery. Diesel cars and trucks typically have larger batteries than regular gas cars owing to the use of glow plugs which must be preheated in order to facilitate the combustion process. Diesel vehicles generally have more available onboard electrical power than conventional cars. Hybrid electric vehicles have large amounts of battery capacity, however they rely on this capacity to enhance vehicle range and lower the cost of operation.
In an embodiment, the controller 120 generates the control signals 58 and 66 in accordance with a low power mode when the remaining charge in the battery compares unfavorably with a low power threshold. The catalytic converter heating is initiated by controller 120 and maintained for as long as possible commensurate with maintaining sufficient battery power to start the car. The power level of the battery is monitored prior to and during the converter preheating procedure and battery life data 140 indicating the remaining battery life is used by the controller 120 to enter a low power mode. In this low power mode, for example, the controller can disable the induction heating and EHD processes from the onset or stop the induction heating and/or EHD processes when the remaining battery life is, or falls below a minimum reliable power threshold indicating that further use could compromise a vehicle start or other vehicle operation.
Converter preheating power can optionally be provided from the utility grid. The use of grid power is current practice for range-extended hybrid, plug-in hybrid, block-heater, and electric vehicles. The car is plugged in either at a standard receptacle or a vehicle-specific receptacle. Block-heaters are typically used in cold climates especially with diesel engines. Plugging in the block-heater keeps the engine coolant warmed to enable easier starts and to prevent coolant from freezing. Grid power is used both to maintain batteries in a fully charged condition and also to prepare the battery pack for driving use. Batteries do not operate well in conditions of extreme cold or extreme heat and battery packs providing a climate control system are used to maintain the battery temperature at a moderate temperature enabling maximum power.
For example, grid power from a garage or public place receptacle can be used inductively to preheat the catalytic converter of internal combustion vehicles. In this approach there is no limitation on heat-up period as compared to running directly off the onboard battery. Of note, grid power is one-fifth the cost of gasoline for the same energy produced and because a vehicle will often be at its home location or with access to a public receptacle, preheating using grid can be used for most cold start conditions. To activate, in one variation, the keyless entry, smartphone or other wireless command is used to preheat the converter for a predetermined period before the driver gets in and drives away. In an alternative, the keyless remote feature is used to preheat the catalyst for a predetermined time before the car is automatically started. This ensures that the emissions are as clean as possible upon start-up and while still allowing the consumer to have the remote start feature. Inductively heating the converter is only performed until the light-off temperature is achieved because there is little to no benefit in exceeding the light-off temperature.
In various embodiments, the controller 120 is coupled to communicate with a connected car interface 175 of the vehicle that provides features such as vehicle Internet access, wireless connectivity between the vehicle and wireless user devices such as a smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, laptop computer or other computing device, as well as wireless access for use in service and vehicle diagnostics, vehicle inspections and other connectivity. Emissions data 144 received from an engine control module or from separate emission sensors can be processed and/or stored in a memory associated with the controller 120 in order to provide a historical record of actual vehicle emissions.
This historical emissions data can be retrieved via the connected car interface 175 and provided to a user smartphone, tablet, home computer or other user device for the purposes of maintaining a record of vehicle emissions. In addition, the historical emissions data can be provided as part of a vehicle inspection that requires a test of not only current emissions, but also of historical emissions data. Further, the historical emissions data can be provided to service personnel to use in vehicle diagnostics and repair.
The data indicating actual vehicle emissions can be used for other purposes. For example, the connected car interface 175 can provide this data to an in-dash display, user smart phone or tablet or other display screen as part of an application or utility that presents a display of current emissions to the occupants of the vehicle during a trip. In a similar fashion, control data 58 and 66 indicating the activation of the induction heating and/or EHDC processes can be provided to the connected car interface 175 and indicated on the display, letting the occupants of the vehicle know that, for example, these systems are operating to reduce emissions. The application or utility can optionally provide a comparison of actual emissions to theoretical emissions had the induction heating and/or EHDC processes not been in operation and display to the vehicle occupants the benefits, in terms of reduced emissions, provided by these systems. In a further example, data indicating the maintenance of low emissions goals by the vehicle can be reported via the connected car interface 175 and used to qualify the vehicle owner for tax credits, high occupancy vehicle status, rewards or other incentives.
