Signal conditioning module for a wide-band oxygen sensor

• US 10,190,520 B1
• Filed: 10/12/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Incorporated (Harley-Davidson Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Harley-Davidson Motor Company Group LLC (Harley-Davidson Incorporated)
• Inventors: Zellner, Charles, Koerner, Scott A., Carl, Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): Gimie, Mahmoud
• Application Number:
  US15/730,903
• Time in Patent Office: 474 Days
• Field of Search: 123704, 701109, 60276, 73 2331
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/285 the sensor having a signal processing unit external to the engine control unit
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2400/11 After-sales modification devices designed to be used to modify an engine afterwards
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/0042 Controlling the combustible mixture as a function of the canister purging, e.g. control of injected fuel to compensate for deviation of air fuel ratio when purging
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/14 Introducing closed-loop corrections
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1438 using means for determining characteristics of the combustion gases; Sensors therefor
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1454 the characteristics being an oxygen content or concentration or the air-fuel ratio
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1456 with sensor output signal being linear or quasi-linear with the concentration of oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/1479 Using a comparator with variable reference
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/28 Interface circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0009 General constructional details of gas analysers, e.g. portable test equipment devices for withdrawing samples in the gaseous state G01N1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0011 Sample conditioning preparing specimens for investigation G01N1/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/004 CO or CO2

Abstract

A signal conditioning module for a wide-band oxygen sensor and methods of installing the same. One signal conditioning module includes an electronic processor, a first electrical coupling, and a second electrical coupling. The first coupling is configured to be coupled to a port of an electrical harness. The power is configured to receive an electrical coupling of a narrow-band oxygen sensor signal for providing power to the narrow-band oxygen sensor. The second coupling is configured to be coupled to the wide-band oxygen sensor. The electronic processor receives power over the first coupling, powers the wide-band oxygen sensor over the second coupling using the received power, receives first data over the second coupling from the wide-band oxygen sensor, converts the first data to second data, and outputs the second data over the first coupling to the electrical harness for transmission to an electronic control unit coupled to the electrical harness.

Claims

1. A signal conditioning module for a wide-band oxygen sensor installed in a vehicle, the signal conditioning module comprising:

an electronic processor;

a first electrical coupling configured to be coupled to a port of an electrical harness, the port configured to receive an electrical coupling of a narrow-band oxygen sensor for providing power to the narrow-band oxygen sensor, and

a second electrical coupling configured to be coupled to the wide-band oxygen sensor,

wherein the electronic processor receives power over the first electrical coupling, powers the wide-band oxygen sensor over the second electrical coupling using the power received over the first electrical coupling, receives first data over the second electrical coupling from the wide-band oxygen sensor, converts the first data to second data, and outputs the second data over the first electrical coupling to the electrical harness for transmission to an electronic control unit coupled to the electrical harness.

2. The signal conditioning module of claim 1, wherein the first electrical coupling includes a sensor signal wire, a signal ground wire, a heater wire, and a heater ground wire.

3. The signal conditioning module of claim 2, wherein a duty cycle of the heater wire is increased from a first level for powering the narrow-band oxygen sensor to a second level for powering the signal conditioning module.

4. The signal conditioning module of claim 1, wherein the second electrical coupling includes two sensor signal wires, a signal ground wire, a positive heater wire, and a negative heater wire.

5. The signal conditioning module of claim 1, wherein the first data is a pumping current consumed by the wide-band oxygen sensor.

6. The signal conditioning module of claim 1, wherein the second data is a voltage.

7. The signal conditioning module of claim 1, wherein the signal conditioning module is further configured to output a signal with a predetermined voltage to the electrical harness via the first electrical coupling when a fault is detected of at least one selected from a group consisting of the wide-band oxygen sensor, the electrical harness, the first electrical coupling, and the second electrical coupling.

8. The signal conditioning module of claim 7, wherein the predetermined voltage is at least 4.5 volts.

9. A method of installing a signal conditioning module for a wide-band oxygen sensor, the method comprising:

coupling a first electrical coupling of the signal conditioning module to a port of an electrical harness configured to be coupled to a narrow-band oxygen sensor; and

coupling a second electrical coupling of the signal conditioning module to the wide-band oxygen sensor,

the signal conditioning module receiving power over the first electrical coupling, powering the wide-band oxygen sensor over the second electrical coupling using power received over the first electrical coupling, receiving first data over the second electrical coupling from the wide-band oxygen sensor, converting the first data to second data, and outputting the second data over the first electrical coupling to the electrical harness for transmission to an electronic control unit coupled to the electrical harness.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising uncoupling the narrow-band oxygen sensor from the port of the electrical harness.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising increasing a duty cycle of a heater wire included in the first electrical coupling from a first level for powering the narrow-band oxygen sensor.

12. A system for installing a wide-band oxygen sensor in a vehicle, the system comprising:

the wide-band oxygen sensor;

an electrical harness, the electrical harness coupled to a power source included in the vehicle and including a port configured to be coupled to a narrow-band oxygen sensor for providing power to the narrow-band oxygen sensor and receiving data from the narrow-band oxygen sensor; and

a signal conditioning module, the signal conditioning module including a first electrical coupling configured to be coupled to the port of the electrical harness and a second electrical coupling configured to be coupled to the wide-band oxygen sensor,

wherein the signal conditioning module receives power over the first electrical coupling, powers the wide-band oxygen sensor over the second electrical coupling using the power received over the first electrical coupling, receives first data over the second electrical coupling from the wide-band oxygen sensor, converts the first data to second data, and outputs the second data over the first electrical coupling to the electrical harness for transmission to an electronic control unit coupled to the electrical harness.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the first electrical coupling includes a sensor signal wire, a signal ground wire, a heater wire, and a heater ground wire.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein a duty cycle of the heater wire is increased from a first level for powering the narrow-band oxygen sensor to a second level for powering the signal conditioning module.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the second electrical coupling comprises two sensor signal wires, a signal ground wire, a positive heater wire, and a negative heater wire.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the first data is a pumping current consumed by the wide-band oxygen sensor.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the second data is a voltage.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the signal conditioning module is further configured to output a signal with a predetermined voltage to the electrical harness via the first electrical coupling when a fault is detected of at least one selected from a group consisting of the wide-band oxygen sensor, the electrical harness, the first electrical coupling, and the second electrical coupling.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the predetermined voltage is at least 4.5 volts.