Patent ID: 7536250

Claim:
A device ( 1 , 101 ) for determining the position of an internal combustion engine with a rotary member, the device comprising: an incremental-type sensor ( 2 ) having a rotary movable part ( 8 ), connected to the rotary member, and a fixed part ( 6 ), the fixed part ( 6 ) comprising first means ( 16 , 18 , 20 , 26 ) for detecting a reference position ( 24 ) of the rotary member and detecting a relative rotation of the movable part ( 8 ) and the fixed part ( 6 ) by an increment, said first means generating a first signal ( 28 ), second means ( 16 , 22 , 26 ) for detecting a relative direction of rotation of the movable part ( 8 ) and the fixed part ( 6 ), generating a second signal ( 30 ), and analysis means ( 12 ) connected to the first means and to the second means, for determining an angular position of the rotary member relative to the reference position, on the basis of the first signal ( 28 ) and the second signal ( 30 ), and generating a third signal ( 42 ) as a function of said angular position of the rotary member; and engine control means ( 4 ) connected to the analysis means ( 12 ) of the sensor ( 2 ), wherein, said engine control means ( 4 ) is configured to operate in i) rest state, in which said engine control means are not supplied with power by a source ( 34 ), and ii) a live operating state during which said engine control means is supplied with power from the power source ( 34 ) and generates actions on operating members of the engine as a function of the third signal, and the sensor ( 2 ) is supplied with power by the power source ( 34 ) regardless of whether the engine control means ( 4 ) operates in either of the rest state or the live operating state.