An exhaust purification system is provided with a NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst 32 that occludes NOx in exhaust when the exhaust is in a lean state and reduces and purifies the occluded NOx when the exhaust is in a rich state, and a NOx purge rich control unit 140 for reducing and purifying NOx occluded in the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst 32 by putting the exhaust into the rich state by repetitively performing fuel injection control of at least one of post injection and exhaust pipe injection at a predetermined interval.

Methods and systems are presented for regenerating a particulate filter. In one example, vehicle speed control mode parameters may be adjusted in response to an amount of soot stored in a particulate filter being greater than a first threshold. The vehicle speed control parameters may be returned to base values in response to the amount of soot stored in the particulate filter being less than a second threshold.

There is provided an exhaust purification apparatus for an internal combustion engine in which a catalyst capable of adsorbing and oxidizing hydrocarbon is provided in an exhaust pipe, the exhaust purification apparatus including temperature detection means for detecting a temperature of the catalyst, estimation means for accumulating a time during which the temperature of the catalyst detected by the temperature detection means is equal to or less than a predetermined temperature, and estimating an amount of hydrocarbon adsorbed on the catalyst from the accumulated time, and control means for controlling fuel ejection of the internal combustion engine in a first ejection mode in which the temperature of the catalyst is increased to a temperature where hydrocarbons adsorbed on the catalyst are oxidized, in a case in which the amount of hydrocarbons estimated by the estimation means exceeds a predetermined upper limit.

An exhaust purification system is provided with a NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst and a NOx purge rich control unit that executes NOx purge in a case where a catalyst temperature of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than a catalyst temperature threshold value and a NOx occlusion amount of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than an NOx occlusion amount threshold value and executes the NOx purge even when the catalyst temperature is lower than a catalyst temperature threshold value in a case where the NOx occlusion amount is equal to or greater than the occlusion amount threshold value, a fuel injection amount resulting from an accelerator operation is equal to or greater than an injection amount threshold value, and an exhaust temperature detected by a first exhaust temperature sensor is equal to or higher than an exhaust temperature threshold value.

A method for monitoring an oxidation catalysis device or DOC arranged in an exhaust line of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, in a predetermined range of inlet (2) and outlet (3) temperatures of the DOC, includes injecting predetermined successive quantities of fuel in stages (5, 6) into the inlet of the DOC, recording the outlet (3) temperature of the DOC after each injected quantity of fuel, recording the total quantity injected for a given stage, for which the outlet temperature (3) of the DOC begins to decrease, determining a characterization of the DOC monitored, then comparing this characterization with a test characterization of a similar DOC which has been established beforehand in order to determine a threshold degradation of the DOC monitored that is not to be exceeded.

An exhaust purification system is provided with a NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst and a NOx purge rich control unit that executes NOx purge in a case where a catalyst temperature of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than a catalyst temperature threshold value and a NOx occlusion amount of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than an NOx occlusion amount threshold value and executes the NOx purge even when the catalyst temperature is lower than a catalyst temperature threshold value in a case where the NOx occlusion amount is equal to or greater than the occlusion amount threshold value, a fuel injection amount resulting from an accelerator operation is equal to or greater than an injection amount threshold value, and an exhaust temperature detected by a first exhaust temperature sensor is equal to or higher than an exhaust temperature threshold value.

An exhaust purification system is provided with a NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst and a NOx purge rich control unit that executes NOx purge of reducing and purifying the occluded NOx by putting the exhaust into a rich state by fuel injection control, in a case where a catalyst temperature of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than a catalyst temperature threshold value and a NOx occlusion amount of the NOx-occlusion-reduction-type catalyst is equal to or higher than an NOx occlusion amount threshold value, and executes the NOx purge even when the NOx occlusion amount is less than the NOx occlusion amount threshold value, in a case where the catalyst temperature is equal to or higher than a catalyst temperature threshold value which is greater than the catalyst temperature threshold value.

A system and method for evaluating the efficiency of an oxidation catalyst of a vehicle exhaust system includes a diagnostic control system including a controller operatively connected to the exhaust system and at least one temperature sensor disposed proximate the oxidation catalyst to measure the temperature of the exhaust gas. The controller determines an operating state of at least one of the engine and exhaust system and initiates a particulate filter regeneration process in response to the detected operating state. The controller defines a first diagnostic index value and calculates a second diagnostic index value based upon the first diagnostic index value and an offset value. An oxidation catalyst efficiency validation module determines the efficiency of the oxidation catalyst.

An exhaust emission control system of an engine including a NO.sub.x catalyst for storing NO.sub.x within exhaust gas when an air-fuel ratio thereof is lean, and reducing the NO.sub.x when the air-fuel ratio is approximately stoichiometric or rich, the NO.sub.x catalyst also functioning as an oxidation catalyst for oxidizing HC, is provided. The system includes a SCR catalyst for purifying NO.sub.x by causing a reaction with NH.sub.3, a urea injector, and a processor configured to execute a fuel injection controlling module, and a NO.sub.x reduction controlling module for performing a NO.sub.x reduction control to enrich the air-fuel ratio to a target ratio. When the urea injection is abnormal, the NO.sub.x reduction controlling module performs an NH.sub.3-supplied NO.sub.x reduction control in which the NO.sub.x catalyst supplies NH.sub.3 to the SCR catalyst, by performing the NO.sub.x reduction control, a lean air-fuel ratio operation control, and then the NO.sub.x reduction control again.

A system and method for evaluating the efficiency of an oxidation catalyst of a vehicle exhaust system includes a diagnostic control system including a controller operatively connected to the exhaust system and at least one temperature sensor disposed proximate the oxidation catalyst to measure the temperature of the exhaust gas. The controller determines an operating state of at least one of the engine and exhaust system and initiates a particulate filter regeneration process in response to the detected operating state. The controller defines a first diagnostic index value and calculates a second diagnostic index value based upon the first diagnostic index value and an offset value. An oxidation catalyst efficiency validation module determines the efficiency of the oxidation catalyst.