Patent ID: 7980126

Claim:
A method for operating a hot-film air-mass sensor for measuring air mass flows in an intake tract of an internal combustion engine, the hot-film air-mass sensor includes a sensor chip having a sensor frame and a sensor diaphragm having at least one heating element and at least two temperature sensors, a chip carrier for holding the sensor chip and the hot-film air-mass sensor including at least one additional heating element, the method comprising: a) immediately after shutting down the internal combustion engine, switching off or switching to a lower heating power the at least one heating element of the sensor diaphragm; and b) switching on the at least one additional heating element for a specified postheating phase; wherein the at least one additional heating element is situated in the chip carrier under the sensor chip, and wherein the sensor chip is heatable using the at least one additional heating element of the sensor chip.