ELECTRONIC FUEL CONTROL SYSTEM

• The primary function of this fuel control system is determine the mass air flow rate
into the engine.
• Then the control system regulates fuel delivery.
• The components of this block diagram are as follows:
• Throttle position sensor (TPS)
• Mass air flow sensor (MAF)
• Fuel injectors (FI)
• Ignition systems (IGN)
• Exhaust gas oxygen sensor (EGO)
• Engine coolant sensor (ECS)
• Engine position sensor (EPS)
• The EPS has the capability of measuring crankshaft angular speed (RPM) as well as
crankshaft angular position.
• The correct fuel delivery is regulated via fuel injectors.
• Optimum ignition timing is determined and appropriate timing pulses are sent to the
ignition control module (IGN).
• An important property of the catalytic converter that allows for momentary (very
short term) fluctuations of the air/fuel ratio outside the narrow window.
• Exhaust gases flow through the catalytic converter they are actually in it for a short
(but nonzero) amount of time.
• Because of this time interval the conversion efficiency is unaffected by rapid
fluctuations above and below stoichiometry .
• The electronic fuel control system operates in two modes: open loop and closed loop.
• In the open-loop mode (also called feed forward), the mass air flow rate into the
engine is measured.
• In the closed-loop control mode (also called feedback), a measurement of the
controlled variable is provided to the controller (i.e., it is fed back)
• Such that an error signal between the actual and desired values of the controlled
variable is obtained.
• Then the controller generates an actuating signal that tends to reduce the error to zero.
• In the case of fuel control, the desired variables to be measured are HC, CO, and NOx
concentrations.
• Practical sensor for such measurements that can be built into the car’s exhaust system.
 • It is a relatively inexpensive sensor.
• This sensor generates an output that depends on the concentration of residual oxygen
in the exhaust after combustion.
• This sensor is called an exhaust gas oxygen (EGO) sensor.
• The EGO sensor output switches abruptly between two voltage levels depending on
whether the input air/fuel ratio is richer than or leaner than stoichiometry.
• Although the EGO sensor is a switching-type sensor.
• It provides sufficient information to the controller to maintain the average air/ fuel
ratio over time at stoichiometry.

ENGINE CONTROL SEQUENCE

• The step-by-step process of events in fuel control begins with engine start.
• During engine cranking the mixture is depending on the engine temperature .
• The engine control operates in the open-loop mode.
• The correct fuel amount is computed in the electronic controller as a function of
engine temperature. The correct actuating signal is then computed and sent to the fuel
metering actuator.
• In essentially all modern engines, fuel metering is accomplished by a set of fuel
injectors.
• After combustion the exhaust gases flow past the EGO sensor, through the TWC, and
out the tailpipe.
• Once the EGO sensor has reached its operating temperature.
• The EGO sensor signal is read by the controller and the system begins closed-loop
operation.

CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL
• The intake air passes through the intake manifold to the various cylinders.
• The set of fuel injectors is located near the intake valve .
• Each fuel injector is an electrically operated valve that is either fully open or fully
closed.
• When the valve is closed there is, of course, no fuel delivery.
• When the valve is open, fuel is delivered at a fixed rate.
• The amount of fuel delivered to each cylinder is determined by the length of time that
the fuel injector valve is open.
 • the fuel injector open timing is set to coincide with the time that air is flowing into the
cylinder during the intake stroke.

• The fuel metering actuator provides fuel flow to produce an air/fuel ratio set by the
controller output.
• This mixture is burned in the cylinder and the combustion products leave the engine
through the exhaust pipe.
• The EGO sensor generates a feedback signal for the controller input that depends on
the air/fuel ratio.
• This signal tells the controller to adjust the fuel flow rate for the required air/fuel
ratio, thus completing the loop.

EXHAUST GAS OXYGEN CONCENTRATION

• The EGO sensor, which provides feedback.
• EGO generates an output signal that depends on the amount of oxygen in the exhaust.
• This oxygen level, depends on the air/fuel ratio entering the engine.
• The amount of oxygen is relatively low for rich mixtures and relatively high for lean
mixtures.
• EGO output voltage is complicated because of the delay from the time λ that
changes at the input until Vo changes at the exhaust.
• This time delay, tD, is in the range of 0.1 to 0.2 second, depending on engine speed.
• The electrical signal from the EGO sensor voltage going into the controller produces a
controller output of VF, which energizes the fuel metering actuator.
CLOSED-LOOP OPERATION
• The air/fuel ratio is either increasing or decreasing; it is never constant.
• The increase or decrease is determined by the EGO sensor output voltage.
• Whenever the EGO output voltage level indicates a lean mixture, the controller causes
the air/fuel ratio to decrease, that is, to change in the direction of a rich mixture.
• On the other hand, whenever the EGO sensor output voltage indicates a rich mixture,
the controller changes the air/fuel ratio in the direction of a lean mixture.

