Abstract: A shift controller for a motor vehicle includes an electric motor configured to rotate a shift drum associated with a transmission. An oil temperature sensor is configured to detect temperature of lubricating oil for the transmission. A controller is configured to control the electric motor. The controller controls the electric motor to operate in a preset first motor duty until a first predetermined time elapses after operation of the electric motor is started when the shift drum is turned from a first predetermined position to a second predetermined position. The controller is also configured to operate the electric motor in a second motor duty calculated based upon oil temperature after the first predetermined time elapses.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intake air amount control apparatus for an engine and a control method of an intake air amount of an engine, in which, when the atmospheric pressure exceeds a threshold value, a target lift amount of an intake valve is determined based on a target intake air amount and an electronically controlled throttle is controlled to generate a target boost pressure. On the other hand, when the atmospheric pressure does not exceed the threshold value because of a vehicle traveling at a high altitude, the target lift amount of the intake valve is fixed to a maximum lift amount and the opening angle of the electronically controlled throttle is determined in response to the target intake air amount. Consequently, an actual intake air amount is controlled to be brought to the target intake air amount thereby generating negative pressure necessary for exhaust gas recirculation.

Abstract: When a variable valve mechanism which varies an opening characteristic of an engine valve is malfunctioned, the power supply to a drive circuit for the variable valve mechanism is stopped, and also a control signal to the drive circuit is cleared.

Abstract: A flow controlling method for an auxiliary intake flow passage for use in a power unit which includes a starter clutch which is automatically engaged and disengaged in response to the engine speed. An intake air control valve (IACV) carries out changeover from water temperature dependent control (open loop control of adjusting the flow rate of the auxiliary intake flow passage in response to the warming up state of an engine) to target engine speed feedback control when the actual engine speed NE [rpm] drops to a clutch disengagement engine speed NEout (engine speed at which the centrifugal clutch is disengaged) (S3: Yes) and the opening ?1 [degree] of the throttle valve becomes smaller than a predetermined threshold value (throttle valve opening threshold value TH—?1 (S4: Yes).

Abstract: To detect opening/closing of a neutral detection hydraulic switch by a detection apparatus and detect breakage of a wiring line connected between the detection apparatus and the switch. Since a second contact and an ECU are connected to each other by two wiring lines, even if one of the wiring lines is broken, opening/closing of the neutral detection hydraulic switch can be detected through the remaining one of the wiring lines. Since different voltages are applied to the wiring lines through resistance type voltage dividing circuits, the occurrence of the wire breakage can be detected making use of the fact that the voltage detected by the ECU upon opening of the neutral detection hydraulic switch when one of the wiring lines is broken is different from the voltage when none of the wiring lines is broken.

Abstract: A fuel injection control apparatus includes a low-side driver, arranged electrically downstream of an injector and operable to drive the injector with a changeover of an ON-OFF state thereof in response to a drive signal from a CPU; a high-side driver, arranged electrically upstream of the injector and downstream of a power source, and having an ON-OFF state thereof which may be changed in response to the drive signal from the CPU; a high-side return signal detection unit and a low-side return signal detection unit. Each of the low-side and high-side drivers includes a transistor arranged inside an ECU. The CPU diagnoses a function of a drive circuit based on the presence or non-presence of return signals received from the high-side return signal detection unit and the low-side return signal detection unit with respect to predetermined driving states of both the low-side and high-side drivers.

Abstract: A stroke detection apparatus performs a stroke detection of 4-cycle engine based on a rotary engine speed when a throttle opening is large. A first crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted before a top dead center by 30°, and a crank pulse of the top dead center is measured by a pulse-interval calculation unit, and at the same time, a second crank-pulse time interval between a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center by 60° and a crank pulse inputted after the top dead center 90° is measured. An interval difference calculation unit calculates time-interval difference by subtracting the second crank-pulse time interval from the first crank-pulse time interval, for two continuous top dead centers. A stroke detection unit determines whether two top dead centers are a compression top dead center or an exhaust top dead center based on magnitudes of the time-interval differences.

Abstract: An engine ignition control apparatus includes a standard ignition map for use in retarding ignition timing when a throttle opening is within a predetermined range, and when an engine speed is within a predetermined region; and an acceleration-time advance angle correction quantity map for performing advance angle correction when the engine speed is within the predetermined region; an engine accelerometer for detecting a rate of change of the engine rotary speed; and an acceleration-time advance angle correction quantity setting unit for correcting an advance angle of the ignition timing. When the engine speed is within the predetermined range, and the rate of change of engine rotary speed is greater than or equal a predetermined rate, the acceleration-time advance angle correction quantity setting unit performs attenuation processing for deriving an advance angle correction quantity; and increases an attenuation quantity of the advance angle quantity for every ignition.

Abstract: An engine control method, based on engine intake pressure, is operable to shorten a period from a start of cranking until a sequential fuel injection control is determined. Provisional and final stroke determinations are made for a plurality of cylinders from a synthetic manifold pressure waveform. The provisional stroke determination is made after a crankshaft is rotated 720 degrees after settlement of a crank reference position. The final stroke determination is made when the crankshaft rotates 1440 degrees after the provisional stroke determination. When the provisional stroke determination is made, fuel is injected into the cylinders based on a detected value of the engine intake pressure; and when the stroke determination is finally settled, the fuel injection and ignition of the engine are controlled based on the detected value of the engine intake pressure.

