Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus for use in air-fuel ratio control of motor vehicle engines is provided which is designed to select or determine a correction factor for an output of an A/F sensor, as produced through a sensor control circuit, for compensating for errors in circuit characteristics of the A/F sensor and/or the sensor control circuit to ensure the accuracy of measurement in the apparatus.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus for use in air-fuel ratio control of motor vehicle engines is provided which is designed to detect and identify a cause of failure in operation of an A/F sensor. The apparatus works to apply the voltage to a sensor element and sweep it to produce a change in electrical current flowing through the sensor element for measuring the impedance of the sensor element. The apparatus samples values of the change in the current, a sensor output indicating an air-fuel ratio of mixture supplied to the engine, etc., before and/or after the sensor element is activated and uses a combination thereof to identify the cause of the failure of the A/F sensor.

Abstract: A gas concentration detecting apparatus comprises a gas concentration sensor and a gas concentration calculator. The sensor has first to third cells. A gas to be detected is introduced in a chamber and the first cell is responsible for discharging and changing oxygen from and into the chamber. The second cell detects a concentration of a specific gas component of the gas that has passed along the first cell. The third cell detects a concentration of residual oxygen in the gas that remains after discharge of the oxygen through the first cell. The calculator takes in a current acquired from the second cell measured with a voltage applied thereto and calculates the specific gas component concentration based on the current. The calculator includes plural concentration calculating means whose concentration detecting ranges are mutually different in a scale. The specific gas component concentration is calculated every concentration calculating means.

Abstract: An A/F signal proportional to an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine is output upon application of a voltage based on an instruction from a microcomputer. At the time an element resistance is detected, a bias instruction signal Vr from the microcomputer is converted by a D/A converter 21 to an analog signal Vb. An output voltage Vc obtained by removing high frequency components from the analog signal Vb through an LPF 22 is input to a bias control circuit 40. During this time period in which the element resistance is detected, an accurate A/F signal is not output. Therefore, the A/F signal that has theretofore prevailed is held by a Sample/Hold circuit 70 to thereby prevent the use of an erroneous A/F signal. Namely, at the time of detecting the element resistance, the detected value of the oxygen concentration is prevented from becoming abnormal. As a result, an accurate A/F control can be executed using the detected element resistance.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus which has a gas sensor designed to measure, for example, the concentrations of O2 and HOx contained in exhaust emissions of an automotive engine is provided. The apparatus includes a signal processing circuit which converts a current signal outputted from the gas sensor as a function of the concentration of either of O2 and NOx into a voltage signal. The gas sensor and the signal processing circuit are connected electrically through a conductor. The conductor has a length which is determined as a function of a level of the current signal outputted from the gas sensor. The weaker the level of the current signal is, the shorter the length of the conductor. This minimizes addition of electrical noises to the current signal outputted from the gas sensor.

Abstract: In a gas concentration detecting apparatus, a voltage is applied to electrodes of a sensor element. A change is caused in either the applied voltage or an element current. An amount of a change in each of a current value and a voltage value caused is measured in response to the caused change. An amount of resistance of the sensor element is calculated based on a ratio between the change amounts in the current value and the voltage value. A detection unit detects abnormality relating to controlling the sensor by utilizing at least one of the change amounts in the current value and the voltage value.

Abstract: In a device for detecting an abnormality of a gas sensor having a detected cell in which a pair of electrodes are provided on a solid electrolyte material, a microcomputer temporarily inputs a test signal including an alternating current component to a signal line connected to the electrode and detects a response signal developing in response to the test signal. If there is no disconnection in the cell, a current corresponding to the alternating current component flows between the electrodes due to a parasitic capacity of the cell to produce the response signal. If there is a disconnection therein, the magnitude of the response signal becomes zero. Therefore, if a detection value of the response signal falls below a reference value, a decision is made that a disconnection abnormality occurs in the cell. This enables a disconnection in the gas sensor to be detected with accuracy.