In various embodiments, the control signal is generated further based on a reference temperature, to control the temperature of the catalytic converter in accordance with the reference temperature. The method can further include generating an at temperature signal indication signal when the at least one temperature of the catalytic converter compares favorably to the reference temperature. Start-up of a vehicle engine can be enabled in response the at temperature signal indication signal.
In various embodiments, the controller generates the control signal further based on at least one of: a signal indicating a rotational velocity of the vehicle engine; a signal indicating an ambient temperature of the vehicle containing the catalytic converter system; a signal indicating an auto start-stop mode of the vehicle engine; a signal indicating a remaining charge in a vehicle battery. The method can further include predicting a current one of a plurality of driving modes based on vehicle control data and the control signal can be generated in accordance with the current one of the plurality of driving modes. The method can further include controlling an electrohydrodynamic heat/mass transfer process of the catalytic converter system.
An oscillator 306 such as a voltage controlled oscillator, ring oscillator, or other oscillator circuit is configured to generate a power signal. In various embodiments, the oscillator operates under control of the controller 308 to adjust a frequency of the power signal to improve power transfer. For example, the controller 308 can monitor a coil current, coil voltage, coil resistance, coil inductance or other coil impedance, current draw and/or other operational parameters of the AC source 64 and include a look-up table, state machine, or iterative control algorithm in order to determine a frequency that improves the power factor, to match a resonant frequency of a tank circuit that includes the coil or otherwise to maximize or otherwise improve the power transferred by the magnetic field generator 300 to the conductive components of the catalytic converter substrate for improved induction heating.
A power amplifier 304, such as a class A, Class B, Class C, Class D or Class E (including combinations thereof) power amplifier circuit is configured to amplify the power signal to generate an amplified power signal at an output of the power amplifier 304 to drive the coil. The power amplifier 304 can include one or more transistors such as bipolar junction transistors, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) and/or other power transistors. In various embodiments, the power amplifier 304 has an adjustable gain that operates under control of the controller 308 to adjust the amplitude of the amplifier power signal in response to the control signal 58, to provide a desired level of induction heating of the catalytic converter substrate, for example.
An impedance matching network 302 is configured to impedance match the output of the power amplifier 304 to the coil. In particular, the impedance network can include one or more capacitors to form a resonant tank circuit with the coil, such as metal coil 20 and optionally one or more other reactive impedances such as capacitors and/or inductors in a Pi-network, L-network or other impedance matching circuit configuration. In various embodiments, controller 308 is configured to adjust an impedance of the impedance matching network to improve power transfer. For example, the controller 308 can monitor a coil current, coil voltage, coil resistance, coil inductance or other coil impedance, current draw, power signal frequency and/or other operational parameters of the AC source 64 and include a look-up table, state machine, or iterative control algorithm in order to control an adjustable impedance to improve the power factor, to match the impedance of a tank circuit that includes the coil or otherwise to maximize or otherwise improve the power transferred by the magnetic field generator 300 to the conductive components of the catalytic converter substrate for improved induction heating.
The electromagnetic field generator 300 optionally includes a back-up power supply 305 that includes a capacitor, rechargeable battery or other rechargeable storage device that is charged by the vehicle during periods when the electromagnetic field generator 300 is not operating or excess power from the vehicle is otherwise available. In circumstances where the operation of the system is inconsistent/intermittent due to high loads on the vehicle power supply system, the back-up power supply 305 provides supplemental power to the electromagnetic field generator 300 to enable uninterrupted operation of the control and induction system, such as control to its specified/target output level.
While the controller 308 is shown as being separate from controllers 52 and 120, it should be noted that the functionality of controller 308 can likewise be incorporated in either of the other control devices for implementation via a single processor, circuit or other device.
While the foregoing control methodologies have focused primarily on vehicle systems, in some applications including mining or industrial applications, 100% duty cycles can be applied to substrate heating.
