US 10,590,878 B2 · Control strategy for automatic shutdown of engine

Abstract

A system is provided for automatically shutting down an engine in response to the engine operating while in an enclosed space to prevent dangers associated with carbon monoxide accumulating in the enclosed space. The engine has an oxygen sensor in its exhaust that is configured to detect oxygen in the exhaust or ambient. A controller can be programmed to shut down the engine based on a determination that the engine is operating in a confined or enclosed space by analyzing a rate of change of the oxygen content in the exhaust or ambient, and compares the rate to a threshold. The shutdown may be commanded if the rate exceeds the threshold. In some embodiments, the shutdown may additionally be in response to a temperature of the ambient air or intake air increasing, which furthers the confidence of the determination that the engine is operating in a confined or enclosed space.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system for automatically shutting down an engine, the system comprising:

an internal combustion engine having an intake passage configured to transfer an intake, a combustion chamber, and an exhaust passage selectively coupled to the combustion chamber and configured to transfer an exhaust after combustion within the combustion chamber to an ambient;
an oxygen sensor configured to output a first signal indicating an oxygen content of the exhaust;
a temperature sensor configured to output a second signal indicating a temperature of the intake or the ambient;
and
a controller programmed to
estimate a size of a room in which the engine is located based on changes in the first signal and the second signal over time, and
shut down the engine based on the estimated size of the room.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Control strategy for automatic shutdown of engine

Life of this patent

Control strategy for automatic shutdown of engine

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20