CN109838296B

CN109838296B - Particulate filter regeneration management method and system with driver guidance function

Info

Publication number: CN109838296B
Application number: CN201711224217.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 马尔科姆·格列佛
Original assignee: SAIC Motor Corp Ltd
Current assignee: SAIC Motor Corp Ltd
Priority date: 2017-11-29
Filing date: 2017-11-29
Publication date: 2021-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2037-11-29
Also published as: CN109838296A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a particulate filter regeneration management method and system having a driver guidance function, the particulate filter regeneration management method including: in the event that it is ascertained that the predetermined regeneration condition is fulfilled, information relating to the progress of the regeneration is provided to the driver by means of an information output device of the vehicle, so that the driver is guided to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter, to positively influence or change the driving behavior or the route planning of the driver, and to cause the vehicle to travel in a manner which is favorable for the regeneration of the particulate filter; alternatively, in the case where it is confirmed that the predetermined regeneration condition is not satisfied, the driver assistance strategy is activated and data or navigation information relating to the traveling of the vehicle is provided to the driver, thereby guiding the driver to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter and causing the vehicle to travel in a manner advantageous for the regeneration of the particulate filter. The invention has the advantages of actively controlling the regeneration process in real time and obtaining ideal regeneration effect.

Description

Particulate filter regeneration management method and system with driver guidance function

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the management of the regeneration of a particulate filter, and in particular to a method and a system for managing the regeneration of a particulate filter with driver guidance, typically used in (motor) vehicles.

Background

It is known in the automotive field that diesel engines, due to incomplete combustion during the combustion of the fuel/air mixture, produce various types of particulates, including soot (carbon black) particulates such as fine nanoparticles. Soot and other particulates from diesel engines contribute to particulate contamination in the air and are harmful to human health. Thus, for example, since 2009, particulate filters have been widely installed in automobiles for filtering harmful particulate matter, for example, due to incomplete combustion of diesel fuel. The particulate filter may, for example, capture approximately 30% -95% of harmful soot, thereby improving city air quality and meeting regulatory requirements such as EU 5 and above standards.

With global tightening of emissions regulations (e.g., the launch of EU 6C), many vehicle manufacturers are considering such particulate filters for gasoline engines, particularly for gasoline engines using direct injection technology.

In addition, as the particulate filter continues to be used, harmful particulate matter will constantly accumulate on the particulate filter. Typically, particulate filters are designed to require cleaning after a period of use (e.g., after a vehicle has been traveling at a load or speed for a period of time, sufficient heat is generated to raise the particulate filter to a temperature high enough to burn off accumulated particulates, or by pre-programming the engine to operate in a mode that can raise the exhaust temperature) to restore the particulate filter to its original operating condition and ensure effective operation and useful life of the particulate filter. This is known in the art as "filter regeneration".

If the regeneration process of the particulate filter does not occur satisfactorily during normal use of the vehicle, clogging of the particulate filter may result. As a result, excessive back pressure may be generated, even eventually resulting in the need to replace the entire particulate filter.

For example, if a vehicle is frequently driven at high speeds or high loads for a sufficiently long time, it is typically able to achieve effective particulate filter regeneration under the control of the Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the engine; conversely, if the vehicle is driven on urban roads at low speeds in most cases (for example, some vehicle drivers often drive only for short distances), it cannot obtain the required heat and thus cannot accomplish effective regeneration of the particulate filter. If the above-mentioned problems accumulate to a severe extent, it is necessary for "forced regeneration" to be carried out by the distributor, or even for the entire particle filter to be replaced, which entails considerable cost outlay.

Currently, various measures have been sought in the prior art to avoid the above-mentioned problem of poor regeneration. Unfortunately, however, the presently known prior art for particulate filter regeneration is essentially based on a "passive reaction" type of operating principle, which is heavily dependent on (or responsive to) an intended trip or driving state of the vehicle, rather than actively influencing or changing its subsequent trip or driving state in a manner that facilitates regeneration of particulate matter. In this case, for example, if the course or the running state of the vehicle is not suitable for the regeneration of the particulate filter for a long period of time, clogging of the particulate filter will often inevitably occur eventually.

