Abstract: Engine torque control as a function of a steady state and a transient torque control command to drive engine speed toward a target engine speed provides for a correction to the steady state torque control command to account for unmodelled effects of such slowly changing parameters as ambient temperature and pressure and engine coolant temperature, by determining a difference between an expected and an actual engine control parameter as function of the current engine operating level, translating such difference to an engine torque requirement deviation caused by unmodelled effects, and providing a torque correction therefor so that compensation may be provided in an appropriate manner for the unmodelled effects. The torque correction may further be stored as a function of the current value of the slowly changing parameters to develop a stored model which may be accessed, once developed, to provide the compensation with minimum on-line computation.

Abstract: Synchronization of relative engine angular position information is provided in the absence of an absolute engine position input signal by inducing misfires in a known engine cylinder and then monitoring misfire behavior over a test period. If significant misfire activity does not occur in an engine cylinder assumed, in accord with an assumed engine absolute position, to correspond to the known engine cylinder, then the assumed engine absolute position was not correct and is corrected through application of a position offset to the assumed position. Misfires are induced and the absolute position corrected when the engine is operating at a level assumed to be insensitive to the misfires and the correction.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine exhaust gas is combined with heat energy emitted by an exhaust gas heater in a staged manner through an interface that diverts portions of the exhaust gas into a number of mixing stages with the heat energy, so that exhaust gas temperature may be elevated to levels supporting exothermic oxidation of exhaust gas elements, contributing additional heat energy to that emitted by the heater to provide for rapid catalytic converter heating following a coldstart of the engine.

Abstract: An automotive hydraulic control system varies hydraulic fluid pressure applied to an actuator to position the actuator in accord with an automotive control application, the fluid pressure being generated in accord with a pressure command output from a hydraulic control function responsive to desired fluid pressure and to deviation in measured or estimated actuator transient response away from preferred actuator response to compensate for variations in hydraulic control system operating conditions.

Abstract: Position of a rotatable automotive part is sensed with a trio of magnetic field intensity sensors disposed adjacent a ring that rotates with the automotive part, the ring comprising alternating permanent magnet sections with at least one localized magnetic field depression corresponding to a synchronization position of the part wherein the sensors are spaced along the direction of ring rotation so that the relative phase between the output signals of a first pair of the sensors as indicated by the relative output signal magnitude indicates incremental displacement of the part, and so that a significant difference in magnitude between the output signal of a second pair of the sensors indicates the synchronization position.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine ignition timing is adjusted in response to a sensed knock condition and in response to a determination of engine knock propensity through application of fuzzy logic, wherein an inference engine comprised of a predetermined knowledge rulebase generates a set of truths in response to application of a set of input signals from a set of membership functions. The set of truths are combined according to both relative and absolute strength in indicating engine knock propensity.

Abstract: Small engine control is provided in which a manual selection of an engine operating level, such as from a positioning of a movable selector between a discrete number of selection settings is used to reference open-loop fuel, air, and ignition timing commands for application to respective actuators in accord with simple yet accurate and flexible engine control. Control precision, sensitivity, and stability are enhanced through engine parameter feedback control, wherein any of the open-loop air, fuel and ignition timing commands may be adjusted in accord with a difference between a feedback signal and a target value.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine control includes a dynamic block learn array structure which is adaptable in accord with monitored closed-loop control activity. Cells are consolidated when neighboring cells call for a substantially common control correction, with the most current block learn information replacing more obsolete block learn information. A persistent need for additional compensation despite the block learn activity triggers addition of cells to the structure, or triggers redefinition of cell boundaries to most effectively learn the appropriate compensation.

Abstract: Electrohydraulic braking applied to a plurality of automotive vehicle braking channels operates to drive brake pressure modulator position toward a position corresponding to a braking input and corrected for channel to channel braking variations and vehicle deceleration error. A function for adapting the braking input to a position command is provided for each channel and is periodically adapted in accord with a difference between the channel's brake pressure modulator position error and a desired position error.

Abstract: A diagnostic apparatus applied to internal combustion engine exhaust gas sensors employing electrochemical polarographic principles indicates sensor operation relative to a current limiting operating region in which a sensor output signal indicates oxygen concentration in the exhaust gas. A sensor drive signal is controllably perturbed and sensor sensitivity monitored by monitoring the sensor response to the perturbation. Current limiting operation may be diagnosed and indicated when the sensor response indicates an insensitivity to the perturbation.

