Abstract: A vehicle control system is provided which is used in a vehicle equipped with an engine as a drive power source and works to establish engagement of a pinion of a starter motor with a ring gear mounted on a rotational axis of the engine and then actuate the starter motor to start the engine. The vehicle control system executes a preset mode to move the pinion to achieve the engagement with the ring gear when the rotation speed of the engine has dropped below a given threshold value. The threshold value is determined as a function of speed of the vehicle, thereby alleviating a driver's perception about unwanted mechanical noise arising from impact the pinion on the ring gear upon the engagement therebetween.

Abstract: Systems and related methods for regulating fuel rail pressure for internal combustion engines utilizing an electronic fuel transfer pump (eFTP) on the low side to provide robust control of fuel pressure on the high side. The eFTP is in fluid communication with a low-pressure fuel circuit for providing a low-pressure fuel flow at a low pressure to a high-pressure pump. Upon failure of a fuel control valve, a pressure-responsive valve, and/or a pressure sensor impacting the high-side fuel pressure, the eFTP modulates the low-side fuel flow and/or low-side fuel pressure to mitigate damage to the engine. A controller in operative communication with the eFTP and/or one or more sensors is configured to provide a pump command to the eFTP in response to a failure condition impacting the high-side fuel pressure.

Abstract: A vehicle includes an engine having a combustion cylinder, and at least one fuel injector configured to supply a number of fuel pulse to the cylinder. A controller is programmed to issue a first fuel pulse command to actuate the fuel injector allowing fuel to pass through the fuel injector as a first fuel mass. The controller is also programmed to monitor a voltage across the fuel injector, and determine a preliminary fuel injector opening magnitude based on a rate of change of voltage. The controller is further programmed to assign the preliminary fuel injector opening magnitude as a maximum fuel injector opening magnitude in response to the first fuel mass being greater than a quantity threshold. The controller is further programmed to apply a scaling factor to adjust a second fuel pulse command to normalize the maximum fuel injector opening magnitude value to a predetermined full open value.

Abstract: A controller for an internal combustion engine is configured to control the fuel injection valve so that the fuel injection valve selectively performs partial lift injection, which does not open a valve member at a fully open position, and full lift injection, which opens the valve member at the fully open position. The internal combustion engine includes the fuel injection valve and a fuel supply system. The controller includes an energizing time setting unit, a fuel pressure calculation unit, and a smoothening process unit. The energizing time setting unit is configured to set an energizing time for the full lift injection based on graded fuel pressure calculated by the smoothening process unit and set an energizing time for the partial lift injection based on fuel pressure calculated by the fuel pressure calculation unit.

Abstract: A system for analyzing an engine of a vehicle may comprise a computer including a computer processor, a sensor connected to a portion of the vehicle and being configured to provide an engine signature to the computer, a simulator module configured to utilize the computer processor to generate simulated signature features associated with a simulated vehicle having prescribed defects, and a self-learning module configured to utilize the computer processor to learn associations between the simulated signature and prescribed defects. The computer processor may be configured to compare the engine signature with the associations of the self-learning module to produce a probability indicator that the engine has the prescribed defect at a specified intensity associated with a diagnosis of the engine.

Abstract: A method for a fuel system is provided, wherein a fuel vapor canister is vented to an engine intake during a first condition, and wherein a restriction in a canister vent pathway is indicated, responsive to a change in a fuel tank pressure transducer output greater than a threshold. If the fuel tank pressure transducer output changes less than the threshold, degradation of the fuel tank pressure transducer is indicated. In this way, a fuel tank pressure transducer offset may be distinguished from a canister vent pathway restriction if a fuel tank pressure transducer indicates a significant pressure or vacuum in a fuel tank following a vehicle-off soak.

