It’s easy to forget an exhaust gas test appointment for your own vehicle. But if you’re caught with an expired emission test disk you will need to pay a fine. That’s what happened to Lothar Diehl– and because Diehl is an inventor, he converted his irritation into an idea: “There must be a way to remember this date.” The result: Bosch has a patent pending with the short title “Emission disk expiry warning.” The invention provides for the control unit to recognize automatically when an emission test has been performed. The driver will be notified when the next test is due by means of a dashboard display.

Normally, Lothar Diehl specializes in a different area: Broad-band lambda oxygen sensors – an evolutionary development of the first oxygen sensor, which was brought onto the market worldwide by Bosch in 1976. When used in motor management, the oxygen sensor measures the oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas – a decisive parameter for controlling the combustion and therefore reducing the exhaust gas. The sensor was initially only suitable for gasoline engines, but thanks to the broad-band version of 2002, market leader Bosch was also able to break into the world of diesel engines. Diehl: “Thanks to the oxygen sensor, diesel engines are now able to meet the EU 4 exhaust gas emissions standard without additional exhaust gas after-treatment.”

Since joining the company in 1992, this graduate physicist has been listed as the inventor or co-inventor on 177 patent applications. This father of two sons prefers to work in small groups consisting of natural scientists from all disciplines in his area (“this promotes creativity”) to approach problem resolution. Diehl: “You need highly qualified colleagues and good equipment. Bosch offers both.”