In operation, the controller 308 operates in response to the control signal 58 to selectively enable and disable the separate drive paths 350, 352, etc. in order to activate selected ones of the plurality of coils. Consider the case where the control signal 58 commands the AC source 64 to produce only a fraction of the maximum power at a particular time. In this case, one or more of the coils can be deactivated by disabling their corresponding drive path(s) in order to produce more fine control. Because the coils, when driven, modify the inductance of one another based on changes in mutual inductance, activating and deactivating the various coils can be accompanied by adjustments to the one or more impedances of the corresponding matching circuit(s) 302 and/or adjustments to the frequency of the corresponding oscillator(s) 306 of the activated drive paths in order to improve the power factor, adjust the resonant frequency of a tank circuit that includes the coil, adjust the resonant frequency of the coil to match the drive frequency or otherwise to maximize or otherwise improve the power transferred by the magnetic field generator 300 to the conductive components of the catalytic converter substrate for improved induction heating.
As may be used herein, the terms “substantially” and “approximately” provides an industry-accepted tolerance for its corresponding term and/or relativity between items. Such an industry-accepted tolerance ranges from less than one percent to fifty percent and corresponds to, but is not limited to, component values, integrated circuit process variations, temperature variations, rise and fall times, and/or thermal noise. Such relativity between items ranges from a difference of a few percent to magnitude differences. As may also be used herein, the term(s) “configured to”, “operably coupled to”, “coupled to”, and/or “coupling” includes direct coupling between items and/or indirect coupling between items via an intervening item (e.g., an item includes, but is not limited to, a component, an element, a circuit, and/or a module) where, for an example of indirect coupling, the intervening item does not modify the information of a signal but may adjust its current level, voltage level, and/or power level. As may further be used herein, inferred coupling (i.e., where one element is coupled to another element by inference) includes direct and indirect coupling between two items in the same manner as “coupled to”. As may even further be used herein, the term “configured to”, “operable to”, “coupled to”, or “operably coupled to” indicates that an item includes one or more of power connections, input(s), output(s), etc., to perform, when activated, one or more its corresponding functions and may further include inferred coupling to one or more other items. As may still further be used herein, the term “associated with”, includes direct and/or indirect coupling of separate items and/or one item being embedded within another item.
As may be used herein, the term “compares favorably”, indicates that a comparison between two or more items, signals, etc., provides a desired relationship. For example, when the desired relationship is that signal 1 has a greater magnitude than signal 2, a favorable comparison may be achieved when the magnitude of signal 1 is greater than that of signal 2 or when the magnitude of signal 2 is less than that of signal 1. As may be used herein, the term “compares unfavorably”, indicates that a comparison between two or more items, signals, etc., fails to provide the desired relationship.
As may also be used herein, the terms “processing module”, “processing circuit”, “processor”, and/or “processing unit” may be a single processing device or a plurality of processing devices. Such a processing device may be a microprocessor, micro-controller, digital signal processor, microcomputer, central processing unit, field programmable gate array, programmable logic device, state machine, logic circuitry, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or any device that manipulates signals (analog and/or digital) based on hard coding of the circuitry and/or operational instructions. The processing module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit may be, or further include, memory and/or an integrated memory element, which may be a single memory device, a plurality of memory devices, and/or embedded circuitry of another processing module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit. Such a memory device may be a read-only memory, random access memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, static memory, dynamic memory, flash memory, cache memory, and/or any device that stores digital information. Note that if the processing module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit includes more than one processing device, the processing devices may be centrally located (e.g., directly coupled together via a wired and/or wireless bus structure) or may be distributedly located (e.g., cloud computing via indirect coupling via a local area network and/or a wide area network). Further note that if the processing module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit implements one or more of its functions via a state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry, the memory and/or memory element storing the corresponding operational instructions may be embedded within, or external to, the circuitry comprising the state machine, analog circuitry, digital circuitry, and/or logic circuitry. Still further note that, the memory element may store, and the processing module, module, processing circuit, and/or processing unit executes, hard coded and/or operational instructions corresponding to at least some of the steps and/or functions illustrated in one or more of the Figures. Such a memory device or memory element can be included in an article of manufacture.
One or more embodiments have been described above with the aid of method steps illustrating the performance of specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries and sequence of these functional building blocks and method steps have been arbitrarily defined herein for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries and sequences can be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Any such alternate boundaries or sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claims. Further, the boundaries of these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined for convenience of description. Alternate boundaries could be defined as long as the certain significant functions are appropriately performed. Similarly, flow diagram blocks may also have been arbitrarily defined herein to illustrate certain significant functionality.
