Sensor controller

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9255873-B2
Application number	US-201113183601-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2011
Priority date	Aug 6, 2010
Publication date	Feb 9, 2016
Grant date	Feb 9, 2016

Abstract

A sensor controller for a particulate matter detection sensor includes a signal output circuit connected to the particulate matter detection sensor such that a sensor detection value is changeable in a predetermined output range by the signal output circuit, a heater configured to heat an attachment portion so as to burn and remove particulate matter attached to the attachment portion, a learning portion for calculating a sensor standard value in a state where the resistance between a pair of opposed electrodes is reduced based on an obtained sensor detection value and for storing the sensor standard value as a learning value, and a correcting portion for correcting the sensor detection value based on the sensor standard value stored by the learning portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A controller for a particulate matter detection sensor, the particulate matter detection sensor including an attachment portion to which conductive particulate matter contained in gas is attached, and a pair of opposed electrodes spaced from each other at the attachment portion, the particulate matter detection sensor being adapted to output a detection signal corresponding to a resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes, the controller being adapted to calculate an amount of attached particulate matter based on a sensor detection value from the particulate matter detection sensor, the controller comprising:
a signal output circuit connected to the particulate matter detection sensor such that the sensor detection value is changeable in a predetermined output range by the signal output circuit;
a heater configured to heat the attachment portion so as to burn and remove the particulate matter attached to the attachment portion;
a learning portion for obtaining the sensor detection value in a burning of the particulate matter due to heating of the heater, for calculating a sensor standard value in a state where the resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes is reduced based on the obtained sensor detection value, and for storing the sensor standard value as a learning value;
a correcting portion for correcting the sensor detection value based on the sensor standard value stored by the learning portion, wherein:
the sensor standard value is one of a zero-point learning value and an upper-limit learning value;
the correcting portion reduces the sensor detection value by a correction value calculated based on the zero-point learning value, and increases the sensor detection value by a correction value calculated based on the upper-limit learning value;
the controller further comprises a heater resistance calculating portion calculating a heater resistance;
the learning portion determines both a state during the burning of the particulate matter and a state immediately after the burning and removing the particulate matter based on the calculated heater resistance, and executes both a zero-point learning and an upper-limit learning to calculate one of the zero-point learning value and the upper-limit learning value; and
the controller is configured to:
calculate an actual articulate matter amount based on the sensor detection value from the particulate matter detection sensor; and
control a state of an engine based on the actual particulate matter amount.

2. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the signal output circuit is a voltage-dividing circuit that has an electrode resistance corresponding to the resistance of the pair of opposed electrodes, a shunt resistance and an electrical source portion,
the voltage-dividing circuit is configured to output a voltage at a middle point between the electrode resistance and the shunt resistance as the sensor detection value, and
the learning portion obtains the voltage at the middle point in the burning of the particulate matter, and calculates the sensor standard value based on the voltage at the middle point.

3. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the correcting portion calculates correction values that are different from each other in accordance with the amounts of the attached particulate matter based on the sensor standard value, and corrects the sensor detection value by using the calculated correction values.

4. The controller according to claim 1 , further comprising
an abnormality diagnosis portion for performing diagnosis of abnormality of the particulate matter detection sensor based on the obtained sensor detection value.

5. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the learning portion obtains the sensor detection value in a state where the resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes varies to be decreased and a variation amount of the resistance is within a predetermined range, and calculates the sensor standard value based on the obtained sensor detection value.

6. The controller according to claim 3 , wherein
the correcting portion calculates the correction value such that the correction value is smaller as the amount of the attached particulate matter becomes smaller and is larger as the amount of the attached particulate matter becomes larger.

7. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor standard value is a threshold value for determining an elapsed time required for finishing the burning of the attached particulate matter.

8. The controller according to claim 1 , wherein
the sensor standard value includes a first threshold value for determining an elapsed time from a timing where the heater is turned on to a timing where the burning of the attached particulate matter is started, and a second threshold value for determining an elapsed time required for finishing the burning of the attached particulate matter.

9. A controller for a particulate matter detection sensor, the particulate matter detection sensor including an attachment portion to which conductive particulate matter contained in gas is attached, and a pair of opposed electrodes spaced from each other at the attachment portion, the particulate matter detection sensor being adapted to output a detection signal corresponding to a resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes, the controller being adapted to calculate an amount of attached particulate matter based on a sensor detection value from the particulate matter detection sensor, the controller comprising:
a signal output circuit connected to the particulate matter detection sensor such that the sensor detection value is changeable in a predetermined output range by the signal output circuit;
a heater configured to heat the attachment portion so as to burn and remove the particulate matter attached to the attachment portion;
a processor configured to:
obtain the sensor detection value in a burning of the particulate matter due to heating of the heater;
calculate a sensor standard value in a state where the resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes is reduced based on the obtained sensor detection value;
store the sensor standard value as a learning value;
correct the sensor detection value based on the stored sensor standard value, wherein the sensor standard value is one of a zero-point learning value and an upper-limit learning value;
perform reduce the sensor detection value by a correction value calculated based on the zero-point learning value, and increase the sensor detection value by a correction value calculated based on the upper-limit learning value;
calculate a heater resistance, wherein the processor is further configured to determine both a state during the burning of the particulate matter and a state immediately after the burning and removing the particulate matter based on the calculated heater resistance and execute both a zero-point learning and an upper-limit learning to calculate one of the zero-point learning value and the upper limit learning value;
calculate an actual particulate matter amount based on the sensor detection value from the particulate matter detection sensor; and
control a state of an engine based on the actual particulate matter amount.

10. The controller according to claim 9 , wherein
the signal output circuit is a voltage-dividing circuit that has an electrode resistance corresponding to the resistance of the pair of opposed electrodes, a shunt resistance and an electrical source portion,
the voltage-dividing circuit is configured to output a voltage at a middle point between the electrode resistance and the shunt resistance as the sensor detection value, and
the processor is

Assignees

• Sakamoto Yuuki
• Matsuoka Mikiyasu
• Matsumoto Yuuzou
• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Sakamoto Yuuki
• Matsuoka Mikiyasu
• Matsumoto Yuuzou

Classifications

• F02D41/2474

  Characteristics of sensors · CPC title

• G01N15/0656 Primary

  using electric, e.g. electrostatic methods or magnetic methods (by investigating individual particles G01N15/1031, G01N15/12) · CPC title

• F02D41/1466

  the characteristics being a soot concentration or content · CPC title