Patent · US Expired

Circuit configuration for controlling a pump current of an exhaust probe in a motor vehicle

US6447660B2 · kind B2 · utility

3Cited by

3References

20Claims

0Family size

Assignee

Siemens Aktiengesellschaft · DE

Inventors

Markus Amtmann · Regensburg, DE
Stephan Bolz · Pfatter, DE
Jürgen Rössler · Erlangen, DE

Key dates

Filing date	Feb 12, 2001
Grant date	Sep 10, 2002
Priority date	—
Expiry date	Feb 12, 2021

Classification

Technology area (CPC G)Physics
CPC primaryG01N27/4065
WIPO fieldMeasurement
WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

A circuit configuration for controlling a pump current includes a microcontroller, an analog circuit and a read-only memory. A pulse-width modulated signal, which is output by the micro-controller, is converted, by using the analog circuit, into the pump current for a pump cell of an exhaust probe which operates according to the principle of the galvanic oxygen concentration cell with a solid electrolyte. A pump current actual value is determined from a voltage drop across a measuring resistor, and a pump current setpoint value is determined from a voltage difference between an actual value of a Nernst voltage in the corresponding measuring cell and a predefined setpoint value. An exhaust probe configuration is also provided.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.