Abstract: A fuel injection control device for an internal combustion engine, includes a fuel pressure sensor and circuitry. The fuel pressure sensor detects an actual fuel pressure of the fuel supplied to a cylinder fuel injection valve. The circuitry calculates a demanded amount of the fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine. The circuitry calculates a cylinder injection amount of fuel injected from the cylinder fuel injection valve. The circuitry corrects the cylinder injection amount to decrease in accordance with a degree of drop in the actual fuel pressure comparing to a target fuel pressure of the fuel supplied to the cylinder fuel injection valve such that fuel injection from the cylinder fuel injection valve ends by a target injection end timing. The circuitry calculates a port injection amount of the fuel injected from a port fuel injection valve based on the demanded fuel amount and the corrected cylinder injection amount.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines in general. Some embodiments may include a drive device for a high-pressure fuel pump of an internal combustion engine. It may include an eccentric ring in frictional connection with a drive shaft for converting a rotational movement of the drive shaft about a drive shaft rotational axis into a translational movement; a tappet spaced apart from the eccentric ring for passing on the translational movement from the eccentric ring; and at least two pivoting bodies disposed between the eccentric ring surface and the tappet surface and in contact with the eccentric ring surface and with the tappet surface. The eccentric ring may include at least one flat eccentric ring surface. The tappet may include at least one flat tappet surface. The pivoting bodies may each include a respective extension axis running parallel to the drive shaft rotational axis and pivot about the extension axis.

Abstract: A pre-chamber body for an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The pre-chamber body may have a pre-chamber. The pre-chamber body may also have a flow transfer passage, which may fluidly connect the pre-chamber and an exterior of the pre-chamber body. In addition, the pre-chamber body may have at least one backflow channel, which may fluidly connect the pre-chamber and the flow transfer passage.

Abstract: A powertrain assembly includes an engine having at least one cylinder and at least one electric machine operatively connected to the engine. A motor speed sensor is operatively connected to and configured to obtain motor speed data of the electric machine. A controller is operatively connected to the motor speed sensor. The controller including a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method for detection of firing irregularities in the at least one cylinder. Execution of the instructions by the processor causes the controller to obtain the motor speed data at a predefined time interval from the motor speed sensor, until a predefined time window is reached. A fast Fourier transform of the motor speed data during the predefined time window is obtained. The controller is configured to control the engine based at least partially on the fast Fourier Transform.

Abstract: A system and method for fast control of the timing of combustion in an internal combustion engine, comprising actuating a fast-acting fuel-additive supply valve to meter a variable amount of fuel additive into a fuel stream, thereby forming an additive-enhanced fuel with an additive concentration that can be dynamically adjusted as fast as each engine cycle; injecting the additive-enhanced fuel directly or indirectly into a combustion chamber or into an intake port; and combusting the additive-enhanced fuel.

Abstract: The compression self-ignition engine fuel injection control device is configured to, during one combustion stroke, perform multiple fuel injections to induce multiple combustions in a cylinder. The fuel injection control device comprises a PCM (70) configured to set an interval between temporally-adjacent two of the multiple fuel injections, so as to allow valley regions of a curve indicative of a frequency characteristic of a combustion pressure wave generated by the multiple combustions to fall within respective ranges of a plurality of resonant frequency bands of a structure of an engine body of the engine, wherein the PCM is operable to increase the interval between the temporally-adjacent multiple fuel injections to 1.7±0.1 msec.

Abstract: Various embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards free-piston combustion engines. As described herein, a driver section may be provided in a free-piston combustion engine for storing energy during an expansion stroke. The driver section may be configured to store sufficient energy to perform the subsequent stroke. In some embodiments, the driver section may be configured to store sufficient energy so as to enable the engine to operate continuously across engine cycles without electrical energy input. A linear electromagnetic machine may be provided in a free-piston combustion engine for converting the kinetic energy of a piston assembly into electrical energy.

Abstract: An air intake structure for a vehicle engine includes: a variable flap rotatably provided in an intake air passage so as to control a cross-sectional area of intake air flow; a port plate provided to a downstream of the variable flap, and generating displacement in cooperation with the variable flap; a driving unit supplying a driving force for generating displacement of both the variable flap and the port plate; and a controller determining a rotation angle of the variable flap in accordance with an operating range of an engine, and controlling the rotation angle of the variable flap by driving the driving unit.

