Electronic throttle control apparatus

• US 20080083394A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisan Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Akita, Minoru, Kamio, Shigeru, Ishida, Katsumi, Miyazaki, Tsutomu
• Granted Patent: US 7,418,944 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 123/399
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/106 Detection of demand or actuation
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2041/2027 Control of the current by pulse width modulation or duty cycle control
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 2200/0404 Throttle position
• 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 41/2464 Characteristics of actuators
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 9/1065 Mechanical control linkage between an actuator and the flap, e.g. including levers, gears, springs, clutches, limit stops of the like

Abstract

An electronic throttle control apparatus includes: a motor; a throttle valve which is driven by the motor to open and close; a throttle sensor for detecting an actual opening angle of the throttle valve. This electronic throttle control apparatus is arranged to control an opening angle of the throttle valve by driving the motor so that the actual opening angle detected by the throttle sensor becomes a target opening angle, the apparatus further includes a fully closing stopper, and an abutting determination unit for determining whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper. The abutting determination unit is arranged to determine whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper based on a determination condition preset with respect to each one of a plurality of duty ratio ranges.

Claims

1. An electronic throttle control apparatus including:

a motor;

a throttle valve which is driven by the motor to open and close;

a throttle sensor for detecting an actual opening angle of the throttle valve;

wherein the electronic throttle control apparatus is arranged to control an opening angle of the throttle valve by driving the motor so that the actual opening angle detected by the throttle sensor becomes a target opening angle,

the electronic throttle control apparatus further includes a fully closing stopper, and an abutting determination unit for determining whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper, and

the abutting determination unit is arranged to determine whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper based on a determination condition preset with respect to each one of a plurality of duty ratio ranges.

2. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the determination condition includes that a state of a lowest duty ratio or more in each duty ratio range continues for a predetermined duration of time.

3. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abutting determination unit determines that the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper when any one of the determination conditions preset with respect to each of the duty ratio ranges is satisfied.

4. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abutting determination unit determines whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper only when an electric current that flows in the motor is larger than a predetermined value.

5. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the abutting determination unit changes the determination condition set with respect to each of the duty ratio ranges depending on battery voltage to another determination condition.

6. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 1 further including components for transmitting a driving force of the motor to the throttle valve, at least one of the components being made of resin.

7. An electronic throttle control apparatus including:

a motor;

a throttle valve which is driven by the motor to open and close;

a throttle sensor for detecting an actual opening angle of the throttle valve;

wherein the electronic throttle control apparatus is arranged to drive the motor to control so that an opening angle of the throttle valve detected by the throttle sensor based on a learned control reference opening angle becomes a target opening angle,

the apparatus further includes;

a fully closing stopper,

an abutting determination unit for determining whether the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper, and

a lower limit updating unit for updating a control opening lower limit of the throttle valve based on a determination result of the abutting determination unit, and

the lower limit updating unit updates the control opening lower limit to the target opening angle when the abutting determination unit determines that the throttle valve does not abut against the fully closing stopper, while the lower limit updating unit updates the control opening lower limit to an opening angle detected by the throttle sensor when the abutting determination unit determines that the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper.

8. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 7, further including an opening angle comparing unit for making a comparison as to which is larger between the control opening lower limit and the target opening when the abutting determination unit determines that the throttle valve does not abut against the fully closing stopper, and

wherein the lower limit updating unit updates the control opening lower limit when the opening comparing unit determines that the target opening is smaller than the control opening lower limit.

9. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the lower limit updating unit updates the control opening lower limit by gradually changing it at a predetermined rate.

10. The electronic throttle control apparatus according to claim 7, further includes an opening angle difference determination unit for determining, when the abutting determination unit determines that the throttle valve abuts against the fully closing stopper, whether an opening angle difference between an opening angle of the throttle valve when abuts against the fully closing stopper and the control reference opening angle is a predetermined opening angle or less, and

wherein the lower limit updating unit updates the control opening lower limit when the opening angle difference determination unit determines that the opening angle difference is a predetermined value or less.