Patent ID: 6853895

Claim:
A method of managing operation of a passenger vehicle engine and passenger compartment electrical devices upon engine start-up when the vehicle operator is not ready to drive the vehicle, said method using an in-vehicle electronic control module including a micro-processor and database; said vehicle comprising at least one fuel injector for injecting fuel into combustion cylinders of said engine and exhaust gas system comprising an underfloor catalytic converter and an exhaust gas composition sensor; said passenger compartment electrical load devices comprising, at least some of, a fan for circulation of passenger compartment air, a rear window defogger, a front window defroster, an air conditioner for cooling passenger compartment air, a seat heater, and passenger compartment lights; said method comprising monitoring time, t, from engine start, a providing the engine has been started from a remote signal or the vehicle transmission ha not been engaged; turning off passenger compartment electrical loads; continually measuring engine coolant temperature and engine intake air temperature; estimating the time elapsed, T CL , before aid catalytic converter and exhaust gas sensor are suitably active for closed loop fuel control by said control module; determining the priorities of operation of the respective said electric load devices; and turning on said devices sequentially in order of said determined increasing priority after t>T CL .