Robert Boschgmbh

Enno Baars

Bernhard Kamp

Lothar Diehl

Klaus Winkler

Henrik Schittenhelm

Andy Tiefenbach

Michael Bessen

Torsten Handler

Jens Grimminger

Uwe Glanz

Thomas Zein

Sascha Klett

Mathias Klenk

Thomas Baumann

Johannes Grabis

Alexander Hetznecker

Harald Koehnlein

Herbert Schumacher

Ariel Di Miro

Martin Buchholz

Benjamin Hagemann

Christopher Holzknecht

Radoslav Rusanov

Andreas Genssle

Bastian Roetzler

Markus Eitel

Michael Honer

Karola Herweg

Gerd Hartmann

Carolin Maria Schilling

Peer Kruse

Johannes Weber

Anna Karoline Winkler

Thomas Marc Kammerer

Andreas Knuebel

Frank Freikamp

Simon Genter

Sebastian Fuchs

Fabian Purkl

Panagiotis Gedeon

Markus Willimowski

A particle sensor for detecting particles in a flow of a measuring gas for detecting soot particles in an exhaust gas channel of a burner or of an internal combustion engine. The particle sensor includes a device for generating or for supplying laser light, a device for focusing laser light, and a device for detecting or transferring thermal radiation. The particle sensor includes at least one optical access, which separates an area exposed to the measuring gas from an area facing away from the measuring gas not exposed to the measuring gas, the device for generating or supplying laser light and/or the device for detecting or for transferring thermal radiation being situated in the area facing away from the measuring gas, wherein the particle sensor removes a sub-flow from the measuring gas flow and supplies it to the laser focus and further fluidically shields the optical access from the sub-flow.

Optical particle sensor, in particular, exhaust gas sensor

A resistive particle sensor is described for detecting soot in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, including a sensor element having two strip conductors, which extend spaced apart in meanders in parallel to one another in an area of the sensor element that may be exposed to the exhaust gas, and a resistance strip conductor, the two strip conductors each being capacitively connected via capacitor elements to the resistance strip conductor.

Resistive particle sensor

A sensor for detecting particles, in particular, soot particles, is described. The sensor includes a sensor element having at least two measuring electrodes, which are situated on a carrier substrate, and a protective tube assembly having at least one outer protective tube and one inner protective tube. The sensor element is situated in the inner protective tube in a longitudinal extension direction. The outer protective tube and the inner protective tube are designed to permit the particles to access the sensor element in a direction deviating from the longitudinal extension direction.

Sensor for detecting particles

A device for determining a concentration of particles in a gas flow, e.g., soot particles in exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, includes a carrier and a sensor, which is situated on a surface of the carrier and can be exposed to the gas flow, the sensor including an electrode structure including at least two measuring electrodes that are of different polarity and that are formed as an interdigital comb structure including finger electrodes. In first areas of the interdigital comb structure, the finger electrodes have a first mutual distance in relation to each other, and in second areas of the interdigital comb structure, the finger electrodes have a second smaller mutual distance in relation to each other, the first areas and the second areas in the interdigital comb structure each at least partially adjoining each other alternately, occupying respective surface areas on the sensor.

Sensor for determining a concentration of particles in a gas flow

A method for determining soot in exhaust gases of burners or internal combustion engines with the aid of a sensor element which includes at least two measuring electrodes exposed to the exhaust gas and one heating element, a voltage being applied to the at least two measuring electrodes during a measuring phase and the current flow or electrical resistance occurring between the measuring electrodes being determined and output as a measure for the particle concentration or the particle mass flow, characterized in that during the measuring phase, the temperature of the sensor element is monitored and the sensor element is heated by the heating element, if the temperature of the sensor element falls below a limiting temperature.

Method for operating a particle sensor

The invention relates to a method and to a device, in particular a control and evaluating unit, for operating a particle sensor () for determining a particle content in a gas flow, wherein the particle sensor () has, on the surface of the particle sensor, a sensor structure for determining a soot load and at least one heating element () separated from the sensor structure by an insulating layer, by means of which at least one heating element the particle sensor () can be heated up in a regeneration phase and in the process a soot load on the particle sensor () can be removed, and by means of the heating element () a heating phase can be performed at least at times before the regeneration phase, wherein in said heating phase a temperature that is significantly lower than the regeneration temperature is set, wherein short-term temperature drops as a result of wetting with water can be detected by means of a temperature sensor () integrated in the particle sensor (). According to the invention, during the heating phase before the regeneration phase, the duration of the heating phase is extended if a temperature deviation from a certain temperature bandwidth around a temperature target value is detected for a certain time. Thus, it can be achieved that the sensor element is always completely dried throughout the sensor element, such that regeneration can be performed at high temperatures without damage as a result of thermal shock to the sensor element.

