Abstract: A start control apparatus of an internal combustion engine comprises an ignition device for igniting an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, a start demanding device for demanding a start of the internal combustion engine, a starting device for starting the internal combustion engine, a determining device for determining a possibility of a self-ignition of the internal combustion engine at a time when a start demand is issued from the start demanding device, and a start procedure control device for igniting the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber by the ignition device after the start demand from the start demanding device in the case where the determining device determines that the possibility of the self-ignition of the internal combustion engine is higher than a predetermined level, thereafter starting the internal combustion engine by the starting device.

Abstract: A method for starting an internal combustion engine of a hybrid drive of a motor vehicle, the internal combustion engine and at least one electric motor being mechanically linkable to an output shaft of the hybrid drive via a gear system. The output shaft of the hybrid drive is placed in rotary motion, and at least one of the electric motors is switched to a generator mode by the gear system and by a control system.

Abstract: A density ?0 of pure oil and a density ?a of air are calculated based on a measured oil pressure P and a measured oil temperature T of an oil line connecting a hydraulic pump of an engine and an oil gallery of a cylinder block, and then oil aeration is calculated based on a measured oil density {overscore (?)}, the measured oil pressure P, the calculated density ?0 of the pure oil, and the calculated density ?a of the air.

Abstract: A recoil starter in which a side face of a rope reel is formed with a ring-like recess portion for containing a damping force storing member, a boss portion of a cam is contained at inside of the ring-like recess portion and the damping force storing member is contained between an inner peripheral face of the ring-like recess portion and an outer peripheral face of the boss portion of the cam, an inner side of the boss portion of the cam is formed with a ratchet mechanism for engaging and disengaging the cam to and from the rope reel, when the rope reel is rotated by traction of the recoil rope, the both members are disengaged from each other and when the rope reel is rotated in a direction of reeling back the recoil rope, the both members are engaged with each other.

Abstract: The amount of air to be introduced is controlled for each cylinder, whereby it is intended to make it possible to control the torque generated in each cylinder, perform an ultra-lean burn operation, purify the exhaust gas, and increase the output of an engine. An air flow control valve adapted to be on-off controlled in accordance with an operated quantity of an accelerator pedal is disposed in each branch pipe or intake port. The air flow control valve may be a throttle valve disposed in each branch pipe or it may be a variable intake valve for opening and closing the intake port.

Abstract: A method for controlling a drive unit of a vehicle which allows a comfortable compensation of the torque requirement of ancillary components. In this method, torque losses are compensated in a steady-state manner in an overrun and an acceleration operation. The steady-state compensation of the torque losses in overrun operation is weighted by a first weighting factor. The first weighting factor is raised in a linear manner when the drag torque decreases in amount, until acceleration operation is reached.

Abstract: In a multi-cylinder engine having a compression ignition combustion mode, a vibration detecting sensor that is preferably mounted in a cylinder block or a cylinder head is used to detect a frequency and the detected frequency is appropriately analyzed to detect or estimate a cylinder pressure peak value and peak timing for each cylinder. An amount of internal EGR, a fuel injection condition, an engine speed and the like are then controlled so as to bring each of these parameters into an appropriate range thereof. The control apparatus suppresses variations in combustion states among different cylinders and different cycles arising from unit-to-unit variations or deterioration in the engine or part-to-part variations or deterioration in a component thereof.

Abstract: In feedback control of a discharge amount of a high pressure fuel pump in which an actual fuel pressure is caused to become a target fuel pressure, when a deviation between the target fuel pressure and the actual fuel pressure has transiently changed, updating of an integral term of the feedback control is stopped. As a result, needless updating of the integral term when the deviation of the target fuel pressure and the actual fuel pressure has transiently increased is inhibited, and fuel pressure overshoot is reliably suppressed.

Abstract: A testing device allows a test engine (such as a single-cylinder test engine) to experience the air exchange characteristics of a multi-cylinder test engine having a greater number of cylinders. The test engine receives air from an air source (such as the atmosphere) through the interior passage of an air intake adapter, wherein valves on the passage walls separate the interior passage from a negative or positive pressure source. A processor (such as a computer) may actuate the valves to allow air to be pulled from the passage to simulate the effect of air intake into additional virtual cylinders (i.e., cylinders that would operate in tandem with the cylinder(s) of the test engine if the test engine had a greater number of cylinders), and/or to simulate the effect of forced air induction (i.e., turbocharging or supercharging).

Abstract: The invention relates to a system for calibrating apparatus (28) for acquiring the pressure in a cylinder (10) of a motor vehicle diesel engine, of the type comprising a cylinder pressure sensor (30) associated with the cylinder and means (32) for conditioning the signal delivered by the sensor (30) as a function of conditioning parameters.

Abstract: A method for testing the operability of a tank venting valve between an internal combustion engine and a fuel vapor storage device of a motor vehicle. The stored fuel vapor from the fuel vapor storage device is fed to the internal combustion engine when the tank venting valve is open and a reaction from a fuel/air control loop is analyzed to diagnose the operability of the tank venting valve. In order to refine the method so that a diagnosis that is as far as possible not subject to error may be performed when not idling, the stored fuel vapor from the fuel vapor storage device is fed to the internal combustion engine at least twice in one driving cycle while the tank venting valve is open, a reaction of the fuel/air ratio control loop being detected each time and the operability of the tank venting valve being inferred by comparing the detected reactions.

