Abstract: An engine self-diagnosis system capable of performing diagnosis of the light-off performance of a catalyst at a low cost and high accuracy without requiring addition or improvement of a sensor, etc. The engine self-diagnosis system comprises a unit for directly or indirectly detecting performance A of an exhaust cleaning catalyst when temperature of the catalyst is within a predetermined temperature range, and a unit for, based on the detected catalyst performance A, estimating performance B of the catalyst, which is resulted when the temperature of the catalyst is outside the predetermined temperature range.

Abstract: An engine exhaust gas cleaning method and system, which can effectively reduce emission amounts of particular components, such as NOx, contained in exhaust gas by adding an additive, such as urea water or light oil, into an exhaust passage, which is adaptable for a reduction of the cleaning rate caused by deterioration of a catalyst, which can always maintain a high cleaning rate during acceleration and deceleration as well, and which can minimize environmental pollution with use of the additive in the least necessary amount. The engine exhaust gas cleaning system comprises a catalyst for removing a particular component, represented by NOx, contained in exhaust gas of an engine, an additive adding unit for adding, to the exhaust gas, an additive for reducing the particular component represented by NOx, and an EGR amount adjusting unit for adjusting an EGR amount. An addition amount of the additive and the EGR amount are set depending on an operating state and deterioration of the catalyst with time.

Abstract: An intake-air measuring apparatus for an internal combustion engine, enabling to calculate a mass of intake-air inducted into the internal combustion engine, with a small map but at high accuracy, comprises: a means for measuring out an air mass passing through a throttle valve based on pressure in up/down streams of the throttle valve and temperature in the upstream of the throttle valve; a means for calculating an air mass passing through the intake valve based on a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, an open/close timing of the intake valve and an opening of an EGR valve; and a means for selecting either one of the air mass passing through the throttle valve or the air mass passing through the intake valve, depending upon operation condition of the internal combustion engine, thereby outputting the selected air mass as inducted air mass into the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: An intake-air measuring apparatus for an internal combustion engine, enabling to calculate a mass of intake-air inducted into the internal combustion engine, with a small map but at high accuracy, comprises: a means for measuring out an air mass passing through a throttle valve based on pressure in up/down streams of the throttle valve and temperature in the upstream of the throttle valve; a means for calculating an air mass passing through the intake valve based on a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine, an open/close timing of the intake valve and an opening of an EGR valve; and a means for selecting either one of the air mass passing through the throttle valve or the air mass passing through the intake valve, depending upon operation condition of the internal combustion engine, thereby outputting the selected air mass as inducted air mass into the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: An HC absorption combustion catalyst is provided in the exhaust pipe of an internal combustion engine and shifts from an HC absorption phase to an HC purification phase through an HC release phase as a temperature of the HC absorption combustion catalyst increases from a low value to a high value. The temperature of the HC absorption combustion catalyst is controlled in accordance with the HC absorption phase, the HC release phase and the HC purification phase.

Abstract: In order to improve the decrease of the catalytic action and the deterioration of the exhaust purification performance, a catalyst installed in the exhaust pipe of an engine and a secondary air pump for supplying secondary air into the exhaust pipe are provided, and the secondary air pump is operated even after the engine has stopped.

Abstract: To improve startability and reduce the amount of HC emission at start-up with the aid of a construction where vaporized fuel is supplied to the bypass passage that bypasses the main passage.

Abstract: A diagnosis system for an engine including an exhaust pipe, a hydrocarbon (HC) absorbent arranged within the exhaust pipe, an upstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged upstream of the HC absorbent and detecting a wide range air/fuel ratio of an exhaust gas, a downstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged downstream of the HC absorbent and detecting rich or lean with respect to stoichiometric air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas, and a control unit, the control unit includes means for correcting an air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent, means for correcting an air/fuel ratio downstream of the HC absorbent, and means for predicting a HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent, the means for correcting the air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent correcting and controlling an output value of the upstream air/fuel ratio sensor toward lean, the means for predicting the HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent predicting an absorbing performance of the HC absorbent on the basis of a difference between an output value o

Abstract: A diagnosis system for an engine including an exhaust pipe, a hydrocarbon (HC) absorbent arranged within the exhaust pipe, an upstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged upstream of the HC absorbent and detecting a wide range air/fuel ratio of an exhaust gas, a downstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged downstream of the HC absorbent and detecting rich or lean with respect to stoichiometric air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas, and a control unit, the control unit includes means for correcting an air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent, means for correcting an air/fuel ratio downstream of the HC absorbent, and means for predicting a HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent, the means for correcting the air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent correcting and controlling an output value of the upstream air/fuel ratio sensor toward lean, the means for predicting the HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent predicting an absorbing performance of the HC absorbent on the basis of a difference between an output value o

Abstract: A failure of a detecting circuit such as an ion current detecting circuit for detecting a combustion condition of an engine can be diagnosed at a stage for detecting a combustion condition by a combustion condition detecting apparatus equipped with a malfunction diagnosing apparatus. The engine combustion condition detecting apparatus equipped with the malfunction diagnosing apparatus is arranged by a sensing circuit for sensing an ion current flowing through a combustion chamber, a misfire judging means for judging misfire occurred in the engine in response to the detection signal derived from the sensing circuit, and a malfunction judging means for judging malfunction of the sensing circuit.

