Patent ID: 7434565
Filing Date: 2008-10-14
Classification: F02D,Y10T

Abstract:
1. An electronic throttle control apparatus for a vehicle engine comprising: a throttle actuator including an electric motor generating torque for driving a throttle valve in an opening direction and a closing direction of said throttle valve through a transmission gear device; a throttle opening degree sensor detecting an opening degree of said throttle valve; and a throttle control unit controlling said electric motor such that opening degree of said throttle valve detected by said throttle opening degree sensor becomes equal to a target throttle opening degree; wherein said throttle control unit includes an icing decision function deciding whether or not said throttle valve is in a frozen state where icing is present in said throttle valve, and a deicing control function executing a freeze recovery process for recovering, wherein when said throttle valve is decided to be in said frozen state by said icing decision function, said throttle valve is controlled to make a forceful movement against the ice in an attempt to relieve the throttle valve from said frozen state in a single blow by controlling said electric motor; (a) to drive said throttle valve in a first direction away from ice to be broken at least by an amount of a clearance of said transmission gear device, and then (b) drive and accelerate said throttle valve in the other direction toward the ice to be broken while accelerating the throttle valve.