The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 28, 2010
Filed:
Oct. 24, 2005
Dirk Foerstner, Stuttgart, DE;
Andreas Eckert, Renningen, DE;
Siegfried Goetz, Crailsheim, DE;
Joerg Neumann, Stuttgart, DE;
Dirk Foerstner, Stuttgart, DE;
Andreas Eckert, Renningen, DE;
Siegfried Goetz, Crailsheim, DE;
Joerg Neumann, Stuttgart, DE;
Robert Bosch GmbH, Stuttgart, DE;
Abstract
In a method for monitoring the functionality of a temperature sensor that can deliver an electrical signal as a function of the measured temperature and is disposed, in particular, in the cooling water circuit of an internal combustion engine, the persistence of the temperature sensor in the high signal range is made possible by a method encompassing the following steps: Characterizing the sensor as possibly faulty if the sensor indicates, upon engine shutdown, at least a maximum value of the cooling fluid temperature; determining a first gradient of the cooling fluid temperature, measured by the possibly faulty sensor, up to a first point in time after engine shutdown, and characterizing the sensor as fault-free if the gradient exceeds a minimum value; determining a second gradient of the cooling fluid temperature, measured by the possibly faulty sensor, between the point in time and a point in time after engine shutdown, and characterizing the sensor as fault-free if the second gradient exceeds a minimum value; determining the cooling fluid temperature measured by the possibly faulty sensor at a point in time after engine shutdown, and characterizing the sensor as fault-free if the cooling fluid temperature falls below a maximum value.