| Patent application number | Description | Published |
|---|
| 20090288391 | CATALYST DETERIORATION DETECTION DEVICE - The present invention detects the deterioration of a catalyst. In accordance with an output from an oxygen sensor, a catalyst deterioration detection device for the catalyst positioned in an exhaust path of an internal combustion engine detects a maximum oxygen storage state where an exhaust gas outflowing downstream of the catalyst contains excess oxygen and a minimum oxygen storage state where the exhaust gas outflowing downstream of the catalyst lacks oxygen. Control is exercised to provide a rich target air-fuel ratio for the internal combustion engine during an oxygen release period between the instant at which the maximum oxygen storage state is detected and the instant at which the minimum oxygen storage state is detected later, and to provide a lean target air-fuel ratio for the internal combustion engine during an oxygen storage period between the instant at which the minimum oxygen storage state is detected and the instant at which the maximum oxygen storage state is detected later. Further, the amount of oxygen released from the catalyst during the oxygen release period or the amount of oxygen stored by the catalyst during the oxygen storage period is detected as an oxygen storage amount. The deterioration of the catalyst is then judged in accordance with the oxygen storage amount. Moreover, when exercising control for catalyst deterioration detection, the catalyst deterioration detection device sets up oxygen storage amount detection conditions for correcting a variation that may occur in the oxygen release period or the oxygen storage period depending on a difference in output detection conditions for the oxygen sensor. | 11-26-2009 |
| 20100000984 | HEATER CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD FOR EXHAUST GAS SENSOR - An oxygen concentration sensor is disposed in an engine exhaust passageway. The alcohol concentration in the fuel used in the internal combustion engine is detected. A target impedance is set on the basis of the detected alcohol concentration. The actual impedance of a sensor element of the oxygen concentration sensor is detected. The heater output of the exhaust gas sensor is controlled so that the actual impedance becomes equal to the target impedance, whereby the temperature of the sensor element represented by the impedance becomes equal to a target temperature represented by the target impedance. | 01-07-2010 |
| 20100191444 | HYDROGEN DETECTING DEVICE AND METHOD, AND INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE ABNORMALITY DECIDING DEVICE - A device, which detects information about a hydrogen concentration level, includes an air-fuel ratio sensor, an air-fuel ratio controller, and a detecting portion. The detecting portion calculates either a ratio of response periods or a difference between the response periods to detect the hydrogen concentration level. One of the response periods is a period from the time the air-fuel ratio controller switches the target air-fuel ratio from rich to lean to the time the air-fuel ratio sensor detects this. The other of the response periods is a period from the time the air-fuel ratio controller switches the target air-fuel ratio from lean to rich to the time the air-fuel ratio sensor detects this. This allows the decisions of a variation between cylinders and an exhaust purifying catalyst degradation. | 07-29-2010 |
| 20100300382 | FUEL REFORMING APPARATUS - Fuel reforming catalysts | 12-02-2010 |
| 20100300418 | AIR-FUEL RATIO SENSOR AND CONTROL APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE - There is provided an air-fuel ratio sensor with which an improvement in the accuracy in detecting the air-fuel ratio of detection target gas and an improvement in the response characteristics can both be achieved. The sensor includes a sensor element that outputs an output signal indicative of the air-fuel ratio of a detection target gas, a pair of electrodes including a detection target gas side electrode to which the detection target gas is introduced and an atmosphere side electrode exposed to the atmosphere, which are arranged in such a way as to sandwich the sensor element, a diffusion-controlling layer that is disposed on the sensor element in such a way as to cover the detection target gas side electrode and introduces the detection target gas from an entrance portion through which the detection target gas flows in to the detection target gas side electrode, and a catalyst layer provided on a part of the entrance portion. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110067481 | EXHAUST GAS SENSOR - An exhaust gas sensor that simultaneously exhibits enhanced water soak resistance and functionality, that is multilayered and exposed to a space in an exhaust path. The exhaust gas sensor includes: an electrolyte layer, positioned between an exhaust electrode and an atmosphere electrode; an atmospheric layer formation layer formed toward the atmosphere electrode to form an atmospheric layer to which the atmosphere electrode is exposed; a porous diffusion resistance layer formed toward the exhaust electrode to control flow rate of an exhaust gas reaching the exhaust electrode; and a porous trap layer formed to cover the entire section exposed to the space in the exhaust path. The trap layer includes a first trap layer, which covers a region near a gas inlet/outlet section of the diffusion resistance layer, and a second trap layer, which covers another region that covered by the first trap layer. The first trap layer is thinner than the second trap layer. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110285410 | PARTICULATE MATTER DETECTION DEVICE - A particulate matter detection device that detects the diameter and the amount of particulates in exhaust gas while reducing detection error caused by deterioration such as the deterioration of electrodes is provided. In the particulate matter detection device, which measures particulates in a gaseous body, AC voltages having different frequencies are applied to a pair of electrodes disposed apart from each other. The resulting impedances to the different frequencies are detected. A resistance component and/or a capacitance component of the impedances to the different frequencies are calculated. The average diameter and/or the number of particulates in the gaseous body are estimated in accordance with changes in the resistance component and/or the capacitance component. | 11-24-2011 |
| 20110308506 | INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE CONTROL DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF - An internal combustion engine control device and a control method therefore in which feedback control is performed such that a detected air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas detected on the basis of a critical electric current flowing in a solid electrolyte layer of an air-fuel ratio sensor when an air-fuel ratio detection voltage is applied between an exhaust-side electrode layer and an atmosphere-side electrode layer of the sensor matches a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. When a parameter acquired as an imbalance determination parameter is larger than an imbalance determination threshold, an air-fuel ratio inter-cylinder imbalance state is determined to have occurred. The output responsiveness of the air-fuel ratio sensor when the air-fuel ratio changes from a lean to a rich (or changes in the opposite direction) is acquired, and when this output responsiveness is low, “a sensor responsiveness increasing voltage that is higher than the air-fuel ratio detection voltage” is applied between the exhaust-side electrode layer and the atmosphere-side electrode layer. | 12-22-2011 |