Abstract: A control system for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of controlling fuel injection valves while causing valve-closing delay time periods, which occur with the valves actually mounted on the engine, to be reflected thereon, thereby making it possible to improve exhaust emission characteristics and fuel economy performance. The ECU of the control system performs initial value-specific control in fuel injection control and ignition timing control, such that initial value acquisition conditions are satisfied, so as to calculate the initial values of the valve-closing delay time periods when the initial value acquisition conditions are satisfied. When normal-time control is performed, the valve-opening time periods of the valves are calculated using the initial values of the valve-opening time periods, and the valves are controlled to be open over the valve-opening time periods.

Abstract: Methods and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle fuel pump at a fuel shut-off event based at least in part on whether combustion stability issues, or potential stall conditions, are indicated in a drive cycle prior to the fuel shut-off event. In one example, a method may include maintaining power to the fuel pump responsive to the potential stall condition being indicated, and independent of an indicated pressure in a fuel rail configured to receive pressurized fuel from the fuel pump, and where the fuel shut-off event includes a deceleration fuel shut-off event or an idle stop event. In this way, fuel may be kept flowing across the fuel pump during fuel shut-off events, responsive to indications of combustion stability issues, such that fuel pump cavitation and other engine and fuel pump-related complications may be avoided.

Abstract: The Intelligent Fault Tolerant Throttle Body prevents unintended acceleration of vehicles. This invention solves this emergency by returning the throttle plate to a safe position when commanded by a driver Emergency Button or by brake actuation. The device is installed on a conventional throttle body and comprises an Emergency Button (EB) and a Throttle Motor Controller (TMC). The TMC is a micro controller contained inside the throttle body assembly that intercepts and modifies signals from the engine control unit (ECU) to the Throttle Body Motor (TBM) and monitors the brake switch signal and the throttle position sensor (TPS). The TMC has an internal accelerometer and a throttle pedal sensor input as well as other sensors which are used as additional confirmation of a true unintended acceleration condition and not resulting from ECU, wiring or sensor failures.

Abstract: An excentric pin for an electronic throttle control assembly, which is used to adjust the default position of at least one spring used to control the position of a valve plate, where the valve plate is located in an opening of a housing in the electronic control assembly. The excentric pin is used to adjust the default angle of the valve plate to have an angular tolerance of +/?0.10°. The excentric pin is slideably pressed into an aperture of the housing of the electronic throttle control assembly, and turned using some type of driver. The electronic throttle control assembly may be a one-spring design, or a two-spring design, where the two-spring design requires only one spring pin and the excentric pin. Also, the excenter pin may be used to adjust the position of the sector gear, e.g., function as the lower mechanical stop to provide a minimum opening angle for low leakage, and a minimum opening angle to avoid throttle plate corking into opening of the housing.

Abstract: Systems, apparatus, and methods are disclosed that include an internal combustion engine having a plurality of cylinders operable by a valve actuation mechanism. Staging of engine operating conditions is disclosed to facilitate exit from and/or entrance into a cylinder deactivation event.

Abstract: A piston for an engine may include a piston body. The piston body may include a piston crown disposed symmetrically about a central longitudinal axis of the piston. A combustion bowl may be recessed into the piston body and may be offset axially inwardly with respect to the piston crown. A central bowl apex may protrude axially from the combustion bowl and may be offset axially inwardly with respect to the piston crown. A first bowl apex may protrude axially from the combustion bowl and may be disposed radially inwardly with respect to the piston crown. A second bowl apex may protrude axially from the combustion bowl and may be disposed radially inwardly with respect to the first bowl apex and may be radially between the first bowl apex and the central bowl apex. The second bowl apex may be offset axially inwardly with respect to the central bowl apex.