Patent Document ID: 20120031078
Application ID: 13183601
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A sensor controller for a particulate matter detection sensor, the particulate matter detection sensor including an attachment portion to which conductive particulate matter contained in gas is attached, and a pair of opposed electrodes spaced from each other at the attachment portion, the particulate matter detection sensor being adapted to output a detection signal corresponding to a resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes, the sensor controller being adapted to calculate an amount of attached particulate matter based on a sensor detection value from the particulate matter detection sensor, the sensor controller comprising: a signal output circuit connected to the particulate matter detection sensor such that the sensor detection value is changeable in a predetermined output range by the signal output circuit; a heater configured to heat the attachment portion so as to burn and remove the particulate matter attached to the attachment portion; learning means for obtaining the sensor detection value in a burning of the particulate matter due to heating of the heater, for calculating a sensor standard value in a state where the resistance between the pair of opposed electrodes is reduced based on the obtained sensor detection value, and for storing the sensor standard value as a learning value; and correcting means for correcting the sensor detection value based on the sensor standard value stored by the learning means.