Method and device for operating a particle sensor

The invention relates to a method for monitoring a sensor unit () that is arranged in the exhaust gas region of an internal combustion engine (). According to the invention, a sensor temperature () is directly or indirectly determined by the sensor unit (), and is compared to an exhaust temperature () that is determined by a further sensor unit and/or to model variables and/or to defined threshold values, whereby a dismounting and/or an inappropriate mounting of the sensor unit is indicated. The invention further relates to a device for monitoring a sensor unit () arranged in an exhaust region of an internal combustion engine (), the sensor unit being used to directly or indirectly determine a sensor temperature () which can be compared to an exhaust temperature () that is determined by a further sensor unit and/or to model variables and/or to defined threshold values in an engine control unit (), wherein a malfunction entry and/or a warning signal can be derived from said comparison.

Method and device for monitoring a component arranged in an exhaust region of an internal combustion engine

A method for the self-diagnosis of an exhaust gas probe (). The exhaust gas probe () has at least one heating element (). The method includes a modeled heat output PH is determined for the heating element () by means of a computer program comparing parameters of the gas stream with a measured heat output, and determining, when the parameters of the gas stream exceeds the measured heat output by more than a defined tolerance limit, that one of the exhaust gas probe () is defective, and an exhaust gas section () in which the exhaust gas probe () is installed is faulty.

Method and apparatus for the self-diagnosis of an exhaust gas probe

A method for operating a particle sensor (). The particle sensor () has at least two inter-digital electrodes () which engage one in the other and to which a sensor voltage U() is applied in order to determine loading of the particle sensor () with soot particles (). A sensor current I() across the electrodes () is measured and evaluated. In order to remove the loading with soot, a heating element () heats the particle sensor () in a regeneration phase. The method characterized in that the sensor current I() is determined, and a shunt diagnosis of the particle sensor () is carried out in accordance with the measured sensor current I().

A sensor element for determining a gas component or particles in a measuring gas, having a first and a second measuring electrode, the measuring electrodes being developed as interdigital electrodes having a row of intermeshing branches as well as a main conductor each, to which the branches are connected in an electrically conducting manner; and the branches of the interdigital electrodes being aligned essentially in parallel to a longitudinal axis of the sensor element.

Sensor element of a gas sensor

The invention relates to a method for diagnosing a particle filter used for filtering particles out of the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, wherein a collecting particle sensor is disposed downstream of the particle filter in the direction of flow of the exhaust gas and wherein a measurement for the loading of the particle sensor is determined from an output signal of the particle sensor. Provision is thereby made for the temporal integral of a parameter correlating to the particle emissions of the internal combustion engine to be formed during a measurement cycle, for the measurement for the loading of the particle sensor to be associated with the integral at least one measurement point in time during the measurement cycle and for a defective particle filter to be suggested if the measurement for the loading of the particle sensor is higher than a loading threshold value associated with the integral or if the integral is lower than an integral threshold value associated with the measurement for the loading of the particle sensor. The invention further relates to a device for carrying out the method. The method and the device allow for the diagnosis of the functionality of a particle filter in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine during any operating conditions passed through by the internal combustion engine.

Monitoring of a particle limit value in the exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine

A procedure for operating a collecting particle sensor, which is provided with measuring phases, during which particles that are contained in an off-gas stream accumulate on a measuring route, and a device for implementing this procedure are submitted. Protection phases are provided, during which at least one measure for diminishing the accumulation of particles on the measuring route is adopted. The measure according to this invention prevents a decrease of the sensitivity of the particle sensor over a long period of time.

Procedure for operating a collecting particle sensor and device for implementing this procedure

A procedure for operating a particle sensor that is arranged downstream after a particle filter, at which an ash contamination can occur, and a device for implementing the procedure, are suggested. A remaining operating time determination determines the remaining operating time of the particle sensor related to an ash contamination. Alternatively or additionally the remaining operating time determination provides a correction signal, with which the sensitivity loss of the particle sensor caused by the ash contamination can be considered.

Procedure for operating a particle sensor that is arranged downstream after a particle filter and device for implementing this procedure

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Leonberg, Germany

Enno Baars