JP2008169749A - Deterioration diagnostic system of air-fuel ratio sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To diagnose the deterioration without deteriorating exhaust gas and fuel consumption, in an air-fuel ratio sensor of a vehicle for performing an idle stop. <P>SOLUTION: This deterioration diagnostic system of the air-fuel ratio sensor detects the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas exhausted from an engine, and diagnoses the deterioration by using a change in a detecting value of the air-fuel ratio sensor until a predetermined time passes after starting fuel injection from a cranking start when starting the engine, that is, a change in the detecting value of the air-fuel ratio sensor such that it becomes leaner than a stoichiometric value since fuel is not injected in cranking, and becomes stoichiometric or richer than the stoichiometric value when starting the fuel injection. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a deterioration diagnosis apparatus for an air-fuel ratio sensor for a vehicle, and more particularly to a deterioration diagnosis apparatus for a sensor that detects an oxygen concentration in an exhaust passage.

  In general, an oxygen concentration sensor that detects the oxygen concentration in the exhaust discharged from the engine is provided in the exhaust passage of the vehicle, and the control unit performs air-fuel ratio feedback control and the like based on the detected value of the sensor. ing.

  However, when the oxygen concentration sensor deteriorates, the responsiveness deteriorates, so that appropriate air-fuel ratio feedback control cannot be performed, and exhaust performance and fuel consumption deteriorate.

  Therefore, a method for performing a deterioration diagnosis of the oxygen concentration sensor during vehicle driving or the like is known. For example, when the oxygen concentration sensor deteriorates, the response time for the change in oxygen concentration becomes longer, and the fuel injection amount is periodically changed between a state where the air-fuel ratio is richer than the stoichiometric state and a lean state, 2. Description of the Related Art A degradation diagnosis apparatus that compares a response time until an oxygen concentration sensor actually detects a rich state and a lean state with a response time when a preset oxygen concentration sensor is normal is known. However, according to this deterioration diagnosis device, since the place that should be operated by stoichiometry is changed to a rich state and a lean state, there is a problem that exhaust performance and drivability deteriorate.

In order to solve this problem, Patent Document 1 discloses a deterioration diagnosis device that performs a deterioration diagnosis using a response time with respect to a change in air-fuel ratio after completion of fuel cut during deceleration. Specifically, only the air is exhausted during fuel cut during deceleration, and the exhaust becomes leaner than stoichiometric. When the engine speed drops to near the idle speed, the fuel cut ends to maintain the idle speed. Therefore, since the air-fuel ratio becomes stoichiometric or rich, the deterioration diagnosis is performed using the response time at this time.
JP-A-9-170966

  However, in the case of a vehicle that may stop the engine as it is after the fuel cut at the time of deceleration, such as an idle stop vehicle that stops the engine when the signal stops, or a hybrid vehicle that combines an engine and a motor as a driving force source, Since the exhaust flow stops when the engine is stopped, the deterioration diagnosis apparatus described in Patent Document 1 cannot perform accurate deterioration diagnosis.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to perform deterioration diagnosis of an air-fuel ratio sensor without deteriorating exhaust performance and fuel consumption performance for an idle stop vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, or the like.

  An air-fuel ratio sensor deterioration diagnosis apparatus according to the present invention is an air-fuel ratio sensor deterioration diagnosis apparatus for detecting an air-fuel ratio of exhaust gas discharged from an engine, and a predetermined time elapses after the start of fuel injection from the start of cranking at the time of engine start. Deterioration diagnosis is performed based on the change in the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor until this is done.

  According to the present invention, exhaust gas that is leaner than stoichiometric exhaust is exhausted during cranking, so the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor is leaner than stoichiometric, and exhaust that is richer than stoichiometric or stoichiometric after the start of fuel injection. Because the exhaust gas is discharged, the deterioration of the air-fuel ratio sensor is diagnosed by utilizing the change in the exhaust air-fuel ratio at the time of engine start-up that the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor becomes richer than stoichiometric or stoichiometric. Even for hybrid vehicles, etc., it is possible to secure the opportunity for diagnosis of deterioration of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and further, it is not necessary to control the fuel injection amount to change the detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor, so exhaust performance and fuel efficiency performance Does not worsen.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an engine to which this embodiment is applied. 1 is an engine, 2 is an intake passage, 3 is an exhaust passage, 4 is an intake valve, 5 is an exhaust valve, and 15 is a control unit. A cylinder 6 is provided in the engine body 1, and a piston 10 is slidably disposed in the cylinder 6. Further, a spark plug 11 is provided on the ceiling surface of the cylinder 6 for spark ignition of the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder 6.

