What does the throttle position sensor in the car do?

Throttle position sensor, also known as throttle opening sensor or throttle switch, is a device for detecting engine state. As the name implies, these signals are transmitted to the ECU electronic control unit of the automobile through the circuit, and then the ECU electronic control unit of the automobile judges how much fuel should be allocated to the fuel system through this transmitted signal.

Extended data:

The throttle position sensor is also called throttle opening sensor or throttle switch. Its main function is to detect whether the engine is in idle or load condition, acceleration or deceleration condition. It is essentially a variable resistor and several switches installed on the throttle body.

The rotating shaft of the resistor is connected with the throttle valve, and it has two contacts: a fully open contact and an idle contact. When the throttle valve is in the idle position, the idle contact is closed and the idle working condition signal is output to the computer; When the throttle valve is in other positions, the idle contact is opened, and voltage signals with different angles relative to the throttle valve are output, and the computer identifies the engine load according to the signal voltage value; According to the change rate of signal voltage in a certain period of time, whether it is an acceleration state or a deceleration state is identified. According to these working conditions, the computer corrects the fuel injection quantity or controls the fuel cut-off.

References:

Throttle position sensor-Baidu Encyclopedia