In particular, in the above-described prior art, information on the regeneration progress of the particulate matter is generally not provided or easily obtained, and thus the driver cannot know the regeneration progress of the particulate filter in real time. In this case, even if the driver may receive the warning from the warning lamp before the particulate filter is severely clogged, it may not be able to appropriately react (or respond) to this, and thus the clogging of the particulate filter may not be effectively prevented or avoided.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above background, an object of the present invention is to provide a particulate filter regeneration management method capable of guiding (or encouraging) a driver to actively intervene in management of a regeneration process of a particulate filter and thereby achieve a desired regeneration effect by providing information on a regeneration progress to a user during the regeneration process of the particulate filter, or providing or creating a desired condition for satisfying a regeneration requirement for the particulate filter timely or temporarily when the regeneration condition is not satisfied.

Another object of the present invention is to propose a particulate filter regeneration management system that facilitates the implementation of the above particulate filter regeneration management method.

To this end, according to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a particulate filter regeneration management method for use in a vehicle for filtering harmful particulate matter generated by incomplete combustion of fuel during use of an engine of the vehicle, the particulate filter being set to be regeneratable under predetermined regeneration conditions after a period of use, the particulate filter regeneration management method comprising:

periodically or uninterruptedly monitoring operation and regeneration of the particulate filter during engine operation and determining whether particulate matter loading reaches a predetermined level;

after confirming that the particulate matter loading reaches a predetermined level, determining whether the predetermined regeneration condition is satisfied; and

based on the above-described determination as to whether the predetermined regeneration condition is satisfied, selectively performing at least one of the following steps, the steps including:

in the case where it is confirmed that the predetermined regeneration condition is satisfied, starting the regeneration process, and providing information on the progress of the regeneration to the driver through an information output device of the vehicle, thereby guiding the driver to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter to positively influence or change the driving behavior of the driver and cause the vehicle to travel in a manner favorable for the regeneration of the particulate filter;

in the case where it is confirmed that the predetermined regeneration condition is not satisfied, a driver assistance strategy is activated, and data related to the traveling of the vehicle is provided to the driver through the vehicle itself or an external information source or navigation information is provided to the driver through a navigation device of the vehicle, thereby guiding the driver to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter to actively change the driving behavior of the driver (for example, to determine a recommended route or schedule that facilitates the regeneration of the particulate filter) and cause the vehicle to travel in a manner that facilitates the regeneration of the particulate filter.

Advantageously, the information relating to the progress of the reproduction is visual information or audible information comprising one or more of a flashing warning light, a progress bar of the reproduction, a text message and a voice message.

Advantageously, after initiating the driver assistance strategy, the following steps are also included:

determining whether the required data can be acquired by the vehicle itself or an external information source, and after confirming that the required data can be acquired, the driver can actively change his driving behavior or trip plan based on the data and cause the vehicle to travel in a manner that facilitates regeneration of the particulate filter; otherwise, the driver will actively change his driving behavior or trip plan based on navigation information provided by the navigation device of the vehicle and cause the vehicle to travel in a manner that facilitates the regeneration of the particulate filter.

Advantageously, the data relating to the travel of the vehicle comprises one or more of calendar data, user data and vehicle networking data.

Advantageously, the harmful particulate matter includes soot, and the predetermined regeneration condition is that the exhaust gas temperature at the particulate filter reaches a level sufficient to combust the soot.

Advantageously, the particulate filter is a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) for diesel engines or a Gasoline Particulate Filter (GPF) for gasoline engines.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a particulate filter regeneration management system for implementing the particulate filter regeneration management method as described above, including a particulate matter load monitor, an exhaust gas signal processor, an electronic control unit, an information output device, and a navigation device, wherein,

the information output means is capable of providing information relating to the progress of regeneration of the particulate filter,

the particulate load monitor is electrically connected to the particulate filter and is capable of monitoring operation and regeneration of the particulate filter,

the exhaust gas signal processor is electrically connected with the particle filter and can detect the exhaust gas signal from the particle filter,

the particulate matter load monitor and the exhaust gas signal processor are also respectively connected with the information output device in a communication mode so as to output information related to the particulate matter load monitor and the exhaust gas signal processor on the information output device when needed,

the particulate matter load monitor, the exhaust gas signal processor, the information output device, and the navigation device all operate under the control of the electronic control unit to facilitate management and control of the regeneration process of the particulate filter.

