Abstract: A multiplexing drive circuit for an AC ignition system having a common leg that includes two switches coupled in series, and one or more dedicated legs, wherein each leg includes two switches coupled in series. The multiplexing drive circuit also includes a transformer for each of the one or more dedicated legs, each transformer having a primary winding coupled between one of the one or more dedicated legs and the common leg, and wherein each transformer has a secondary winding coupled in parallel to a spark plug, and a pulse-width modulated (PWM) switch controller configured to operate the common leg and dedicated leg switches to control characteristics of the spark discharge for the spark plug.

Abstract: A device for glow plug excitation control is disclosed, in particular for a glow system (2) for controlling at least one glow plug pencil (3), in particular for the rapid heating with an engine control device (1), comprising at least an engine control (1), a glow system (2), a glow plug (3), a supply resistance terminal 30 (4), a supply resistance glow plug (5), an internal resistance glow control (6), a measured voltage at the engine control U1 (7), a voltage drop on the lead to glow control device U2 (8), a voltage drop in the glow control device U3 (9), a voltage drop at the lead to glow plug U4 (10), a voltage at the glow plug U5 (11).

Abstract: A compression-release brake system for operating an exhaust valve of an engine during an engine braking operation. The compression-release brake system comprises a self-contained compression brake control module (CBCM) operatively coupled to the exhaust valve for controlling a lift and a phase angle thereof and a source of a pressurized hydraulic fluid. The CBCM includes a casing defining piston and actuator cavities, a slave piston mounted within the piston cavity, a check valve provided between a supply conduit and a slave piston chamber and a compression brake actuator disposed in the actuator cavity. The compression brake actuator includes an actuator element and a biasing spring. The actuator element selectively engages the check valve when deactivated so as to unlock the slave piston chamber, and disengages from the check valve when activated so as to lock the slave piston chamber. The actuator element is exposed to atmospheric pressure.

Abstract: A method for improving starting of an engine that may be automatically started is provided. In one example, spark timing of an automatically started engine is in advance of spark timing for an operator requested engine start. The approach may reduce vehicle driveline disturbances.

Abstract: The present invention is related to an apparatus for and a method of controlling an engine provided with: a variable operation angle mechanism that is provided for varying a valve operation angle of an engine valve driven by a camshaft, and is capable of varying a center phase of the valve operation angle in response to a variation in the valve operation angle; and a variable valve timing mechanism provided for varying a rotating phase of the camshaft relative to a crankshaft of the engine, in which a target valve operation angle and a target rotating phase is calculated based on the engine operating state, and a correction value for correcting the target rotating phase based on the target valve operation angle is set. Then, the target rotating phase is corrected by the correction value, thereby controlling the variable valve timing mechanism based on the corrected target rotating phase.

Abstract: An intake system for an internal combustion engine includes a control unit that adjusts the opening amount of a TCV having a valve body and a valve shaft within a valve opening amount range between first and second opening amounts, and first and second rotation restriction portions that prevent the valve body from moving beyond first and second opening amount positions, respectively, by contacting the valve shaft. The valve body is divided into a short valve portion and a long valve portion located upstream of the short valve portion by the valve shaft. The length from the valve shaft to the tip is greater in the long valve portion than in the short valve portion. When the valve body is in the first or second opening position, the valve shaft is pushed against the first or second rotation restriction portion by intake air flowing through an intake pipe.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for offsetting bounce effects in a piezo-actuated injection system of an internal combustion engine using a control valve actuated by a piezoelectric actuator. The inventive method comprises the following steps: detecting an actual bounce behavior of the control valve, and determining and offsetting a deviation between the actual bounce behavior and a desired bounce behavior of the control valve, thereby generating an actuation information for the control valve which influences a speed characteristic of a needle of the control valve. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the inventive method.

Abstract: In a fuel injection valve used for an internal combustion engine, a valve closing lag time due to fluid resistance in a fuel path is shortened to decrease a minimum injection limit. More specifically, in the fuel injection valve in which an anchor is attracted to an end face part of a stationary core having a fuel path formed at a center part thereof by means of electromagnetic force, and in which a fuel injection hole is opened and closed by controlling a valve disc driven in conjunction with the anchor, there are provided a fuel reservoir part at a center part of an upper end face part of the anchor, a through hole extending axially in a fashion that an end part thereof is open to the fuel reservoir part, and a fuel path extending radially outward from the fuel reservoir part so that fuel is fed to a magnetic attraction gap between an upper end face part of the anchor and a lower end face part of the stationary core.

Abstract: An ECU controls to inject a small amount of fuel in an expansion/exhaust stroke under constraint of the minimum fuel injection capability of an injector at the time of warming-up of a catalyst. The ECU controls injection of fuel in expansion/exhaust strokes (expansion/exhaust stroke injection) at the time of warming-up of a catalyst. Fuel injection control is performed so that when temperature of the catalyst becomes higher than a predetermined temperature, fuel injection in the expansion/exhaust strokes is performed for a period of a predetermined ratio in a selected cycle period. The expansion/exhaust stroke injection is not performed in the other period. By effectively utilizing oxygen absorbed on the catalyst, while suppressing slip HC, the activation time of the catalyst can be shortened.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine, a variable compression ratio mechanism (A) able to change a mechanical compression ratio and a variable valve timing mechanism (B) able to change a closing timing of an intake valve (7) are provided. When an amount of intake air supplied to a combustion chamber (5) is small, the closing timing of the intake valve (7) is held at a limit closing timing, and usually, when the amount of intake air supplied to the combustion chamber (5) increases by a certain extent, the action of advancing the closing timing of the intake valve (7) is started. As opposed to this, when the amount of intake air supplied to the combustion chamber (5) is small, if the rapid acceleration operation is performed, the action of advancing the closing timing of the intake valve (7) is started immediately.

