Patent ID: 7228842

Claim:
An electric throttle control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, the throttle control apparatus comprising: a throttle valve; a throttle motor that operates the throttle valve; and a throttle control unit that controls driving duty for operating the throttle motor such that an actual opening degree of the throttle valve coincides with a target opening degree of the throttle valve, the target opening degree being set in accordance with an accelerator position, wherein the throttle control unit is adapted for performing a tapping operation to learn a full close position of the throttle valve, the throttle control unit determines that the tapping operation of the throttle valve is completed when the throttle control unit determines the following completing conditions to be satisfied: the accelerator position is at a substantially minimum position; the opening degree of the throttle valve is substantially constant in the vicinity of the full close position of the throttle valve; and the driving duty for operating the throttle motor with respect to a close direction of the throttle valve becomes equal to or greater than a threshold, wherein the throttle control unit restricts the driving duty with respect to the close direction to be equal to or less than a driving duty limiting value, thereby maintaining the throttle valve in the full close position, when the throttle control unit determines the completing condition to be satisfied.