DEVICE HAVING A SENSOR ARRANGEMENT FOR DETERMINING THE AMBIENT-AIR QUALITY AND AN ARRANGEMENT OF OZONE SENSORS UPSTREAM AND DOWNSTREAM OF A RADIATOR WHICH IS COATED WITH A CATALYST MATERIAL, AND METHOD FOR OPERATING A DEVICE OF THIS TYPE

• US 6,823,727 B2
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Issued: 11/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vitesco Technologies GmbH (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Grabmaier, Anton, Friedel, Joerg, Göttler, Hans-Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): CYGAN, MICHAEL T
• Application Number:
  US10/229,663
• Publication Number:
  US 20030066335A1
• Time in Patent Office: 826 Days
• Field of Search: 731/181, 73/310.1, 73/310.2, 73/310.3, 701/29
• US Class Current: 73/114.71
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2257/106 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/30 Controlling by gas-analysis apparatus regulating non electrical variables in general G05D
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 53/8675 Ozone
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 1/008 the input being air quality
• CPC Class Codes: B60H 3/0085 Smell or pollution preventing arrangements B60H3/0007, B60H3/0071, B60H3/02, B60H3/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2013/0685 with ozone control
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/0039 for O3
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 50/20 Air quality improvement or preservation, e.g. vehicle emission control or emission reduction by using catalytic converters

Abstract

Device, in particular for use in a motor vehicle, having a sensor arrangement (21), which controls an air-conditioning unit, for determining the ambient-air quality, and an arrangement of ozone sensors (21, 22) upstream and downstream of a radiator (1), in particular of the motor vehicle, which is coated with a catalyst material for detecting the conversion rate of the conversion of ozone into oxygen which is effected by the catalyst.

Claims

1. Device, in particular for use in a motor vehicle, having a sensor arrangement (21), which controls an air-conditioning unit, for determining ambient-air quality, and an arrangement of ozone sensors (21, 22) upstream and downstream of a radiator (1), in particular of the motor vehicle, which is coated with a catalyst material for detecting conversion rate of conversion of ozone into oxygen which is brought about by the catalyst;

wherein both the sensors (21) of the sensor arrangement and ozone sensors (22) are connected to a common control unit (7), which processes the signals from the sensors;

a first airstream (3, 5) and a second airstream (4, 6), in which the ozone sensor (22) for determining the ozone level downstream of the radiator (1) is arranged, are guided in passages (5, 6) which are arranged in a common housing, (20), wherein the control unit (7) is also arranged in the common housing (20); and

the housing (20) has only one plug connection (24), via which all required voltages and signals are passed.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor arrangement (21) for determining the air quality and the ozone sensor for determining ozone level upstream of the radiator (1) are arranged in a common first airstream (3, 5).

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the first airstream (3, 5) and a second airstream (4, 6), in which the ozone sensor (22) for determining the ozone level downstream of the radiator (1) is arranged, are guided in passages (5, 6) which are arranged in a common housing (20).

4. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sensors (21, 22) have heating elements which are controllable by the control unit (7).

5. A method for use in a device according to claim 1, wherein measured values from the ambient-air quality sensor arrangement (21) are used to compensate for measurement inaccuracies of the ozone sensors (22) resulting from cross-sensitivities of the ozone sensors (22).

6. The method for use in a device according to claim 5, wherein the measured value from the ozone sensor arranged upstream of the radiator (1) is also taken into account for determination of the ambient-air quality.