Abstract: A method and system for adaptive feedforward control of a fuel delivery system provides for adapting a normalized pressure input and a normalized flowrate input to a feedforward voltage look-up table. If low fuel flow and high manifold pressure are detected (104), then the normalized pressure input will be adapted based on a target fuel rail pressure and a pressure multiplier PMUL. If high fuel flow is detected (106), then the normalized flowrate input will be adapted based on a target flowrate and a flowrate multiplier FMUL. The present invention provides adaptive feedforward control without the need for the look-up table to be stored in a keep-alive memory (KAM).

Abstract: A jet igniter, for piston internal combustion engines, is described wherein the fuel and air for the igniter jet are forced into the engine combustion chamber, past an electric spark, by displacer pistons, driven in turn by pressure in the engine combustion chamber. The jet duration can be readily matched to the duration of the burning time interval for the principal gaseous engine fuel.

Abstract: A fuel injection system for a two-stroke cycle engine comprising an air manifold; a throttle valve; a fuel injector; a fuel supply system including a fuel pump; a battery voltage sensor; an air temperature sensor; an engine speed sensor; a timing sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a throttle position sensor; a first data processor for receiving and processing sensing signals for determining fuel injector duration and timing and fuel pump operating speed; a first data processor temperature sensor for sensing the relative temperature of certain electronic components in the first data processor; a heater operatively associated with the first data processor electronic components for selectively heating the electronic components; and a second data processor operable independently of the first data processor for receiving an electronic component temperature sensing signal and for generating a control signal to the heater responsive thereto for heating the components when the temperature thereof is below a predet

Abstract: A method and apparatus for carrying out variable timing exhaust gas recirculation is disclosed for use during both positive power and retarding operation of an internal combustion engine. Motion or energy is derived from an engine component and stored as potential energy. The stored energy is selectively applied to a valve actuator to carry out exhaust gas recirculation in an engine cylinder. The energy derived from the engine may be stored and selectively applied to the valve actuator with an electronically controlled trigger valve. The valve actuator may be a slave piston having an inner core and an outer sleeve capable of opening the valve of the cylinder in response to independent exhaust gas recirculation and compression release hydraulic systems.

Abstract: An ignition timing control device for a spark-ignition type engine comprises an oxygen concentration sensor and an air-fuel ratio sensor arranged in the exhaust passage of the engine. The fuel amount to be fed to the engine is controlled on the basis of the output signal of the oxygen concentration sensor to make the air-fuel ratio equal to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, which depends on the composition of the fuel burned in the engine. The air-fuel ratio sensor detects the actual air-fuel ratio, i.e., the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio of the burned fuel. The relationships between the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio of the burned fuel and the suitable ignition timing is obtained in advance and the ignition timing is corrected in accordance with the detected stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.

Abstract: A method of prolonging the life of glow plugs comprises the steps of providing a variable displacement pump rotatably connected to a internal combustion engine; driving a hydraulic motor at a generally constant speed with the hydraulic output of the variable displacement pump and directly connecting an alternator to the hydraulic motor to energize the glow plugs with an AC current and voltage and controlling the AC current to maintain a generally constant glow plug temperature from startup and throughout the entire operating range of the internal combustion engine.

Abstract: An evaporated fuel treatment device comprising a purge control valve arranged between a canister and an intake passage of an engine. A drive pulse of the purge control valve is controlled by a duty ratio. When the purge action starts, the duty ratio is gradually increased. When the amount of the intake air is large other than at engine idling, the purge action is started. After the purge action is started, the purge action is performed even during engine idling.

Abstract: An ignition coil arrangement for a multicylinder internal combustion engine comprising at least one coil unit, which is able to be simply installed even under restricted spatial conditions. To this end, the coil unit, which contains a primary winding and a secondary winding attached to two spark plugs, is designed with the windings as a divided and mechanically separated coil unit. One primary partial winding and an associated secondary partial winding are each combined to form partial winding, which are electrically connected in series via a primary connector lead or a secondary connector lead (26), and are jointly driven by way of a contact element. The ignition coil arrangement is used, in particular, in motor vehicles.

Abstract: A dynamic valve mechanism for an engine which can make the overall height of the engine relatively small so as to provide easy loading of the engine on a vehicle.

Abstract: A system for controlling operation of engine fuel injectors that includes a feed-forward control unit responsive to signals from sensors on the engine for supplying a basic electronic control signal for the injectors. A neural network is connected in parallel with the feed-forward control unit for receiving the sensor signals and multiplying the sensor signals by associated weighting factors. The sensor signals multiplied by the weighting factors are combined to produce a network output signal, which in turn is combined with the basic control signal from the feed-forward control unit to control operation of the fuel injectors. The weighting factors in the neural network are modified as a function of inputs from the engine sensors so as to reduce any errors in the sensor output signals as compared with desired values.

Abstract: Automotive internal combustion engine ignition timing control operations for varying timing of engine cylinder combustion chamber ignition events models the lead-lag combustion chamber temperature change profile under a transition from a first to a second engine operating condition and varies ignition timing following the transition in response to the temperature change profile. The lead-lag profile is implemented by applying a step change in ignition timing followed by a more gradual timing change, such as along a first order lag trajectory, toward a final ignition timing following the transition, and is updated in synchronism with engine cylinder events to account for a dependence on engine speed.

