# US 11,306,640 B2 · Abnormality detection apparatus for electrically heated catalyst

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- Number: US 11,306,640 B2
- Document ID: US11306640B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/744,180
- Filed: 2020-01-16
- Published: 2020-07-23
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-01-17
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Shigemasa Hirooka; Tsuyoshi Obuchi; Shingo Korenaga
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11306640B2

## CPC

- F01N 9/00: Electrical control of exhaust gas treating apparatus (monitoring or diagnostic devices for exhaust-gas treatment apparatus F01N11/00; conjoint electrical control of two or more combustion engine functions F02D43/00)
- B60L 1/02: to electric heating circuits
- B60L 50/16: with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
- B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75)
- B60L 50/66: {Arrangements of batteries}
- B60L 58/12: responding to state of charge [SoC]
- B60L 58/13: Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
- B60L 58/14: Preventing excessive discharging
- F01N 3/101: {Three-way catalysts}
- F01N 3/2006: {Periodically heating or cooling catalytic reactors, e.g. at cold starting or overheating (by electrically controlling the supply of combustible mixture or its constituents only F02D41/0235)}
- F01N 3/2013: {using electric or magnetic heating means}
- F01N 3/2026: {directly electrifying the catalyst substrate, i.e. heating the electrically conductive catalyst substrate by joule effect}
- B60L 2240/12: Speed
- B60L 2240/547: Voltage
- B60L 2240/549: Current
- B60L 2240/642: Slope of road
- B60L 2270/12: of exhaust
- F01N 2550/00: Monitoring or diagnosing the deterioration of exhaust systems
- F01N 2550/22: of electric heaters for exhaust systems or their power supply
- F01N 2900/0602: Electrical exhaust heater signals
- F01N 2900/08: said parameters being related to the engine
- F01N 2900/104: Battery status
- Y02A 50/20: Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters
- Y02T 10/12: Improving ICE efficiencies
- Y02T 10/40: Engine management systems
- Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
- Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
- Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility
- Y02T 90/16: Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
- 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)
- B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES
- Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

The electrically heated catalyst to which the present disclosure is applied is provided in a hybrid vehicle capable of switching its running mode between EV mode and HC mode and supplied with electrical energy before the internal combustion engine is started. An abnormality detection apparatus calculates an electrical energy parameter relating to the integrated value of electrical power actually supplied to the electrically heated catalyst (actually supplied electrical power) over a specific period of time from the time when supply of electrical power to the electrically heated catalyst is started and detects an abnormality of the electrically heated catalyst by comparing the electrical energy parameter with a threshold. The threshold is set according to the rate of decrease of the charge level of a battery (charge level decrease rate) during a period in which electrical power is supplied to the electrically heated catalyst.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An abnormality detection apparatus for an electrically heated catalyst, the abnormality detection apparatus comprising:
the electrically heated catalyst provided in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine provided in a hybrid vehicle, wherein
the vehicle is configured to switch between a first mode in which the vehicle is driven only by an electric motor energized by a battery and a second mode in which the vehicle is driven by the internal combustion engine and the electric motor in cooperation, and
the electrically heated catalyst includes an exhaust gas purification catalyst and a heating element configured to generate heat when supplied with electricity, an electrical resistance of the heating element being larger when a temperature of the heating element is low than when the temperature of the heating element is high; and
a controller including at least one processor,
wherein the controller is configured to:
apply a voltage to the electrically heated catalyst from the battery before startup of the internal combustion engine;
adjust the applied voltage defined as the voltage applied to the electrically heated catalyst so as to make electrical power, which is a product of the applied voltage and a catalyst current, equal to a target electrical power to be supplied to the electrically heated catalyst, wherein the catalyst current is defined as an electrical current flowing through the electrically heated catalyst per unit time;
calculate an electrical energy parameter relating to an actually supplied electrical energy defined as an integrated value of the electrical power actually supplied to the electrically heated catalyst over a specific period from the time when the application of the applied voltage to the electrically heated catalyst by the controller is started;
acquire a charge level decrease rate defined as a rate of decrease of a charge level of the battery in the specific period during which the applied voltage is being applied to the electrically heated catalyst by the controller;
set a specific threshold according to the charge level decrease rate acquired by the controller, wherein the specific threshold is a criterion for abnormality detection of the electrically heated catalyst; and
detect an abnormality of the electrically heated catalyst by comparing the electrical energy parameter calculated by the controller and the specific threshold set by the controller.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The abnormality detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:
calculate a first ratio of the actually supplied electrical energy to a target electrical energy defined as an integrated value of the target electrical power over the specific period,
set a second ratio as the specific threshold, the second ratio being set larger when the charge level decrease rate acquired by the controller is high than when the charge level decrease rate is low, and
determine that the electrically heated catalyst is abnormal, in response to the first ratio calculated by the controller being smaller than the second ratio set by the controller.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The abnormality detection apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is further configured to:
predict a running load of the hybrid vehicle at the startup of the internal combustion engine, and
set the second ratio to be larger when the charge level decrease rate acquired by the controller is high than when the charge level decrease rate is low, and when the running load predicted by the controller is high than when the running load predicted by the controller is low.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The abnormality detection apparatus according to claim 1, wherein
the electrical energy parameter is
a supplied electrical energy ratio, or
the actually supplied electrical energy in the specific period, or
a difference between the actually supplied electrical energy and a target electrical energy to be supplied to the electrically heated catalyst in the specific period.