Simplified Waveforms in a Closed-Loop Fuel Control System

• The EGO sensor output voltage is at the higher of two levels over several time
intervals including 0 to 1 and 1.7 to 2.2.
• This high voltage indicates that the mixture is rich.
• The controller causes the pulse duration to decrease during this interval.
• the EGO sensor voltage switches low, indicating a lean mixture.
• At this point the controller begins increasing the actuating time interval to tend toward
a rich mixture.
• The controller continuously computes the average of the EGO sensor voltage.
• The average EGO sensor voltage should be halfway between the rich and the lean
values:
FREQUENCY AND DEVIATION OF THE FUEL CONTROLLER
• The two end limits are determined by the rich and lean voltage levels of the EGO
sensor, by the controller.
• The time necessary for the EGO sensor to sense a change in fuel metering is known as
the transport delay.
• As engine speed increases, the transport delay decreases.
• The frequency of oscillation fL of this limit-cycle control system is defined as the
reciprocal of its period.
• The period of one complete cycle is denoted Tp, which is proportional to transport
delay.
• Thus, the frequency of oscillation is

F= 1⁄Tp

• The transport delay decreases as engine speed increases; therefore the limit- cycle
frequency increases as engine speed increases.
• Important aspect of limit-cycle operation is the maximum deviation of air/fuel ratio
from stoichiometry.
• The maximum deviation typically corresponds to an air/fuel ratio deviation of about
±1.0.
• An average value for the air/fuel ratio that is intermediate between these extremes.
• The average air/fuel ratio is held to within ±0.05 of the desired value of 14.7.
• The maximum deviation decreases with increasing engine speed because of the
corresponding decrease in transport delay.

OPEN-LOOP MODE
• It must maintain an air/fuel ratio very close to stoichiometry for efficient system
operation with the TWC used.
• It must do it without feedback from the EGO sensor output, which senses the actual
air/fuel ratio.
• it is important to realize that the throttle actually controls the flow of air into the
engine.
• The correct fuel flow is determined by the engine control system.
ANALYSIS OF INTAKE MANIFOLD PRESSURE
• The air and fuel mixture enters the engine through the intake manifold.
• One very important engine variable associated with the intake manifold is the
manifold absolute pressure (MAP).
• The sensor that measures this pressure is the manifold absolute pressure sensor—the
MAP sensor.
• This sensor develops a voltage that is approximately proportional to the average value
of intake manifold pressure.
• Whenever the engine is not running, no air is being pumped and the intake MAP is at
atmospheric pressure.
• When the engine is running, the air flow is impeded by the partially closed throttle
plate. This reduces the pressure in the intake manifold so it is lower than atmospheric
pressure.
• For an N-cylinder engine, the frequency fp, in cycles per second, of the manifold
pressure fluctuation for an engine running at a certain RPM is given by

Simplified Intake System

• The MAP sensor output voltage then corresponds only to the average manifold
pressure.
MEASURING AIR MASS
• The air charge can be determined from the mass flow rate of air into the engine
intake.
• There are two methods of determining the mass flow rate of air into the engine.
• One method uses a single sensor that directly measures mass air flow rate.
• The other method uses a number of sensors that provide data from which mass flow
rate can be computed. This method is known as the speed-density method.

Speed-Density Method
• For a given volume of air (V ) at a specific pressure (p) and temperature (T ), the
density of the air (da) is the ratio of the mass of air in that volume (Ma) divided by V:

• The mass of air in the volume V is the product of its density and volume:

Volume Flow Rate Calculation

• air is assumed to be moving through a uniform tube for a specific period of time
• This is known as the volume flow rate.
• The mass flow rate is the product of the volume flow rate and the air density.
• The relationship between Rm, Rv, and da:

Rm = mass flow rate of air flowing through the intake manifold

Rv = volume flow rate of air flowing through the intake manifold
da = air density in the intake manifold
• The intake air can be computed relative to a standard condition.
• Normally, the standard condition is sea level on a so-called standard day (SLSD).
• The SLSD conditions are denoted do, po, To, referring to density, absolute pressure,
and absolute temperature.
• In mathematical terms, the intake air density is given by

• That is, intake air density is found by multiplying standard density by the ratio of
intake manifold pressure to standard pressure and by the ratio of standard temperature
to intake manifold air temperature.
• If it were a perfect pump, volume of air equal to its displacement for each two
complete crankshaft revolutions.
• For the ideal engine, the volume flow rate would be

• where
• Rv is the volume flow rate
• D is the engine displacement
• RPM is the engine speed
• For this ideal engine, with D known, R v could be obtained simply by measuring
RPM.
• Unfortunately, the engine is not a perfect air pump. In fact, the actual volume flow
rate for an engine having displacement D and running at speed RPM is given by
 • Where nv is the volumetric efficiency.

Volumetric Efficiency:
• The volumetric efficiency is a number between 0 and 1 that depends on intake
manifold pressure (MAP) and RPM for all engine operating conditions.
• For any given engine, the value of nv can be measured for any set of operating
conditions.
• By knowing the displacement of the engine, measuring the RPM and MAP, and
looking up the value of nv for that RPM and MAP, the Rv can be computed using the
previous equation.

Including EGR
• A valve-positioning sensor in the EGR valve can be calibrated to provide the flow
rate.
• From this information, the true volume flow rate of air, Ra, can be determined by
subtracting the volume flow rate of EGR (REGR) from Rv. The total cylinder air
charge is thus given as follows:

• The volume flow rate of EGR is known from the position of the EGR valve and from
engine operating conditions.
• Substituting the equation for Rv, the volume flow rate of air is

• Knowing Ra and the density da gives the mass flow rate of air Rm as follows:

• Knowing Rm, the stoichiometric mass flow rate for the fuel, Rfm, can be calculated
as follows:

• The control system continuously calculates Rm from Ra and da at the temperature

involved.