Advantageously, the particulate filter regeneration management system further comprises a filter regeneration controller communicatively coupled to the particulate matter load monitor, the exhaust signal processor, the information output device, and the navigation device to assist or replace the electronic control unit in managing and controlling the progress of particulate filter regeneration.

Advantageously, the information output device is a dashboard of the vehicle.

Advantageously, the particulate matter load monitor is a soot load sensor.

According to still another aspect of the present invention, there may also be provided a storage medium storing a computer program for executing the particulate filter regeneration management method as described above.

With the above technical solution, the present invention provides a method and a system for managing regeneration of a particulate filter with a driver guidance function, which can provide information related to the regeneration progress of the particulate filter in real time during the regeneration of the particulate filter, or provide or create ideal or preferred conditions for satisfying the regeneration requirements for the particulate filter timely or temporarily when the regeneration conditions are temporarily not satisfied, so as to actively guide the driver to intervene in the regeneration of the particulate filter timely, and thus can accurately understand and effectively control the actual regeneration progress in real time, and promote to obtain safe, reliable optimum or beneficial conditions required for the regeneration of the particulate filter, and finally obtain an ideal, repeatable, high-performance regeneration process and optimum regeneration effects.

Drawings

A clearer and fuller understanding of the nature, details, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of specific embodiments thereof, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a flow diagram of a typical particulate filter regeneration process in the prior art;

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic block diagram of a particulate filter regeneration management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 shows a schematic flow diagram of a particulate filter regeneration management method of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an exemplary text message used in the method of the present invention to instruct and guide the driver to drive in a manner that facilitates regeneration of the particulate filter;

FIG. 5 schematically illustrates an exemplary regeneration progress bar used in the method of the present invention, which may be used to feedback the progress of regeneration to the driver and thereby obtain a prompt regarding a preferred driving style;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic flow diagram of a particulate filter regeneration management method of an alternative embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 7 shows a schematic flow diagram of a particulate filter regeneration management method of another alternative embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The invention is described in detail below with the aid of exemplary embodiments. It is noted that in the following description, the particulate filter referred to in the present application is, for example, a diesel particulate filter used in a motor vehicle equipped with a diesel engine, or a gasoline particulate filter used in a motor vehicle equipped with a gasoline engine.

Before describing an embodiment of the present invention, a flow chart of a typical particulate filter regeneration process of the prior art will first be described with reference to fig. 1, wherein a gradual rise in soot loading level in the particulate filter and the associated issuance of an alarm signal, etc. can be seen.

As shown in fig. 1, during conventional particulate filter regeneration in the prior art, the soot load in the particulate filter is detected, for example, by a soot sensor, as the vehicle engine is running. When the soot loading reaches an "orange" level, an "orange" alarm may be issued and displayed, for example, by an alarm light in the instrument panel.

The temperature of the exhaust gases exiting the exhaust pipe of the vehicle is then detected, for example by means of an exhaust gas signal processor, and it is verified whether the required regeneration conditions are met. If the regeneration condition is satisfied, regeneration of the particulate filter may be automatically performed, for example, under the control of an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) of the vehicle; otherwise the "orange" alarm will continue to be displayed and the soot load will continue to be detected and it will be checked whether the regeneration conditions are fulfilled.

Subsequently, if the driving conditions are continuously detrimental to the regeneration process and the soot load continues to rise, it may reach a severe "red" level, which means that it is unsafe (e.g. too hot or too hot) to perform the regeneration at that time.

If the soot loading has reached a severe "red" level, the user will be prohibited from using the regeneration strategy and thus a "red" alarm will be issued. Then, in the case where it is determined that the safety limit has not been reached, the vehicle dealer is allowed to perform the forced regeneration process only under strictly controlled conditions.

