Methods, systems, and vehicles that control the temperature of a device included in the vehicle are presented herein. The temperature of the device is controlled by ventilating the device with drivetrain air, such as transmission cooling air. In some embodiments, the device is at a greater temperature than the drivetrain air, which cools the device. In other embodiments, the device is at a lesser temperature than the drivetrain air, which heats the device. The drivetrain air is provided to the device through an exhaust duct coupled to the vehicle’s transmission. The drivetrain exhaust air is preferably circulated by the transmission. The transmission may be a continuously variable transmission. The device may be an oxygen sensor that is coupled to an engine exhaust pipe. The oxygen sensor is thermally coupled to the engine exhaust and the engine exhaust pipe, which are at greater temperatures than the transmission exhaust air.

A particulate matter sensor includes a sensor element that includes a measurement member and a heater. An anomaly determiner performs determination that there is a break fault in a signal path of the measurement signal in response to both: (1) A first determiner, which determines whether a first measurement value of the measurement signal is higher than or equal to a predetermined normal determination threshold while the measurement voltage is applied between the measurement electrodes and the temperature of the measurement member is controlled at a first determination temperature, making a negative determination; and (2) A second determiner, which performs negative determination while the measurement voltage is applied between the measurement electrodes and the temperature of the measurement member is controlled within a predetermined temperature range that is higher than the first determination temperature and lower than a second determination temperature, making a negative determination.

Failure detection apparatus for a particulate filter includes: a sensor having a particulate matter detection unit that outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of accumulated PM, and a heater unit that heats the particulate matter detection unit; a regeneration control unit that causes the heater unit to heat the particulate matter detection unit to a regeneration temperature allowing the particulate matter to be burned off; a start detection unit that determines the start of the internal combustion engine; failure determination unit that determines whether exhaust gas contains water droplets while the engine is in operation; a heating control unit that causes the heater unit to heat the particulate matter detection unit to a first temperature allowing the accumulated particulate matter to remain and the moisture included in the particulate matter to be removed; and failure determination unit that determines whether the filter has failure based on a sensor output value.

A particulate matter sensor includes a sensor element that includes a measurement member and a heater. An anomaly determiner performs determination that there is a break fault in a signal path of the measurement signal in response to both

(1) A first determiner, which determines whether a first measurement value of the measurement signal is higher than or equal to a predetermined normal determination threshold while the measurement voltage is applied between the measurement electrodes and the temperature of the measurement member is controlled at a first determination temperature, making a negative determination

(2) A second determiner performing negative determination while the measurement voltage is applied between the measurement electrodes and the temperature of the measurement member is controlled within a predetermined temperature range that is higher than the first determination temperature and lower than a second determination temperature, making a negative determination

A particulate matter (PM) sensor circuit arrangement includes a PM sensor. The sensor includes, integral therewith, a PM sensor resistor, a resistive temperature device (RTD) resistor, and a heater resistor. The PM sensor includes four terminal pins, of which a) a first terminal pin is connected to one terminal of the PM sensor resistor; a second terminal pin is connected to one terminal side of said RTD resistor; c) a third terminal pin being connected to one terminal of a heater resistor; and d) a fourth common terminal pin is connected to respective opposite terminals of the PM sensor resistor, RTD resistor, and heater resistor to the first, second, and third terminal pins. The fourth common terminal pin is operationally connected to a boost or voltage supply and the first pin is connected to a low side line.

An air-fuel ratio control system (1) including an air-fuel ratio control section (3) for controlling the air-fuel ratio λ of an air-fuel mixture, an exhaust gas purifier (4); an air-fuel ratio sensor (5) whose output changes sharply when λ in the exhaust gas changes between rich and lean sides about a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio; a heater (6); and a temperature control section (7). The air-fuel ratio control section (3) controls λ based on the output of the air-fuel ratio sensor (5) using, as a target air-fuel ratio, a predetermined air-fuel ratio such that 0.980≤λ<1.000 is satisfied, and when a change amount Δλ λ is 0.008, an output difference ΔV is 150 mV or smaller. The temperature control section (7) controls the temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor (5) to a predetermined target temperature of 650° C. or higher.

A particulate matter detecting apparatus (S) comprises a sensor body (S1) which has a sensor device (1) which is retained in a housing (H) secured to an exhaust pipe (101) of an internal combustion engine (ENG) and detects particulate matter contained in exhaust gas, a sensor temperature determining unit (2) which works to determine a temperature of the sensor device, and a mounted condition diagnosis unit (3) which diagnoses a mounted condition where the sensor body is mounted in the exhaust pipe. The mounted condition diagnosis unit includes a diagnosis threshold setting unit (31) and a mount error determining unit (32). The diagnosis threshold setting unit determines a diagnosis threshold (Tth), as used in a diagnosis of the mounted condition, as a function of an operating condition of the internal combustion engine to have a temperature value lower than a temperature of the sensor device when the sensor body is normally mounted in the exhaust pipe. When a sensor temperature (T), as determined by the sensor temperature determining unit, is lower than the diagnosis threshold, the mount error determining unit determines that an error in the mounted condition is occurring.

An EHC line leakage diagnosis method can operate a heater of an oxygen detector when satisfying one or more conditions of an engine off time, a coolant temperature, and an outside air temperature by a diagnosis controller upon the key-on of the non-operation of an engine, and then, determine the normality or abnormality of a temperature drop using a change in a temperature value of a signal value and the temperature value detected by the oxygen detector after an air pump is driven, and then confirm the leakage of an exhaust line and a line on the rear end portion of an EHC valve of an air line using the number of times of the occurrence of the abnormality of the temperature drop, and can perform the failure diagnosis without generating the exhaust gas by not operating an engine.

The probability of a heater portion of a sensor element being exposed to water is lowered. The sensor element includes a built-in heater that extends in a longitudinal direction and a surrounding housing extending in the longitudinal direction. The heater includes a heat generation portion and a lead portion. The heat generation portion has a front end and a rear end, and is positioned on the same side as a front end portion side of the sensor element. The housing includes an enlarged diameter portion having a diameter of an inner wall that increases in a direction toward the front end of the sensor. The enlarged diameter portion includes a front end portion and a rear end portion. The rear end of the heat generation portion is located closer to the front end of the sensor than the rear end portion of the enlarged diameter portion is.

A heating system includes at least one electric heater disposed within a fluid flow system and a control device that is configured to determine a temperature of the at least one electric heater based on a model, at least one fluid flow system input, and at least one heater input. The at least one heater input includes at least one physical characteristic of the heating system, the at least one physical characteristic includes at least one of a resistance wire diameter, a heater insulation thickness, a heater sheath thickness, a conductivity, a specific heat and density of the material of the heater, an emissivity of the heater and the fluid flow pathway, and combinations thereof. 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.