# ENGINE CRANKSHAFT ANGULAR POSITION SENSOR/ CRANKSHAFT

POSITION SENSOR:
An engine crankshaft angular position sensor, often referred to as a crankshaft
position sensor or CKP sensor, is a component in a vehicle's engine
management system. It monitors the rotational position of the crankshaft,
which is a crucial parameter for ignition timing and fuel injection
synchronization. This information helps the engine control module (ECM)
optimize engine performance, fuel efficiency, and emissions.

☆ Working of crankshaft position sensor;

The working of a crankshaft position sensor is less complex and can be easily
understood. In its working, the teeth on the reluctor ring attached to the
crankshaft pass near to the sensor tip on the crankshaft position sensor. One or
more teeth are missing from the reluctor ring, which serves as a reference
point for the engine computer (PCM). The sensor generates a pulsed voltage
signal when the crankshaft spins, with each pulse corresponding to a tooth on
the reluctor ring. With the engine idling, the photo below displays the actual
signal from the crankshaft position sensor.
The PCM uses the signal from the crankshaft position sensor to determine
when and in which cylinder to fire the spark. The signal from the crankshaft
position is also utilized to check for misfires in the cylinders. There will be no
spark and the fuel injectors will not operate if the sensor signal is missing.

☆ Functions of crankshaft position sensor;

The followings are the functions of crankshaft position sensors:
• The crankshaft position sensor’s primary function is to determine the crank’s
position and/or rotational speed (RPM).
• The information sent by the sensor is used by Engine Adjust Units to control
factors such as ignition timing and fuel injection timing.
• In diesel engines, the sensor will control the fuel injection.
# THROTTLE POSITION/ ANGLE SENSOR:
A throttle position sensor (TPS) is a device in a vehicle's engine that monitors
the position of the throttle valve. The throttle valve controls the amount of air
that enters the engine, which in turn affects the engine's power and speed. The
TPS sends this information to the engine control unit (ECU), allowing it to
adjust the fuel injection and ignition timing for optimal performance and
efficiency.

☆ Working of TPS;
The principle of the throttle position sensor is actually a sliding varistor. When
the throttle is pressed, the idle signal line is disconnected, the sliding varistor
also follows the rotation, the computer detects the voltage value, the data
obtained by comparison, analysis, and control basic Injective amount.The
throttle angle position sensor has two variable resistance, responsible for
feedback to the system.
One of the electrical throttle resistances increased linearly, and the electrical
throttle resistance value of the electronic throttle is decreased. The resulting
voltage signal (position information of the throttle) is conveyed to the engine
control unit to reflect the change of the throttle opening and the opening rate
of the opening rate and is used to process information and control the throttle,
which can feed back the position information of a throttle. The control unit
forms a closed-loop control. Thus, when the control unit passes the instruction
to the adjustment motor. The motor can correctly turn the throttle valve to
rotate the throttle valve according to the information feedback of the sensor.
Two sensors are for accurate and standby.

☆ Applications of TPS; Throttle position sensors (TPS) have several

important applications in vehicles: 1.Engine Management: TPS is crucial for the
engine control unit (ECU) to determine the exact position of the throttle valve.
2.Idle Control: TPS helps regulate the engine's idle speed by informing the ECU
about the throttle position when the vehicle is not moving. 3.Cruise Control: In
vehicles equipped with cruise control, the TPS assists in maintaining a constant
speed. 4.Emission Control: TPS data contributes to optimizing the air-fuel
mixture, which helps reduce harmful emissions from the engine.
☆ Types of crankshaft position sensor;
Some of the different sensors used to sense the crankshaft position are given
below,

1.Hall effect sensor;

It consists of the permanent magnet along with the sensing element. The
sensing element is under the magnetic field of a permanent magnet. When the
teeth of the relative will disturb the magnetic field, the resistance of the
sensing element also changes. This fluctuation in resistance is used to create a
pulse voltage signal.

2.Inductive crankshaft sensor;

In this type of sensor, the sensor is consists of a permanent magnet and

winding coil.
When the reluctor wheel is in stop condition, two winding coil is under a
constant magnetic field of the permanent magnet. But when the reluctor
wheel starts to rotate the teeth of reluctor disturb the magnetic field.