Abstract: An engine ignition control apparatus for controlling ignition of a multi-cylinder, 4-cycle engine includes dual ignition coils for controlling ignition timing of the respective cylinders during engine operation. The engine ignition control apparatus includes a stroke determination unit for determining a stroke based on crank pulses and on an output signal of an intake pressure sensor. The engine ignition control apparatus also includes an ignition map allocation unit for allocating ignition maps to the respective cylinders of two ignition systems, each having a pair of cylinders with a same phase, before the stroke determination. The ignition map allocation unit also allocates ignition maps independently to each of the respective cylinders after the stroke determination. The engine ignition control apparatus also includes an ignition timing calculation unit for calculating ignition timing of the respective ignition coils based on the ignition maps allocated to the respective cylinders.

Abstract: At the time of obtaining a difference in intake air amount between right and left banks in a V-type engine, a target value of a lift-amount/operation-angle-varying mechanism provided for each of the banks is set to a target value at which flow velocity of intake air passing through an intake valve becomes almost sound velocity. In a state in which the flow velocity of intake air passing through the intake valve becomes almost sound velocity, a difference in the intake air amount in the right and left banks is detected and, to reduce the difference, a correction value for a target value of a valve lift is set for each of the banks.

Abstract: In an aspect of the present invention, each of plural control units which controls drive of an electric actuator diagnoses existence of abnormality in drive control of the electric actuator, the abnormality differing from control unit to control unit; the control unit transmits diagnostic result thereof to another control unit; the control unit outputs an abnormal determination signal as a signal indicating diagnostic result therefrom when at least one of the diagnostic result thereof and the diagnostic result of another control unit indicates abnormality; and the control unit transfers the drive control of the electric actuator to an abnormal use control state when the abnormal determination signal is output from at least one of the plural control units.

Abstract: An apparatus for and method of controlling a variable valve mechanism capable of continuously varying an effective opening of an intake valve by driving of an actuator, and also, is provided with a default mechanism which mechanically holds the intake valve at a default opening set to be larger than a minimum effective opening when the driving of the actuator is stopped, while the intake valve is being held at the default opening by the default mechanism, the effective opening of the intake valve is detected, the default opening is detected based on the detected effective opening to thereby learning the default opening, so that a direction of supply of a driving force by the actuator is switched between an increase-direction causing an increase in the effective opening and a decrease-direction causing a decrease therein, from the detected or learned default opening.

Abstract: The present invention provides an intake air amount control apparatus for an engine and a control method of an intake air amount of an engine, in which, when the atmospheric pressure exceeds a threshold value, a target lift amount of an intake valve is determined based on a target intake air amount and an electronically controlled throttle is controlled to generate a target boost pressure. On the other hand, when the atmospheric pressure does not exceed the threshold value because of a vehicle traveling at a high altitude, the target lift amount of the intake valve is fixed to a maximum lift amount and the opening angle of the electronically controlled throttle is determined in response to the target intake air amount. Consequently, an actual intake air amount is controlled to be brought to the target intake air amount thereby generating negative pressure necessary for exhaust gas recirculation.

Abstract: In an internal combustion engine equipped with a variable valve operating mechanism that performs a valve timing control and a valve lift amount control of at least one of an intake valve and an exhaust valve, target values of the valve timing and the valve lift amount set based on an engine operating condition are limited by a limit value to limit a control range of one of the valve timing and the valve lift amount in accordance with a control state of the other of the valve timing and the valve lift amount, so that the valve timing and the valve lift amount are controlled based on the respective target values one of which has been limited as above.

Abstract: In a V-type engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism and variable valve lift mechanism for an intake valve, a torque difference between respective banks is obtained. In a region in which an opening area of the intake valve is larger than a threshold, valve timing of the intake valve by the variable valve timing mechanism is corrected so as to reduce the torque difference, whereas in a region in which the opening area of the intake valve is smaller than the threshold, lift characteristics of the intake valve by the variable valve lift mechanism is corrected so as to reduce the torque difference.

Abstract: An engine control system and an engine control method for improving the ability to start an engine by changing the execution timings of predetermined sumchecks in ROM to shorten the time required for initialization of the system. Upon starting an ECU with a power supply supplied from an AC generator as a result of an operation of a kick starter, a CPU initialization, which includes a hardware reset and a software initialization, is executed. An ignition timing calculation sumcheck, which is required for the calculation of an ignition timing, and injection timing calculation sumcheck, which is required for the calculation of an injection timing, are not executed in a period of the software initialization. Instead, they are executed during BG (background) processing after a movement to routine processing, which upon completion of the software initialization, starts the ECU to permit driving and controlling an igniter and a fuel injector.

Abstract: An in-line four-cylinder engine provided with a variable valve timing mechanism which changes a rotation phase of a camshaft relative to a crankshaft, and a cam angle sensor which outputs a cam angle signal at each 45 (deg.) of the camshaft, detection of an angle spanning from a reference rotational position of the crankshaft to the cam angle signal being made to thereby detect the rotation phase of the camshaft.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a rare earth permanent magnet comprises the steps of: forming a rare earth magnet by applying mechanical processing to a magnet block material, thereby damaging the surface of the magnet and causing a magnetic characteristic (BH)max of the magnet to deteriorate, followed by transforming a rare earth metal or an alloy thereof into fine particles or a vapor, and allowing the fine particles or vapor to diffuse and permeate the magnet, thereby improving the quality of the damaged magnet surface portion so that the magnetic characteristic (BH)max is recovered.

Abstract: To reliably prevent knocking in all of the cylinders of a multicylinder engine by detecting an output signal from a knock sensor provided for only one of the cylinders. A cylinder barrel is formed with a knock sensor base on the side surface of only the third cylinder and a vibration type knock sensor is mounted on the knock sensor base. A water jacket is formed in an upper portion of the wall of the cylinder barrel. The knock sensor base is formed below the water jacket so as to prevent a problem such that knocking vibrations may be absorbed by the cooling water in the water jacket to cause a reduction in sensitivity of the knock sensor.