System and method for hydrocarbon adsorber regeneration in a hybrid vehicle

Abstract

A control system for a hybrid vehicle is presented. The control system can include an air/fuel ratio control module that selectively commands a rich air/fuel ratio upon starting an engine based on a temperature of an electrically heated catalyst (EHC) in an exhaust system of the engine, wherein the EHC includes a hydrocarbon (HC) adsorber. The control system can include an air pump control module that selectively activates an air pump supplying air into the exhaust system upstream from the EHC based on whether the engine is on and at least one of whether the HC adsorber is full and whether the EHC is saturated with oxygen. The control system can also include an electric heater control module that selectively activates an electric heater of the EHC based on whether the engine is on and the temperature of the EHC, as well as whether the HC adsorber is full.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.