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.

In a gas sensor, which measures a measurement pump current Ip3 of a measurement chamber, while switching a preliminary pump cell of a preliminary chamber ON or OFF at a constant period, there are formed in communication with each other sequentially from a gas introduction port in the interior of a structural body made from a solid electrolyte, a preliminary chamber, an oxygen concentration adjustment chamber, and a measurement chamber. The gas sensor rapidly determines a steady-state value of a measurement pump current Ip3, based on a peak value of a rate of change over time dIp3/dt of the measurement pump current Ip3, thereby hastening an ON/OFF switching period of the preliminary pump cell.

Systems and methods for controlling a gasoline urea selective catalytic reductant catalyst are described. In one example, an observer is provided that corrects an estimate of an amount of NH.sub.3 that is stored in a SCR. The amount of NH.sub.3 that is stored in the SCR is a basis for generating additional NH.sub.3 or ceasing generation of NH.sub.3.

Various embodiments of the teachings herein include a method for determining the nitrogen oxide content and/or ammonia content in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine with a catalytic converter arranged in an exhaust tract and an exhaust gas sensor downstream of the catalytic converter. In some embodiments, the method comprises: determining an operating state of the internal combustion engine, the operating state indicating either lean operation or rich operation of the internal combustion engine; generating a signal using the exhaust gas sensor; and determining the nitrogen oxide content and/or ammonia content in the exhaust gas at least partially based on the determined operating state of the internal combustion engine and the signal.

A method to control a burner for an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas after-treatment system including at least one catalytic converter. The method provides the steps of calculating the thermal power needed to reach the nominal operating temperature of the at least one catalytic converter and determining an actual number of revolutions with which to operate a fresh air pumping device based on the sum of a nominal number of revolutions, a closed-loop contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the fresh air pumping device, and a further contribution of the number of revolutions with which to operate the fresh air pumping device in order to ensure optimal thermal power exiting the burner.

In a method and device for controlling and/or monitoring the function of a secondary air supply in an emission control system of an internal combustion engine, the emission control system includes at least two catalytic converters situated in succession in an exhaust duct, it being possible for the second catalytic converter to be implemented as a combination of catalytic converter and particulate filter. For a secondary air diagnosis and for secondary air control, a two-point lambda probe is situated, with respect to a direction of flow of exhaust gas, downstream of the first catalytic converter. Measures are applied for compensating tolerance and aging effects of the two-point lambda probe. This results in particular in cost advantages in emission control systems for fulfilling stricter emission requirements. In particular, this makes it possible to operate the particulate filter in optimized fashion.

A method and control device for correcting an output signal of an exhaust gas sensor in an exhaust gas conduit of an internal combustion engine, a secondary air delivery system for delivering air into the exhaust gas conduit being associated with the exhaust gas conduit upstream from the exhaust gas sensor in the flow direction of the exhaust gas. During a measurement of the output signal of the exhaust gas sensor, air is delivered to the exhaust gas conduit via the secondary air delivery system during a correction phase by way of which a correction of the output signal of the exhaust gas sensor is derived. In this operating mode, a defined oxygen content exists in the gas mixture surrounding said sensor, so that the output signal can be compared with reference values.

In a method and a device for monitoring the operability of an emission control system of an internal combustion engine, at least two catalytic converters are situated in succession in an exhaust duct. For tracking control, breakthrough detection for diagnosing the first catalytic converter, and for a second balancing for the storage capacity of oxygen or rich gas of the second catalytic converter, a two-point lambda probe be used and, for the latter, tolerance and aging effects are compensated. This results in particular in cost advantages in emission control systems for fulfilling stricter emission and diagnostic requirements.

An electronic control unit (ECU) of an internal combustion engine, which includes an air-fuel ratio sensor arranged at a downstream side of an exhaust purification catalyst, is configured to judge if a state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on the first characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio and, if a judgment cannot be made based on the first characteristic, the ECU is configured to judge if the state of the air-fuel ratio sensor is normal or abnormal based on a second characteristic of change of air-fuel ratio. As a result, it is possible to suppress the effects of the change of state of the exhaust purification catalyst while accurately diagnosing the abnormality of deterioration of response of a downstream side air-fuel ratio sensor.

A provision of assemblies and methods for treating exhaust gases from combustion devices to reduce air contaminants in the exhaust gas. The exhaust from a combustion device is cooled, followed by passing the exhaust through first and second catalytic chambers with an oxygen enrichment means in between the catalytic chambers. The catalytic chambers comprise at least one catalyst that substantially reduces nitrogen oxides or carbon monoxide or both.