A steady-state analytical model of the infrared optogalvanic effect (OGE) in CO discharged positive column is given. Results indicate that it is different from that of the visible and UY in the atomic gas, in which the OGE is caused by the differences in the collisional ionization rates of the levels coupled by the laser.However,it is shown that the thermal effect due to VT and VVT relaxation in the resonance transition and the superelastic collisions between electrons and molecules in the excited vib-rotational levels are responsible for this effects. Based on this model, the dependences of the opto-galvanio voltage on the gain (or absorption), in tensity, dynamic resistance and current have been given. On the whole, the model is found to agree with the experimental results. Thus, a new method to probe laser medium parameters e. g. saturation intensily, gain i or absorption) distribution over the vib-rotational levels and the resonance interaction in CO gas has been proposed.