Robust controller design and experimental verification of I.C. engine speed control

Presented in this paper is the robust idle speed control of a Ford 4·6 L V-8 fuel injected engine. The goal of this investigation is to design a robust feedback controller that maintains the idle speed within a 150 rpm tolerance about 600 rpm despite a 20 Nm step torque disturbance delivered by the power steering pump. The controlled input is the by-pass air valve which is subjected to an output saturation constraint. Issues complicating the controller design include the nonlinear nature of the engine dynamics, the induction-to-power delay of the manifold filling dynamics, and the saturation constraint of the by-pass air valve. An experimental verification of the proposed controller is included.