Abstract: A gas concentration detecting apparatus comprises a gas concentration sensor and a gas concentration calculator. The sensor has first to third cells. A gas to be detected is introduced in a chamber and the first cell is responsible for discharging and changing oxygen from and into the chamber. The second cell detects a concentration of a specific gas component of the gas that has passed along the first cell. The third cell detects a concentration of residual oxygen in the gas that remains after discharge of the oxygen through the first cell. The calculator takes in a current acquired from the second cell measured with a voltage applied thereto and calculates the specific gas component concentration based on the current. The calculator includes plural concentration calculating means whose concentration detecting ranges are mutually different in a scale. The specific gas component concentration is calculated every concentration calculating means.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus for use in air-fuel ratio control of motor vehicle engines is provided which includes a laminated sensor element and a sensor circuit. The sensor circuit includes a current-measuring resistor, at least one amplifier, and A/D converters. The current-measuring resistor functions to measure a current signal flowing through the sensor element produced upon application of the voltage to the sensor element. The amplifier works to amplify the current signal to output it to one of the A/D converters to determine the concentration of the air-fuel ratio within one of a plurality of measurement ranges defined within the wide gas concentration measuring range. The amplification of the current signal results in expansion of the level of the input to the A/D converter, thus enhancing the resolution in determining the air-fuel ratio.

Abstract: A gas concentration detector prevents deviation in output due to a difference in oxygen reactivity between electrode materials to accurately detect a specific gas component in a gas to be measured, such as NOx in an exhaust gas. A sensor element in an NOx sensor has a pump cell in a first chamber and a sensor cell for decomposing NOx and any remaining oxygen and a monitor cell for decomposing only remaining oxygen in a second chamber. An NOx concentration is detected based on a difference in current output between the sensor cell and the monitor cell. Since the sensor cell and the monitor cell have different oxygen reactivities, an output of the monitor cell is smoothed through a band-pass filter or the like so that output responses of the sensor cell and the monitor cell are made to substantially match each other, thereby eliminating any deviation in output.

Abstract: A noiseless circuit structure of a gas concentration measuring apparatus is provided. The gas concentration measuring apparatus includes a gas sensor which has a solid electrolyte body. The solid electrolyte body has two electrodes affixed thereto and forms a pump cell which is actuated by application of voltage to the electrodes. The voltage has one of discrete levels contributing to addition of undesirable spiky peaks to a pump cell current produced by the pump cell. The apparatus works to smooth or blur the voltage to be applied to the pump cell or the pump cell current, thereby eliminating the spiky peaks of the pump cell current.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus which has a gas sensor designed to measure, for example, the concentrations of O2 and HOx contained in exhaust emissions of an automotive engine is provided. The apparatus includes a signal processing circuit which converts a current signal outputted from the gas sensor as a function of the concentration of either of O2 and HOx into a voltage signal. The gas sensor and the signal processing circuit are connected electrically through a conductor. The conductor has a length which is determined as a function of a level of the current signal outputted from the gas sensor. The weaker the level of the current signal is, the shorter the length of the conductor. This minimizes addition of electrical noises to the current signal outputted from the gas sensor.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus which has a gas sensor designed to measure, for example, the concentrations of O2 and HOx contained in exhaust emissions of an automotive engine is provided. The apparatus includes a signal processing circuit which converts a current signal outputted from the gas sensor as a function of the concentration of either of O2 and HOx into a voltage signal. The gas sensor and the signal processing circuit are connected electrically through a conductor. The conductor has a length which is determined as a function of a level of the current signal outputted from the gas sensor. The weaker the level of the current signal is, the shorter the length of the conductor. This minimizes addition of electrical noises to the current signal outputted from the gas sensor.