If the above-mentioned severe warning is ignored by the driver and a further rise in soot load continues to be detected, a further determination is needed as to whether the soot load reaches a safe limit (i.e., whether the soot load is too high for safe regeneration). If the soot load has reached a safe limit, all regeneration processes are prohibited, the only possible remedy being to replace the entire particulate filter (i.e. having to install a new particulate filter), which would require high costs.

Obviously, in the regeneration process of the above-mentioned prior art, the driver cannot know the actual regeneration progress comprehensively, in real time, and accurately, and cannot respond positively or appropriately when the regeneration condition of the particulate filter is not satisfied, so that a desired regeneration condition or regeneration effect cannot be obtained.

To overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks in the regeneration process of the prior art, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a particulate filter regeneration management system as shown in fig. 2 and a particulate filter regeneration management method as shown in fig. 3 are proposed.

First, the structure and operation principle of the particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention are described with reference to fig. 2, where fig. 2 shows a schematic block diagram of the particulate filter regeneration management system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention mainly includes a particulate matter load monitor 1, an exhaust gas signal processor 2, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU)3, and an instrument panel 4. The particle load monitor 1 is for example a soot load sensor. The particulate matter load monitor 1 is electrically connected to the particulate filter 5, and is capable of monitoring the operation and regeneration of the particulate filter 5 (for example, the particulate matter load monitor 1 periodically or uninterruptedly detects the amount of particulate matter load and the accumulation or burnout of particulate matter, etc.). The exhaust gas signal processor 2 is electrically connected to the particulate filter 5, and is capable of detecting an exhaust gas signal (for example, an exhaust gas temperature) from the particulate filter 5. The particle load monitor 1 and the exhaust gas signal processor 2 are also each communicatively connected to the instrument panel 4 in order to output information relating thereto on the instrument panel 4 when required. The particulate matter load monitor 1, the exhaust gas signal processor 2 and the instrument panel 4 are all operated under the control of the electronic control unit 3 in order to manage and control the progress of the regeneration of the particulate filter.

The particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention also optionally includes a filter regeneration controller 6, such as a programmable controller, communicatively coupled to the particulate matter load monitor 1, the exhaust signal processor 2, and the instrument panel 4 to assist or replace an Electronic Control Unit (ECU)3 in controlling the progress of particulate filter regeneration.

The particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention further includes a navigation device (not shown) that is operable under the control of the electronic control unit 3 or the filter regeneration controller 6 and that can provide (or output) navigation information that can be used during regeneration of the particulate filter to the driver based on a request (or input) of the driver.

Most components of the above-described particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention (e.g., particulate matter load sensor, exhaust gas signal processor, electronic control unit, navigation device) are known in the art and have been installed in many modern vehicles, and thus, the structure, operation principle, etc. thereof will not be described herein again, but rather, an improvement or different part of the present invention over the prior art will be described with emphasis on.

More specifically, compared to the prior art, a new interface element, i.e., various information (or driver guidance information) related to the regeneration process, is introduced into the interface of the instrument panel 4 of the present invention, which can help the driver to know the occurrence of the regeneration process in real time and guide or encourage the driver to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter. That is, the instrument panel 4 can provide enhanced driver guidance interface functions. By way of example, fig. 2 illustrates a variety of information that may be output from the dashboard 4, including progress bar signals, yellow light signals, and text messages. Fig. 2 also shows navigation routing information that can be provided by means of a navigation device of the vehicle (e.g. a satellite navigation device). However, as will be understood from the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art can output more or less related information through the dashboard 4 according to actual needs based on the principles of the present invention.

A method for managing particulate filter regeneration according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, which may be implemented by means of the particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention, is described below with reference to fig. 3.

