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.

A method for NOx emission control during start of a vehicle comprising an exhaust aftertreatment system, an engine, and a NOx sensor is provided. The method includes determining a temperature of the NOx sensor; if the determined temperature of the NOx sensor is below a predetermined threshold, initiating heating of the NOx sensor, and performing a preventive action for delaying engine start until a determined temperature of the NOx sensor exceeds or is equal to the predetermined threshold.

A sensor for detecting electrically conductive and/or polarizable particles, in particular for detecting soot particles, includes a substrate and at least two electrode layers, a first electrode layer and at least one second electrode layer, which is arranged between the substrate and the first electrode layer. At least one insulation layer is formed between the first electrode layer and the at least one second electrode layer and at least one opening is formed in both the first electrode layer and the at least one insulation layer. At least some sections of the opening in the first electrode layer and of the opening in the insulation layer are arranged one above the other, such that at least one passage is formed to the second electrode layer.

A control device of an exhaust sensor comprises a heater control part configured to set a target temperature of an electrochemical cell and control a heater so that a temperature of the electrochemical cell becomes the target temperature, and a judging part configured to judge whether a water repellency of a protective layer is falling when the heater control part sets the target temperature to a temperature of a lowest temperature at which a Leidenfrost phenomenon occurs at an outer surface of the protective layer or more. The heater control part is configured to rise the target temperature when the judging part judges that the water repellency of the protective layer is falling.

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.

Methods and systems are provided for a particulate matter sensor. In one example, the sensor may include a concave inlet for admitting exhaust gas from an exhaust passage downstream of a particulate filter into the sensor.

Embodiments of the present invention provide An oxygen sensor (160) control module (100) for a vehicle, comprising input means (130) for receiving one or more signals (135) indicative of a likelihood of future engine cranking, an output means (140) to provide an output signal (145) to cause activation of a heater (150) associated with the oxygen sensor, and processing means (110) arranged to control, in dependence on the one or more signals (135) indicative of the likelihood of future engine cranking, the output means (140) to provide the output signal (145) to cause activation of the heater (150) associated with the oxygen sensor (160) prior to the engine cranking.

In automatic stopping of the internal combustion engine, an electronic control unit controls a heater so that an element temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor becomes a first temperature. The first temperature is a temperature that is below an activation temperature range in which the air-fuel ratio sensor is activated, and is also below a desorption temperature range in which HC components adsorbed on the air-fuel ratio sensor desorb therefrom. In a case where, after the element temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor becomes the first temperature, it is estimated that the amount of HC components adsorbed on the air-fuel ratio sensor increases to exceed a first predetermined amount, the electronic control unit controls the heater so that the element temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor becomes a second temperature. The second temperature is a temperature included in the desorption temperature range.

A control device of an internal combustion engine is configured to perform a fuel cut-off control and an abnormality diagnosis control. A heating device for heating an element of an air-fuel ratio sensor is controlled by making an element temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor become a target element temperature. The target element temperature of the air-fuel ratio sensor during a high temperature control period from a time when a prescribed high temperature control begins after a start of the internal combustion engine to a time when the prescribed high temperature control is completed after completion of the abnormality diagnosis control of the air-fuel ratio sensor is set to be higher than the target element temperature outside the high temperature control period.

A control system includes an electric heater disposed within an exhaust fluid flow pathway, and a control device for receiving at least one input selected from the group consisting of temperature readings along the exhaust fluid flow pathway, alternator power/current/voltage, battery power/current/voltage/state of charge, IAT and EAT profiles, mass flow rate of an exhaust fluid flow, NH.sub.3 slip, TCR characteristics of the heater, alternator speed, engine speed, state of aging of an aftertreatment component, state of aging of engine, aging degradation characteristics, a dosing rate and a temperature of DEF, NH.sub.3 storage condition of aftertreatment system, an ambient temperature, and combinations thereof. The control device modulates power to the heater based on the at least one input such that the heater provides different power output as a function of the at least one input and a continuously variable power output during operation of the exhaust system.