Patent 7801666 was granted and assigned to Denso on September, 2010 by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
In a multi-cylinder engine, to compute the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder by an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in an exhaust pipe, a cylinder is determined by a crank angle detected by a crank angle sensor. A deviation in the air-fuel ratio of each cylinder is detected on the basis of the output signal of the air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in the exhaust pipe and the forcibly changed quantity of the air-fuel ratio.