Combustible gas detection apparatus and combustible gas sensor control method

A control method of a combustible gas sensor, the gas sensor comprising a plurality of heating resistors, each of which being placed in a gas under measurement and having a resistance that changes depending on a combustible gas concentration of the gas under measurement, one of the heating resistors being used as a sensor element, another one of the heating resistor being used as a reference element;

• the control method comprising:
• energizing each of the sensor element and the reference element in such a manner as to adjust the resistance of each of the sensor element and the reference element to a given level corresponding to a predetermined setting temperature;
• calculating a first calculation value responsive to the combustible gas concentration of the gas under measurement based on a voltage across the sensor element during energization of the sensor element;
• calculating a second calculation value responsive to the combustible gas concentration of the gas under measurement based on a voltage across the reference element during energization of the reference element;
• and
• judging the occurrence or non-occurrence of an anomaly in the sensor element by comparison of the first and second calculation values,
• wherein said energizing is performed by de-energizing any of the heating resistors other than that used as the sensor element during the energization of the sensor element and by de-energizing any of the heating resistors other than that used as the reference element during the energization of the reference element.