32 Electronic throttle control (ETC)

accelerator-pedal module (Fig. 1, Pos. 1)

Electronic throttle control
(ETC)
For it to burn, fuel needs oxygen, which the
engine takes from the intake air. In engines
with external mixture formation (manifold
injection), as well as in direct-injection en-
gines operating on a homogeneous mixture,
the output torque is directly dependent on
the intake-air mass. The engine must there-
fore be throttled for the purpose of setting a
defined air charge.
Function and method of operation
The torque requested by the driver is derived
from the position of the accelerator pedal. In
the case of the ETC system (Electronic
Throttle Control), a position sensor in the
records this variable. Further torque requests
are derived from functional requests, such
as, for example, an additional torque when
the air-conditioning system is switched on
or a torque reduction during a gearshift.
The Motronic ECU (2) – ME-Motronic
for systems with manifold injection or
DI-Motronic for gasoline direct injection –
calculates the required air mass from the
torque to be set and generates the triggering
signals for the electrically actuated throttle
valve (5). In this way, the opening cross-sec-
tion and thus the air-mass flow inducted by
the gasoline engine are set. Using the feed-
back information from the throttle-valve-
angle sensor (3) regarding the current posi-
tion of the throttle valve, it then becomes
possible to adjust the throttle valve precisely
to the required setting.
A cruise-control function can also be
easily integrated with ETC. The ECU adjusts
the torque in such a way that the vehicle
speed preselected at the control element
for cruise control is maintained. There is
no need to press the accelerator pedal.

1 ETC system

1 2 Sensors Actuators 3 4 5

CAN

Function M
processor

Monitoring
module

Fig. 1
1 Pedal-travel sensor
2 Motronic ECU
æ UMK1627E

3 Throttle-valve-angle
sensor Accelerator-pedal Engine ECU Throttle device
4 Throttle-valve drive module
5 Throttle valve

K. Reif (Ed.), Gasoline Engine Management, Bosch Professional Automotive Information,

DOI 10.1007/978-3-658-03964-6_4, © Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden 2015
 Cylinder-charge control systems
Throttle device
The throttle device (Fig. 2) consists of a
housing (1), in which the rotating throttle
valve (2) is mounted. The DC motor (3)
drives the shaft of the throttle valve via a
gear unit (5). The shaft connects two throt-
tle-valve-angle sensors (ETC monitoring
concept). Potentiometers are used in the
DV-E5 throttle device. Alternatively, proxi-
mity-type sensors are also used in the DV-E8
version. All the connections are connected by
way of a plug to the vehicle wiring harness.
The throttle device is assembled in accor-
dance with a modular principle. This modu-
lar design enables it to be easily adapted to
the relevant requirements – for example,
the air requirement dependent on the swept
volume of the engine cylinders.
The use of plastic in the DV-E8 offers the
following advantages over the aluminum
housing of the DV-E5:
 Weight saving
 Optimal throttle-valve geometry
 Corrosion resistance
 Low wear
 Less sensitivity to temperature influences
 Less tendency to icing (omission of water
heater)
2 DV-E8 throttle device, modular design
Electronic throttle control (ETC) 33
Accelerator-pedal sensors
In Motronic systems with Electronic Throt-
tle Control (ETC), the pedal-travel sensor
records the travel or the angular position
of the accelerator pedal. For this purpose,
potentiometers are used in addition to
proximity-type sensors.
The pedal-travel sensor is integrated
together with the accelerator pedal in the
accelerator-pedal module. These ready-
to-install units make adjustments on the
vehicle a thing of the past.
Potentiometric pedal-travel sensor
The engine ECU receives the measured value
picked off at the potentiometer wiper as a
voltage. The ECU uses a stored sensor curve
to convert this voltage into the relative pedal
travel or the angular position of the acceler-
ator pedal (Fig. 3).
A second (redundant) sensor is incorpo-
rated for diagnosis purposes and for use in
case of malfunctions. It is a component part
of the monitoring system. One sensor ver-
sion operates with a second potentiometer,
which always delivers half the voltage of the
first potentiometer at all operating points.
Thus, two independent signals are available
for fault-detection purposes (Fig. 3). Instead
of the second potentiometer, another ver-
sion uses a low-idle switch, which signals the
Fig. 2
1 Pneumatic housing
4
2 Throttle valve
5 3 DC motor
6 4 Plug module
æ UAE0996Y
5 Gear-unit housing
6 Integrated throttle-
7 valve-angle sensor
7 Cover module
34 Cylinder-charge control systems Electronic throttle control (ETC)