  The intake passage 2 opens into the cylinder 6, and this opening is opened and closed by the intake valve 4. Similarly, the exhaust passage 3 opens into the cylinder 6, and this opening is opened and closed by the exhaust valve 5.

  In the intake passage 2, an air flow meter 9 that measures the intake air amount, a throttle valve 8 that adjusts the amount of air flowing into the cylinder 6, and a fuel that injects fuel into the intake passage 4 in order from the upstream side of the intake flow. An injection valve 7 is provided.

  An exhaust gas purification catalyst 14 for purifying exhaust gas is interposed in the exhaust passage 3, and an air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is provided upstream of the exhaust gas purification catalyst 14, and an oxygen sensor 13 is provided downstream. As the exhaust purification catalyst 14, a three-way catalyst, an NOx storage reduction catalyst, or the like can be used. Both the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 and the oxygen sensor 13 are sensors that detect the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. The air-fuel ratio sensor 12 and the oxygen sensor 13 are each provided with a heater for heating the sensor element, and the deterioration of the exhaust performance is suppressed by activating the sensor at an early stage even during cold start. .

  The control unit 15 controls the throttle valve 8 based on detection values of an air flow meter 9, an air-fuel ratio sensor 12, an oxygen sensor 13, an engine speed sensor 16, an accelerator opening sensor 17, a vehicle speed sensor 18, and other sensors (not shown). Opening control, fuel injection amount control, ignition timing control, fuel cut control during deceleration, idle stop control, air-fuel ratio feedback control, and the like are performed.

  The air / fuel ratio feedback control is a control for increasing / decreasing the fuel injection amount based on the detection values of the air / fuel ratio sensor 12 and the oxygen sensor 13 in order to maintain the exhaust air / fuel ratio in a stoichiometric state. The control unit 15 sets the fuel injection amount so that the air-fuel ratio becomes stoichiometric based on the detection value of the air flow meter 9, etc., but actually injects due to, for example, a manufacturing error of the fuel injection valve 7 or aged deterioration. There may be a difference between the fuel amount and the fuel injection amount set by the control unit 15. Therefore, the actual air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is detected, and this is fed back to the fuel injection amount control to keep the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas stoichiometrically.

  By the way, if the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 or the oxygen sensor 13 deteriorates over time and the responsiveness to the increase / decrease in the fuel injection amount deteriorates, it becomes difficult to perform accurate air-fuel ratio feedback control, resulting in a deterioration in exhaust performance. Will be invited.

  Therefore, in this embodiment, the control unit 15 as a deterioration diagnosis unit performs deterioration diagnosis of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 and the oxygen sensor 13 in two stages as follows. In the following description, the deterioration diagnosis of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 will be described. However, the oxygen sensor 13 can also be diagnosed by the same diagnosis control, and the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 can be obtained by a single diagnosis control. It is also possible to diagnose the oxygen sensor 13 at the same time.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a control routine of the first deterioration diagnosis (stage 1 diagnosis) executed by the control unit 15. This control routine is repeated at a predetermined cycle.

  In step S101, it is determined whether or not the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 can correctly indicate the exhaust air-fuel ratio (pre-diagnosis condition determination). Specifically, the pre-diagnosis condition is satisfied when the heater of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is in an ON state, the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is in an active state, and the engine speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined speed. Is determined. If the pre-diagnosis condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S102. If not satisfied, the process ends.

  In step S102, an idle stop request is issued, and it is determined whether or not fuel cut control is started. The conditions for issuing the idle stop request are set in advance, for example, the accelerator is OFF and the brake is ON at a low vehicle speed and a low rotation speed. In this case, conditions for vehicle speed and engine speed are set for each engine specification.

