Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes phase change means (60) for advancing or retarding phases of an opening timing and a closing timing of an intake valve (62); duration change means (60) for increasing or decreasing a duration of the intake valve (62); and EGR gas amount increase means (50) for increasing an amount of EGR gas, based on an operating state of an internal combustion engine. The control apparatus further includes intake-valve closing timing advancing means (50) for advancing the intake-valve closing timing when the amount of EGR gas is increased. The intake-valve closing timing advancing means (50) advances the intake-valve closing timing by performing a first operation that advances the phases using the phase change means (60), and performing a second operation that decreases the duration using the duration change means (60), and makes a timing at which the second operation is started later than a timing at which the first operation is started.

Abstract: During a rich spike control for an exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine, a base air-fuel ratio AFb is decreased in a range where a combustion variation ?CC does not exceed a permissible limit ?CCL (S108). When the combustion variation ?CC exceeds the permissible limit ?CCL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is increased (S213). When the torque decrease amount ?TD is above the permissible value ?TDL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is decreased (S215). When the combustion variation ?CC is above the permissible limit ?CCL, and the torque decrease amount ?TD is above the permissible value ?TDL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is increased, and a fuel discharge time number EN is increased (S216).

Abstract: In a device for controlling idling stop of an engine in which the idling stop is carried out when a temperature of the engine that is about to be stopped by the idling stop is higher than a threshold value, when the start improvement device does not function normally, the idling stop is prohibited regardless of engine temperature. Thus, the problem in which the engine cannot be restarted satisfactorily does not occur.

Abstract: In a device for starting an engine, in which when the engine is restarted from idling stop, a cylinder which is restarted initially among all cylinders is determined on the basis of a piston stopping position of each cylinder in the idling stop, if there is a specified cylinder which is judged to cause a misfire when the specified cylinder is restarted initially among all cylinders, a piston stopping position of the specified cylinder in the idling stop is controlled such that the specified cylinder does not become a cylinder which is restarted initially among all cylinders.

Abstract: A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes phase change means (60) for advancing or retarding phases of an opening timing and a closing timing of an intake valve (62); duration change means (60) for increasing or decreasing a duration of the intake valve (62); and EGR gas amount increase means (50) for increasing an amount of EGR gas, based on an operating state of an internal combustion engine. The control apparatus further includes intake-valve closing timing advancing means (50) for advancing the intake-valve closing timing when the amount of EGR gas is increased. The intake-valve closing timing advancing means (50) advances the intake-valve closing timing by performing a first operation that advances the phases using the phase change means (60), and performing a second operation that decreases the duration using the duration change means (60), and makes a timing at which the second operation is started later than a timing at which the first operation is started.

Abstract: During a rich spike control for an exhaust gas purification system for an internal combustion engine, a base air-fuel ratio AFb is decreased in a range where a combustion variation ?CC does not exceed a permissible limit ?CCL (S108). When the combustion variation ?CC exceeds the permissible limit ?CCL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is increased (S213). When the torque decrease amount ?TD is above the permissible value ?TDL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is decreased (S215). When the combustion variation ?CC is above the permissible limit ?CCL, and the torque decrease amount ?TD is above the permissible value ?TDL, the spike base air-fuel ratio AFbs is increased, and a fuel discharge time number EN is increased (S216).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a control apparatus for an internal combustion engine. An object of the present invention is to suppress deterioration of emission and fuel consumption arising during acceleration due to an effect of an exhaust valve opening timing. An upper limit of a fuel injection quantity is set based on the exhaust valve opening timing. The fuel injection quantity is limited to the upper limit or less when the fuel injection quantity is increased during acceleration. The exhaust valve opening timing at which the upper limit is maximized is set to a relatively advanced timing in a low engine speed range, moving in the retard direction as the engine speed rises from the low engine speed range toward a mid engine speed range, and moving in the advance direction as the engine speed rises further from the mid engine speed range toward a high engine speed range.

Abstract: In a device for controlling idling stop of an engine in which the idling stop is carried out when a temperature of the engine that is about to be stopped by the idling stop is higher than a threshold value, when the start improvement device does not function normally, the idling stop is prohibited regardless of engine temperature. Thus, the problem in which the engine cannot be restarted satisfactorily does not occur.

Abstract: An exhaust purifier for an internal combustion engine is capable of properly heating a catalyst in consideration of a deterioration with time and manufacturing variation in an electric heater that heats the catalyst.The exhaust purifier has the catalyst 4 disposed in an exhaust pipe, the electric heater for forcibly heating the catalyst 4, a power source for supplying power to the heater, an estimate unit for estimating the temperature that the catalyst 4 will reach, a comparator for providing the difference between the estimated temperature and a target temperature, and an operation controller for controlling the operating conditions of the engine according to the temperature difference. The estimate unit measures the voltage and current of the heater, calculates the resistance or power of the heater according to the voltage and current, and estimates the temperature.

Abstract: A device for detecting deterioration of a catalyst in an internal combustion engine having a heater on the upstream side of a catalytic converter provided in an exhaust gas passage, the device being capable of expanding the deterioration determination conditions of the catalyst. It is determined whether the conditions, except the temperature condition, are all obtained among the conditions for detecting deterioration of the catalytic converter. When the conditions, except the temperature condition, are all obtained, an electric power is supplied from a power source to the heater to satisfy the temperature condition. Deterioration of the catalyst can be reliably detected if the electric power is supplied to the heater only when the engine is in the idling operation condition and if deterioration of the catalyst is detected when the time for supplying electric power to the heater has become larger than a predetermined period of time. The heater may be one contained in the electrically heated catalyst.

