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.

Methods and systems are provided for regenerating a particulate filter positioned in an exhaust system of an engine of a vehicle. In one example, a method comprises obtaining a first air flow in an intake of the engine and obtaining a second air flow in the intake of the engine, where regeneration of the particulate filter is conducted in response to the first air flow differing from the second air flow by at least a threshold amount, where the first air flow and the second air flow comprise air flow routed from the exhaust system to the intake of the engine. In this way, the particulate filter may be regenerated under conditions where a loading state of the particulate filter is not known.

A gas sensor element comprising a long plate-like element body and a porous protective layer protecting a surface of the element body, wherein the element body has a gas detection part at an end thereof on one end face side in a longitudinal direction, and the protective layer includes an end face part covering the one end face in laminate, side face parts covering side faces connected to the one end face in laminate, and corner parts where two adjacent ones of the end face part and the side face parts meet. An outer surface of one or more of the end face part and the side face parts has a concave shape that is smoothly continuous with the corner parts and configured such that a layer thickness increases toward the corner parts.

Systems and methods for operating an engine that includes an exhaust system with a carbonaceous soot trap described. In one example, a carbonaceous soot load estimate for the carbonaceous soot trap is performed when a differential pressure sensor is degraded. The carbonaceous soot estimate may be performed when the engine is not rotating.

Provided is a control device configured to be able to execute, in an engine which includes a DOC, a DPF, and a temperature increase unit including an exhaust throttle valve, for increasing a temperature of each of the DOC and the DPF, a forced regeneration process of removing PM deposited on the DPF by increasing the temperature of the DPF. The control device includes a flow rate estimation part configured to estimate an intake flow rate of a combustion gas sent into a cylinder of the engine. The flow rate estimation part is configured to estimate a first intake flow rate, which is the intake flow rate in the forced regeneration process, from an opening degree of the exhaust throttle valve and a first state amount which indicates an operation state of the engine including a rotation speed of the engine, based on a first relationship representing a relationship between the first intake flow rate, and the opening degree of the exhaust throttle valve and the first state amount, in the forced regeneration process.

A deterioration determination apparatus is usable with an ammonia sensor that includes an ammonia element portion that includes, a solid electrolyte, an ammonia electrode, and a reference electrode. The deterioration determining apparatus compares a first evaluation value and a second evaluation value, and determines whether deterioration has occurred in the ammonia element portion of the ammonia sensor at an evaluation time or subsequent to the evaluation time. The first evaluation value is based on a first sensor current obtained when a DC voltage is applied between the ammonia electrode and the reference electrode of the ammonia element portion at an initial time that is during an initial use period of the ammonia sensor. The second evaluation value is based on a second sensor current obtained when the DC voltage is applied between the ammonia electrode and the reference electrode subsequent to the initial period of use of the ammonia sensor.

A phase diagnosis method and apparatus. When it is verified that the location of an engine is valid, an oil injector performs spraying at a top center compression position; if no acceleration is detected after spraying, it indicates that a fault occurs; in order to detect whether it is a fault of phase deviation of the camshaft by 180 degrees, the oil sprayer performs spraying at the top center exhaust position and detects whether there is an acceleration; if an acceleration is detected, it indicates that the situation of the phase deviation of the camshaft by 180 degrees exists. In this way, the problem in the prior art of being unable to detect phase deviation when the phase of a camshaft is deviated by 180 degrees is solved.

A diagnostic function of a humidity sensor is exposed to the outside and the humidity sensor is likely to deteriorate.

An aspect of the present invention includes: a capacitance-voltage conversion circuit which includes a plurality of reference capacitors having different pieces of capacitance and a switch which switches the reference capacitors and outputs a voltage according to the capacitance of a humidity sensor; and a diagnosis unit which compares an output voltage of the capacitance-voltage conversion circuit with a reference voltage obtained from a reference characteristic of the humidity sensor and diagnoses the humidity sensor based on a comparison result. Also, the diagnosis unit changes the output voltage by changing the capacitance of the capacitance-voltage conversion circuit using the switch in a state in which the output voltage of the capacitance-voltage conversion circuit is within a certain range and compares the changed output voltage with the reference voltage.

A method for diagnosing the dynamics of a sensor in the fresh air or exhaust gas tract of internal combustion engines, as well as a computer program, a computer program product and a corresponding vehicle. It is provided that a corresponding sensor for measuring a pressure signal in the fresh air or exhaust gas tract of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, which is coupled with a control and computing unit, is checked with respect to its dynamic characteristics. Measured values of differing frequency ranges are measured, these being used as the basis for a calculation of a characteristic. After the calculation, the characteristic is compared with a threshold value stored in a user-defined manner in the control and computing unit. If the calculated characteristic deviates from the threshold value, at least one triggering signal is triggered, so that an impaired sensor dynamic of the sensor is displayed.

In an engine system including an engine, and an exhaust gas recirculation device including a communicating pipe that communicates an exhaust pipe of the engine with an intake pipe, and a valve provided in the communicating pipe, and an electronic control unit, and its control method, the electronic control unit estimates the pressure in the intake pipe as an estimated intake pressure, and performs a jamming diagnosis to determine whether foreign matter is stuck in the valve, by comparing an intake pressure difference between a detected intake pressure and the estimated intake pressure with a threshold value, when a diagnosis condition including an opening change condition that the target opening becomes equal to or larger than a first predetermined opening and then becomes equal to or smaller than a second predetermined opening that is smaller than the first predetermined opening is satisfied.