Patents by Inventor Stefan Barnikow

Stefan Barnikow has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 9109527
    Abstract: A device for diagnosing an exhaust gas sensor, in particular a linear oxygen probe, for an internal combustion engine. A diagnostic unit is configured to control a first and a second current source in a coordinated manner in order to generate a first and a second current. Each of the currents has a predefined polarity sign, and is designed to determine the first and/or second and/or third voltages applied at a first and/or second and/or third terminal when first and second currents flow and put the amounts of the voltages in relation to the coordinated currents such that line interruptions and/or short circuits can be detected at the first and/or second and/or third terminal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Date of Patent: August 18, 2015
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Frank Friedhof, Ekkehart-Peter Wagner
  • Patent number: 8573190
    Abstract: In a method for heating a gas sensor (1), in particular an exhaust gas sensor for an exhaust system (5) of a motor vehicle (7), a temperature of the gas sensor (1) is determined and the heating process is influenced as a function of the temperature.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 5, 2013
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Johannes Scheuerer
  • Publication number: 20120266647
    Abstract: A device for diagnosing an exhaust gas sensor, in particular a linear oxygen probe, for an internal combustion engine. A diagnostic unit is configured to control a first and a second current source in a coordinated manner in order to generate a first and a second current. Each of the currents has a predefined polarity sign, and is designed to determine the first and/or second and/or third voltages applied at a first and/or second and/or third terminal when first and second currents flow and put the amounts of the voltages in relation to the coordinated currents such that line interruptions and/or short circuits can be detected at the first and/or second and/or third terminal.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 14, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL AUTOMOTIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Frank Friedhof, Ekkehart-Peter Wagner
  • Publication number: 20120266657
    Abstract: A device for controlling an exhaust gas sensor that is alternatively configured as a limiting-current probe or as a two-cell probe. In each case, the probe has a reference cavity made of a ceramic material and a cell made of a material conducting oxygen ions. A controller has one input variable that is a measured sensor voltage dependent on an oxygen concentration in the sealed cell. The other input variable is a reference voltage. The output variable of the controller is a current which is to be applied to the cell and which allows the sensor voltage to be regulated to a predefined value. The device for controlling the limiting-current probe is designed to process the applied current in one of the input variables of the controller.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2010
    Publication date: October 25, 2012
    Applicant: CONTINENTAL AUTOMATIVE GMBH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Ekkehart-Peter Wagner
  • Patent number: 8196460
    Abstract: In relation to a jump (SP_J_LR) from a lean air-to-fuel ratio to a richer air-to-fuel ratio, a measurement signal of the exhaust gas probe is detected after a predetermined lean-to-rich delay (t_R) as a lean-to-rich signal value (SV_LR) and is placed in relation to a lean-to-reference signal value (L_REF). In relation to a jump (SP_J_RL) from a richer air-to-fuel ratio to a leaner air-to-fuel ratio, the procedure is performed equivalently. Depending on the lean-to-rich and lean-to-rich signal value put in relation, either an asymmetrically aged or non-asymmetrically aged exhaust gas probe is detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Date of Patent: June 12, 2012
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Michaela Schneider, Norbert Sieber
  • Patent number: 7874285
    Abstract: Depending on a trim controller diagnosis, a suspicion marker for an asymmetric ageing of the exhaust gas probe is allocated either a “true” value or a “false” value and, if the value of the suspicion marker is “true”, a dynamic diagnosis will be performed based on the exhaust gas probe's measuring signal, on the basis of the results of which diagnosis either an asymmetrically aged or a non-asymmetrically aged exhaust gas probe will be detected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 4, 2007
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2011
    Assignee: Continental Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Michaela Schneider, Norbert Sieber
  • Publication number: 20100218751
    Abstract: in a method for heating a gas sensor (1), in particular an exhaust gas sensor for an exhaust system (5) of a motor vehicle (7), a temperature of the gas sensor (1) is determined and the heating process is influenced as a function of the temperature.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 24, 2008
    Publication date: September 2, 2010
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Johannes Scheuerer
  • Publication number: 20100037683
    Abstract: In relation to a jump (SP_J_LR) from a lean air-to-fuel ratio to a richer air-to-fuel ratio, a measurement signal of the exhaust gas probe is detected after a predetermined lean-to-rich delay (t_R) as a lean-to-rich signal value (SV_LR) and is placed in relation to a lean-to-reference signal value (L_REF). In relation to a jump (SP_J_RL) from a richer air-to-fuel ratio to a leaner air-to-fuel ratio, the procedure is performed equivalently. Depending on the lean-to-rich and lean-to-rich signal value put in relation, either an asymmetrically aged or non-asymmetrically aged exhaust gas probe is detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 2, 2007
    Publication date: February 18, 2010
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Michaela Schneider, Norbert Sieber
  • Publication number: 20080083211
    Abstract: Depending on a trim controller diagnosis, a suspicion marker for an asymmetric ageing of the exhaust gas probe is allocated either a “true” value or a “false” value and, if the value of the suspicion marker is “true”, a dynamic diagnosis will be performed based on the exhaust gas probe's measuring signal, on the basis of the results of which diagnosis either an asymmetrically aged or a non-asymmetrically aged exhaust gas probe will be detected.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 4, 2007
    Publication date: April 10, 2008
    Inventors: Stefan Barnikow, Michaela Schneider, Norbert Sieber