Controller and abnormality detecting method of air-fuel-ratio sensor

Abstract

A controller of an air-fuel-ratio sensor includes a control unit, a voltage-abnormality detecting unit, and a short-circuit-abnormality detecting unit. The control unit controls a current and a voltage of a gas sensor element through a plurality of terminals connected with the gas sensor element. The voltage-abnormality detecting unit changes, when at least one of voltages of the plurality of terminals is out of a predetermined range, a voltage level of an output voltage. The short-circuit-abnormality detecting unit causes, when the voltage level of the output voltage changes from a first voltage into a second voltage, a control unit to perform for a predetermined time a protective operation that suppresses currents from the control unit to the plurality of terminals, and detects, when the voltage level of the output voltage is the second voltage after the protective operation is released, a short-circuit abnormality.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.