ERROR DETECTION DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

摘要

The objective of the present invention is to enable errors with a fuel property sensor used in the determination of the fuel property, and particularly sticking errors, to be detected accurately in an internal combustion engine the operation of which is controlled in response to the property of the fuel being used. To achieve this objective, the present invention provides an error detection device for which a fuel property sensor is provided in a branch flow path for which a condition occurs wherein fuel leaks from inside said flow path during the interval from startup of the internal combustion engine until the next startup after the engine has stopped, rather than the main flow path of the fuel flow path connecting the fuel pump and the injector. The output value from the fuel property sensor when fuel is flowing in that branch flow path is picked up as a first sensor output value, and the output value from the fuel property sensor when the fuel leaks from that branch flow path is picked up as a second sensor output value. Then, the first sensor output value and the second sensor output value are used as criteria in determining whether there is an error with the fuel property sensor.