CHAPTER 4.

1 Digital engine control systems

cools, the control mode logic selects the open-loop mode
again.
During hard acceleration or heavy engine load, the
control mode selection logic chooses a scheme that
provides a rich air/fuel mixture for the duration of the
acceleration or heavy load. This scheme provides maxi-
mum torque but relatively poor emissions control and
poor fuel economy regulation as compared with a stoi-
chiometric air/fuel ratio. After the need for enrichment
has passed, control is returned to either open-loop or
closed-loop mode, depending on the control mode logic
selection conditions that exist at that time.
During periods of deceleration, the air/fuel ratio is
increased to reduce emissions of HC and CO due to
unburned excess fuel. When idle conditions are present,
control mode logic passes system control to the idle
speed control mode. In this mode, the engine speed is
controlled to reduce engine roughness and stalling that
might occur because the idle load has changed due to air
conditioner compressor operation, alternator operation,
or gearshift positioning from park/neutral to drive,
although stoichiometric mixture is used if the engine is
warm.
In modern engine control systems, the controller is
a special-purpose digital computer built around a micro-
processor. A block diagram of a typical modern digital
engine control system is depicted in Fig. 4.1-2. The
controller also includes ROM containing the main
program (of several thousand lines of code) as well as
rRAM for temporary storage of data during computation.
The sensor signals are connected to the controller via an
input/output (I/O) subsystem. Similarly, the I/O
subsystem provides the output signals to drive the fuel
injectors (shown as the fuel metering block of Fig. 4.1-2)
as well as to trigger pulses to the ignition system (de-
scribed later in this chapter). In addition, this solid-state
control system includes hardware for sampling and
analog-to-digital conversion such that all sensor mea-
surements are in a format suitable for reading by the
microprocessor.
The sensors that measure various engine variables for
control are as follows:
MAF Mass air flow sensor
CT Engine temperature as represented by
coolant temperature

CONTROLLER

EGR
CONTROL

I/O CT POS/RPM CYCLE

TPS FUEL IGNITION

CONTROL

FUEL MIXTURE POWER

MAF METER-
ING
ENGINE EXHAUST
THROTTLE
HEGO DPS
TO 3WCC

EGR
CONTROL
EGR
VALVE

Fig. 4.1-2 Digital engine control system diagram.

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