Abstract: An exhaust purifier of an internal combustion engine supplies secondary air into an exhaust pipe without cooling nor inactivating an electrically heated catalyst (EHC) that is active. The exhaust purifier includes the EHC 3 disposed in the exhaust pipe 2, a main catalyst 4 disposed in the exhaust pipe 2 downstream from the EHC 3, and a unit for supplying secondary air into the exhaust pipe 2. The secondary air supply unit has a main path 10 for supplying secondary air into a space defined in the exhaust pipe 2 between the EHC 3 and the main catalyst 4 when it is determined that the main catalyst 4 is active. The secondary air supply unit may additionally have a second path 9 for supplying secondary air into the exhaust pipe 2 on the upstream side of the EHC 3 when it is determined that the EHC 3 is active, so that the secondary air may pass through the EHC 3 and reach the main catalyst 4.

Abstract: An onboard load control apparatus and a method for detecting a fault of an onboard electrical load with high accuracy are disclosed. The control apparatus comprises an onboard battery mounted on an automotive vehicle, an electrical heater for electrically heating an electrical load such as an electrically-heated catalyst supplied with power from the onboard battery, an auxiliary relay for turning on/off the power to the electrical heater from the onboard battery, and an ECU for controlling the on/off operation of the auxiliary relay. The apparatus further comprises an engine speed detector for detecting the engine speed of the internal combustion engine and a fault judgement unit for judging whether the electrical heater is normal or faulty on the basis of the fluctuation amount of the engine speed of the internal combustion engine detected by the engine speed detector before and after switching the auxiliary relay.

Abstract: A boost pressure control system for a vehicle engine equipped with a supercharger and a torque converter having a lock-up clutch, in which the boost pressure is controlled by adjusting the degree of the opening of an air bypass valve and the ON/OFF position of the supercharger in such manner that the different control characteristics of the boost pressure are selected in accordance with whether the lock-up clutch of the torque converter is turned ON or OFF, i.e., when the lock-up clutch is turned ON, the supercharger is started at a lower engine load, and the degree of the opening of the air bypass valve is set smaller, thereby enabling the lock-up operation of the torque converter under running conditions in which a higher driving torque is required and, thereby widening the operating range of the lock-up operation of the torque converter and improving the fuel economy of the vehicle.

Abstract: A boost pressure control system for an engine, by which a boost pressure of the engine is controlled in accordance with a load of the engine. The system controls the boost pressure in two different control modes, i.e., an acceleration mode and a normal mode, and when a degree of acceleration required becomes larger than a predetermined value, the acceleration mode is selected in which the boost pressure is made higher than in the normal mode. To avoid a sudden drop of the boost pressure, the system maintains the acceleration mode even after the completion of the acceleration, until the engine load becomes low enough that the boost pressure drops to the level at which the switching to the normal mode does not cause a sudden pressure drop.

Abstract: A boost pressure control system for an engine, by which the degree of opening of the air bypass valve is adjusted and on/off of a mechanical supercharger operation is controlled to obtain an appropriate boost pressure. In the system, the degree of opening of the air bypass valve is adjusted in accordance with the load of the engine, based on different characteristics selected in accordance with whether the operation of the supercharger is started or stopped. If the engine is operated in a non-boost region, when the supercharger is operating the degree of opening of the air bypass valve is made larger to reduce the compression work of the supercharger, and when the operation of the supercharger is stopped, the degree of opening of the air bypass valve is made smaller to ensure that the air flow through the supercharger maintains the rotation of the rotors of the supercharger.

Abstract: In an apparatus for controlling an air-fuel ratio in an internal combustion engine, a main air-fuel ratio sensor having an element temperature strongly affected by the temperature thereof, a sub air-fuel ration sensor having an element temperature weakly affected by the temperature thereof, and a heater associated with the main air-fuel ratio sensor are provided. The resistance value or electric power of the heater is controlled in accordance with the output of the sub air-fuel ratio sensor.

Abstract: In a double air-fuel ratio sensor system having three-way catalysts, a full O.sub.2 storage amount of the three-way catalysts is estimated and compared with a predetermined amount. When the estimated full O.sub.2 storage amount is smaller than the predetermined amount, the three-way catalysts are determined to have deteriorated.

Abstract: A shift indication apparatus having an engine rotation sensor, a throttle valve sensor, and a shift position sensor, a microcomputer having a ROM and RAM for storing data corresponding to the engine speed, throttle valve openings, and the shift positions therein, and an indicator for indicating preferable shift positions to be performed by a driver in which a torque data map and a fuel consumption rate data map have stored in the ROM for calculating various torque and fuel consumption rates so as to obtain preferable shift positions relating to optimum fuel consumption rate in accordance with said data detected. With this construction, it becomes possible for a driver to run his car in accordance with the indications of the shift operation on the indicator so as to enable the economical running of the car to be realized.

Abstract: An automatic hue-control apparatus having an improved means to keep the color for flesh in the reproduced picture the same as the memory-color for flesh. The apparatus has a signal extracting means for extracting the signal components of the flesh color from the chrominance signals and which feeds these signal components to a phase error detecting means for detecting the phase error between the output signal of the signal extracting means and a reference signal which is in phase quadrature to the phase of the memory-color for flesh. The phase error detecting means produces an error signal indicative of the phase relation between the signals and supplies an output signal to a variable phase-shifting means which is controlled by the output signal of said phase error detecting means to correct the phase error between the chrominance signal and subcarrier reference signal.