Particulate filter assembly and associated method
AssigneeArvin Technologies, Inc.
InventorsWilbur H. Crawley, Randall J. Johnson, Stephen P. Goldschmidt
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Abstract
A particulate filter assembly includes an electrode assembly, a particulate filter positioned in an electrode gap defined between two electrodes of the electrode assembly, a power supply electrically coupled to the electrode assembly, and a controller for controlling operation of the power supply to apply a regenerate-filter signal to the electrode assembly to oxidize particulates collected by the particulate filter. An associated method of regenerating the particulate filter is disclosed.
Claims16
A method of regenerating a particulate filter positioned in an electrode gap defined between spaced-apart first and second electrodes of an electrode assembly, the method comprising the step of intermittently applying a regenerate-filter signal to the electrode assembly according to predetermined signal-application criteria so as to intermittently generate both (1) an arc between the first and second electrodes to oxidize particulates collected by the particulate filter if generation of the arc is initiated as a result of reduction of electrical resistance in the electrode gap due to creation of an arc-conductive path by particulates collected by the particulate filter and (2) a corona discharge between the first and second electrodes to oxidize particulates collected by the particulate filter.
A method of regenerating a particulate filter positioned in an electrode gap defined between spaced-apart first and second electrodes, the method comprising the steps of:
- cycling a control signal for a plurality of cycles between a first control state and a second control state according to predetermined signal-application criteria,
- applying an AC regenerate-filter signal to the first and second electrodes in response to each occurrence of the first control state of the control signal so as to generate an arc between the first and second electrodes to oxidize particulates collected by the particulate filter if generation of the arc is initiated as a result of reduction of electrical resistance in the electrode gap due to creation of an arc-conductive path by particulates collected by the particulate filter, and
- ceasing application of the regenerate-filter signal to the first and second electrodes in response to each occurrence of the second control state of the control signal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.