Utilization of air-assisted direct injection, cylinder deactivation and camshaft phasing for improved catalytic converter light-off in internal combustion engines

A vehicle engine control system comprising:

• an engine that includes a plurality of cylinders and that generates exhaust gas;
• an air-assisted direct injection fuel system that supplies an air/fuel mixture to said cylinders;
• a catalytic converter that reduces hydrocarbon emissions from said exhaust gas after said catalytic converter reaches a light-off temperature;
• and
• a controller that communicates with said engine and said air-assisted direct injection fuel system and that modifies cam phasing to rebreathe said hydrocarbon emissions, enleans an average air/fuel mixture, and retards spark angle to hasten catalytic converter light-off.

A method for controlling an internal combustion engine, comprising:

• supplying an air/fuel mixture to cylinders of an engine that generates exhaust gas using an air-assisted direct injection fuel system;
• reducing hydrocarbon emissions from said exhaust gas using a catalytic converter after said catalytic converter reaches a lift-off temperature;
• deactivating at least one of said cylinders of said engine before said catalytic converter achieves said light-off temperature to hasten light-off of said catalytic converter;
• and
• modifying said cam phasing to minimize integrated hydrocarbon emissions and to maximize exhaust gas energy.

A vehicle engine control method comprising:

• supplying an air/fuel mixture to cylinders of an engine that generates exhaust gas using an air-assisted direct injection fuel system;
• reducing hydrocarbon emissions from said exhaust gas using a catalytic converter after said catalytic converter reaches a light-off temperature;
• and
• modifying cam phasing of said engine, enleaning average air/fuel ratio of said engine, and retarding a spark angle of said engine to hasten catalytic converter light-off.

A vehicle engine control system comprising:

• an engine that includes a plurality of cylinders and that generates exhaust gas;
• a fuel system that supplies an air/fuel mixture to said cylinders;
• a catalytic converter that reduces hydrocarbon emissions from said exhaust gas after said catalytic converter reaches a light-off temperature;
• a controller that communicates with said engine and said fuel system and that deactivates at least one of said cylinders of said engine before said catalytic converter achieves said light-off temperature to hasten light-off of said catalytic converter, wherein said controller optimizes engine operating parameters to hasten light-off of said catalytic converter;
• and
• wherein said controller modifies cam phasing to control hydrocarbon emissions.