Abstract: A limit-current type A/F sensor produces element current responsive to oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas when a voltage is applied to its sensor element portion. An application voltage control circuit comprises an operational amplifier and resistors. An output of the control circuit is applied to one terminal of the A/F sensor via a driver circuit. The other terminal of the A/F sensor is connected to an output terminal of an operational amplifier via a current-detecting resistor. The element current value, detected by the current-detecting resistor, is returned to the application voltage control circuit via a buffer. In the application voltage control circuit, adjustment of the gain is performed in such a manner that the inclination of the application voltage line on the V-I coordinate becomes larger than the inclination equivalent to the A.C. impedance of the sensor element in the sensor activated condition.

Abstract: A gas concentration sensor comprises a pump cell for detecting an oxygen concentration in an exhaust gas and a sensor cell for detecting a NOx concentration in the exhaust gas. A porous diffusive layer is interposed between these cells. Furthermore, the sensor comprises a heater for heating these cells. A control circuit produces a sensor cell voltage having an A.C. component to detect the impedance of sensor cell. The electric power supplied to the heater is controlled based on a detected impedance value of the sensor cell.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus is provided which may be employed in measuring an air-fuel ratio of mixture sucked into automotive engines. The apparatus includes a gas concentration sensor exposed to a gas and a voltage applying circuit. The gas concentration sensor is responsive to application of voltage to produce a current signal indicative of concentration of the gas. The voltage applying circuit includes an operational amplifier which operates on a source voltage and which outputs the voltage for developing the voltage applied to the gas concentration sensor which has a level changing as a function of voltage inputted to the operational amplifier.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus is provided which measures the concentration of two kinds of gas components such as O2 and NOx contained in exhaust gasses of an internal combustion engine of automotive vehicles. The apparatus has a gas sensor which includes a first cell responsive to application of a voltage to discharge O2 in the exhaust gasses to the outside and produce an electric current as a function of concentration of the discharged O2 and a second cell responsive to application of a voltage to produce an electric current as a function of concentration of NOx in the exhaust gasses from which the O2 is discharged by the first cell. The apparatus offsets an error component of the electric current produced by the second cell which depends upon O2 contained in the exhaust gasses.

Abstract: An A/F signal proportional to an oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas from an internal combustion engine is output upon application of a voltage based on an instruction from a microcomputer. At the time an element resistance is detected, a bias instruction signal Vr from the microcomputer is converted by a D/A converter 21 to an analog signal Vb. An output voltage Vc obtained by removing high frequency components from the analog signal Vb through an LPF 22 is input to a bias control circuit 40. During this time period in which the element resistance is detected, an accurate A/F signal is not output. Therefore, the A/F signal that has theretofore prevailed is held by a Sample/Hold circuit 70 to thereby prevent the use of an erroneous A/F signal. Namely, at the time of detecting the element resistance, the detected value of the oxygen concentration is prevented from becoming abnormal. As a result, an accurate A/F control can be executed using the detected element resistance.

Abstract: A gas concentration sensing apparatus includes a gas introducing portion for introducing a measurement gas. A first cell opposed to the gas introduction portion operates for pumping oxygen from the measurement gas in the gas introducing portion. A second cell opposed to the gas introducing portion operates for sensing a concentration in a specific component of the measurement gas from which oxygen has been pumped by the first cell. There is a reference gas chamber to which at least one of the first cell and the second cell is exposed. The one of the first cell and the second cell which is exposed to the reference gas chamber includes an electrode facing the gas introducing portion. A current flowing through the first cell is sensed. A voltage is applied to the first cell in response to the sensed current through the first cell. A current flowing through the second cell is sensed. A voltage is applied to the second cell in response to the sensed current through the second cell.

Abstract: A gas concentration measuring apparatus is provided which may be employed in measuring an air-fuel ratio of mixture sucked into automotive engines. The apparatus includes a gas concentration sensor exposed to a gas and a voltage applying circuit. The gas concentration sensor is responsive to application of voltage to produce a current signal indicative of concentration of the gas. The voltage applying circuit includes an operational amplifier which operates on a source voltage and which outputs the voltage for developing the voltage applied to the gas concentration sensor which has a level changing as a function of voltage inputted to the operational amplifier.