Patent ID: 9671311
Date: 2017-06-06
CPC Classifications: G01M

Claim:
1. A method for determining a lambda air ratio using a gas sensor, the method comprising: determining, by a control unit, a first characteristic voltage of the gas sensor for a first gas mixture having a lambda value that exceeds 1 by a first predetermined amount for a temperature range below an operational readiness temperature of the gas sensor; determining, by the control unit, a second characteristic voltage of the gas sensor for a second gas mixture having a lambda value that is less than 1 by a second predetermined amount for the temperature range below the operational readiness temperature of the gas sensor; determining by the control unit, an inverse voltage representing a limit between lambda values below 1 and lambda values above 1 for the temperature range below the operational readiness temperature of the gas sensor as a function of the first characteristic voltage and the second characteristic voltage; and using, by the control unit, the determined inverse voltage to operate the gas sensor to regulate a lambda ratio of exhaust gas in an exhaust gas tract of an internal combustion engine for the temperature range below the operational readiness temperature of the gas sensor.