Abstract: Timing of delivery of a determined fuel injection quantity is adapted for engine operating conditions including current conditions and likely future conditions under which the fueling requirement may vary significantly from fueling event to fueling event. Parameters are sensed indicating the actual engine operating condition and indicating any current or potential transients, and a fuel injection timing value referenced as a function of the parameters to account not only for the current engine condition, but for likely future conditions.

Abstract: A fault tolerant automotive serial communication network includes a central communication node directly connected to a plurality of automotive electronic devices through corresponding interface circuitry including fault tolerant circuitry for detecting a serial communication fault in the corresponding device and for rapidly and substantially unintrusively removing the device from the network for the duration of the detected fault to minimize the impact of the fault on network operation.

Abstract: Automotive internal combustion engine air/fuel ratio control accuracy improvement is provided through correction of engine cylinder volumetric efficiency to account for variation in engine intake air temperature away from volumetric efficiency calibration intake air temperature, and to account for heating of the intake air passing through engine intake air passages prior to entry to the engine cylinders. Change in air density and change in airflow dynamics occurring in engine intake air passages are accounted for in the volumetric efficiency correction so that engine control commands more accurately account for actual engine cylinder intake air mass.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine cylinder volumetric efficiency is corrected for deviations in cylinder combustion temperature away from volumetric efficiency calibration combustion temperature to account for engine cylinder intake air and fuel dynamics under conditions deviating away from calibration conditions. The significance of the combustion temperature deviation on cylinder intake air and fuel heating is evaluated in accord with engine intake mass airflow information. The corrected volumetric efficiency is applied for improved cylinder intake air mass determination and for precise cylinder air/fuel ratio control.

Abstract: Dynamic adjustment of the impact of automotive vehicle accelerator pedal position on engine inlet air valve position in which a gain is varied in accord with vehicle speed and a limit varied in accord with vehicle speed, the gain being applied in a transfer function between sensed accelerator pedal position and desired inlet air valve position, and the limit being applied to the desired inlet air valve position, with the transfer function varying in accord with an operator selection from a set of transfer functions.

Abstract: A catalytic treatment device diagnostic for an automotive exhaust system having at least two catalytic treatment devices wherein reduced oxygen storage capacity of each of the devices may be diagnosed without significant loss in engine air/fuel ratio control precision by varying the source of an actual air/fuel ratio feedback signal from a sensor positioned upstream of the devices during normal operation to a sensor mounted downstream of at least one of the devices during a diagnostic period. Measurable change in the oxygen content of exhaust gas passing through each of such devices then becomes available for analysis during the diagnostic period.

Abstract: Internal combustion engine misfires are diagnosed through monitoring of change in engine speed wherein an acceleration spike index is generated for each cylinder event over a number of engine cycles in a test period and is corrected in accord with sensed part tolerancing, and wherein the corrected acceleration spike index is compared to at least one misfire threshold. For each engine cylinder, a degree of misfire severity is diagnosed at the end of the test period in accord with the frequency of excursions by the corresponding misfire index above the at least one misfire threshold.

Abstract: Restrictions in a path of flow of recirculated internal combustion engine exhaust gas from an engine exhaust system to an engine intake manifold are diagnosed when the engine is determined to be in a steady state operating condition through a monitoring of the air pressure in the engine intake manifold while the flow of exhaust gas thereto is varied according to a predetermined flow schedule. Changes in the monitored air pressure are determined over a test period, are filtered through a lag filter process having a dynamic filter coefficient, and are compared to a dynamic threshold to determine a presence of a restriction. The filter coefficient and the threshold may be adjusted in accord with the outcome of the diagnostic.

Abstract: Intake valve timing information is provided for control and diagnostics in a variable valve timing internal combustion engine application in which check valves are disposed in intake passages connecting engine cylinders to an intake plenum for impeding backflow out of the intake passages and into the intake plenum, by timed sampling of intake passage pressure and a determination of pressure change over an intake valve closing event indicating an amount of backflow out of the cylinder and into the intake passage. The amount of backflow indicates intake valve timing as the crank angle at the time of intake valve closing.

Abstract: A delta model is used to calculate a predicted manifold absolute pressure MAP for a future period and the air mass induced in each cylinder is calculated from such a predicted value and used to determine the correct amount of fuel to inject at that period. Several reference pulses generated for each crankshaft revolution establish one or more sets of equally spaced points at which measurements are made of the parameters MAP, throttle position, exhaust gas recirculation value and idle air control. A base value of MAP is calculated, trends of changes in the parameters are calculated for each set of points, and weighted values of the trends are summed with the base value to predict a value of MAP. Alternatively, mass air flow MAF is measured as well as the other parameters and mass air per cylinder MAC is calculated.