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.

Abstract: A controlling device includes a range switch mechanism, range switch operating means, operation frequency monitoring means, and heat generation limit controlling means. The range switch mechanism is adapted to change a shift range using a motor. Through the range switch operating means, an occupant inputs a required shift range. The motor is controlled in accordance with the required shift range such that the shift range is changed into the required shift range. The operation frequency monitoring means monitors an operation frequency of the range switch operating means. The heat generation limit controlling means switches a control of the motor to a heat generation limit control when the operation frequency of the range switch operating means exceeds a predetermined frequency.

Abstract: Presence/absence of a failure in a feedback control system of a motor is monitored. When a failure is detected in the feedback control system, the motor is driven by switching to an open-loop control. During the open-loop control, the motor is rotated by sequentially switching the motor current supply phase without feeding back encoder count information. The position count is incremented or decremented every time the current supply phase is switched. When the position count has reached a target count, it is determined that the rotor has reached a target position, whereupon the open-loop control is finished.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: comparing a vibration waveform of an engine and a knock waveform model stored in advance to calculate a correlation coefficient K; prohibiting correction when a correction prohibiting condition of a determination value V(KX) is satisfied, the determination value V(KX) compared with a knock magnitude N calculated from the correlation coefficient K so as to control the ignition timing; and correcting the determination value V(KX) based on a magnitude value LOG(V) calculated from a magnitude V of vibration in an ignition cycle in which the correlation coefficient K greater than a threshold value K(1) is calculated when the correction prohibiting condition of determination value V(KX) is not satisfied. The correlation coefficient K is calculated as a smaller value when the vibration waveform includes a waveform of vibration of a noise component as compared with that when the vibration waveform does not include it.

Abstract: A control apparatus for a synchronous motor such as a switched reluctance motor, having a plurality of respectively separate stator windings, can operate the motor in either a normal mode or a low-torque mode by selectively supplying drive current to the stator windings. In the low-torque mode, alternate ones of the stator windings are driven in succession, thereby ensuring that electromagnetic forces will not be continually applied to the rotor of the motor along the same limited range of directions and so preventing unbalanced wear of the rotor shaft and bearings.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: detecting a waveform of vibration of an engine at a predetermined knock detection gate; determining whether a detected vibration's waveform and a knock waveform model stored in memory match within a predetermined range; if the model and the detected vibration's waveform match within the predetermined range, determining that the engine knocks; and if the model and the detected vibration's waveform do not match within the predetermined range, then determining that the engine does not knock.

Abstract: A throttle control apparatus comprises a throttle valve placed in an intake passage, a motor for driving the throttle valve, an electronic control unit (ECU) for controlling the motor, and a throttle sensor for detecting an actual opening degree of the throttle valve. The ECU determines that the throttle valve is frozen when the actual opening degree does not reach a target opening degree even after a driving time for driving the motor has exceeded a predetermined time, and then stores the actual opening degree at the time as an icing opening degree. The ECU supplies a driving duty to cause the motor to produce required driving torque for removal of icing and reverses the driving duty by open control, and controls the motor to bring an accumulated value of a deviation between the target opening degree and the icing opening degree to zero, thereby repeatedly swinging the throttle valve.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including a step of calculating coefficient of correlation K that is a value related to a deviation between a vibration waveform and a knock waveform model by comparing the engine's vibration waveform with the knock waveform model stored in advance at a plurality of timings, a step of calculating a knock intensity N as based on a largest coefficient of correlation K among the calculated coefficient of correlation Ks, a step of determining that the engine knocks if knock intensity N is larger than a predetermined reference value (YES at S108), and a step of determining that the engine does not knock if knock intensity N is not larger than a predetermined reference value (NO at S108).

Abstract: A failure monitor designed to monitor a failure in operation of a motor drive control system. The system works to drive a motor-driven member through an output shaft and includes an angular position sensor for determining an angular position of the output shaft for use in controlling the motor. The failure monitor includes a storage device retaining an output shaft stop position that is the angular position of the output shaft, as determined upon a stop of the motor. The failure monitor detect the presence of failure of the angular position sensor based on a comparison between the angular position of the output shaft, as measured upon initiation of a motor start request, with the output shaft stop position.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission position control by a motor, it is determined whether the present instant belongs to a starting period, that is, the present instant is immediately after resetting of a control unit or application of power to it. If it is the starting period, an actual shift position that is detected from an output of an output shaft sensor for detecting a rotation position of a motor is set as an instructed shift position. With this measure, even if the control unit is reset for a certain reason while the vehicle is running, the instructed shift position is not changed in association with the resetting. This prevents trouble that the shift position is switched contrary to the intention of the driver, whereby the reliability of a position switching control can be increased.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: calculating a correlation coefficient K based on the result of comparing a vibration waveform of an engine and a knock waveform model stored previously; calculating a magnitude value LOG(V) from the magnitude V detected based on a signal transmitted from a knock sensor; creating frequency distribution of magnitude values LOG(V) by using magnitude values LOG(V) in an ignition cycle in which the correlation coefficient K larger than a threshold K(1) is calculated; and counting knock proportion KC by using the created frequency distribution. If the vibration waveform includes a waveform of vibration of noise components, the correlation coefficient K is calculated to be smaller comparing with a case of not including it.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including a step of calculating a knock intensity N as based on comparing a waveform detected as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking with a knock waveform model stored in a memory as a waveform of a vibration attributed to knocking for crank angles except for crank angles where a magnitude of a vibration not attributed to knocking is greater than a predetermined magnitude, a step of determining that the engine knocks if knock intensity N is larger than a predetermined reference value, and a step of determining that the engine does not knock if knock intensity N is not larger than a predetermined reference value.

