Method for Introducing Heat into at Least One Component of an Exhaust-Gas Aftertreatment Device, Software and Open-Loop or Closed-Loop Control Device

Abstract

A method for introducing heat into an exhaust-gas aftertreatment device connected to an internal combustion engine which outputs an exhaust-gas flow is disclosed. The exhaust-gas aftertreatment device may comprise one or more of an oxidation catalyst component, a particulate filter component and an SCR system component, the method comprising: at least partially reacting a partial flow of the exhaust-gas flow with fuel in a heating catalyst and feeding the reacted partial flow back into the exhaust-gas flow; and controlling the amount of fuel fed to the heating catalyst and/or the partial flow of exhaust-gas flow fed to the heating catalyst based on an exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components in accordance with at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map, wherein the exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components is indirectly determined from an operating state of the internal combustion engine, without direct measurement by temperature sensors. A computer readable medium stores a signal sequence representing data suitable for transmission by means of a computer network, to an open-loop or closed-loop control device to carry out the abovedescribed method.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for introducing heat into an exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) connected to an internal combustion engine ( 15 ) which outputs an exhaust-gas flow, the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) comprising one or more of an oxidation catalyst component ( 11 ), a particulate filter component ( 12 ) and an SCR system component ( 13 ), the method comprising:
 at least partially reacting a partial flow of the exhaust-gas flow with fuel in a heating catalyst ( 2 ) and feeding the reacted partial flow back into the exhaust-gas flow; and   controlling the amount of fuel fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) and/or the partial flow of exhaust-gas flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) based on an exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components ( 11 ,  12 ,  13 ) in accordance with at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ),   wherein   the exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components ( 11 ,  12 ,  13 ) is indirectly determined from an operating state of the internal combustion engine ( 15 ), without direct measurement by temperature sensors.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components ( 11 ,  12 ,  13 ) is determined from the operating state of the internal combustion engine ( 15 ) by means of a first reference-controlled synthesizer.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the operating state of the internal combustion engine is determined from currently applied characteristic map values or characteristic map ranges of an engine control unit ( 16 ).   
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the partial flow is between 6 kg/h and about 80 kg/h; and   the heating catalyst ( 2 ) has a plurality of operating states, including at least:   (i) a second operating state ( 52 ) in which a fuel to air ratio (λ) of the heating catalyst ( 2 ) is between 1.0 and about 10; and   (ii) a fourth operating state ( 54 ) in which the fuel to air ratio (λ) of the heating catalyst ( 2 ) is between about 0.05 and about 0.7.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the heating catalyst ( 2 ) comprises at least one electrical heating device which:
 in a first operating state, brings the heating catalyst ( 2 ) to an operating temperature at which supplied fuel can be at least partially reacted on the heating catalyst ( 2 );   and/or in an eighth operating state, heats the partial flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ).   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 5 , comprising:
 determining an amount of thermal power outputted by the heating catalyst ( 2 ) from the fuel amount fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) and/or the partial flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) by means of a second reference-controlled synthesizer.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 supplying said exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components ( 11 ,  12 ,  13 ) to the at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ); and   in response to said supplying, setting reference variables for the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) based on one or more outputs of the heating catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ).   
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , comprising:
 supplying temperatures and/or oxygen content of the exhaust gas flow to the at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ); and   in response to said supplying, setting reference variables for the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) based on one or more outputs of the heating catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ).   
     
     
         9 . A method for introducing heat into an exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) connected to an internal combustion engine ( 15 ) which outputs an exhaust-gas flow, the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) comprising one or more of an oxidation catalyst component ( 11 ), a particulate filter component ( 12 ) and an SCR system component ( 13 ), the method comprising:
 at least partially reacting a partial flow of the exhaust-gas flow with fuel in a heating catalyst ( 2 ) and feeding the reacted partial flow back into the exhaust-gas flow; and   controlling the amount of fuel fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) and/or the partial flow of exhaust-gas flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) based on an exhaust-gas temperature upstream and/or downstream of said one or more components ( 11 ,  12 ,  13 ) in accordance with at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ),   wherein   input variables ( 351 ) of the heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ) are selected from one or more of: (i) exhaust-gas mass flow of the internal combustion engine; (ii) oxygen content of raw exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; (iii) at least one exhaust-gas temperature; (iv) a driving profile; (v) a navigation destination; (vi) position data; and (vii) state of charge of at least one battery.   
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 9 , characterized in that the exhaust-gas mass flow of the internal combustion engine ( 2 ) and/or the oxygen content of the raw exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine and/or at least one exhaust-gas temperature are determined by means of a first reference-controlled synthesizer. 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 9 ,
 wherein the operating state of the internal combustion engine is determined from currently applied characteristic map values or characteristic map ranges of an engine control unit ( 16 ).   
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein:
 the partial flow is between 6 kg/h and about 80 kg/h; and   the heating catalyst ( 2 ) has a plurality of operating states, including at least:   (i) a second operating state ( 52 ) in which a fuel to air ratio (λ) of the heating catalyst ( 2 ) is between 1.0 and about 10; and   (ii) a fourth operating state ( 54 ) in which the fuel to air ratio (λ) of the heating catalyst ( 2 ) is between about 0.05 and about 0.7.   
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 9 , wherein the heating catalyst ( 2 ) comprises at least one electrical heating device which:
 in a first operating state, brings the heating catalyst ( 2 ) to an operating temperature at which supplied fuel can be at least partially reacted on the heating catalyst ( 2 ); and/or   in an eighth operating state, heats the partial flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ).   
     
     
         14 . The method according to  claim 5 , comprising:
 determining an amount of thermal power outputted by the heating catalyst ( 2 ) from the fuel amount fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) and/or the partial flow fed to the heating catalyst ( 2 ) by means of a second reference-controlled synthesizer.   
     
     
         15 . The method according to  claim 14 , comprising:
 supplying temperatures and/or oxygen content of the exhaust gas flow to the at least one heating-catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ); and   in response to said supplying, setting reference variables for the exhaust-gas aftertreatment device ( 1 ) based on one or more outputs of the heating catalyst characteristic map ( 35 ).   
     
     
         16 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium having data stored thereon or signal sequence which represents data and is suitable for transmission by means of a computer network, wherein the data represents a computer program which carries out the method according to  claim 1 , when the computer program is executed on a microprocessor. 
     
     
         17 . An open-loop or closed-loop control device ( 3 ), configured to carry out the method according to  claim 1 .