Patent ID: 8615988

Claim:
A system for a vehicle, the system comprising: a diesel particulate filter (DPF) that filters particulates in exhaust output from an engine of the vehicle; an electric heater disposed a first non-zero distance upstream of the DPF and a second non-zero distance downstream of an oxidation catalyst, wherein the electric heater includes a plurality of channels to heat the particulates in the exhaust flowing from the oxidation catalyst to the DPF; and a control module that: determines whether to initiate regeneration of the DPF, wherein the regeneration includes ignition of particulates stored in the DPF, initiates the regeneration of the DPF in response to a determination that an exhaust flow rate is within a predetermined range, activates the electric heater to initiate the regeneration in response to the determination, wherein when the electric heater is activated heat transfers from the electric heater to the particulates in the exhaust, and heat from the particulates in the exhaust causes particulates stored in the DPF to ignite for a first period, and de-activates the electric heater based on an expiration of a threshold period, wherein the first period is greater than the threshold period, and after the electric heater is deactivated, the regeneration continues for a remainder of the first period.