First, as will be appreciated in view of the foregoing description and conventional practice in the art, during use of a motor vehicle (e.g., an automobile) equipped with a particulate filter, as the engine of the vehicle is started, an Electronic Control Unit (ECU), for example, will request a soot loading signal from a soot loading sensor and, associated therewith, an exhaust gas signal from an exhaust gas signal processor. Typically, if the soot load is sufficiently high and the regeneration conditions are met, the electronic control unit will issue a regeneration command in an attempt to start the regeneration process. However, if the required regeneration conditions can never be met and the soot load continues to rise, it will eventually result in the soot load reaching or exceeding the predetermined level. In this case, it would be necessary to issue an initial warning signal to the driver, which is usually achieved by an orange warning light on the dashboard.

However, in the particulate filter regeneration management method of the present invention, it is mainly intended to enable the driver to sufficiently and promptly know the occurrence of the regeneration process and actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process so that the regeneration process can occur in a desired or advantageous manner, rather than simply receiving a warning signal that may be ignored.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 3, in the particulate filter regeneration management method of the present invention, the soot load in the particulate filter may be monitored during engine operation, for example, using a soot load sensor. When it is confirmed that the soot load reaches a predetermined level, i.e., an "orange" level, it is judged whether a regeneration condition is satisfied (e.g., whether the exhaust gas temperature reaches a predetermined level or is sufficiently high) using, for example, the exhaust gas signal at the particulate filter obtained from the exhaust gas signal processor. In the case of a determination that the regeneration conditions are met, the regeneration process of the particulate filter is started and information relating to the progress of the regeneration, such as a flashing warning light (yellow light signal), a text message, a progress bar, etc., is output on the dashboard in real time, wherein the flashing warning light indicates that the regeneration process has started or is ongoing, the text message may display a prompt for the driver (e.g., text such as "continue driving in this way if possible"), and the progress bar may display that the regeneration is ongoing and its progress, whereby the driver may be informed or prompted of the progress of the regeneration, for example. In other words, the driver will have access to a variety of information relating to the progress of the regeneration (e.g., text messages, regeneration progress bars, etc.), and may be guided or encouraged by such information or a combination thereof to continue driving the vehicle in a manner that facilitates the regeneration process.

The above process may be referred to as a first phase of particulate filter regeneration management of the present invention, wherein the functionality that the dashboard is capable of providing after the regeneration process has begun may be referred to as a first phase functionality of enhanced driver guidance interface functionality.

Fig. 4 shows an exemplary text message used in the method of the present invention, in which the text of "particulate filter regeneration is ongoing, please try to continue driving" is displayed to ensure and guide the driver to continue driving the vehicle in a manner that facilitates the regeneration and management of the particulate filter.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a regeneration progress bar generated in the method of the invention, which gives feedback to the driver about the completion of regeneration in real time and by means of which changes the preferred driving style can be indicated or reflected.

It is clear that one of the main functions or effects of the method of the invention is that the acquisition of relevant information about the regeneration process can be significantly improved and that the driver can be given direct feedback as to whether the subsequent driving behaviour is able to achieve the desired effect, etc.

Fig. 6 is a schematic flow chart of a particulate filter regeneration management method according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention, wherein, in addition to a part of the same contents as those in fig. 3 (which are not repeated for the sake of avoiding repetition), fig. 6 further shows another stage of the particulate filter regeneration management or another stage function of the enhanced driver guidance interface function according to the present invention (the contents in the dashed box on the left side in fig. 6 correspond to the first stage function portion, and the contents in the dashed box on the lower right side in fig. 6 correspond to the other stage function portion). It is to be noted here that the above two stages or functional parts of the invention can be performed independently or in combination.

Typically, most driver driving patterns will enable repeatable particulate filter regeneration when the vehicle is traveling over multiple trips. In this case, the same parts of fig. 6 as fig. 5 (in particular, the first phase of particulate filter regeneration management as described above) would be applied to produce a satisfactory solution.

However, it is known that a very small percentage of drivers often drive in short trips, where safe and effective regeneration is generally not possible, thus requiring intervention or intervention by the driver to obtain the necessary regeneration conditions. In this case, the present invention proposes a scheme as shown in fig. 6, in which a second remedial option (refer to the contents of the dashed box on the lower right side in fig. 6) is shown, by means of which, in the event that it is determined that the current vehicle state does not satisfy the regeneration condition, it is possible to cause the regeneration condition to be satisfied by starting the driver assist strategy and subsequent recommended route selection or the like, and thereby to be able to obtain again an opportunity to start the regeneration process.