☆ Electronics throttle control system (ETC);

An electronic throttle control (ETC) system, also known as “drive-by-wire”
system, is a technology used in modern vehicles to control the throttle opening
of the engine electronically, rather than mechanically through a physical
connection, like a traditional throttle cable. In an ETC system, sensors monitor
various parameters such as accelerator pedal position, vehicle speed, engine
load, and more. This information is then processed by the engine control unit
(ECU), which determines how much the throttle should open or close to
achieve the desired engine performance.
-Working of ETC;

Its essentially a loop feedback systems managed by wire and electronics. An

electronic control unit is an electronic device that regulates the flow of fuel
into your car's combustion chamber in response to how hard you push on the
gas pedal.

The electronics in the ETC module make calculations about what to do next,
based on inputs from sensors like the oxygen sensors or other devices
monitoring driver information.

 There is a servo and a throttle position sensor that is included in the

throttle control system. The servo is an electric motor that controls
the throttle opening, and a throttle position sensor monitors how
wide open it is.
 Gas from a tank enters through a small passage controlled by the
throttle valve before being using by your car's engine.
 ECUs regulate how much gas enters by giving more fuel with a push
of the accelerator and less when you're coasting or braking. The ECU
stands for engine control unit.
 The engine control module or ECU controls the throttle, maintaining
a constant pressure in your fuel tank and regulating the flow of gas
to maintain an even idle speed and proper acceleration. You can
actually see this on older cars with carburetors where you'll find it
under the dashboard near one of your feet.
-Advantages of ETC;
1. Better Precision: Electronic throttle bodies can respond more quickly and
precisely to changes in the accelerator pedal position, resulting in
smoother and more consistent engine performance.
2. Improved Fuel Efficiency: Electronic throttle bodies can be programmed
to reduce airflow during deceleration, which can improve fuel efficiency.
3. Reduced Maintenance: Electronic throttle bodies do not require a
physical cable, which means there are fewer moving parts to wear out or
become damaged.

# TYPES OF AIR FLOW SENSOR:

An air flow sensor, also known as a mass air flow sensor (MAF), is a device used
in vehicles to measure the amount of air entering the engine's combustion
chamber. Its types are;

1.Hot wire air flow sensor;

Hotwire air flow meters use a hot wire mass airflow sensor to measure the
flow rate of air. These sensors are made of short, circular-shaped platinum or
tungsten-like resistive wires which are heated in prior up to a certain degree of
temperature.

These sensors are then placed in central position across the air stream. The
flowing air cools-off the wire which in turn causes its resistance to drop-off.
This drop in the resistance of the wire gives a measure of its flow rate.
Therefore due to the change in a magnetic field, the EMF is generated inside of
the winding coil which is used to generate a pulse signal.

3.Optical crankshaft position sensor;

As shown in the figure the slotted wheel is mounted on the crankshaft. The
light source and photodiode are arranged on either side of the slotted wheel.
All these three components are arranged in such a way that when the slot on
the slotted wheel comes between the light source and photodiode, the light
will incident on the photodiode.

The resistance of the photodiode varies with the change in intensity of incident
light. Hence when the slotted disc starts to rotate, then due to the fluctuations
of the photodiode, the pulse signal is generated by the sensor. This pulsating
signal is provided as input to the ECU.
2. Vane Air Flow sensor;
These air flow meters employ vane type mass air flow sensors to measure the
amount of air passing through them. Basically, they comprise of a metered
vane which is placed along the direction of the flowing air.
This vane will be connected to a spring and usually be placed in its rest
position. However once the air starts to flow, this vane will get displaced under
the pressure of the spring. This deflection is converted into the voltage signal
with the help of a potentiometer which is then used to determine the rate of
air flow.
3. Pitot Tube Air Flow sensor;
These air flow meters are usually employed in aircrafts to measure the air
speed. They can be either impact or cantilever or static in nature. In pitot-static
type, the pitot tube will comprise of two ports pitot and static. Generally, the
pitot port is inserted into the duct so as to face the air flow.

Here a pitot port measures the dynamic pressure of airflow, while the static
port gives an estimate of the static pressure from the small holes present along
the tube-side. The difference between these two pressures gives a measure of
flow rate of air.

4.Cup Anemometer;
This kind of air flow meter has an arrangement of vertical shaft which supports
the horizontal arms carrying four hemispherical cups. At any instant of time,
there would be atleast one cup facing the direction along which the air flows.
As a result, flowing wind causes the shaft attached to the device to rotate. The
number of turns made by the shaft over a particular interval of time would give
us a measure of speed with which the wind blows across it.