# US 10,865,689 B2 · Systems and methods for diagnosis of NOx storage catalyst > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,865,689 B2 - Document ID: US10865689B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/138,453 - Filed: 2018-09-21 - Published: 2020-03-26 - Granted: 2020-12-15 - Earliest claimed: 2018-09-21 - Assignees: Cummins Inc. - Applicants: Cummins Inc. - Inventors: Michael Haas; Krishna Kamasamudrum; Ashok Kumar - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10865689B2 ## CPC - F01N 11/002: {the diagnostic devices measuring or estimating temperature or pressure in, or downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - F01N 3/0807: {by using absorbents or adsorbents} - F01N 9/005: {using models instead of sensors to determine operating characteristics of exhaust systems, e.g. calculating catalyst temperature instead of measuring it directly} - F01N 11/007: {the diagnostic devices measuring oxygen or air concentration downstream of the exhaust apparatus} - F02D 41/1463: {of the exhaust gases downstream of exhaust gas treatment apparatus} - F02D 41/1465: {with determination means using an estimation} - F01N 3/0814: {combined with catalytic converters, e.g. NOx absorption/storage reduction catalysts} - F01N 3/0842: {Nitrogen oxides} - F01N 2550/02: Catalytic activity of catalytic converters - F01N 2550/03: of sorbing activity of adsorbents or absorbents - F01N 2560/026: for measuring or detecting NOx - F01N 2570/14: Nitrogen oxides - F01N 2900/1402: Exhaust gas composition - F01N 2900/1614: NOx amount trapped in catalyst - F02D 41/0245: {by increasing temperature of the exhaust gas leaving the engine} - F02D 41/028: {Desulfurisation of NOx traps or adsorbent} - F02D 2200/0802: Temperature of the exhaust gas treatment apparatus - F02D 2200/0808: NOx storage capacity, i.e. maximum amount of NOx that can be stored on NOx trap - Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies - F01N: GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR MACHINES OR ENGINES IN GENERAL; GAS-FLOW SILENCERS OR EXHAUST APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES (arrangements in connection with gas exhaust of propulsion units in vehicles B60K13/00; combustion-air intake silencers specially adapted for, or arranged on, internal-combustion engines F02M35/00; protecting against, or damping, noise in general G10K11/16) - F02D: CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES (vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed B60K31/00; conjoint control of vehicle sub-units of different type or different function, road vehicle drive control systems for purposes other than the control of a single sub-unit B60W) - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract Systems, apparatuses, and methods include an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and determine a health of the NOx storage catalyst based on the comparison. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to: compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and determine a health of the NOx storage catalyst based on the comparison; determine an error between the predicted downstream NOx concentration and the determined downstream NOx concentration; compare the error to an error threshold; and increase a temperature of the exhaust gas entering the NOx storage catalyst in response to the error exceeding the error threshold. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the characteristic of the exhaust gas stream entering the NOx storage catalyst is at least one of a NOx concentration, a temperature, and an oxygen concentration. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the NOx storage catalyst is a Passive NOx Adsorber (PNA), a Diesel Cold Start Catalyst (dCSC), or a Diesel Cold Start Concept (dCSC) catalyst. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the comparison circuit is structured to: determine an error between the predicted downstream NOx concentration and the determined downstream NOx concentration; compare the error to an error threshold; and set a fault indicative of poor health of the NOx storage catalyst. ### Claim 5 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and determine a health of the NOx storage catalyst based on the comparison; wherein at least one of the prediction circuit and the downstream exhaust analysis circuit operate in response to an enable parameter, wherein the enable parameter is a temperature above a predetermined temperature threshold, wherein the predicted downstream NOx concentration is indicative of a predicted release of NOx from the NOx storage catalyst, and wherein the determined downstream NOx concentration is indicative of a determined release of NOx from the NOx storage catalyst. ### Claim 6 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and determine a health of the NOx storage catalyst based on the comparison; wherein at least one of the prediction circuit and the downstream analysis circuit operate in response to a disable parameter, wherein the disable parameter is an amount of time that the exhaust gas stream has been above a temperature threshold for at least a specified amount of time. ### Claim 7 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and responsive to the comparison, generate a correction factor for the model, wherein the comparison circuit is structured to compare the correction factor to a correction factor threshold and increase a temperature of the exhaust gas entering the NOx storage catalyst in response to an error exceeding an error threshold. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the characteristic of the exhaust gas stream entering the NOx storage catalyst is at least one of a NOx concentration, a temperature, and an oxygen concentration. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the comparison circuit is structured to determine a difference between the predicted downstream NOx concentration and the determined downstream NOx concentration, and wherein the correction factor is structured to reduce the difference between the predicted downstream NOx concentration and the determined downstream NOx concentration. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the comparison circuit is structured to compare the correction factor to a correction factor threshold, and indicate a fault to an operator in response to the error exceeding the error threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the NOx storage catalyst is a Passive NOx Adsorber (PNA), a Diesel Cold Start Catalyst (dCSC), or a Diesel Cold Start Concept (dCSC) catalyst. ### Claim 12 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a characteristic of an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to predict a downstream NOx concentration of an exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst based on a model of a NOx storage capacity or a dynamic response of the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a downstream NOx concentration of the exhaust gas stream exiting the NOx storage catalyst; and a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted downstream NOx concentration to the determined downstream NOx concentration, and responsive to the comparison, generate a correction factor for the model; wherein at least one of the prediction circuit and the downstream analysis circuit operate in response to a disable parameter, wherein the disable parameter is an amount of time that the exhaust gas stream has been above a temperature threshold for at least a specified amount of time. ### Claim 13 An apparatus, comprising: an upstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine an enable parameter based an exhaust gas stream entering a nitrous oxide (NOx) storage catalyst; a prediction circuit structured to: detect transience of a characteristic of the exhaust gas stream entering the NOx storage catalyst; and predict, responsive to detecting transience of the characteristic of the exhaust gas stream entering the NOx storage catalyst, a response of the characteristic to the NOx storage catalyst; a downstream exhaust analysis circuit structured to determine a response of the characteristic to the NOx storage catalyst; a comparison circuit structured to compare the predicted response to the determined response, and determine a health of the NOx storage catalyst based on the comparison; and a perturbation circuit structured to generate transience in the characteristic of the exhaust gas stream entering the NOx storage catalyst in response to the prediction circuit failing to detect transience in the characteristic of the exhaust gas stream. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the characteristic is at least one of a nitrous oxide (NOx) concentration, an ammonia (NH3) concentration, and a hydrocarbon (HC) concentration. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predicted response and the determined response are a change of a frequency and/or a change of an amplitude of the characteristic. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the enable parameter is at least one of a temperature, a flow rate, and a NOx concentration. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein at least one of the prediction circuit and the downstream analysis circuit operate in response to a disable parameter, wherein the disable parameter is an amount of time that the exhaust gas stream has been above a temperature threshold for at least a specified amount of time.