Patent ID: 8113169

Claim:
A device for controlling heating of a throttle valve of an internal combustion engine that is provided with an electric heater at a position in the vicinity of a throttle valve disposed inside an intake air channel of the internal combustion engine and heats the throttle valve and a peripheral section thereof by causing this electric heater to perform heating through conductance of electricity, the device comprising: an intake-air quantity detection means for detecting a quantity of intake air flowing through the intake air channel; and a throttle-valve heating control means for receiving an output from the intake-air quantity detection means, conducting electricity to the electric heater when the quantity of intake air flowing in the intake air channel is equal to or less than a predetermined intake air quantity criterion for heating and a contribution can be made to making the throttle valve and the peripheral section thereof equal to or higher than a freezing point temperature using heating by the electric heater, and prohibiting conductance of electricity to the electric heater when the quantity of intake air flowing in the intake air channel is greater than the intake air quantity criterion for heating and, even using heating by the electric heater, a contribution cannot be made to making the throttle valve and the peripheral section thereof equal to or higher than the freezing point temperature.