Patent ID: 8190297

Claim:
A control method of a fluid control device for an internal combustion engine, adapted to take a plurality of operating positions and equipped with a position sensor comprising a transducer adapted to convert a physical entity value that is indicative of a position of the fluid control device into an electrical parameter, and a detector of said electrical parameter that is adapted to output an electrical signal that is representative of said position, the position sensor having a nominal characteristic curve (A) representative of a predetermined relationship between an admissible range of said physical entity value and a corresponding range of return values of said electrical signal, the control method comprises the steps of: storing said nominal characteristic curve; acquiring at least a first returned electrical signal related to at least one defined position of the fluid control device in an engine idle state, and a second returned electrical signal related to at least one defined position of the fluid control device in an engine after-run state; determining an offset between said first or second returned electrical signal and an expected signal related to a defined position of the fluid control device according to the nominal characteristic curve; estimating an updated characteristic curve of the position sensor by applying said offset to the nominal characteristic curve; and applying a predetermined control strategy of the fluid control device according to the updated characteristic curve.