Patent ID: 8731861

Claim:
A gas sensor control device for a gas sensor equipped with a sensor element, a cover that covers the sensor element, and a heater that raises the temperature of the sensor element and provided to an exhaust system of an engine, comprising an electronic control unit that has a microcomputer, wherein: the electronic control unit estimates a timing of vaporizing and disappearing of cover condensed water that is condensed water generated inside and outside of the cover and determining whether an estimated timing has come; the electronic control unit supplies a current to the heater so that the temperature of the sensor element becomes equal to a temperature at which the sensor element does not crack even if the sensor element is moistened until the estimated timing estimated by the electronic control unit at which the cover condensed water vaporizes and disappears comes; the electronic control unit calculates a cumulative amount of intake air by accumulating an amount of intake air until the temperature of the cover exceeds a dew point after the engine starts, and calculates a subtractive amount of intake air by subtracting the amount of intake air from the cumulative amount of intake air after the temperature of the cover exceeds the dew point; and the electronic control unit estimates and determines that the cover condensed water has vaporized and disappeared when the subtractive amount of intake air becomes zero.