THROTTLE VALE CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20040149260A1
• Filed: 01/16/2004
• Published: 08/05/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 6,874,468 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/396
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/107 Safety-related aspects
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2250/16 End position calibration, i.e. calculation or measurement of actuator end positions, e.g. for throttle or its driving actuator
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/042 for stopping the engine

Abstract

An ECU 2 performs ON/OFF judgments on an ignition switch. When the ignition switch is OFF, a judgment is made whether or not voltage learning for a fully opened position of a throttle valve 34 is complete. If complete, an electric power for a DC motor 31 is cutoff. A TPS output voltage value is read in, and a judgment is made whether or not a given period of time has elapsed. If the given period of time has elapsed, and if a throttle position sensor output voltage value VTPS is equal to or greater than a given value, then a judgment is made that there is a return spring 35 breakage failure. Breakage to the return spring 35 can thus be reliably detected.

Claims

1. A throttle valve control device comprising:

a throttle valve for adjusting an air intake amount supplied to an engine;

a throttle position sensor for detecting an opening degree of said throttle valve;

a motor for driving said throttle valve;

a throttle actuator having a return spring for biasing said throttle valve in a fully closed direction; and

a throttle valve controlling means for driving said motor so as to control an opening degree position of said throttle valve based on the opening degree of the throttle valve detected by said throttle position sensor,

wherein said throttle valve controlling means drives said motor so that the throttle opening degree position of said throttle valve is come equal to or greater than a predetermined opening degree position, cuts off an electric power supplied to said motor, and judges that there is a breakage failure of said return spring in a case that an output value of said throttle position sensor after elapsing a given period of time after the cutoff of the electric power is equal to or larger than a predetermined value.

2. A throttle valve control device according to claim 1, wherein said throttle valve controlling means performs breakage failure judgment on said return spring when said engine ignition switch is set to off.

3. A throttle valve control device according to claim 1, wherein said throttle valve controlling means stores a return spring breakage failure flag set to ON state in a case that a result of the breakage failure judgment is failure.

4. A throttle valve control device according to claim 3, wherein said throttle valve controlling means performs an output limit for said engine in a case that said return spring breakage failure flag is set to ON state when said engine ignition switch is set to on.

5. A throttle valve control device according to claim 3, wherein said throttle valve controlling means variably sets an output limit for said engine according to a value output by said throttle position sensor in a case that said return spring breakage failure flag is set to ON state and drive of said motor is impossible when the engine ignition switch is set to on.