| Oxygen sensors that are used in the automotive field | | | | Exhaust fumes that discharges from the tail pipe of |
| are generally referred to as the o2 sensor. These | | | | vehicles contributes to air pollution. The fuel that is |
| sensors are used in the aid of fuel injected engines | | | | not burnt is one form of pollution, it is called |
| where fuel is mixed with air and also to assist with | | | | hydrocarbons. Nitrogen oxide is also released, this |
| emission reduction to reduce the amount of pollution | | | | happens when the fuel mixture contains too much air |
| that an automobile can emit. | | | | thus causing the temperature in the combustion |
| AFR which is the abbreviated name for Air-Fuel-Ratio | | | | chamber to surpass 1300 Kelvin. |
| is the ratio representation of air and fuel during | | | | In the latter part of the 1970s the Swedish |
| incineration in a vehicle. The oxygen sensors are used | | | | automobile manufacturing company known as Volvo |
| for the duration of this process to determine | | | | was the foremost company to utilize the oxygen |
| whether the ratio is considered rich or lean. The | | | | sensor technology, in addition to another device that |
| oxygen sensors however does not give the ratio on | | | | is also used to reduce the level of toxins that is |
| its own as the sensor cannot be placed directly in the | | | | emitted from an internal combustion engine; this was |
| exhaust stream, therefore they are unable to | | | | known as the catalytic converter. |
| provide a concise measurement of the fuel or the air | | | | What the sensor evaluates is the quantity of oxygen |
| flowing into the engine. The data that is gathered | | | | that will be required to utterly oxidize any |
| from the oxygen sensor is usually combined with | | | | combustibles that may be remaining in the exhaust |
| data supplied from other sources and can then be | | | | gas as opposed to popular belief that the oxygen |
| used to determine the AFR. | | | | sensor will measure oxygen concentration. |
| The emission reducer method used with the process | | | | There are two types of mixtures there is the rich |
| of Oxygen sensors allows for an up to date data | | | | mixture and the lean mixture, the rich mixture |
| output as opposed to a prearranged fuel map also | | | | creates a need for oxygen. This requirement then |
| called an "open loop". This in turn permits the fuel | | | | creates a build up of voltage as the oxygen ions are |
| injector to be more efficient and also minimizes the | | | | transported through the sensor layers. Lean mixtures |
| quantity of nitrogen oxides from flowing out into the | | | | are the exact opposite as a lean mixture causes a |
| air and causing excess pollution, in addition to the fuel | | | | low voltage due to the now excess of oxygen. |
| that was not burnt during the combustion process. | | | | |