Abstract: A system and method for diagnosing ignition system performance of an internal combustion engine. The method operates an engine control unit to produce a sequence of spark ignition current pulses through primary windings of a plurality of ignition coils. The current pulses produce voltage pulses across electrodes of the spark plugs. The voltage pulses produce flyback voltages across the primary windings. Output pulses are produced in response to the flyback voltages having time durations related to the time durations of the sparks produced by the spark plugs. Digital signal are produced in response to each one of the output pulses representative of the spark time duration of a corresponding one of the sparks. A comparison of the digital signals determines whether the spark time duration of one of the spark plugs is substantially different from the spark time durations of the other ones of the plurality of spark plugs.

Abstract: A method of operating an internal combustion engine in which fuel is combusted during a working stroke in at least one combustion chamber includes determining by a pressure sensor a gas pressure acting in the combustion chamber during the working stroke, monitoring a plausibility of a measuring variable obtained from a signal of the pressure sensor, determining, of a plurality of actual operational variables of the internal combustion engine which are not based on the signal of the pressure sensor, a reference variable corresponding to the measuring variable, comparing the measuring variable with the reference variable, and by this comparison checking the plausibility of the signal of the pressure sensor and the measuring variable obtained from it; and also a computer program, an electrical storage medium, and a control and/or regulating device for carrying out the method are provided.

Abstract: An ignition timing control apparatus for an engine includes a controller that sets an ignition timing considering a change of a temperature or a pressure in a combustion chamber at a time when an opening/closing characteristic of an intake valve is changed, the opening/closing characteristic including a valve opening timing and a valve closing timing at least one of which is changed by a variable valve mechanism for the engine.

Abstract: An engine has a fuel injection system and an idle regulating control valve. The idle regulating valve is initialized upon engine shut down by closing to a fully closed position such that a reference value can be obtained in such a position. Once fully closed, the idle regulating valve is opened to a predetermined position and a value is written into memory that indicates that the initialization procedure has been completed. During subsequent restart, if it appears that the initialization procedure has not been completed prior to attempted restart, fuel injection is temporarily suspended. The fuel injection can be suspended during a subsequent initialization, until the idle regulating valve is fully closed or for a predetermined period of time. In some less refined applications, the idle regulating valve can be initialized during engine start up regardless of whether or not it is initialized during engine shut-down.

Abstract: An automotive starting system includes an accumulator, a hydraulic motor, and an engine controller. The accumulator is adapted for holding a charge of pressurized fluid. The hydraulic motor has a fluid input operatively connected to the accumulator and has an output shaft operatively connected to an internal combustion engine of an automotive vehicle. The engine controller shuts off the engine if an idle engine condition exists and restarts the engine using the hydraulic motor following an idle engine shut-off if a predetermined engine-start condition exists. A method for starting an internal combustion engine of an automotive vehicle includes having the engine controller shut off the engine if an idle engine condition exists and thereafter having the engine controller restart the engine using the hydraulic motor if a predetermined engine-start condition exists.

Abstract: An air cleaner, intake manifold, and valve cover are integrated together for attachment to a vehicle engine. The air cleaner is positioned directly between the intake manifold and valve cover to provide a compact induction module. The induction module is mounted to the engine as a single unit. A throttle body is also incorporated into the intake manifold. A tube interconnects the air cleaner and the throttle body. An air filter is installed within the air cleaner to remove contaminants from air prior to entry into the tube.

Abstract: An apparatus performs simultaneous data monitoring, logging, and controlling of the state of a system. The apparatus includes at least one system sensor that provides a sensor data signal corresponding to a system characteristic of which the sensor is detecting, a memory that stores data and program instructions, at least one output port that provides an output signal to the system, and a microprocessor that receives the sensor data signal and executes the program instructions to monitor and log data corresponding to the data signal received from the system sensor and to provide system control data to the output port.

Abstract: An engine starting device includes a starting unit, a clutch unit and a transmission unit, all of the three units being installed on the same axle. The starting unit and the clutch unit are connected with each other by friction therebetween and the friction is applied only when the starting unit is operated in desired direction so that the starting unit and the clutch unit are co-rotated. The clutch unit is connected to the transmission unit so that the power can be directly transferred to the transmission unit. The device employs the pressure of the engine to compress the coil spring which generates a force to accelerate the speed of the engine such that the user can easily start the engine.

Abstract: An ECU converts a cylinder pressure P and a cylinder volume V corresponding to a crank angle ? at least from a compression stroke to a combustion and expansion stroke to a logarithmic value log P and a logarithmic value log V, respectively, to find a logarithmic conversion waveform and estimates a motoring waveform which is obtained by subtracting a pressure rise developed by combustion in a cylinder from the logarithmic conversion waveform, that is, corresponds to a non-combustion state. Further, the ECU computes a determination line Y of an ignition timing Tburn on the basis of the base line X of the estimated motoring waveform and determines the ignition timing Tburn on the basis of this determination line Y and the logarithmic conversion waveform.