Air/fuel ratio sensor for an internal combustion engine
US5234569A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 13, 1992 |
| Grant date | Aug 10, 1993 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 13, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG01N27/417
- WIPO fieldMeasurement
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A sensor is disclosed for detecting the relative air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine. The sensor includes a housing which defines a closed interior chamber. An oxygen diffusion cell constructed of a solid electrolytic material has one side exposed to the exhaust gas and a second side exposed to the housing chamber so that oxygen ions flow through the diffusion cell in dependence upon the relative oxygen concentration in both the exhaust gas and the internal air chamber. A sense cell constructed of a solid electrolytic material also has one side exposed to the air chamber and a second side exposed to a substantially constant source of oxygen, such as the atmosphere. Thus, oxygen ion flow through the sense cell varies as a function of the oxygen concentration in the air chamber and thus of the oxygen concentration in the engine exhaust gas. An electronic circuit is electrically connected to the sense cell and generates an output signal representative of both the magnitude and direction of the oxygen ion flow through the sense cell. This electrical output signal is then utilized as an input signal for the fuel system of the engine.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.