Appeal No. 2001-2278
Application No. 09/304,267
from “0” to “1.” If the flag is found to have changed
from “0” to “1,” step 502 is reached. In step 502, the
CPU 32 sets the accumulated intake air quantity QASUM
to “QACLO” and stores it. The accumulated intake air
quantity QASUM is an accumulation of the intake air
quantity QA calculated since the start-up of the
engine. The calculation is performed by an accumulated
intake air quantity calculating routine shown in FIG.
7. In carrying out the routine of FIG. 7, the CPU 32
checks in step 601 to see if the engine is started
illustratively by turning on the ignition key. If the
engine is found to be started (ignition key=ON), step
602 is reached. In step 602, the CPU 32 updates the
accumulated intake air quantity QASUM by adding to the
current quantity QASUM the intake air quantity QA
calculated on the basis of the readings from the air
flow meter 28. Although the first embodiment
calculates the intake air quantity QA based on the
readings of the air flow meter 28, this is not
limitative of the invention. Alternatively, the intake
air quantity QA may be estimated from the intake air
pressure PM detected by the intake air pressure sensor
and from the engine rotational speed Ne measured by the
rotational speed sensor 25. The accumulated intake air
quantity QASUM is initialized to “0” at the start-up of
the engine.
With the accumulated intake air quantity QASUM
stored in step 502, the CPU 32 goes to step 503 in
which a check is made to see of the value “QACLO”
exceeds a predetermined deterioration reference value
QACDT. If QACLO # QACDT, the CPU 32 terminates this
routine immediately. If QACLO > QACDT, the CPU 32
enters step 504 in which the catalyst deterioration
flag XCATDT is set to “1.” In step 505, the CPU 32
stores the deterioration information into the backup
RAM 35 and executes a predetermined diagnostic process
(e.g., illumination of the diagnostic lamp 29).
In applying Yamashita against the appealed claims, the
examiner says of the foregoing disclosure that “[e]lements
corresponding to the engine load detector (column 10, lines 3-5),
accumulator (column 9, lines 61-62), comparator (column 10, lines
12-15) and catalyst deterioration determiner (column 10, lines
4
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