Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Masaru Goudo

Ritsuo Masaki

Mitsuhiro Suzuki

Hiroshi Tanaka

Koichi Hoshi

Hidemi Ohnaka

Kouichi Hoshi

Akira Hashizume

An apparatus for controlling a heater for heating an oxygen sensor provided in an exhaust gas flow passage of an internal combustion engine disposed in an automotive vehicle includes a detection circuit, a decision circuit and a power supply control circuit. The monitor circuit detects a driving condition parameter of the automotive vehicle. The decision circuit determines, from a driving condition represented by the driving condition parameter detected by the detecting circuit, whether or not a power supply control to the heater should be executed. The power supply control circuit supplies, during a predetermined period of time, the heater with an amount of power which is smaller than that to be supplied thereto in a normal driving condition when it is determined that the power supply control to the heater should be executed by the decision circuit so that a resistance value of said heater is controlled to a target resistance value.

Apparatus for controlling heater for heating oxygen sensor

For controlling supply of electric power to a heater for an oxygen sensor for detecting oxygen in an exhaust system of an internal combustion engine so as to maintain the electric resistance of the heater to a target value therefor, the target value is corrected based upon detection of the amount of electric power supplied to the heater so that difference between the detected amount of electric power supplied to the heater and a standard value therefor is cancelled.

Control device for heater for oxygen sensor operative to correct target

Growing community of inventors

Susono, Japan

Masaru Goudo