In April 2010, Bosch produced its 50 millionth DV-E electric throttle device at its Nuremberg plant. The unit regulates the air supply in the gasoline engine’s intake tract. It consists of a throttle device with an electric drive and an angle sensor. On the basis of the accelerator position, the engine control unit calculates the required opening of the throttle valve, the ignition angle, and the injection amount. A DC motor adjusts the throttle-valve shaft via a gearing unit, and in this way meters the air volume. By precisely metering air volume, the DV-E controls the torque level delivered by the engine, and thus engine power. At the same time, it also plays a role in air-fuel mixture preparation for economical and low-CO2 combustion.
Condition for safety and driver assistance systems
The DV-E also creates the condition for safety and driver assistance systems that require a reduction or increase in engine power in specific driving situations, such as traction control, ESP®, or ACC adaptive cruise control. The throttle can be used to reduce engine power, for example, so that the traction control system can prevent the wheels from spinning, or to increase or reduce engine power so that ACC can keep the vehicle at a constant distance from the vehicle ahead. The Bosch DV-E is one of the lightest aluminium throttle devices on the market, and no other device takes up less space. Its low power consumption is also particularly impressive. Available in diameters between 32 and 82 millimetres, it can be used in almost all engine and displacement classes. In diesel engines, the electrically regulated control valve (RKL-E) is a similar device, controlling both the air supply and exhaust-gas recirculation.
This component’s history began in 1986 with production of the DV-E1 in the Bosch plant in Bühl, Germany. Then, in 1989, the DV-E3 for 12-cylinder Mercedes-Benz models was produced at the Nuremberg plant. As calls for reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions became louder, demand for these Bosch components also increased. Following start of production in 1997, the DV-E5 reached annual production figures of more than 3.5 million units. The RKL-E for diesel engines went into series production in 2003. Production of this component was also given a massive boost by the trend toward high-torque and economical diesel engines.
Global production
To this day, more DV-E5 devices have been made than any other throttle device. It is manufactured at five Bosch sites worldwide. The international manufacturing network includes sites in the U.S., Brazil, China, South Korea, and Germany. After the first applications in Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, and Fiat vehicles, nearly all carmakers around the world now use Bosch throttle devices.
Robert Bosch GmbH – Automotive Equipment