More specifically, as shown in fig. 6, in the case where it is determined that the regeneration condition is not satisfied, for example, based on the exhaust gas signal from the exhaust gas signal processor, the driver assist strategy is activated, in which, for example, a text message showing an input of information requesting the driver to perform navigation (e.g., satellite navigation) is displayed, and the driver can input a destination into the navigation device of the vehicle in accordance with the prompt of the text message. The destination and/or congestion data (as well as the feasible driving route, etc.) may then be applied, for example, under the control of the filter regeneration controller 6 as previously described, to generate or determine a recommended route that is most favorable for particulate filter regeneration in arriving at the destination, and thereby obtain the best regeneration opportunity.

Also, during the above-described process and subsequent regeneration, the driver is continuously guided, supported or encouraged to adopt a preferred driving regime that facilitates particulate filter regeneration, through information such as regeneration progress bars that are continually updated, until the regeneration process has been completed or significantly improved.

Fig. 7 shows a schematic flow diagram of a particulate filter regeneration management method according to another alternative embodiment of the invention, which is improved or expanded on the basis of the method shown in fig. 6 and integrated with the external connectivity of the vehicle to enable an enhanced regeneration capability.

More specifically, the particulate filter regeneration management method illustrated in fig. 7 provides a fully integrated portion of the enhanced driver guidance interface functionality (see contents of the dashed box in the lower portion of fig. 7) as compared to fig. 6, and gives examples of some additional integration/coordination steps, which are mainly described below.

As shown in fig. 7, in the event that it is determined that the soot load is at the "orange" level and the regeneration condition is not met, the driver assist strategy will be initiated.

Next, it is determined whether some data relating to the travel of the vehicle (e.g. from the vehicle itself or an external information source) can be provided to perform one or more of the following steps, including:

determining whether a more suitable trip is to be started by accessing a synchronization calendar or address book;

determining whether a more suitable driver exists and whether the driver is expected to drive the vehicle in the near future by accessing the driving record of the user;

priority usage information at traffic lights or intersections is obtained through the use of networking information, such as using Internet of vehicles (V2X) technology.

In the case where it is confirmed that the above steps can be performed, the above steps may be performed independently or in combination; otherwise, the steps at the right side portion in the broken line frame at the lower side portion of fig. 7, which are the same as the steps after the driver assist strategy is activated shown in fig. 6, will be performed.

By taking the steps shown in fig. 7, the driver can be given more opportunities or abilities to intervene in the management of the particulate filter by means of various means. In addition to the above means, the present invention may provide, for example, an audible signal or instruction or the like that is convenient for the driver to use through an infotainment system, and the driver may also perform the following actions by the present invention: accessing a personalized schedule to plan recent travel, evaluating a user's driving history and their suitability to drive the vehicle, employing car networking technology to improve driving behavior or traffic flow conditions, and the like.

In the case of application to a fully "networked" automobile, it is expected that the vehicle manufacturer will build up a database of the regeneration status, soot burn amounts, etc. obtained at various locations for each vehicle. This information can be used to further assist the driver who only achieves effective regeneration of the particulate filter with a very low success rate.

As can be seen from the above description, the particulate filter regeneration management method and system of the present invention can actively influence and encourage a driver to intervene in the regeneration management of the particulate filter to realize a repeatable, high-performance particulate filter regeneration process, for example, by enhancing or changing its driving behavior or manner, etc., while the driver can easily acquire various information about the regeneration progress and ensure the smooth completion of the regeneration process, as well as encourage good driving behavior and timely prevent or avoid the occurrence of driving behavior that is not conducive to the regeneration of the particulate filter.

In addition, the particulate filter regeneration management system of the present invention is capable of interacting with the driver, (rather than simply alerting or scaring the driver by a sudden flashing light), and is directed to providing a controllable solution that avoids the potential risk of expensive filter changes. Moreover, the system of the present invention provides useful additional functionality to the vehicle user without substantially requiring any costly additional components, thereby enabling more processing power to be simply applied or expanded.

