Abstract: A plasma injector for an internal combustion engine, in one embodiment, includes two spaced apart and parallel donut shaped disk electrodes, between which a horizontally outward moving plasma is formed via a high voltage applied across the electrodes. The present invention is characterized by its efficient use of input electrical energy via electronic circuitry for driving the plasma injector. An ignition source provides an ignition plasma kernel which is several orders of magnitude larger than that produced by conventional spark plugs.Use of very lean combustible mixtures, in which the dilution of the mixture is achieved by use of exhaust gas recirculation, is made possible by the present ignition system. Considerable improvement in engine efficiency, and a major reduction in NO.sub.x exhaust gas pollutants are obtained via the present ignition.

Abstract: This invention provides a heater controller applied to an air-fuel ratio sensor to prevent a temperature of the sensor excessively rising or the heater installed in the sensor breaking down, when a failed sensor is replaced with a new sensor without clearing a memory which stores a resistance of the heater of the failed sensor. A resistance of the heater for heating the sensor is calculated, and is stored as a stored resistance in a back up memory. When a failed sensor is replaced with a new sensor having a lower resistance than that of the heater installed in the failed sensor without clearing the memory, an electric power supplied to the heater is increased in accordance with a current resistance of the new heater and the stored resistance of the failed heater. However, the increased electric power is limited within a interval determined by an engine operating condition.

Abstract: A new combustion engine assembly adapter system for adapting ignition systems for use on engines not originally equipped with ignition systems. The inventive device includes an ignition assembly support for mounting an ignition distributor on a combustion engine and further including a drive assembly for transferring the rotational movement of the camshaft of the combustion engine to the ignition assembly. The ignition assembly support is mounted on the exterior of the combustion engine and has a sleeve member for receiving the cylindrical mounting portion of an ignition distributor so that the distributor is supported external to the engine.

Abstract: A method of adjusting idle spark for an individual cylinder of an internal combustion engine in an automotive vehicle including the steps of determining a crankshaft acceleration for an individual cylinder of the internal combustion engine and determining an average acceleration error for the individual cylinder based on the determined crankshaft acceleration. The method also includes the steps of determining an adaptive spark advance for the individual cylinder based on the determined average acceleration error and determining a new spark advance for the individual cylinder based on the determined adaptive spark advance and a nominal spark advance. The method further includes the steps of adjusting idle spark for the individual cylinder based on the new spark advance for the individual cylinder.

Abstract: To appropriately detect malfunction of an air quantity adjusting valve in any type of case, an electronic control type throttle valve is disposed in an air intake pipe of an engine. An ISC valve which is duty controlled by an ECU is disposed in a bypass passage which bypasses the throttle valve. A CPU within the ECU establishes a drive duty ratio of the ISC valve to control engine speed in a target speed region during idling of the engine. Additionally, in a case where the drive duty ratio exceeds a predetermined control range (0 to 100%), the CPU controls idle speed by the throttle valve. Accordingly, in a case where throttle aperture is larger than a predetermined value TAH, or in a case where throttle aperture is smaller than a predetermined value TAL (where TAH>TAL), the CPU determines that an opening side malfunction or a closing side malfunction has occurred in the ISC valve.

Abstract: A misfire detecting apparatus for an internal combustion engine which can ensure enhanced reliability for detection of the misfire event by suppressing the so-called after-burning ion current generated in an engine cylinder controlled in precedence and superposed on a normal or regular ion current generated in a cylinder controlled in succession. The apparatus includes a bias voltage supplying means (9a, 9b) for applying a bias voltage (VBi) to the spark plugs (8a to 8d) by way of the high-voltage diodes (11a to 11d), an ion current detecting means for detecting ion currents (i) flowing through the spark plugs and an electronic control unit (2) for driving the ignition coil (4) and determining misfire event in the internal combustion engine on the basis of the ion current detection signal (Gia, Gib). The ion current detecting means includes a plurality of ion current detecting circuits for detecting ion currents in the engine cylinders belonging to a plurality of cylinder groups.

Abstract: A fuel metering arrangement in devices for pneumatically assisted direct fuel injection into an internal combustion engine cylinder head (12) provided with a chamber (19) housing a connecting rod (23) for operating a compression piston (24) slidingly guided within a jacket (25) provided with one or more transfer conduits (26) connecting said internal chamber (19) to a variable-dimension space (27) positioned downstream of the piston (24) and upstream of a valve (28) providing access to a combustion chamber (29), fuel feed means (31, 33, 35) being connected to said variable-dimension space (27). In this manner a very rapid transient is achieved during acceleration.

Abstract: A fuel cut-off operation is delayed until a predetermined delay time period elapses after a fuel cut-off condition is satisfied. During the delay period, the voltage for driving a fuel pump is gradually dropped to decrease the rotation speed of the fuel pump gradually. Thus, the discharge pressure of the fuel pump is low and hence the rise of a fuel pressure immediately after the fuel cut-off operation starts can be prevented. After the fuel cut-off condition, updating of a fuel pressure feedback correction amount is prohibited until the fuel cut-off operation terminates. In this manner, a feedback control immediately after the fuel cut-off operation terminates is executed by using the feedback correction amount used immediately before the fuel cut-off condition to prevent the drop of the fuel pressure immediately after the fuel cut-off operation terminates. Thus, the fuel pressure can be maintained at a target fuel pressure.

