Patent ID: 8413429

Claim:
A method for determining an amount of particulate that has accumulated in a particulate filter, comprising: calculating the amount of particulate that has accumulated in the particulate filter on the basis of a physical model that uses at least one of a measured physical quantity and a determined physical quantity; and subjecting the calculated particulate amount to validation on the basis of given validation criteria, the validation criteria comprising that operating conditions occur, which cause the aforesaid at least one of the measured physical quantity and the determined physical quantity on the basis of which the amount of particulate that has accumulated in the particulate filter is calculated to be reliable; wherein subjecting the calculated particulate amount to validation comprises: validating the calculated particulate amount in the case where said criteria are satisfied; and validating a different amount in the case where said criteria are not satisfied; wherein validating a different amount comprises: calculating a substitutive particulate amount, which is a function of a previously validated amount and of a rate of variation, the rate of variation being a substitution reduction rate when there exist operating conditions that could give rise to a spontaneous regeneration of the particulate filter; wherein calculating the substitutive particulate amount comprises incrementing the previously validated amount on the basis of the substitution increase rate if there exist operating conditions that cause the aforesaid measured physical quantities on the basis of which the amount of particulate that has accumulated in the particulate filter is calculated to be considered unreliable.