Patent ID: 8001834

Claim:
A method for detecting faults in an air system of an internal combustion engine having an intake manifold and an exhaust manifold, the method comprising the steps of: measuring an oxygen concentration of a gas flowing in the exhaust manifold; estimating an intake oxygen control value in the intake manifold; estimating an intake oxygen reference value in the intake manifold based on the oxygen concentration of the gas flowing in the exhaust manifold; calculating an intake deviation value as a difference between the intake oxygen control value and the intake oxygen reference value; comparing the intake deviation value with a predetermined first threshold; estimating an exhaust oxygen control value in the exhaust manifold; calculating an exhaust deviation value as a second difference between the exhaust oxygen control value and the oxygen concentration of the gas flowing in the exhaust manifold; comparing said exhaust deviation value with a predetermined second threshold; determining an exhaust oxygen concentration setpoint that is indicative of the oxygen concentration in the exhaust manifold; calculating a fresh airflow setpoint as a function of said exhaust oxygen concentration setpoint; measuring a fresh air mass flow value; calculating an airflow deviation as a third difference between said fresh airflow setpoint and the fresh air mass flow value; comparing said airflow deviation with a third predetermined threshold and a fourth predetermined threshold; and detecting faults in the air system that is based at least in part on a combination of the steps of comparing the intake deviation value with the predetermined first threshold, comparing the exhaust deviation value with the predetermined second threshold, and comparing said airflow deviation with the third predetermined threshold and the fourth predetermined threshold.