  In the case of a so-called hybrid vehicle including a motor in addition to the engine 1 as a driving source of the vehicle, the engine depends on the output (required output) according to the running condition, the vehicle speed state, and the charge amount of the battery that drives the motor. Since it is determined whether or not to drive 1, fuel cut may be performed by an idle stop request even during normal travel.

  If the determination result in step S102 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S103. If the determination result is negative, the process ends.

  In step S103, the amount of air discharged from the engine 1 after starting the fuel cut control (cylinder exhaust lean air amount) is calculated. Specifically, the calculation is performed as follows.

  The cylinder exhaust lean air amount calculation is performed from the start of fuel cut control until the restart of the engine 1 described later. Accordingly, the longer the time until the engine 1 stops, such as deceleration from the high speed / high rotation range, the greater the cylinder exhaust lean air amount.

  In step S104, the maximum value, minimum value, and maximum value of change per time of the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 are updated. The sensor voltage is continuously monitored during vehicle operation.

  In step S105, when the engine 1 is restarted, it is determined whether or not the cylinder exhaust lean air amount is greater than or equal to the determinable MIN air amount. If it is greater than the determinable MIN air amount, the process proceeds to step S106, and if it is smaller than the determinable MIN air amount, the process is terminated.

  The determinable MIN air amount used here is an air amount that indicates an air-fuel ratio that is leaner than a stoichiometric value that is set as a determination threshold that will be described later if the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 can operate normally. Accordingly, since the air amount varies depending on the volume of the exhaust passage 3 from the engine 1 to the air-fuel ratio sensor 12, it is set for each vehicle to which this control is applied. Further, when diagnosing a sensor provided on the downstream side of the exhaust purification catalyst 14 like the oxygen sensor 13 of FIG. 1, it is set in consideration of the oxygen storage amount of the exhaust purification catalyst 14 in addition to the volume of the exhaust passage 3. It is desirable to do.

  In step S106, the time since the engine 1 is restarted is counted. In step S107, it is determined whether a predetermined time has elapsed after the engine 1 is restarted. The predetermined time used here is the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 which has become leaner than the stoichiometric state due to the amount of lean air discharged from the cylinder during cranking when the engine 1 is restarted if the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 can operate normally. However, a sufficient time is set for returning to the stoichiometric or richer side than the stoichiometric state by exhaust after resuming fuel injection. Therefore, it becomes a different value according to the specification of the vehicle to which this control is applied, such as a predetermined value used for determining the cylinder exhaust lean air amount.

  If it is determined in step S107 that the predetermined time has elapsed, the process directly proceeds to step S108. If it is determined that the predetermined time has not elapsed, the determination is repeated until the predetermined time has elapsed, and then the process proceeds to step S108.

  In step S108, it is determined whether the maximum value, the minimum value, and the maximum value of the amount of change per time are equal to or less than a preset threshold value. If all of the maximum value, the minimum value, and the maximum value of the change amount per time are larger than the threshold value, the process proceeds to step S112, and the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 determines that the normal operation is possible and ends the process. Each threshold value used here is the maximum value, the minimum value, or the maximum value of the amount of change per time when the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 should be able to operate normally, and is measured in advance by experiments or the like.

  If any one is below the threshold, the process proceeds to step S109, and the NG counter is counted up. In step S110, it is determined whether or not the NG counter is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. If the NG counter is greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S111. .

  Changes in the cylinder exhaust lean air amount, the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 and the like when the stage 1 diagnosis is executed are shown in the time chart of FIG.

  When the fuel cut control is started in response to the idle stop request at t1 when the engine speed is decreasing, the engine speed decreases and eventually the engine 1 stops. Until the engine 1 is stopped, fuel is not injected by the fuel cut control, but the intake valve 4 and the exhaust valve 5 are opened and closed in the same manner as during normal travel, so that only air passes through the cylinder 6. Cylinder exhaust lean air volume increases. Since the intake valve 4 and the exhaust valve 5 of the engine 1 are stopped while the engine 1 is stopped, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount remains at the value when the engine 1 is stopped. That is, the cylinder exhaust lean air is stagnant in the exhaust passage 3. Therefore, the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 remains almost the same value as when the engine 1 was stopped.

