Electronically controlled internal combustion engine provided with an accelerator position sensor

Claim 1

An electronically controlled internal combustion engine comprising an accelerator position sensor provided with an electrical contact wiper operatively connected to an accelerator pedal, an idling switch for indicating the position of said pedal at which a throttle valve is opened to the idling position, an intermediate switch for indicating the position of said pedal at which the throttle valve is opened to the middle position a fully opening switch for indicating the position of said pedal at which the throttle valve is opened to its fully open position, said respective switches being arranged along the moving track of said wiper within said accelerator position sensor and respectively issuing signals when said wiper crosses them, a first means connected to said accelerator position sensor and said respective switches, judging as a failure in case the output from said accelerator position sensor is not within a normal range previously memorized when a signal is generated by any of said respective switches and putting out a failure sensing signal, and a second means connected to said first means, judging a desirable running state on the basis of a combination of signals from said respective switches without accepting signals from said accelerator position sensor when said accelerator position sensor is judged to fail by said first means, and controlling an injector so that the desirable running state is obtained.