Abstract: What is disclosed is a micro-pilot injection ignition type gas engine, whereby an air fuel ratio control in starting the engine is executed with enhanced precision, by means of introducing skip-firing intermittent operations which reflect the engine operation conditions, while an idling time span can be shortened or omitted.

Abstract: An intake manifold includes a manifold case having an intake passage. A valve is arranged in the intake passage. The valve is rotatable about its proximal end so as to partly close the intake passage. When the valve partly closes the intake passage, a clearance is formed between a wall surface defining the intake passage and a distal end of the valve. The clearance connects a section of the intake passage upstream of the valve and a section of the intake passage downstream of the valve to each other. When the valve partly closes the intake passage, each of side edges of the valve comes in surface-to-surface contact with a portion of the intake passage wall surface that faces the side edge of the valve, thereby airtightly sealing the spaces between the side edges of the valve and the wall surface of the intake passage.

Abstract: A fuel injection control device for a diesel engine controls the first fuel injection timing so as to reduce the amount of white smoke generated in large amounts immediately after starting an engine. The fuel injection control device for the diesel engine comprises a high-pressure pump, a common rail for accumulating a highly-pressured fuel, injectors for injecting the fuel into a combustion chamber and a control means. Due to the fuel injection control device for the diesel engine, the fuel injection is performed after the cranking, without injecting the fuel for a certain period of time after an engine starting switch is turned on so that the pressure in the common rail becomes a set value.

Abstract: A method for operating a four-stroke internal combustion engine including a crankshaft coupled to a piston, which includes moving the piston in accordance with a sequence of four different strokes; mechanically driving an electric power generator with the crankshaft during the operating of the engine; generating a first sensor signal indicative of each revolution of the crankshaft with the crankshaft rotating twice during the sequence of four different strokes; providing a second sensor signal corresponding to a working fluid characteristic of the engine, the working fluid characteristic changing during the sequence of four different strokes of the piston; and timing ignition of the engine as a function of the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.

Abstract: An engine damping system is disclosed. The engine damping system includes an actuating device that is hydraulically powered using a power steering system of a motor vehicle. The system also includes a steering position sensor to determine a steering mode of the motor vehicle. The system also includes an acceleration sensor to provide controlled feedback for the actuating device.

Abstract: A system for supply of LPG/ammonia for direct-injection petrol or diesel engine includes an electronic control unit where the control unit governs a petrol/diesel pump, a supplementary petrol/diesel pump, a petrol/diesel-delivery solenoid vale, LPG/ammonia-return solenoid valve, LPG/ammonia pump, a supplementary LPG/ammonia pump, a LPG/ammonia-delivery solenoid vale and a LPG/ammonia injector, such that only one of LPG/ammonia and petrol/diesel is fed to the engine at any point in time, and a combination of i) LPG and petrol, ii) LPG and diesel, iii) ammonia and petrol, and iv) ammonia and diesel is never fed to the engine.

Abstract: To reduce pollutant emissions and consumption of passenger cars diesel engines multiple injection strategies are applied. Assuming constant cylinder and bowl geometry and constant rail pressure the variation of the number of injections, injection quantity of each injection and separation between two consecutive injections are the major parameters to be optimised. Furthermore, a single injection is applied with a shaped injection rate by a rise in injection pressure, equal to that observed in cam controlled injection systems. The needle lift can be modified for piezo driven common rail injection systems. Both methods are compared in terms of pollutant emission, fuel consumption and robustness. Experiments were carried out on single cylinder research engines. Multiple injection strategies with large hydraulic dwell times were compared with a short dwell setting simulating a “rate shaped” single injection.

Abstract: As a compression-ignition direct-injection engine combustion controller, a program for detecting ignition timing of a main injection Mn (main ignition timing), a program for correcting a command value of main injection execution timing in a direction to the side where a detection value is converged within a predetermined range, a program for determining whether or not the corrected command value is within a predetermined range, and a program for, when it is determined that the command value is not within the range, correcting a command value related to an injection amount of a pilot injection Pt based on whether or not the command value is on a delay side or an advance side of the range.

Abstract: Fuel injection apparatus comprising a solenoid coil (40); an armature (41) coupled with a valve element (34) operable to open and close a fuel valve (32) when the solenoid coil (40) is selectively energized and de-energised. The valve element (34) is biased to the closed position by a biasing device (42). Magnetic force from the energized solenoid coil moves the armature (41) and valve element (34) to open the valve to an opening position to deliver fuel reached when a controller (170) calculates opening forces balance closing forces. Such opening position control is used to control fuel flow rate to a gas fuelled engine (20) and/or reduce noise vibration harshness in varied engine types. Balance of forces control, on closing of the valve, reduces or avoids impact of the valve element (34) with a physical stop (106), thus reducing engine noise, and can be used in fuel metering.

Abstract: A multicylinder petrol engine is provided with a hydraulic system for variable actuation of the valves, which enables easy control of operation of the engine according to different strategies. The engines according to the invention is, in particular, able to operate with a variable engine displacement in a modular way via the exclusion of selected cylinders, to control combustion by adjustment of the effective compression ration, and to control re-circulation of the exhaust gases at intake, in order to achieve low levels of consumption and reduced harmful exhaust emissions.