  When cranking is started in response to the restart request immediately before t2, only air is discharged from the engine 1 into the exhaust passage 3 until the start of fuel injection, so the cylinder exhaust lean air amount increases. Further, since new cylinder exhaust lean air is discharged from the engine 1, the cylinder exhaust lean air stagnated in the exhaust passage 3 flows, so that the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is a value on the lean side of the stoichiometry. Indicates. When the fuel injection is started at t2, the air-fuel ratio of the exhaust discharged from the engine 1 becomes substantially stoichiometric. Therefore, the sensor voltage that swings to the lean side with respect to the stoichiometric start indicates the stoichiometric value.

  However, when the engine 1 is restarted near t2, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount has not reached the determinable MIN air amount, and therefore it is not determined whether normal operation is possible.

  After that, at t3 to t4, idle stop to engine 1 restart are performed in the same manner as t1 to t2. At t4, since the cylinder exhaust lean air amount exceeds the determinable MIN air amount, a predetermined time is counted after starting fuel injection (t4 to t5), and it is determined whether normal operation is possible.

  The above-described stage 1 diagnosis is summarized as follows. Since the engine 1 is stopped by the fuel cut at the time of idling stop, the engine 1 sucks and exhausts only air from the start of the fuel cut until the engine 1 stops, and the air is accumulated in the exhaust passage 3. For cranking when the engine 1 is restarted, the air accumulated in the exhaust passage 3 before the engine 1 stops passes through the air-fuel ratio sensor 12, and the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 shows a leaner value than the stoichiometric value. Thereafter, when fuel injection is started, exhaust gas richer than stoichiometric or stoichiometric exhaust is discharged, so the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 shows a value richer than stoichiometric or stoichiometric. Therefore, the deterioration diagnosis is performed based on the maximum value, the minimum value, and the amount of change per time of the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 when the engine is restarted. If the cylinder exhaust lean air amount does not reach the determinable MIN air amount when the engine 1 is restarted, diagnosis is not performed because there is a possibility of erroneous diagnosis. Further, in order to prevent erroneous diagnosis due to variations in driving conditions before stopping, it is not determined that the NG counter has deteriorated until it reaches a predetermined value or more.

  Next, the second deterioration diagnosis (stage 2 diagnosis) executed when it is determined that the deterioration is caused by the stage 1 diagnosis will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control routine for stage 2 diagnosis.

  Steps S201 and S202 are the same as steps S101 and S102 of the stage 1 diagnosis, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  If the fuel cut control by the idle stop request is started in step S202, the fuel cut recovery is prohibited in step S203.

  Steps S204 to S206 are the same as steps S103 to S105 of the stage 1 diagnosis, and thus description thereof is omitted. However, the determinable MIN air amount used for the determination in step S206 may be set to a value larger than the determinable MIN air amount used in the stage 1 diagnosis. If a value larger than the stage 1 diagnosis is set, the deterioration diagnosis is performed in a situation where more cylinder exhaust lean air flows, and it varies depending on the operating condition such as the residual gas amount in the cylinder and the wall flow rate, and the like. By eliminating the influence of factors affecting the exhaust air-fuel ratio, more accurate deterioration diagnosis can be performed.

  If the cylinder exhaust lean air amount is greater than or equal to the determinable MIN air amount in step S206, the prohibition of fuel cut recovery is canceled in step S207.

  In step S208, it is determined whether or not fuel cut recovery has been executed. If it has been executed, the process proceeds to step S209. If it has not been executed, the determination is repeated until it is executed.

  Steps S209 to S211 are the same as steps S106 to S108 of the stage 1 diagnosis, and thus description thereof is omitted.

  As a result of the determination in step S211, when the maximum value, minimum value, and maximum value of the change amount per time are all equal to or less than the threshold value, it is determined in step S212 that the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 has deteriorated, If any one of them is larger than the threshold value, it is determined in step S213 that the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 can operate normally.

  Changes in the cylinder exhaust lean air amount, the sensor voltage of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 and the like when the stage 2 diagnosis is executed in the same situation as the stage 1 diagnosis are shown in the time chart of FIG.