Abstract: A failure monitor designed to monitor a failure in operation of a motor drive control system. The system works to drive a motor-driven member through an output shaft and an electric motor and includes an output shaft angular position sensor for determining an angular position of the output shaft and an encoder for determining an angular position of the motor for use in controlling the motor. The system works to discriminate among failures in operation of the output shaft angular position sensor and the encoder and another type of a failure using outputs of the sensors.

Abstract: An intake air flow detecting device is provided to an intake air passage, through which intake air flows into an internal combustion engine. Intake air flow is divided into a main passage and a bypass passage. The detecting device includes a thermal air flowmeter, a bypass flow delay information calculating means, and a response delay compensating means. The thermal air flowmeter includes a detector arranged in the bypass passage for detecting an air flow amount in the intake air passage. The bypass flow delay information calculating means calculates a bypass flow delay information representing delay in variation in a flow amount in the bypass passage with respect to variation in a flow amount in the main passage. The response delay compensating means compensates delay in response of the air flowmeter in accordance with the bypass flow delay information.

Abstract: Before an amount of play in a rotation transmitting system is learned, for selecting a gear range, an overshooting control process is performed to cause the angular displacement of a motor to overshoot a target gear range position and then reverse the electric motor. The angular displacement of the motor overshoots the target get gear range position by an overshooting amount that is identical to am amount by which the electric motor is reversed. The overshooting amount is set to a maximum value of a designed amount of play in the rotation transmitting system After the amount of play is learned, for selecting a gear range, a target count is established in view of the learned amount of play and the direction in which the motor rotates, and the motor is stopped at a position where an encoder pulse count coincides with the target count without performing the overshooting control process.

Abstract: In a motor-driven shift position switching device, when the difference between a target position and the rotation position of a rotor has become smaller than a prescribed value in a motor feedback control, a transition is made to a deceleration control. A phase lead correction amount for correcting the phase lead of the current supply phase with respect to the rotor rotation phase is set in accordance with the rotor rotation speed. Thus, proper braking force suitable for the rotor rotation speed is exerted on the rotor and the rotor can be decelerated smoothly as it approaches the target position. Further, in the period when the current supply to the motor is kept off, the shift position switching determination ranges are set wider than in the period when the current supply to the motor is on.

Abstract: An engine ECU 200 includes a bandpass filter (1), a bandpass filter (2), and a bandpass filter (3). The bandpass filter (1) extracts only vibrations at a first frequency band A from the vibrations detected by a knock sensor. The bandpass filter (2) extracts only vibrations at a second frequency band B from the vibrations detected by the knock sensor. The bandpass filter (3) extracts only vibrations at a third frequency band C from the vibrations detected by the knock sensor. The first to third frequency bands A-C are identical in bandwidth. The engine ECU calculates a peak value in magnitude of vibrations in a synthesized waveform of these frequency bands, and determines whether knocking occurred or not based on the peak value.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including the steps of: comparing a vibration waveform of an engine and a knock waveform model stored in advance to calculate a correlation coefficient K; prohibiting correction when a correction prohibiting condition of a determination value V(KX) is satisfied, the determination value V(KX) compared with a knock magnitude N calculated from the correlation coefficient K so as to control the ignition timing; and correcting the determination value V(KX) based on a magnitude value LOG(V) calculated from a magnitude V of vibration in an ignition cycle in which the correlation coefficient K greater than a threshold value K(1) is calculated when the correction prohibiting condition of determination value V(KX) is not satisfied. The correlation coefficient K is calculated as a smaller value when the vibration waveform includes a waveform of vibration of a noise component as compared with that when the vibration waveform does not include it.

Abstract: An engine ECU executes a program including a step of calculating intensity values LOG(V), a step of detecting vibration waveforms, a step of calculating a correlation coefficient K based on vibration waveforms, a step of preparing frequency distribution of intensity values LOG(V) smaller than a threshold V(1) and intensity values LOG(V) in an ignition cycle where correlation coefficient K is larger than a threshold K(1), a step of calculating a knock determination level V(KD) based on a median V(50) and a standard deviation ? of intensity values LOG(V), and a step of counting the number of intensity values LOG(V) larger than knock determination level V(KD) as the number of times that knocking has occurred.