Abstract: A diagnosis system for an engine including an exhaust pipe, a hydrocarbon (HC) absorbent arranged within the exhaust pipe, an upstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged upstream of the HC absorbent and detecting a wide range air/fuel ratio of an exhaust gas, a downstream air/fuel ratio sensor arranged downstream of the HC absorbent and detecting rich or lean with respect to stoichiometric air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas, and a control unit, the control unit includes means for correcting an air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent, means for correcting an air/fuel ratio downstream of the HC absorbent, and means for predicting a HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent, the means for correcting the air/fuel ratio upstream of the HC absorbent correcting and controlling an output value of the upstream air/fuel ratio sensor toward lean, the means for predicting the HC absorbing amount of the HC absorbent predicting an absorbing performance of the HC absorbent on the basis of a difference between an output value o

Abstract: A failure of a detecting circuit such as an ion current detecting circuit for detecting a combustion condition of an engine can be diagnosed at a stage for detecting a combustion condition by a combustion condition detecting apparatus equipped with a malfunction diagnosing apparatus. The engine combustion condition detecting apparatus equipped with the malfunction diagnosing apparatus is arranged by a sensing circuit for sensing an ion current flowing through a combustion chamber, a misfire judging means for judging misfire occurred in the engine in response to the detection signal derived from the sensing circuit, and a malfunction judging means for judging malfunction of the sensing circuit.

Abstract: A knock detection device being provided with a plurality of digital filter units, each is designed to cover respective characteristic resonance vibration frequency components inherent to resonance vibration modes due to knocking and including first, second and third digital filters, the first digital filter being tuned to the center frequency of the characteristic resonance vibration frequency component, the second digital filter being tuned to a neighboring lower frequency and the third digital filter being tuned to a neighboring higher frequency.

Abstract: A method and apparatus of detecting knocking in an internal combustion engine having a crankshaft uses a knock detecting sensor to detect vibration caused by knocking. The signals from the knock detecting sensor are detected between a first and a second moment of time (i.e. a measurement window) and at least one of the first and second moments of time are independently varied in dependence upon a vibration spectrum of frequencies to be detected. In a preferred embodiment a plurality of frequency spectra, each having a different first and second moment of time, are each separately analyzed for determining knock intensity. The moments of time are represented by first and second angles of the crankshaft. A plurality of measurement windows are advantageously used to determine the level of knocking and if the level exceeds a predetermined level the ignition timing for the engine is retarded.

Abstract: A system and method for load sharing processing operations between a vehicle mounted station (105) and a stationary base station (25) having a large capacity host computer is described. The vehicle mounted station has detectors for determining operating conditions of a vehicle and controllers (3, 4, 501) for varying the operating conditions. The controllers are connected to a transmitter-receiver (5) which is arranged to communicate over a path (10) with a transmitter-receiver (11) of the base station. The base station has a host computer (18) having a large memory capacity. At predetermined intervals, for example, distance of travel or at engine stop, the vehicle transmitter (5) transmits operating conditions to the base receiver (11) for data processing and the base transmitter (11) then transmits processed data back to the vehicle receiver (5), whereupon the controllers (3, 4, 501) modify the vehicle operating conditions.

Abstract: There is provided an air-flow ratio control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which comprises a means for measuring a flow amount of intake air, a means for assuming an amount of intake air filled in a surge tank, and means for assuming an amount of exhaust gas remaining in a combustion chamber, and controls a feed amount of fuel based on the result of an assumption effected by these means. Therefore, according to the present invention, an amount of intake air supplied into each cylinder can be precisely measured, an air-flow ratio can be kept constant even in a transient state such as in acceleration or deceleration, and NOx, CO and HC contained in exhaust gas can be reduced. Further, with this arrangement, the size of a conventional ternary catalyst can be reduced.

Abstract: There are provided a first ignition timing table for high-octane fuel and a second ignition timing table for low-octane fuel. When the second table is switched over to the first table, there is at first the difference in between basic ignition timings according to the first and second tables, and then the difference is reduced with time at a constant rate. An actual ignition timing during the switchover of an ignition timing table is determined by subtracting the reducing difference from the basic ignition timing according to the first table. The actual ignition timing when knocking is detected is compared with a predetermined threshold. If the former exceeds the latter, the second table is switched over to the first table, and otherwise the second table is maintained, whereby the actual ignition timing can be changed smoothly even during the switchover of an ignition timing table.

Abstract: A liquid crystal color display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display panel having a section with transparent electrodes provided with color filters in striped formation and another section with transparent electrodes provided with no color filters, and separate electrode drive circuits for applying a voltage to the electrodes of the former section and another voltage to the electrodes of the latter section, with the intention of achieving little difference of brightness between both sections. The color filters in striped formation are provided in the entire area including display pattern segments having the arrangment of the transparent electrodes and a background area without transparent electrodes, with the intention of equalizing the visibility of unlighted segments and the background.

Abstract: An electronic odometer employing a non-volatile memory is used to indicate the total distance traveled by a vehicle such as an automobile. The total distance traveled by the vehicle, calculated by an arithmetic unit 3 from signals from a pulse generator 1, is written piece-by-piece sequentially into a non-volatile memory 7 which has N locations for storing the data on total distance. To read the data, the maximum value of the total distance data is found from the N locations storing total distance data of the non-volatile memory 7. When the difference between the maximum value and the data item written immediately before the maximum value is equal to a preset distance, the maximum value is indicated as the total distance traveled on digital display unit 8.

Abstract: There are provided a first ignition timing table for high-octane fuel and a second ignition timing table for low-octane fuel. When the second table is switched over to the first table, there is at first the difference in between basic ignition timings according to the first and second tables, and then the difference is reduced with time at a constant rate. An actual ignition timing during the switchover of an ignition timing table is determined by subtracting the reducing difference from the basic ignition timing according to the first table. The actual ignition timing when knocking is detected is compared with a predetermined threshold. If the former exceeds the latter, the second table is switched over to the first table, and otherwise the second table is maintained, whereby the actual ignition timing can be changed smoothly even during the switchover of an ignition timing table.