  The fuel cut control is started in response to the idle stop request at t1 while the vehicle is running, as in the stage 1 diagnosis, but the fuel cut recovery is prohibited almost simultaneously with the start of the fuel cut control.

  When cranking is started in response to the engine 1 restart request immediately before t2, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount increases. In the case of the stage 1 diagnosis, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount did not reach the determinable MIN air amount, so the determination was not made here. However, in the stage 2 diagnosis, the fuel cut recovery is prohibited. Air volume continues to increase. When the MIN air amount that can be determined at t2-2 is reached, the prohibition of the fuel cut recovery is canceled, and the sensor voltage that is leaner than the stoichiometric flow returns to the stoichiometric state due to the flow of cylinder exhaust lean air.

  Thus, the stage 2 diagnosis prohibits the fuel cut recovery until the determinable MIN air amount is reached, and forcibly continues the cranking, thereby reliably performing the deterioration diagnosis of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 when the engine 1 is restarted.

  The above-described stage 2 diagnosis is summarized as follows.

  The stage 2 diagnosis is executed to ensure the determination when it is determined that the stage 1 diagnosis has deteriorated. The diagnosis is basically the same as the stage 1 diagnosis except that the fuel cut recovery is prohibited until the cylinder exhaust lean air amount reaches the determinable MIN air amount after the start of the fuel cut control in response to the idle stop request. By prohibiting the fuel cut recovery in this way, the cranking is forcibly continued until the determinable MIN air amount is reached, so that the deterioration diagnosis of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is surely performed when the engine 1 is restarted. Can do. In addition, by setting the MIN air amount that can be determined to be larger than the MIN air amount that can be determined by the stage 1 diagnosis, it is possible to eliminate variations due to differences in operating conditions and perform highly accurate determination.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.

  Since the deterioration diagnosis is performed based on the change in the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 from the start of cranking when the engine 1 is started until a predetermined time elapses, fuel cut control is started during deceleration like an idle stop vehicle or a hybrid vehicle This can also be applied to a vehicle that stops the engine 1 as it is. In addition, since the air-fuel ratio is not forced to lean or rich, exhaust performance and drivability are not impaired for deterioration diagnosis.

  Each time the idle stop control is executed, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount is detected, and it is determined whether or not the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is deteriorated only when the cylinder exhaust lean air amount becomes equal to or greater than the determinable MIN air amount. Therefore, the deterioration diagnosis is not performed when the cylinder discharge lean air amount is small depending on the operation state. As a result, for example, when the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is normal but the cylinder discharge lean air amount is small and the sensor voltage does not fluctuate more greatly to the lean side than the stoichiometry, the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is erroneously set. It can prevent determining with having deteriorated. Further, since the fuel injection amount, the injection timing, the ignition timing, etc. are not changed for the deterioration diagnosis, the restartability of the engine 1 is not impaired.

  Any of the maximum value, the minimum value, and the maximum value of the rate of change per time from the start of cranking at the time of restarting the engine 1 until a predetermined time elapses exceeds a predetermined threshold for determination. In this case, since the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is determined to be capable of normal operation, it is erroneously determined that normal operation is possible if any one of the air-fuel ratio sensors becomes equal to or greater than the determination threshold value due to variations in the operating state. Can be prevented.

  During one trip from the start of operation to the end of operation, the deterioration diagnosis is performed every time the idle stop control is executed, so the opportunity for deterioration diagnosis increases, and deterioration can be detected earlier.

  Further, at least one of the maximum value, the minimum value, and the maximum value of the rate of change per time until the predetermined time elapses from the start of cranking when the engine is restarted is equal to or less than a predetermined determination threshold value. When the number of times becomes the predetermined number of times set in advance, it is determined that the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is deteriorated as a diagnosis result of the stage 1 diagnosis, that is, the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is determined based on only one diagnosis result. Since it is not determined that the battery has deteriorated, it is possible to prevent misdiagnosis due to variations in driving conditions.

