Patent ID: 7735471

Claim:
A method for controlling a light-duty combustion engine, comprising the steps of: (a) activating an engine speed governor that limits the speed of the light-duty combustion engine; (b) limiting the speed of the light-duty combustion engine with the engine speed governor to a level that is less than a clutch-in speed of a centrifugal clutch; (c) sensing the speed of the light-duty combustion engine; (d) using at least two separate checks to determine if the light-duty combustion engine is in an acceleration mode, wherein at least one of the checks compares a plurality of successive engine speed signals to see if the engine speed increases for a certain number of engine revolutions; and (e) if the light-duty combustion engine is in an acceleration mode, then deactivating the engine speed governor so that the light-duty combustion engine can operate at a level that is greater than the clutch-in speed of the centrifugal clutch.