Abstract: The electrodes of an electrostatic capacitor which is used to determine the alcohol concentration in a mixture of gasoline and alcohol, are connected with a frequency oscillator of the LC type which applies a signal having a frequency which is equal to or greater than 10 MHz. The setting of the oscillation frequency to 10 MHz or more eliminates the amount of change in electrode loss and enables stable and accurate alcohol concentration determination.

Abstract: A circuit for detecting and processing a signal from a sensing device such as a torque sensor is disclosed in which a first peak hold circuit detects a first peak value of an output AC signal of an oscillator and a second peak hold circuit detects the peak value of an output signal of a differential amplifier. The differential amplifier is connected across an output end of a bridge circuit for detecting a change in the output voltage from the torque sensor. A sign of a variable in the torque sensor is determined according to the first and second hold values derived from the first and second hold circuits. The magnitude of the variable of the torque sensor is detected according to the magnitude of the second peak value of the second hold circuit.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for preventing runaway of CPU using a battery voltage as a power source voltage, in which the operation of CPU and the power source voltage of the CPU are inspected at the abnormal operation of the CPU and/or at the abnormal reduction of the power source voltage of CPU, system resetting is effected on the CPU, system reset signals for the CPU are counted. When the number of system reset signals for a predetermined time satisfies predetermined conditions, it is judged that the CPU is in failure. When the abnormal reduction of the power source voltage of the CPU is detected, the counting of system reset signals is prohibited.

Abstract: In an assist-air type fuel injection device for an internal combustion engine in which an assist-air for atomizing fuel is supplied toward an injected fuel on the lower stream of a nozzle hole of a fuel injection valve, a pressure detection part for detecting a pressure of the above assist-air is provided at the fuel injection valve, and the pressure of the assist-air detected at the above pressure detection part is supplied as a signal pressure to a pressure regulator for regulating a fuel supply pressure to the fuel injection valve. Without being affected by the assist-air pressure, a fuel flow rate can be stabilized, whereby control accuracy of the fuel injection amount can be maintained favorably.

Abstract: Based on a combustion pressure detected by a cylinder internal pressure sensor, a mean effective pressure Pi is calculated and a fluctuation amount .DELTA.Pi of the mean effective pressure Pi is calculated. The level of a predetermined frequency component of the fluctuation amount .DELTA.Pi is compared with a predetermined level. When the fluctuation amount .DELTA.Pi exceeds the predetermined value, it is judged that an increasing correction coefficient KTW according to a water temperature is smaller than a required value corresponding to a used fuel, and the increasing correction coefficient KTW is increasingly modified. When the above fluctuation amount .DELTA.Pi is less than the predetermined value, it is judged that the increasing correction coefficient KTW is larger than the required value corresponding to the used fuel, and the increasing correction coefficient KTW is decreasingly modified.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling an opening angle of a throttle valve in an internal combustion engine. When an accelerator pedal is depressed by a vehicular driver, an accelerator drum attached onto an end wall of a main body of a single motor is rotated via an accelerator wire and the main body of the motor, a drive axle of the motor held with respect to the main body of the motor, and a rotation axle of the throttle valve are integrally rotated. When control is transferred from the above-described ordinary opening angle control state into a traction control state, the hold function of the motor is released and the motor is driven so as to reduce the opening angle of the throttle valve.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting an intake air quantity for an internal, combustion engine and method therefor are disclosed in which a passed time from a time at which a power supply to a temperature sensitive airflow meter of a bridge circuit is turned on is measured as t. A CPU of the detecting apparatus retrieves a data on the intake air quantity from a data map storing the data on the intake air quantity, the passed time and output voltage of the temperature sensitive airflow meter to derive the intake air quantity data Q.sub.now. In addition, the CPU adds a value of a change rate of the present mapped data with respect to the previously derived final intake air quantity data Q.sub.-1 which is multiplied by a predetermined coefficient k to Q.sub.now. The result of addition is set as the present final intake air quantity data: Q.rarw.Q.sub.now +k (Q.sub.now -Q-.sub.-1). It is noted that the predetermined coefficient k is varied according to the passed time t.

Abstract: In an anti-lock braking apparatus, by detecting brake torque at a wheel and controlling the braking force of a wheel brake unit, a locked state of the wheel can be quickly detected to thus enable braking control with fast response characteristics. Also, based on direction of a variation of the brake torque on the wheel, the road friction coefficient is predicted to perform feedback control for the braking force and to adjust the brake torque to a target brake torque, whereby the braking performance can be optimized.

Abstract: In a driving zone where a torque converter is to be locked up, a lockup force of a lockup clutch is weakened in the deceleration driving state compared with that in the non-deceleration driving state. Moreover, during transition from the deceleration driving state to the non-deceleration driving state, increase control of the lockup force is forcedly delayed for a predetermined time. By this, during acceleration from the deceleration driving state, the clutch is made to slip with a rapid increase in engine output torque and a rise in the engine output torque is buffered by the lockup clutch.

