# US 11,441,462 B2 · Methods and systems for an aftertreatment arrangement > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,441,462 B2 - Document ID: US11441462B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/279,662 - Filed: 2019-02-19 - Published: 2019-09-05 - Granted: 2022-09-13 - Earliest claimed: 2018-03-01 - Assignees: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Applicants: Ford Global Technologies, LLC - Inventors: Frederik De Smet; Mario Balenovic - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11441462B2 ## CPC - F01N 3/0842: {Nitrogen oxides} - F01N 3/0885: {Regeneration of deteriorated absorbents or adsorbents, e.g. desulfurization of NOx traps} - B60W 10/02: including control of driveline clutches - B60W 10/06: including control of combustion engines - B60W 20/16: for reducing engine exhaust emissions - F01N 3/0871: {using means for controlling, e.g. purging, the absorbents or adsorbents} - 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) - B60W 2530/12: Catalyst or filter state - B60W 2710/021: Clutch engagement state - B60W 2710/0666: Engine torque - B60Y 2300/472: Catalyst reactivation - F01N 2430/00: Influencing exhaust purification, e.g. starting of catalytic reaction, filter regeneration, or the like, by controlling engine operating characteristics - F01N 2560/025: for measuring or detecting O2, e.g. lambda sensors - F01N 2560/06: the means being a temperature sensor - F01N 2900/08: said parameters being related to the engine - F01N 2900/10: said parameters being related to the vehicle or its components - F01N 2900/104: Battery status - F01N 2900/1404: Exhaust gas temperature - F01N 2900/1602: Temperature of exhaust gas apparatus - F01N 2900/1614: NOx amount trapped in catalyst - F01N 2900/1631: Heat amount provided to exhaust apparatus - 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) - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY ## Abstract Methods and systems are provided for partially regenerating a lean Nox trap in response to an engine shutdown request. In one example, an engine shutdown is delayed so that a low-temperature storing region of the lean Nox trap is regenerated without regenerating a high-temperature storing region of the lean Nox trap. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system comprising: an engine comprising an exhaust system comprising a lean-NOx-trap (LNT); and a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof that when executed enable the controller to: regenerate only a low-temperature storing region of the LNT with lean exhaust gases without regenerating a high-temperature storing region of the LNT in response to an engine shutdown request. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further enable the controller to regenerate the low-temperature storing region with lean exhaust gases comprising an exhaust gas temperature within a regeneration temperature range. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The system of claim 2, wherein the low-temperature storing region is regenerated via lean exhaust gases in response to a high-temperature storing region load being less than a threshold load. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the instructions further enable the controller to regenerate the low-temperature storing region with rich exhaust gases comprising an exhaust gas temperature within a regeneration temperature range. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system of claim 4, wherein the low-temperature storing region is regenerated via rich exhaust gases in response to a high-temperature storing region load being greater than or equal to a threshold load. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the engine is arranged on a hybrid vehicle, and where the instructions further enable the controller to decouple the engine from a drivetrain via an electric clutch prior to regenerating the low-temperature storing region of the LNT and after the engine shutdown request. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The system of claim 6, wherein the engine shutdown request comprises one or more of an engine start/stop, changeover to an all-electric vehicle operation, actuation of an ignition key, and depression of a button. ### Claim 8 A method comprising: in response to a shutdown request for an engine, decoupling the engine from a drivetrain; fueling the engine; increasing an exhaust gas temperature to a temperature between a lower threshold temperature and an upper threshold temperature; regenerating only a low-temperature storing region adjacent to a high-temperature storing region of a lean NOx trap with lean exhaust gases; and shutting down the engine in response to the low-temperature storing region being regenerated. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising migrating nitrogen oxides desorbed from the low-temperature storing region during the regenerating to the high-temperature storing region, and where a total load of the lean NOx trap is unchanged. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein the migrating occurs with only lean exhaust gases, and where a high-temperature storing region load is less than a threshold high-temperature storing region load prior to the regenerating. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, further comprising switching from lean exhaust gases to rich exhaust gases, and reducing nitrogen oxides desorbed from the low-temperature storing region during the regenerating, and where a total load of the lean NOx trap decreases. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the reducing occurs in the presence of rich exhaust gases, and where a high-temperature storing region load is greater than a threshold high-temperature region storing load prior to the regenerating. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the regenerating comprises decreasing a load of the low-temperature storing region and increasing a load of the high-temperature storing region. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein increasing the exhaust gas temperature comprises increasing one or more of a torque and a load of the engine. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8, wherein the engine is arranged on a hybrid vehicle, and where energy from the engine is recuperated during the regenerating to recharge a battery. ### Claim 16 A hybrid vehicle system comprising: an engine and an electric motor configured to provide motion to wheels of a drivetrain; an electric clutch for adjusting a coupling between the engine and the drivetrain; a lean NOx trap arranged in an exhaust passage fluidly coupled to the engine, the lean NOx trap comprising a low-temperature storing region configured to be regenerated at a temperature above a lower threshold temperature, further comprising a high-temperature storing region configured to be regenerated at a temperature above an upper threshold temperature; and a controller with computer-readable instructions stored on non-transitory memory thereof that when executed enable the controller to: actuate the electric clutch to decouple the engine in response to an engine shutdown request; fuel the engine; increase an exhaust gas temperature to a temperature between the lower threshold temperature and the upper threshold temperature; decrease a load of only the low-temperature storing region with lean exhaust gases; and shutdown the engine following regeneration of the low-temperature storing region. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The hybrid vehicle system of claim 16, wherein the instructions further enable the controller to estimate a high-temperature storing region load, and where regeneration of the low-temperature storing region comprises lean exhaust gas in response to the high-temperature storing region load being less than a threshold load, and where the lean exhaust gas decreases a low-temperature storing region load and increases the high-temperature storing region load, and where regeneration of the high-temperature storing region comprises rich exhaust gas in response to the high-temperature storing region load being greater than the threshold load, and where the rich exhaust gas decreases the low-temperature storing region load and the high-temperature storing region load. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The hybrid vehicle system of claim 16, wherein the low-temperature storing region and the high-temperature storing region are interspersed within the lean NOx trap, and where regeneration of the low-temperature storing region is complete following one or more of a temperature sensed downstream of the lean NOx trap via a temperature sensor being equal to a regeneration temperature, an air/fuel ratio sensed downstream of the lean NOx trap via a lambda sensor being equal to an engine air/fuel ratio, and a threshold duration elapsing. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The hybrid vehicle system of claim 16, wherein the regeneration of the low-temperature storing region is a partial regeneration of the lean NO, trap without regenerating the high-temperature storing region. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The hybrid vehicle system of claim 16, wherein the engine shutdown request further comprises where a low-temperature storing region load is greater than or equal to a threshold load.