Patent ID: 7950222

Claim:
A method of cleaning combustion soot from a sensor associated with an exhaust gas aftertreatment system configured to receive exhaust gas produced by an internal combustion engine, the method comprising: determining whether to conduct a sensor desoot event, if it is determined that a sensor desoot event is to be conducted, increasing exhaust gas temperature such that a temperature of the sensor correspondingly increases to or above a desoot temperature, controlling the exhaust gas temperature to maintain the temperature of the sensor at or above the desoot temperature for a predefined time period, and reducing the exhaust gas temperature after the temperature of the sensor has been at or above the desoot temperature for the predefined time period, and carrying out the acts of increasing exhaust gas temperature, controlling the exhaust gas temperature and reducing the exhaust gas temperature only if regeneration of an exhaust gas aftertreatment component comprising part of the exhaust gas aftertreatment system is neither in process nor is about to occur.