idle position to the ECU. The status of this
switch and the potentiometer voltage must
be plausible.
For vehicles with automatic transmis-
sions, a further switch can be incorporated
for an electrical kickdown signal. Alterna-
tively, this information can also be derived
from the rate of change of the potentiometer
voltage. A further possibility is to trigger the
kickdown function by means of a defined
voltage value of the sensor curve; here, the
driver receives feedback on a jump in force
in a mechanical kickdown cell. This is the
most frequently used solution.
3 Characteristic curve of a pedal-travel sensor
V
4.75
Output voltage
Hall-effect angle-of-rotation sensors
Hall-effect sensors are used to measure the
movement of the accelerator pedal on a
non-contact basis. In the case of the Type
ARS1 Hall-effect angle-of-rotation sensor,
the magnetic flux of a roughly semicircular,
permanent-magnetic disk is fed back via a
pole shoe, two further conductive elements
and the similarly ferromagnetic shaft to the
magnet (Fig. 4). Depending upon the angu-
lar setting, the flux is led to a greater or
lesser degree through the two conductive
elements, in the magnetic path of which a
Hall-effect sensor is also situated. Using this
principle, it is possible to achieve a practi-
cally linear characteristic in the measuring
range of 90°.
The Type ARS2 is a simplified version
which does without soft magnetic conduc-
tive elements (Fig. 5). In this version, the
magnet moves around the Hall-effect sensor
in a circular arc. Only a relatively small sec-

1 tion of the resulting sinusoidal characteristic

Fig. 3 curve features good linearity. If the Hall-
1 Potentiometer effect sensor is located slightly outside the
2
(reference
center of the circular arc, the characteristic
potentiometer)
2 Potentiometer
curve increasingly deviates from the sinu-
0.75 soidal, and now features a short measuring
æ UAE0724E

(half voltage)
range of almost 90°, and a longer measuring
Pedal travel approx. 25 mm
range of more than 180° with good linearity.
Fig. 4
1 Rotor disc
(permanent-
4 ARS1 Hall-effect angle-of-rotation sensor 5 Principle of ARS2 Hall-effect angle-of-rotation sensor
magnetic)
2 Pole shoe
3 Conductive element a b
4 Air gap 90° mT
Flux density B

y
5 Hall-effect sensor 60
ϕ
6 Shaft (soft magnetic) 30
4 180° 1 0°
x 0
90° 180° 270°
ϕ 5 NS -30
1 3
Fig. 5 -60
a Principle of operation
270° Angle of rotation ϕ
b Characteristic curve 2 3 90° mT
Flux density B

y 60
1 Hall IC positioned 30 2
4 6 180° 2 0°
in the mid-point of 0
x 90° 180° 270°
æ UAE0863-1E
æ UAE0770-2Y

the circular path NS -30

2 Hall IC located 3 -60
outside the mid- 270° Angle of rotation ϕ
point (linearization)
3 Magnet
 Cylinder-charge control systems Electronic throttle control (ETC) 35

A great disadvantage though is the low level ETC monitoring concept

of shielding against external fields, as well as The ETC system is classified as a safety-
the remaining dependence on the geometric related system. The engine-management
tolerances of the magnetic circuit, and the system therefore contains the facility for di-
intensity fluctuations of the magnetic flux agnosing the individual components. Input
in the permanent magnet as a function of information representing the power-deter-
temperature and age. mining driver command (accelerator-pedal
In the case of the FPM2.3 Type Hall-effect position) or the engine status (throttle-valve
angle-of-rotation sensor, it is not the field position) is directed to the ECU by two sen-
strength but rather the direction of the mag- sors (redundancy). The two sensors in the
netic field which is used to generate the out- accelerator-pedal module and the two sen-
put signal. The field lines are recorded by sors in the throttle device supply signals Fig. 6
a Design
four radially arranged measuring elements that are independent of each other to such
b Principle
lying in one plane in the x- and y-directions an extent that, if one signal should fail, the c Measurement
(Fig. 6). The output signals are derived in other signal supplies a valid value. Different signals
the ASIC from the raw data (cos and sin sig- characteristic curves ensure that a short
nals) using the arctan function. The sensor circuit between the two signals is detected. 1 Integrated Circuit
is positioned between two magnets to gener- (IC) with Hall-effect
ate a homogenous magnetic field. The sen- elements
2 Magnet (opposing
sor is therefore insensitive to component
magnet not shown
tolerances and temperature-resistant. here)
As with the accelerator-pedal module with 3 Conductive element
a potentiometric sensor, these proximity- 4 Hall-effect elements
type systems also contain two sensors in or- (for recording
der to receive two redundant voltage signals. x-component of B)
5 Hall-effect elements
(for recording
y-component of B)

6 Measuring principle of FPM2.3 7 Exploded view of FPM2.3 accelerator-pedal module Bx Homogenous

magnetic field
a a c
(x-component)
By Homogenous
4
magnetic field
Hall voltage

S N (y-component)
2
3

Fig. 7
2 1 Pedal
5
1 2 Cover
08 1808 3608 5408 3 Spacer sleeve
b
Angle of rotation a 4 Sensor block with
2 N S
3 sin a housing and plug
cos a 6
5 Bearing block
Bx 4 5 4
6 Shaft with two mag-
1 7 8
5 nets and hysteresis
Bx 4 elements (round
magnets not visible)
4
æ UAE0997-4E

9 7 Kickdown (optional)
æ UAE0998Y

5 10 11 8 Two springs
By 9 Stop damper
10 Thrust member
11 Floor cover