Abstract: A method of electronically controlling the operation of an internal combustion engine is effected on the basis of results of arithmetic operations of digital control quantities derived from detected operating conditions of the engine through digital processing operations. The digital processing operations are subdivided into a number of tasks in dependence on the control functions to be performed. In addition, these tasks are subdivided into a plurality of priority levels. The memory has a task control block having run or execution flag areas in response to the priority levels and start request flag areas in response to the tasks, the start request flag areas being classified in accordance with the levels, in order to make it easy to correct, alter or add tasks. An order for starting the execution of the task is always controlled in accordance with the condition of the run flags and the start request flags.

Abstract: For controlling an internal combustion engine for the acceleration of an automobile, a change in the amount of air passing through an intake manifold is detected and a correction for the fuel injection time is performed on the basis of the change. After the amount of air has reached a substantially constant value, the corrective control is continued for a certain period of time.

Abstract: A method of controlling, electronically, the operation of an internal combustion engine on the basis of results of arithmetic operations of digital control quantities derived from detected operating conditions of the engine through digital processing operations. The digital processing operations are divided into a number of tasks in dependence on the control functions to be performed. The method comprises a step of setting an activation request indication for a task through the execution of another task, a step of setting an activation request indication for a task through execution of the task itself, a step of searching the activation request indications for the individual tasks, and a step of executing the tasks to which the activation requests are issued on the basis of the effects of the tasks.

Abstract: An elevator control apparatus in which a three-phase AC output from a three-phase AC generator rotating with running movement of an elevator car is converted into a train of pulses, and the number of such pulses is counted by a counter which provides a count indicative of the position of the elevator car. When the elevator car is actuated to start from its standstill condition, the running direction of the elevator car is detected on the basis of the direction of phase rotation of the three-phase AC output from the generator, and a predetermined correction data is added to or subtracted from the count depending on the detected running direction of the elevator car so as to correct the count error appearing in the starting stage of the elevator car.

Abstract: An electronic engine control apparatus controls the engine on a basis of the outputs of the digital processor which arithmetically processes output signals from plural sensors for detecting the operating conditions of the engine. Whether or not a pulse to be generated in timing with the rotation of the engine has been generated within a preset period of time, as specified by the digital processor, is checked. If the pulse is generated, a timer for measuring the preset period is cleared. If the pulse is not generated within the preset period, a signal indicating the stopping of the engine is generated, whereby an interrupt signal is generated to cause the digital processor to process the interrupt.

Abstract: An apparatus for electronically controlling an internal combustion engine of automobiles, in which a processor comprising a CPU, a RAM and a ROM is determined to be in the state of its normal operation when the processor delivers a predetermined pulse train in response to an interrupt signal having a predetermined period and supplied to the processor, and in which a backup circuit is actuated by a discriminant signal indicating the abnormal operation of the processor so that the operation of controlling the internal combustion engine, normally performed by the processor, is performed by the backup circuit.

Abstract: An electronic control apparatus for an internal combustion engine having engine parameter data sensors, an input/output unit, actuators and a data processing unit carries out a prescribed scenario for starting the engine. The starting sequence begins with the operation of a starting subsystem having a switch the state of which controls the operation of the starter motor. The starter motor is caused to be engaged and a set of initialization procedures are carried out by the data processing unit and input/output unit in dependence upon the state of the switch in the starting subsystem. These initializing procedures include engine operation control calculations as well as system preset steps. During this time, prescribed interrupts which would otherwise be delivered to the data processing unit from the input/output unit are inhibited. However, once the engine has been started, the interrupt inhibit is removed and the system operates under normal conditions.

Abstract: An electronic control apparatus includes a digital processor which receives data from a plurality of sensors which monitor conditions of the engine and supply output signals to the processor for controlling various actuators that control energy conversion functions within the engine. Control signals that are produced in response to data processing operations carried out by the processor are generated in accordance with a selective incrementing of engine timing codes that are successively compared with control data supplied by the processor in response to its processing operations. Selected ones of the control signals are employed to generate interrupts that are supplied to a status register. The contents of the status register are combined with the contents of a mask register to supply interrupts to the processor. The interrupts are assigned in accordance with prescribed levels of priority associated with the data processing operations carried out by the processor.

Abstract: An input signal processor used in the control apparatus for an internal combustion engine of automobiles, the apparatus being equipped with an electronic computer, wherein the ripple components contained in a signal sampled with a constant period, e.g. a signal representing the air flow rate and the rotational speed of the engine, are eliminated through a predetermined arithmetic process by the use of an unprocessed signal x.sub.i at an instant t.sub.i and the signal y.sub.i-1 already processed at the instant t.sub.i-1 so that an optimal control of the internal combustion engine matched to all driving conditions of the automobile can be performed by using the processed signal without any ripple component.

Abstract: In a detecting apparatus for indicating engine revolutions or vehicle speed, a counter is provided to count up, for a predetermined period of time, the number of pulses produced by an angle sensor. To improve the accuracy of the measurement, the time width during which the pulses are counted can be varied in accordance with a rotational speed of the engine. In this way, a larger measurement time period is provided at lower speeds than at higher speeds.

Abstract: An apparatus for electronically controlling an internal combustion engine of automobiles, in which a processor comprising a CPU, a RAM and a ROM is determined to be in the state of its normal operation when the processor delivers a predetermined pulse train in response to an interrupt signal having a predetermined period and supplied to the processor, and in which a backup circuit is actuated by a discriminant signal indicating the abnormal operation of the processor so that the operation of controlling the internal combustion engine, normally performed by the processor, is performed by the backup circuit.