To the extent used, the flow diagram block boundaries and sequence could have been defined otherwise and still perform the certain significant functionality. Such alternate definitions of both functional building blocks and flow diagram blocks and sequences are thus within the scope and spirit of the claims. One of average skill in the art will also recognize that the functional building blocks, and other illustrative blocks, modules and components herein, can be implemented as illustrated or by discrete components, application specific integrated circuits, processors executing appropriate software and the like or any combination thereof.
In addition, a flow diagram may include a “start” and/or “continue” indication. The “start” and “continue” indications reflect that the steps presented can optionally be incorporated in or otherwise used in conjunction with other routines. In this context, “start” indicates the beginning of the first step presented and may be preceded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, the “continue” indication reflects that the steps presented may be performed multiple times and/or may be succeeded by other activities not specifically shown. Further, while a flow diagram indicates a particular ordering of steps, other orderings are likewise possible provided that the principles of causality are maintained.
The one or more embodiments are used herein to illustrate one or more aspects, one or more features, one or more concepts, and/or one or more examples. A physical embodiment of an apparatus, an article of manufacture, a machine, and/or of a process may include one or more of the aspects, features, concepts, examples, etc. described with reference to one or more of the embodiments discussed herein. Further, from figure to figure, the embodiments may incorporate the same or similarly named functions, steps, modules, etc. that may use the same or different reference numbers and, as such, the functions, steps, modules, etc. may be the same or similar functions, steps, modules, etc. or different ones.
Unless specifically stated to the contrary, signals to, from, and/or between elements in a figure of any of the figures presented herein may be analog or digital, continuous time or discrete time, and single-ended or differential. For instance, if a signal path is shown as a single-ended path, it also represents a differential signal path. Similarly, if a signal path is shown as a differential path, it also represents a single-ended signal path. While one or more particular architectures are described herein, other architectures can likewise be implemented that use one or more data buses not expressly shown, direct connectivity between elements, and/or indirect coupling between other elements as recognized by one of average skill in the art.
The term “module” is used in the description of one or more of the embodiments. A module implements one or more functions via a device such as a processor or other processing device or other hardware that may include or operate in association with a memory that stores operational instructions. A module may operate independently and/or in conjunction with software and/or firmware. As also used herein, a module may contain one or more sub-modules, each of which may be one or more modules.
While particular combinations of various functions and features of the one or more embodiments have been expressly described herein, other combinations of these features and functions are likewise possible. The present disclosure is not limited by the particular examples disclosed herein and expressly incorporates these other combinations.
The present U.S. Utility Patent Application claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/829,375, entitled “CATALYTIC CONVERTER SYSTEM WITH CONTROL AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH”, filed Aug. 18, 2015, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/041,053, entitled “THERMALLY MANAGED CATALYTIC CONVERTER CONTROL PROTOCOL”, filed Aug. 23, 2014, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for all purposes. U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 14/829,375 also claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 14/452,800, entitled “CATALYTIC CONVERTER STRUCTURES WITH INDUCTION HEATING”, filed Aug. 6, 2014, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,488,085 on Nov. 8, 2016, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/910,067, entitled “CATALYTIC CONVERTER USING FIELD HEATING OF METAL COMPONENT”, filed Nov. 28, 2013, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/879,211, entitled “CATALYTIC CONVERTER EMPLOYING ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC TECHNOLOGY”, filed Sep. 18, 2013, all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for all purposes. The present U.S. Utility Patent Application also claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §120 as a continuation-in-part of U.S. Utility application Ser. No. 15/343,533, entitled “EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM WITH CONTROLLED INDUCTION HEATING AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH”, filed Nov. 4, 2016, which claims priority pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/258,071, entitled “CATALYTIC CONVERTER SYSTEM WITH CONTROLLED INDUCTION HEATING AND METHODS FOR USE THEREWITH”, filed Nov. 20, 2015, both of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety and made part of the present U.S. Utility Patent Application for all purposes.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62041053 | Aug 2014 | US | |
| 61879211 | Sep 2013 | US | |
| 61910067 | Nov 2013 | US | |
| 62258071 | Nov 2015 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 14829375 | Aug 2015 | US |
| Child | 15495039 | US | |
| Parent | 14452800 | Aug 2014 | US |
| Child | 14829375 | US | |
| Parent | 15343533 | Nov 2016 | US |
| Child | 14452800 | US |
