Robert Boschgmbh

Heinz Schober

Reinhard Latsch

Valerio Bianchi

Gerhard Muller

A method and apparatus for closed-loop control of the air number .lambda. in self-igniting internal combustion engines, wherein with the aid of an ion current sensor disposed in the immediate vicinity of an outlet valve, the extent of the post combustion reaction of the exiting exhaust gases is detected and the ion current produced is compared with a set-point value, which lies within the ion current characteristic curve, which sharply drops within the air number range of .lambda.=1.0-1.5. In accordance with the result of the comparison, one component of the operating mixture of the engine is varied in amount in corrective fashion, so that the set-point value of the ion current is maintained and thus the permissible soot number of the exhaust gas is not exceeded.

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Bietigheim-Bissingen, Germany

Heinz Schober