US 12,405,257 B2
Method for operating a nitrogen oxide sensor
Herbert Schankula, Esslingen (DE); Nhat Phan, Weinstadt (DE); Rainer Hegemann, Ludwigsburg (DE); Matthias Hoelz, Ludwigsburg (DE); and Yvonne Binder, Hemmingen (DE)
Assigned to Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Stuttgart (DE)
Appl. No. 18/290,635
Filed by Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Stuttgart (DE)
PCT Filed Jul. 4, 2022, PCT No. PCT/EP2022/068400
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 19, 2024,
PCT Pub. No. WO2023/001530, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 26, 2023.
Claims priority of application No. 10 2021 003 759.6 (DE), filed on Jul. 22, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2024/0255482 A1, Aug. 1, 2024
Int. Cl. G01N 33/00 (2006.01); F01N 11/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/0062 (2013.01) [F01N 11/007 (2013.01); F01N 2550/02 (2013.01); G01N 33/0068 (2024.05)] 6 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for operating a nitrogen oxide sensor for recording nitrogen oxide contained in exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, in which an electronic computer is configured to receive a signal provided by the nitrogen oxide sensor, wherein the nitrogen oxide recorded by the nitrogen oxide sensor characterises the signal, the method comprising:
setting a special overrun operating state of the electronic computer when, for a number greater than 1 of operating cycles each comprising exactly two directly consecutive periods of time, wherein during respective first periods of time of the respective operating cycle the internal combustion engine is in fired operation and during the respective second periods of time of the respective operating cycle a fired operation of the internal combustion engine ceases, it is determined that an arithmetic mean of the first periods of time is less than a first threshold value and an arithmetic mean of the second periods of time is less than a second threshold value;
deactivating the internal combustion engine;
keeping the electronic computer activated in the special overrun operating state, after the deactivating of the internal combustion engine, for a longer overrun period in relation to an overrun period of a normal operating state;
keeping the nitrogen oxide sensor in a state of operating readiness during the longer overrun period; and
recording nitrogen oxide by the nitrogen oxide sensor and providing the signal by the nitrogen oxide sensor to the electronic computer when the nitrogen oxide sensor is in the state of operating readiness during the longer overrun period.