| These days, you will find new cars with the latest | | | | The ECU'S (Engine control unit) monitors the |
| incorporated engine technology. The engine of a | | | | engine by using sensors so that it can gather |
| car has undergone a massive change, right from | | | | information about the cars quantity of fuel, ignition |
| the age old carburetor to the Engine Control Unit | | | | timing and other such parameters. The ECU |
| (ECU). In the 19th century, when the first | | | | works according to the input data that it gets |
| single-cylinder petrol engine driver car came into | | | | from the various sensors that are located within |
| force, it was the "Carburetor" that came into | | | | the engine. The various types of sensors that are |
| existence. Later on, multi cylinder engines were | | | | fitted all over the engine are MAP sensor, throttle |
| considered as a new thing. Finally, in the early 80's | | | | position sensor, air temperature sensor, oxygen |
| we got a new car system, consisting of controlled | | | | sensor and many more. The sensors incorporated |
| - feeding of fuel, air and ignition spark to the ICE | | | | within the engine, are basically used to determine |
| cylinders. It was the fuel-injection system that | | | | the various "operating states of the engine and its |
| was born, which replaced the century old | | | | performance. These sensors monitor's various |
| carburetors. In a multi point fuel injection system, | | | | aspects such as the ambient air temperature, |
| it injects fuel into individual cylinders. The injection | | | | engine/coolant temperature, exhaust /main fold |
| of the fuel takes place on the basis of the | | | | temp, exhaust O2 content, throttle position, the |
| commands from the "on board engine | | | | rpm of the engine, the vehicle road speed and |
| management system" computer. This computer is | | | | crankshaft position. The ECU (Engine Control Unit) |
| known as the engine control unit or the ECU. | | | | uses the closed -loop control method, where it |
| The main process based job of an engine control | | | | monitors the output of a system in order to |
| unit (ECU) is to control the various features of an | | | | control the inputs to a system. Since, the ECU |
| internal combustion engine's operation. Earlier, the | | | | (Engine Control Unit) gathers data from various |
| ECU that was fitted in most of the cars and had | | | | different sensors, it knows all about the coolant |
| their engine parameters fixed. Also, the | | | | temperature to the amount of oxygen in the |
| carburetor would determine the required quantity | | | | exhaust. On the basis of this available data, the |
| of fuel per cylinder/per engine cycle. In other | | | | ECU (Engine Control Unit) starts performing huge |
| words, the simple version of the ECU'S would | | | | calculations every second. On the bases of the |
| control only the quantity of fuel injected into each | | | | programmed interpretation of all the available input |
| cylinder, at each engine cycle. The advanced | | | | data, the ECU ( Engine Control Unit) will deliver the |
| types of engine control unit (ECU), which are | | | | required commands to the engine's fuel intake and |
| fitted on most modern cars, are capable of | | | | spark ignition timings system and thus help in |
| controlling the ignition timing, variable value timing | | | | bringing out a satisfactory performance of the |
| (VVT) and other peripherals. | | | | car's engine. |