Pimpri Chinchwad Education Trust’s

Pimpri Chinchwad College of Engineering

Department: Mechanical Academic Year: 2022- 2023 Semester: II

Year and Div.: TY BTech B Subject: Basics of Automotive Electronics

Name : Shruti Milind Dabhade

Roll T Y M E B 1 4 6
No.
IE1 Case Study Activity

Tittle – Sensors used in Maruti Suzuki Wagon-R (new

model)

Problem Statement – Case study on Oxygen sensors

 Oxygen sensor
The oxygen sensor is an instrument for managing the exhaust emissions of
petrol, diesel and gas engines. It is an oxygen concentration sensor which
measures the residual oxygen content of the exhaust gases.

It was developed by Robert Bosch GmbH during the late 1960s under the
supervision of Dr. Günter Bauman. The original sensing element is made
with a thimble-shaped zirconia ceramic coated on both the exhaust and
reference sides with a thin layer of platinum and comes in both heated and
unheated forms. The planar-style sensor entered the market in 1990 and
significantly reduced the mass of the ceramic sensing element, as well as
incorporating the heater within the ceramic structure. This resulted in a
sensor that started sooner and responded faster.
 Fig.: Oxygen Sensor

 Working Principle
The working principle of the O2 sensor is to check the oxygen amount
within the exhaust. Firstly, this oxygen was added to the fuel for good
ignition. The communication of this sensor can be done with the help of a
voltage signal. So the oxygen status in the exhaust will be decided by the
computer of the car. The computer regulates the mixture of fuel or oxygen
delivered to the car engine. The arrangement of the sensor before & after the
catalytic converter permits to maintain the hygiene of the exhaust & check
the converter’s efficiency.

The oxygen sensor is positioned in the exhaust pipe and can detect rich and
lean mixtures. The mechanism in most sensors involves a chemical reaction
that generates a voltage. The engine's computer looks at the voltage to
determine if the mixture is rich or lean, and adjusts the amount of fuel
entering the engine accordingly.
 Usefulness
The reason why the engine needs the oxygen sensor is because the amount of
oxygen that the engine can pull in depends on all sorts of things, such as the
altitude, the temperature of the air, the temperature of the engine, the
barometric pressure, the load on the engine, etc. When the oxygen sensor
fails, the computer can no longer sense the air/fuel ratio, so it ends up
guessing. Your car performs poorly and uses more fuel than it needs to.

 Drawbacks
Noticing the signs of oxygen sensor failure is critical, and even more
important to follow up with. Some of the symptoms that a failing oxygen
sensor produces can be alarming to drivers, and rightfully so. They must be
attended to immediately to avoid significant engine damage or ongoing
performance issues.

Here are some of the most common symptoms of O2 sensor failure that you
should be aware of:

1. Diminished engine performance

2. Lowered fuel efficiency
3. Check-engine light illumination

 Solution
When the oxygen sensor fails, the computer can no longer sense the air/fuel
ratio, so it ends up guessing. For this reason, there are a few tell-tale signs to
look out for:

1. Check engine light: whilst the check engine light can come on for
many reasons, it is normally down to an emission related issue.
2. Poor fuel economy: a faulty oxygen sensor will upset the air to fuel
mixture resulting in increased fuel usage.
3. Rough engine idle or misfiring: since the oxygen sensor output help
control engine timing, combustion intervals and air to fuel ration, a
faulty sensor can cause the vehicle to run rough.
4. Sluggish engine performance.
 Conclusion
In this report we saw the overview of Oxygen sensor used in Maruti Suzuki
WagonR in detail which gave us an over all description of its working, it’s
advantages , disadvantages , solution to it. Unlike other sensors Oxygen
sensor is also important in the car as it also helps in Saving environment and
does not pollute. In future more modification can be done in this
technology.