Abstract: A throttle for an internal combustion engine wherein intake runners (18) include slots (24) through which a slide throttle plate (26) is mounted. The throttle plate includes openings (28) selectively aligned with the runners (18) by an actuator (32) to control the air flow into the engine intake ports (14). Actuation back and forth across the runners (18) can provide for flow control as well as port deactivation, while a throttle plate (226) configured for up and down motion relative to the intake runners (218) can provide for tumble port flow control.

Abstract: An automotive controller permits easy reading of a program identification code in a ROM without the need for using any special readout device. The automotive controller is equipped with: a processing unit (10) which has various sensors (3a, 5 through 7, 31) for supplying various types of data indicative of the operational state of a motorcar, a RAM (103), and a ROM (102), and which performs arithmetic processing on the data; and output devices (4, 11) driven according to the operation results given by the processing unit. Stored in advance in the ROM are the set values matched to predetermined conditions of the operational states, and program identification codes keyed to the contents of programs. The output devices include an output unit (111) for displaying the program identification codes. The processing unit enables the program identification codes in the ROM to be displayed on the output device only when the data indicating the operation states agrees with the present values.

Abstract: An ignition synchronization system and method of using the same are provided for the ignition systems of internal combustion engines. The system retains all of the parts of the vehicle's original ignition system. The system adds a new ignition device having a new spark energy generating coil. In addition, a spark energy signal converter is also provided. The spark energy signal converter and the new ignition device are connected in series, respectively, between the original coil and the vehicle's original elements for distributing the spark energy. The firing signal from the vehicle's electrical system triggers the original coil to generate a spark energy pulse. The spark energy signal converter absorbs the spark energy from the original coil and generates a signal indicating that the original coil pulsed. The converter, in turn, sends a firing signal to the new ignition system, which generates spark energy for the spark plug.

Abstract: Two embodiments of multiple-valve engines wherein both the spark plug and fuel injector are mounted in the cylinder head in side-by-side relationship with their axes lying in a common plane. The spark plug and fuel injector axes extend into the combustion chamber recess in an area that is circumscribed by a circle passing through the centers of the valve seats.

Abstract: In a dual polarity type ignition system for a spark plug group, a cylindrical metal shell is provided in which an insulator is provided. The insulator has an axial bore in which a center electrode is provided whose front end has a first noble metal tip. A ground electrode extends from a front end of the metal shell and having a second noble metal tip to form a spark discharge gap between the first noble metal tip and the second noble metal tip. The group of the spark plugs is divided into two groups, one is a positive polarity spark plug group in which a positive high voltage is applied to the center electrode, and the other group is a negative polarity spark plug group in which a negative high voltage is applied to the center electrode. The first noble metal tip of the center electrode of the positive polarity spark plug group is dimensionally smaller than the first noble metal tip of the center electrode of the negative polarity spark plug group.

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying fuel to an internal combustion engine is disclosed. The apparatus includes an injector that is selectively opened and closed and a pump for discharging the fuel to the injector from a fuel reservoir. The injector is open to inject the fuel to the engine when the engine is running and closed when the engine is idling. The amount of fuel to be injected is adjusted based on the operating state of the engine. A pressure sensor detects an actual pressure of the fuel to be supplied to the injector. A controller computes a target pressure of the fuel to be supplied to the injector. The controller determines a presumed change of engine speed based on the operating state of the engine and controls the pump based on the presumed change.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine controller, a crank angle signal SGTP includes pulses corresponding to first and second reference crank angles and a cylinder identification signal SGCP includes a pulse having a phase difference to the crank angle signal, the pulse number of a specific cylinder from the second reference crank angle to the first reference crank angle is different from those of other cylinders, a control/arithmetic operation circuit includes means for calculating control timings, means for counting the pulse number of the cylinder identification signal, means for outputting a cylinder identification flag FC by assessing a cylinder identifying state based on a count value CP and a previous count value CPO and means for reflecting the cylinder identification flag to the output state of drive signals and control reflection means prohibits the output of the drive signals when the cylinder identification flag is abnormal.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling air/fuel ratio of an internal combustion engine at a desired level of richness or leanness utilizes an existing air flow sensor for sensing air flow into the engine and generating a corresponding air flow signal. A signal multiplier multiplies the air flow signal by a constant to generate a modified air flow signal corresponding to the desired level of richness or leanness. A control signal is then generated for controlling the air/fuel ratio to the desired level.

Abstract: A control device actuates at least one fuel flow control device in the event of a vehicle crash or roll over. The control device has a sensor stage to sense a plurality of parameters including acceleration, pitch angle and roll angle of a vehicle. A corresponding plurality of signals are generated representing each such parameter. The control device has a control stage including circuitry to receive the plurality of signals and to generate a control signal corresponding to each such parameter when the corresponding signal exceeds a predetermined value. A safety device actuator has circuitry to receive the control signals and to generate a corresponding actuator signal to actuate a fuel flow control device.