Method and device for adapting signals of an oxygen sensor in the air supply channel of an internal combustion engine

A device for evaluating signals of an oxygen sensor, comprising:

• an engine control unit having a storage arrangement for storing output signals from the oxygen sensor and operating point parameters and having a processor arrangement for determining and applying correction quantities for at least one characteristics variable of the oxygen sensor, wherein the oxygen sensor is in an air supply channel of an internal combustion engine, the air supply channel being connected to an exhaust gas channel of the internal combustion engine, via an exhaust gas recirculation which has at least one exhaust gas recirculation valve, the oxygen sensor being situated in the air supply channel downstream from the exhaust gas recirculation initiation;
• wherein the processor arrangement is adapted to correct the sensor signals as a function of the at least one characteristics variable, which describes the dependence of the sensor signals on at least one of (i) one of an oxygen concentration and a variable correlated with the oxygen concentration, and (ii) at least one additional physical variable,
• wherein at at least one operating point of the internal combustion engine, in response to a closed exhaust gas recirculation valve, signals of the oxygen sensor are output and the signals and additional operating point parameters are recorded and stored by the engine control unit, and
• wherein the processor arrangement derives an adaptation of the characteristics variables of the oxygen sensor, based on the assumption that the gas composition corresponds to that of pure air.