Exhaust aftertreatment system and method for regenerating a particulate filter

Abstract

The invention relates to an exhaust aftertreatment system for an internal combustion engine (10). The exhaust aftertreatment system comprises an exhaust system (20) having at least one three-way catalyst (22, 24) near the engine, wherein a particulate filter (28) is arranged downstream from the three-way catalyst, preferably in an underbody installation in a motor vehicle. A heated catalyst (26), which has at least one heating stage (62, 66, 68) that can be heated by means of an electric heating element (72, 74, 76, 78), is provided upstream from the at least one three-way catalyst (22, 24) and downstream from the particulate filter (28). It is provided that the at least one electrically heatable heating stage (62, 66, 68) is supplied with electric power directly from a generator (46) that is operatively connected to the internal combustion engine (10), so that heating of the heated catalyst (26) takes place essentially independently of the charge status of the vehicle battery (44). The invention also relates to a method for regeneration of a particulate filter (28) in the exhaust system (20) of an internal combustion engine (10) by means of such an exhaust aftertreatment system.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.