Mixture controller for an internal combustion engine

Abstract

A mixture controller for adjusting an output value, which is outputted by a PI two-point controller, to control the air/fuel ratio of a mixture supplied to an internal combustion engine to a pregiven value. The engine produces an exhaust-gas flow during operation and has an oxygen probe mounted in the exhaust-gas flow. The mixture controller continuously detects the signal of the oxygen probe to obtain sequential measurement values of the signal. A check is made as to whether a currently detected measurement value of the signal has crossed over a threshold value in the lean or rich direction compared to the previously detected measurement value of the signal. The output value is changed when a crossover of the signal in the lean direction is present by shifting the output value with a large step via a P-jump in the rich direction and starting an integration of the output value in the rich direction from a previous lean direction. The output value is also changed when a crossover of the signal in the rich direction is present by stopping the integration of the output value in the rich direction and starting an integration in the lean direction after a pregiven delay time has elapsed. The operation of the mixture controller is returned to checking after the output value has changed. A return of the operation of the mixture controller to the checking operation is inhibited until an inhibit time has elapsed.