Patent ID: 7031825
Filing Date: 2006-04-18
Classification: F02D,F02P,Y02T

Abstract:
1. A system for rapidly heating the temperature in an exhaust system of a vehicle engine, comprising: a cylinder; a piston movable in the cylinder and adapted to compress a fuel-air mixture to be ignited in the cylinder with exhaust gas from ignition of the fuel-air mixture being expelled from the cylinder into the exhaust system; an ignition source operatively coupled to the cylinder; a heating mode switch that generates a signal when manually activated; a sensor detecting a temperature of the exhaust system; and a controller operatively coupled to the ignition source, the heating mode switch, and the temperature sensor, the controller activating the ignition source at a particular point during the movement of the piston to provide an ignition timing, and the controller setting the engine ignition timing to a generally after top dead center (ATDC) setting to rapidly increase the exhaust system temperature when the switch is activated and when the sensed exhaust system temperature is less than a predetermined target temperature.