Abstract: In an automatic transmission provided with a hydraulic lockup clutch which can directly and mechanically engage an input shaft with an output shaft of a torque converter, input torque of the above torque converter is detected and an working oil pressure supplied to said lockup clutch is detected. And a target oil pressure for said lockup clutch is set based on said input torque, supply of the oil pressure is feedback controlled so that an actual working oil pressure gets close to said target oil pressure, and said lockup clutch is controlled to the semi-clutch state.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a working hydraulic pressure supplied to a mechanical power transmission applicable to an automative vehicle, the power transmission having a fluid power transmitting device such as a torque converter, in which a target duration of time during which a shifting operation occurs is retrieved from a table map according to an operating state of the fluid power transmitting device and is compared with an actual duration of time during which the shifting operation occurs. A characteristic value of the fluid power transmitting device is retrieved according to a speed ratio between input and output revolutional speeds of the fluid power transmitting device and is corrected and rewritten according to a magnitude relationship between the target and actual durations of times.

Abstract: A system and method for learning and controlling an air/fuel mixture ratio for an internal combustion engine are disclosed which can achieve the compatibility of both learning convergence characteristic and accuracy of learning and which can prevent a stepwise change in correction coefficients to a basic fuel supply quantity when the present engine driving condition makes the present one of the driving conditions to the other one of the driving conditions. In a preferred embodiment of the air/fuel mixture ratio learning and controlling system, a plurality of learning maps in which the whole driving region is divided into 16 regions and is divided into 258 regions. The learnings of the air/fuel mixture ratio learning correction coefficients KBLRC1 for the 16 driving regions on the first learning map are followed by those of the other air/fuel mixture ratio learning correction coefficients KBLRC2 for the 256 driving regions on the second learning map.

Abstract: A speed-changing hydraulic oil pressure control apparatus for controlling speed-changing hydraulic oil pressure according to a transition state of the speed change in an automatic transmission. The controllability is improved by detecting in advance the transfer from a torque phase to an inertia phase by detecting the output torque of the transmission and the input revolution number and output revolution number of a torque converter. The input torque of the transmission is estimated from the input revolution number and output revolution number of the torque converter, and the transition state of the speed change is detected from the input torque and output torque of the transmission. By comparing input torque and output torque of the transmission, the transfer from the torque phase to the inertia passe is detected in advance by utilizing the phenomenon of a large fall of the output torque of the transmission just before the transfer to the inertia phase from the torque phase.

Abstract: A cylinder pressure detecting system includes a plurality of pressure sensors, each of which is provided for monitoring pressure in one of plurality of cylinders. The system performs data sampling of detection values produced by one of the pressure sensors corresponding to a cylinder in an intake stroke, and compares each of the sampled detection values and a predetermined reference minimum value to respectively set differences therebetween as offset correction values. These processes are performed for the respective cylinders. The detection values of the pressure sensors for the respective cylinders are corrected on the basis of the offset correction values so that the detection values detected by the respective pressure sensors coincide with each other.

Abstract: An apparatus for controlling the idling speed of an internal combustion engine. The apparatus comprises sensors for producing electrical signals indicative of sensed engine operating conditions including a sensed amount of air permitted to enter the engine. A control unit is coupled to the sensors for providing a feedback control to correct the amount of air permitted to enter the engine so as to maintain the engine idling speed at a target value when the engine is idling. The control unit calculates a difference of the sensed air amount from a reference value and corrects the target engine speed based upon the calculated difference.

Abstract: A system for protecting an engine equipped with an electronically controlled fuel injection apparatus, in which a battery voltage is detected. When the detected battery voltage is smaller than a predetermined reference value, performance of the engine is degraded, and when the detected battery voltage is smaller than a reference value, that is smaller than the predetermined value, the engine is stopped.

Abstract: A control system for automatic transmission is provided in a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission associated with the engine. The engine is operable on a fuel which is a mixture of gasoline and alcohol. The control system comprises an alcohol sensor for sensing the alcohol concentration in the fuel; a first device for deriving an engine load parameter which represents the load applied to the engine; a second device for correcting the engine load parameter with reference to the alcohol concentration sensed by the alcohol sensor; and a third device for controlling a line pressure of the transmission in accordance with the corrected engine load parameter.

Abstract: A display unit for displaying the output of a vehicle engine measures and displays the output or torque of the engine during a normal running state.The unit calculates and displays the output of the engine according to an intake air quantity and engine rotational speed. The unit calculates an output for a predetermined steady run corresponding to a present vehicle speed. If the engine output calculated according to the intake air quantity and rotational speed is smaller than the steady-run output, the unit displays zeros.

Abstract: A development computer or first computer provided with a program development-supporting tool for checking an operation of a new control program written by a high-level language is disposed independently from a computer to be developed or second computer. Control based on a new control program written in a high-level language for the computer to be developed or second computer is executed by outputting the result of processing of the new control program by the development computer into the computer to be developed or second computer.

Abstract: An air/fuel ratio control method and system for an internal combustion engine employing first and second air/fuel ratio sensors, respectively upstream and downstream of a catalytic converter, sets and stores learnt correction values, by learning through an averaging process, for an air/fuel ratio correction value by a second air/fuel ratio sensor, stores a degree of progress of learning with respect to each learning, and modifies the learnt correction value with a modification ratio depending upon the degree of progress of learning. Accordingly, both a promotion of the learning and an enhancement of the accuracy of the learning can be achieved, and thus the emission control performance can be improved by progressively reducing an offset at the transition from an inactive state to an active state of the air/fuel ratio feedback control or at the transition of an engine driving range.