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US 6,484,693 B1Granted
Sensor control for engine
AssigneeSanshin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorIsao Kanno
Life of this patent
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AssigneeSanshin Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorIsao Kanno
Estimating the term…
A method and apparatus for providing corrected throttle valve opening data to the ECU for calculation of various engine parameters includes computing a throttle opening adjustment value H by subtracting a sensed throttle valve opening S from a actual throttle valve opening D at engine idle. An adjusted throttle valve opening K is computed throughout the range of throttle openings by adding the adjustment value H to the sensed throttle valve opening S. In this manner, an erroneous sensed throttle valve opening S is corrected by the adjustment value H. The process of determining the throttle valve adjustment value preferably is performed at the engine idle state and can be triggered by a physical trigger; by connecting and disconnecting certain electronic devices from the ECU according to a prescribed pattern; by shifting an outboard motor from a neutral to a forward or reverse state; or by other triggering means.
An internal combustion engine configured to drive an output device through a transmission, the engine comprising a combustion chamber, an air intake passage arranged to introduce air to the combustion chamber, a throttle valve moveably disposed within the air intake passage for admitting the air in proportion to an opening degree thereof, a throttle valve opening sensor arranged to sense the opening degree and to output an opening degree signal, a fuel injector arranged to supply fuel to the combustion chamber, and a control unit configured to determine an amount of the fuel to be supplied based at least upon the opening degree signal, the control unit having a memory, an actual opening degree of the throttle valve at an engine idle position and a correction value being stored in the control unit memory, the correction value being a difference between the stored actual opening degree of the throttle valve at engine idle and an opening degree signal sensed by the throttle valve opening sensor at engine idle, a trigger being connected to the control unit to prompt the control unit to recalculate the correction value, the trigger comprising a sensor positioned to detect the shift of the transmission from a neutral condition to a drive condition.
A control method for an engine including a fuel injector, an air intake passage having a throttle valve, the throttle valve movable between an idle position and a second position, a throttle valve opening sensor adapted to sense the opening degree and to output an opening degree signal, and a control unit having a memory, the control method comprising precisely measuring an actual opening degree of the throttle valve at the idle position, storing the actual idle opening degree in the memory, sensing the opening degree signal from the throttle valve opening sensor at the idle position, determining a correction value by computing the difference between the stored actual idle opening degree and the sensed opening degree signal, storing the correction value in the memory, and determining an adjusted throttle opening degree by applying the correction value to the opening degree signal from the throttle valve opening sensor, wherein the correction value is determined only after a trigger signal has been recognized by the control unit, the trigger signal being generated by electrically disconnecting and connecting one or more specific engine components to the control unit according to a prescribed pattern.
A control method for a motor comprising an engine coupled to a transmission, the motor having a throttle valve movable between an idle position and a second position, a throttle valve opening sensor adapted to sense the extent of opening of the throttle valve and to output an opening extent signal, a shift sensor adapted to sense when the transmission is shifted from a neutral condition to a driving condition and to ouput a shift-in signal, and a control unit having a memory and being adapted to receive the opening extent signal and the shift-in signal, the control method comprising computing a throttle valve opening sensor correction value upon actuation of a trigger of the control unit and storing the correction value in the control unit memory, wherein the trigger is actuated when the shift-in signal indicates that the transmission is shifted from a neutral condition to a driving condition.
A control method for an engine having a throttle valve movable between an idle position and a second position, a throttle valve opening sensor adapted to sense the extent of opening of the throttle valve and to output an opening extent signal, and a control unit having a memory and being adapted to receive the opening extent signal, the control method comprising computing a throttle valve opening sensor correction value upon actuation of a trigger of the control unit and storing the correction value in the control unit memory, wherein the trigger is actuated by electrically disconnecting and connecting specific engine components to the control unit according to a prescribed pattern.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.