  If it is determined by the stage 1 diagnosis that the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 has deteriorated, fuel injection is prohibited until the cylinder exhaust lean air amount becomes equal to or greater than the determinable MIN air amount when the engine 1 is restarted. After the amount reaches the determinable MIN air amount, fuel injection is started and stage 2 diagnosis is performed. That is, when it is determined that the air-fuel ratio sensor 12 is deteriorated, the deterioration diagnosis is performed again, so that a more reliable diagnosis can be performed. Further, since the fuel cut recovery is prohibited until the determinable MIN air amount is reached, the deterioration diagnosis can be reliably performed when the engine 1 is restarted.

  Note that if the MIN air amount does not exceed the determinable MIN air amount in Step S105 of the stage 1 diagnosis, that is, if a negative determination result is obtained, the process ends without proceeding to Step S106, but a negative determination result in Step S105. May continue, the number of negative determination results may be counted, and if this exceeds a predetermined number, the stage 2 diagnosis may proceed.

  By doing so, deterioration diagnosis can be performed even when an opportunity to execute stage 1 diagnosis cannot be obtained depending on the operating state.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

It is the schematic of the engine to which this embodiment is applied. It is a flowchart showing the control routine of a stage 1 diagnosis. It is a flowchart showing the control routine of a stage 2 diagnosis. It is a time chart when stage 1 diagnosis is performed. It is a time chart when stage 2 diagnosis is performed.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Intake passage 3 Exhaust passage 4 Intake valve 5 Exhaust valve 6 Cylinder 7 Fuel injection valve 8 Throttle valve 9 Air flow meter 10 Piston 11 Spark plug 12 Air-fuel ratio sensor 13 Oxygen sensor 14 Exhaust purification catalyst 15 Control unit 16 Engine speed sensor 17 Accelerator opening sensor 18 Vehicle speed sensor

Claims (5)

An air-fuel ratio sensor deterioration diagnosis device for detecting an air-fuel ratio of exhaust discharged from an engine,
Deterioration of the air-fuel ratio sensor, comprising a deterioration diagnosis unit that performs a deterioration diagnosis based on a change in the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor from the start of cranking at the time of engine start until a predetermined time has elapsed after the start of fuel injection Diagnostic device. Provided in a vehicle that executes idle stop control for stopping the engine by stopping fuel injection when a predetermined operating condition is satisfied;
The deterioration diagnosis unit detects the amount of cylinder exhaust lean air discharged from the engine between the stop of fuel injection and the restart of fuel injection when the engine is restarted every time the idle stop control is executed, and the cylinder exhaust lean It is determined whether or not the air-fuel ratio sensor is deteriorated only when the air amount is equal to or greater than the diagnosable air amount set as a sufficient air amount for performing the deterioration diagnosis in advance. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus for an air-fuel ratio sensor according to claim 1, wherein   The deterioration diagnosis unit presets all of the maximum value and minimum value of the detected value of the air-fuel ratio sensor from the start of cranking at the time of engine restart and the maximum value of the rate of change per time. 3. The deterioration diagnosis apparatus for an air-fuel ratio sensor according to claim 1, wherein the air-fuel ratio sensor determines that the air-fuel ratio sensor can operate normally when the determination threshold value is exceeded.   The deterioration diagnosis unit performs the deterioration diagnosis every time the idle stop control is executed during one trip from the start of operation to the end of operation, and the air-fuel ratio until a predetermined time elapses from the start of cranking at the time of engine restart. The air-fuel ratio sensor when the number of times that at least one of the maximum value, the minimum value, and the maximum value of the rate of change per time of the sensor is equal to or less than a predetermined determination threshold value is a predetermined number of times set in advance. The deterioration diagnosis device for an air-fuel ratio sensor according to claim 2 or 3, wherein it is determined that has deteriorated.   When the deterioration diagnosis unit determines that the air-fuel ratio sensor has deteriorated, the cylinder exhaust lean air amount is set as an air amount sufficient to perform the deterioration diagnosis in advance when the engine is restarted. 5. The fuel injection is prohibited until the air amount becomes equal to or greater than the air amount, and the deterioration diagnosis is performed by starting fuel injection after the cylinder exhaust lean air amount reaches the diagnosable air amount. Air-fuel ratio sensor deterioration diagnosis device.