Furthermore, the invention makes it possible to avoid giving any indication or guidance that does not comply with the exhaust emission regulations and to avoid other undesirable situations.

It is noted that, according to the present invention, the electronic control unit or the filter regeneration controller may be pre-programmed to facilitate implementation of the particulate filter regeneration management method of the present invention. Based on this, the present invention may also provide a storage medium in which a computer program for implementing the particulate filter regeneration management method according to the present invention is stored (built-in).

The present invention has been described in detail above with reference to exemplary embodiments. It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the present invention has been mainly described in detail with reference to the steps, components and the like which are closely related to the present invention only in the context of specific embodiments and the like. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other elements not specifically described in the present application or other details related to the above-described steps or elements can be easily understood or appropriately selected from the common general knowledge or conventional practice based on the principle of the present invention, and will not be described herein again.

In addition, it should be noted that those skilled in the art can easily understand that the above description about the embodiments of the present invention and the like should be understood as exemplary, and it is not meant to limit the present invention in any way. For example, although the present invention has been described in the above-described embodiments by taking the detection of the soot load and the setting of whether the exhaust gas temperature reaches the predetermined level as the predetermined regeneration condition, and the like as examples. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that other particles or related parameters can be detected or evaluated according to specific situations or actual needs. In other words, it is easily understood by those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications may be made in the order of the steps, the configuration or connection relationship of the components, and the like in the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and these changes or modifications do not depart from the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A particulate filter regeneration management method for use in a vehicle for filtering harmful particulate matter generated by incomplete combustion of fuel during use of an engine of the vehicle, the particulate filter being configured to be regenerated under predetermined regeneration conditions after a period of use, the particulate filter regeneration management method comprising:

starting the regeneration process and providing information about the progress of the regeneration to the driver in real time by means of an information output device of the vehicle in the event that it is confirmed that the predetermined regeneration condition is fulfilled, so as to guide the driver to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter, to positively influence or change the driving behavior or trip plan of the driver, and to cause the vehicle to travel in a manner that facilitates the regeneration of the particulate filter;

in the event that it is ascertained that the predetermined regeneration conditions are not met, a driver assistance strategy is initiated and data relating to the travel of the vehicle are provided to the driver by the vehicle itself or an external information source or navigation information is provided to the driver by a navigation device of the vehicle, so that the driver is guided to actively intervene in the management of the regeneration process of the particulate filter in order to actively change the driving behavior or the route planning of the driver and to cause the vehicle to travel in a manner which is favorable for the regeneration of the particulate filter,

wherein, after initiating the driver assistance strategy, the particulate filter regeneration management method further comprises the steps of:

2. The particulate filter regeneration management method of claim 1, wherein the information related to regeneration progress is visual information or audible information including one or more of a flashing warning light, a regeneration progress bar, a text message, and a voice message.

3. The particulate filter regeneration management method of claim 1, wherein the data related to travel of the vehicle comprises one or more of calendar data, user data, and vehicle networking data.

4. The particulate filter regeneration management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the harmful particulate matter includes soot, and the predetermined regeneration condition is that an exhaust gas temperature at the particulate filter reaches a degree sufficient to burn the soot.

5. The particulate filter regeneration management method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the particulate filter is a diesel particulate filter for a diesel engine or a gasoline particulate filter for a gasoline engine.

6. A particulate filter regeneration management system for implementing the particulate filter regeneration management method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising a particulate load monitor, an exhaust gas signal processor, an electronic control unit, an information output device, and a navigation device, wherein,

7. The particulate filter regeneration management system of claim 6, further comprising a filter regeneration controller communicatively coupled to the particulate load monitor, the exhaust signal processor, the information output device, and the navigation device to assist or replace the electronic control unit in managing and controlling the progress of particulate filter regeneration.

8. The particulate filter regeneration management system according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the information output device is an instrument panel of a vehicle.

9. The particulate filter regeneration management system of claim 6 or 7, wherein the particulate load monitor is a soot load sensor.