Patent ID: 7246487

Claim:
An exhaust-heat recovery system for a vehicle comprising: a catalytic converter configured to let pass exhaust discharged from an engine and to burn catalytically combustible components in the exhaust; an exhaust heat exchanger configured to exchange heat between the exhaust having passed through the catalytic converter and a heat-transfer medium having passed through the engine; an air conditioner with a heat exchanger configured to generate a heating wind by means of the heat exchange between the heat-transfer medium having passed through the exhaust heat exchanger and an air conditioning wind; and an engine controller configured to perform an incremental control for increasing the combustible components in the exhaust to be burned in the catalytic converter by means of changing an operation condition of the engine when a prescribed heating condition is unsatisfied, wherein a performance of the incremental control is dependent on a motion condition of the vehicle, a load condition of the engine, the operation condition of the engine, a condition of a coolant and a capacity of the catalytic converter, and wherein the engine controller is further configured to: determine whether there is a demand for an increase in heating power of the air conditioner; and (i) if a determination is made that there is a demand for an increase in heating power of the air conditioner, permit the incremental control, and (ii) if a determination is made that there is no demand for an increase in heating power of the air conditioner, prevent the incremental control.