Patent ID: 8800267

Claim:
A control system for an internal combustion engine, comprising: an exhaust gas conduit in fluid communication with, and configured to receive an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine; an oxidization catalyst (“OC”) device in fluid communication with the exhaust gas conduit, wherein the OC device has an OC light-off temperature, and wherein the OC device is selectively activated to the light-off temperature to induce oxidization of the exhaust gas; a temperature sensor situated in the exhaust gas conduit upstream of the OC device, the temperature sensor monitoring an exhaust gas temperature; an intake mass air flow sensor for measuring an air mass entering the internal combustion engine; an engine air intake mechanism that is selectively activated to modulate the air mass entering the internal combustion engine; and a control module in communication with the temperature sensor, the intake mass air flow sensor, and the engine air intake mechanism, the control module having a memory for storing a threshold exhaust flow rate, comprising: a control logic for monitoring the intake mass air flow sensor and calculating an exhaust flow rate based on the air mass; a control logic for monitoring the temperature sensor for the exhaust gas temperature and calculating a temperature of the OC device based on the exhaust gas temperature at the OC device; a control logic for determining if the temperature of the OC device is a threshold amount above the light-off temperature of the OC device; and a control logic for activating the engine air intake mechanism to modulate the air mass if the exhaust flow rate is below the threshold exhaust flow rate and if the OC device is the threshold amount above the light-off temperature of the OC device.