Abstract: A combustion control system and method for operating an internal combustion engine to provide the desired air/fuel ratio under all running conditions. The system includes a feedback control which received output from an oxygen sensor coupled to one of the combustion chambers of the engine, the feedback control operating to modify the fuel/air ratio from that achieved by a basic setting that is derived from parameters of engine performance so as to maintain the desired ratio. The system also includes a mechanism for controlling backfire during operation of the feedback control. Backfire corresponding to the cylinder including the sensor is controlled by the system in a manner independent of the feedback control. Backfire corresponding to all other cylinders may be controlled independently of the feedback control or by changing overall feedback control parameters.

Abstract: Two separate iron cores 31 and 32, forming a magnetic path, are engaged with both ends of a cylindrical coil body 12. Each iron core has upper and lower limbs disposed in parallel with each other. Cylindrical coil body 12 accommodates a primary coil 221 and a secondary coil 223 therein, and has a core-insertion hole 4 for receiving the iron cores 31 and 32. The upper limb of each iron core is inserted in core-insertion hole 4 while lower limb extends along an outer wall of cylindrical coil body 12, so that cylindrical coil body 12 is engaged with iron cores 31 and 32 by these upper and lower limbs clamping between an inside wall of core-insertion hole 4 and the outer wall of cylindrical coil body 12. Primary coil 221 has an outermost layer formed into a dense alignment winding layer at its end part and into a non-dense alignment winding layer at its middle part.

Abstract: A circuit for providing a synchronizing signal based on detected ignition voltages in a coil-per-plug ignition system. In this type of ignition system, each spark plug has its own step-up transformer, typically packaged in close proximity to the spark plug itself. Normally, the plugs are fired individually to extend plug life, but according to this invention, at least two of the plugs are fired concurrently during engine cranking. During such operation, the circuit senses the voltages at the primary transformer windings of two different spark plugs to identify the respective spark plug firings, and the synchronizing signal is produced based on the sequence of the identified firings.

Abstract: An engine combustion control apparatus includes a pressure sensor provided at each of the cylinders in an engine, for detecting the pressure in each cylinder, and a controller for calculating the state variables of the intake amount and combustion temperature in each cylinder, based on the detected pressure values, and for controlling the operational variables such as the fuel amount to be injected, fuel injection timing, and so forth, based on the calculated state variables.

Abstract: The invention is directed to a method and an arrangement for controlling the drive unit of a motor vehicle. The maximum permissible torque or the maximum permissible power is determined and fault reactions are initiated when the limit value is exceeded by a computed actual torque value or an actual power value.

Abstract: A method and an arrangement for controlling the drive power of a vehicle are suggested wherein, on the basis of a desired value for the torque to be outputted by the drive unit, the following are influenced in the sense of preparing the desired value: the ratio of the air supplied to the drive unit and of the fuel supplied as well as the ignition angle and/or the metering of fuel to the individual cylinders. The interventions into the air/fuel ratio as well as the ignition angle and/or the metering of fuel are synchronized with each other so that the torque-changing effects of the individual interventions occur essentially at the same time point especially at the same inducting cylinder.

Abstract: An air-fuel ratio sensor deterioration-detecting system is provided for an internal combustion engine having first and second air-fuel ratio sensors arranged in the exhaust system upstream and downstream of a catalytic converter therein. An ECU calculates a control parameter, based on an output from the second air-fuel ratio sensor, calculates an air-fuel ratio correction amount, based on an output from the first air-fuel ratio sensor and the calculated control parameter, and executes air-fuel ratio feedback control, based on the calculated air-fuel ratio correction amount.

Abstract: A method for parametrizing a lambda controller of a lambda control device having a lambda sensor supplying an output signal at least partially exhibiting a linear dependency on an oxygen content in exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, includes representing a transfer function of a lambda controlled system by a series connection of first and second first order delay elements and an idle time element in a lambda control loop. The first delay element contains a response behavior of the lambda sensor and the second delay element contains a sliding averaging of measured lambda values.

Abstract: A method of compensating for torque variations resulting from camshaft motion in a variable camshaft timing system by adjusting the intake manifold mass air flow as a function of the camshaft schedule. The adjustment can be made using the air bypass valve, or by modifying the throttle command to an electronically controlled throttle if the vehicle is so equipped.

Abstract: A fuel injection control system for an internal combustion engine calculates an amount of fuel to be supplied to the engine, based on operating conditions of the engine including at least load on the engine. The system also calculates an amount of fuel adhering to the inner wall surface of the intake passage of the engine, and an amount of fuel to be carried-off from fuel adhering to the inner wall surface, by the use of adhering fuel parameters representative of transfer characteristics of fuel injected into the intake passage. The amount of fuel to be supplied to the engine is corrected according to the amount of fuel adhering to the inner wall surface of the intake passage and the amount of fuel to be carried-off from fuel adhering to the inner wall surface, to thereby calculate a corrected fuel injection amount.

Abstract: Engine control system for an engine equipped with a variable valve timing mechanism for altering intake valve duration delivers the amount of fuel required every engine cycle through leading and trailing injection, the duration times of which are complementarily altered according to changes in intake valve duration.

Abstract: An O.sub.2 -sensor fault diagnosis method and apparatus for detecting a fault of an O.sub.2 -sensor when a feedback control of a fuel supply to an engine is performed by making use of the output of an O.sub.2 -sensor and detecting and identifying a fault of the O.sub.2 -sensor even in the case where the feedback control is invalidated. A microcomputer (24) receives an output of an O.sub.2 -sensor (19) for detecting concentration of oxygen contained in an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine (1). An ECU (20) controls a quantity of fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine (1) through feedback control in dependence on an output signal of the O.sub.2 -sensor (19). A first decision circuit is provided for deciding whether or not the O.sub.2 -sensor (19) exhibits abnormality on the basis of the output signal state of the O.sub.