A control device of an internal combustion engine comprises a heater control part configured to set a target temperature of the electrochemical cell and control the heater so that a temperature of the electrochemical cell becomes the target temperature. The heater control part sets the target temperature to a first temperature when water injection by the water injection device is not being demanded after a predetermined time elapses from startup of the internal combustion engine, and sets the target temperature to a second temperature when an operating state of the internal combustion engine is in a water outflow state where water injected by the water injection device reaches the exhaust passage without going through combustion of air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. The second temperature is higher than the first temperature.

An exhaust gas sensor that detects a specific component included in an exhaust gas includes a sensor element including a detector, an element cover that accommodates the sensor element and has a gas ventilation hole, a heater that heats the sensor element, a heater control section, and an installation state diagnosis section that diagnoses a state of an element cover based on a sensor temperature detected by a sensor temperature detection section. The installation state diagnosis section includes a temperature variation amount calculation section that calculates a sensor temperature variation amount, a temperature variation amount integration section that sums the sensor temperature variation amounts, and an abnormality determination section that determines presence or absence of an abnormal installation based on a comparison result between variation amount integration information of the sensor temperature and a diagnosis threshold value.

Determining a functionality of an exhaust gas sensor in an exhaust gas system having a catalytic converter and a first exhaust gas sensor upstream of the catalytic converter and a second exhaust gas sensor downstream of the catalytic converter. The first and the second exhaust gas sensors are heated to a temperature above a minimum operating temperature.; A first sensor signal of the first exhaust gas sensor; and a second sensor signal of the second exhaust gas sensor are determined. The first and the second sensor signals are compared in an operating period in which a temperature of the at least one catalytic converter does not exceed a temperature threshold value; and an operating parameter of the first exhaust gas sensor (121) is determined on the basis the comparison

A non-transitory computer-readable medium having a NOx sensor purification instructions for a NOx sensor causes: an on-vehicle electronic computer mounted in the vehicle, when it comes to a predetermined purification time, to execute a start procedure to send a start command to perform a purification control to the control unit; and control unit, in response to the start command, to execute a purification procedure to perform the purification control which causes the current flowing in the reference pump cell from the reference pump current to be a purification pump current, which is set to a current value larger than the reference pump current.

A control device of a nitrogen oxide sensor comprises a voltage control part configured to control voltage applied to the pump cell, and a temperature estimation part configured to estimate a temperature of the pump cell. The voltage control part is configured to make the voltage applied to the pump cell a voltage of a starting voltage of decomposition of water or more when the estimated temperature of the pump cell estimated by the temperature estimation part is within a predetermined temperature region of less than an activation temperature of the pump cell as control suppressing evaporation.

A heating system includes at least one electric heater disposed within the fluid flow system. A control device includes a microprocessor and is configured to determine a temperature of the at least one electric heater based on a model and at least one input from the fluid flow system. The control device is configured to provide power to the at least one electric heater based on the temperature of the at least one electric heater.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing soot sensor electrode degradation in harsh chemical environment introduced as a result of desulfation of a lean NOx trap positioned upstream of the soot sensor. In one example, a method may include in response to the SOx load being higher than the threshold, prior to initiating desulfation of LNT, operating the soot sensor in a pre-desulfation mode where the negative electrode is connected to the positive electrode for a brief duration, while the positive electrode is disconnected from the positive electrode. However during desulfation, when H.sub.2S is released as a by-product, both the electrodes may be open, i.e. not connected to the positive electrode or ground, thereby reducing the possibility of sensor degradation.

A particle detection system (1) includes a particle sensor (10) having a detection section (11) exposed to a gas under measurement EG. The particle sensor (10) includes an insulating member (121, 100), and a heater section (150, 105) for heating at least a portion of the gas contact surface (121s, 101s) of the insulating member (121, 100). The particle detection system (1) includes adhesive restraining energization means (225, 223, S4, S10) for heating the gas contact surface (121s, 101s) to an adhesion restraining temperature Td at which adhesion of the particles S to the gas contact surface (121s, 101s) is restrained as compared with the case where the heater section is not energized, wherein adhering particles SA which are particles adhering to the gas contact surface (121s, 101s) burn at the particle burning temperature Tb.

A control unit (6) estimates an output value of a PM sensor (S2) located at a downstream side of a DPF used as a reference filter, and detects whether the estimated output value exceeds a predetermined value (S3). When the estimated output value exceeds the predetermined value (YES in S3), the control unit detects an output value of the PM sensor (S4), and a heater heats the PM sensor (S5). The control unit detects an output value of the PM sensor (S6) after the PM sensor is heated, and calculates a change ratio of the output values of the PM sensor before and after heating (S7). The control unit estimates an average particle size of PM based on the calculated change ratio (S8), and detects whether the DPF has failed based on a comparison result of a corrected output value of the PM sensor with a threshold value.

A particulate matter sensor unit is configured to sense particulate matter included in exhaust gas of a vehicle. The particulate matter sensor unit includes: a sensing unit sensing the particulate matter in the exhaust gas; a holding unit including a plurality of holders covering an exterior of the sensing unit, a front outer surface of each holder being formed by a tapered inclination outer surface; a shell having a hollow portion therein so that the holding unit is inserted and fitted into the shell, an inclination inner surface being formed in the hollow portion to correspond to the inclination outer surface; a cap unit installed in front of the shell to cover a sensing body of the sensing unit and guiding a flow of the exhaust gas to go through the sensing body; and a cover fixed to a rear end of the shell to support the holding unit.