Abstract: A method of controlling a hybrid automobile is provided. Only a drive force of the motor is outputted to wheels by stopping the engine while operating the motor when a required drive force is below a predetermined switch value, and at least a drive force of the engine is outputted to the wheels by operating at least the engine when the required drive force is above the switch value. The method includes estimating, when the required drive force is below the switch value, a switching possibility of the required drive force increasing above the switch value, operating the engine so that a temperature of a catalyst becomes a first temperature when the estimated switching possibility is above a predetermined level, and operating the engine so that the temperature of the catalyst becomes a second temperature lower than the first temperature when the estimated switching possibility is below the predetermined level.

Abstract: A method of controlling a hybrid automobile is provided. Only a drive force of the motor is outputted to wheels by stopping the engine while operating the motor when a required drive force is below a predetermined switch value, and at least a drive force of the engine is outputted to the wheels by operating at least the engine when the required drive force is above the switch value. The method includes estimating, when the required drive force is below the switch value, a switching possibility of the required drive force increasing above the switch value, operating the engine so that a temperature of a catalyst becomes a first temperature when the estimated switching possibility is above a predetermined level, and operating the engine so that the temperature of the catalyst becomes a second temperature lower than the first temperature when the estimated switching possibility is below the predetermined level.

Abstract: An engine starting system for a power train including an engine and an automatic transmission includes an engine stop/restart controller. The automatic transmission having special mode includes first and second planetary gear sets having respective sun gears, a turbine shaft, an output gear, a forward clutch and a 2-4 brake. The forward clutch sets the automatic transmission in a drive condition when engaged and in a neutral condition when disengaged. If the special mode is selected under conditions where the output gear is locked, the sun gear of the first planetary gear set is locked. During execution of automatic engine stop control operation, the engine stop/restart controller causes the automatic transmission to initiate a transfer to the special mode before fuel supply is interrupted and causes the forward clutch to completely engage at a specific point in time after the automatic transmission has completed the transfer to the special mode.

Abstract: There are provided a driving-state determination device to determine a driving state of a hybrid vehicle, and a driving-source selection device to select a driving source from an engine a first motor generator, and a second motor generator based on determination of the driving-state determination device so as to provide the highest driving efficiency as a whole of the vehicle. Herein, the first and second motor generators are configured so that a high-efficiency driving operation area of the first motor generator is set on a higher-speed side relative to a high-efficiency driving operation area of the second motor generator. Accordingly, there can be provided a control device of a hybrid vehicle that can improve the driving efficiency as a whole of the vehicle properly.

Abstract: An engine starting system for a power train including an engine and an automatic transmission includes an engine stop/restart controller. The automatic transmission having special mode includes first and second planetary gear sets having respective sun gears, a turbine shaft, an output gear, a forward clutch and a 2-4 brake. The forward clutch sets the automatic transmission in a drive condition when engaged and in a neutral condition when disengaged. If the special mode is selected under conditions where the output gear is locked, the sun gear of the first planetary gear set is locked. During execution of automatic engine stop control operation, the engine stop/restart controller causes the automatic transmission to initiate a transfer to the special mode before fuel supply is interrupted and causes the forward clutch to completely engage at a specific point in time after the automatic transmission has completed the transfer to the special mode.

Abstract: An engine starting system includes a throttle valve, an alternator, an engine speed sensor and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU functionally includes an automatic engine stop controller for automatically stopping the engine by interrupting fuel injection when predefined automatic engine stop conditions are satisfied, and an automatic engine restart controller for automatically restarting the engine when predefined engine restart conditions are satisfied.

Abstract: An engine starting system includes a throttle valve, an alternator, an engine speed sensor and an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU functionally includes an automatic engine stop controller for automatically stopping the engine by interrupting fuel injection when predefined automatic engine stop conditions are satisfied, and an automatic engine restart controller for automatically restarting the engine when predefined engine restart conditions are satisfied.

Abstract: A direct-injection spark-ignition engine in which a combustible mixture is produced around a spark plug at an ignition point by causing a tumble and a fuel spray to collide with each other in a combustion chamber during stratified charge combustion comprises a fuel pressure controller which controls fuel pressure such that penetration of the fuel spray from a fuel injector is progressively intensified with an increase in engine speed in a stratified charge combustion region and means for controlling fuel injection timing including an injection timing setter. The means for controlling fuel injection timing controls the injection timing in such a way that the interval between a fuel injection ending point and the ignition point becomes progressively shorter as engine speed increases under the same engine load conditions in the stratified charge combustion region.

Abstract: In a control system for an in-cylinder direct injection engine, during idling operation, the fuel injection timing is compensated to the advance side for each cylinder so that the rate of change in crank angular velocity becomes smaller than a preset criterion while the fuel injection pressure of an injector is gradually reduced from a reference target fuel pressure to a preset lower limit. If the rate of change in crank angular speed becomes smaller than the criterion as a result of the above compensation, the fuel injection timing is compensated to the retard side so that the rate of change in crank angular velocity becomes smaller while the fuel pressure is gradually increased to the preset upper limit. Consequently, the unbalance of fuel spray and tumble due to deviations of fuel spray penetration and the like can be eliminated thereby providing suitable mixture stratification.

Abstract: In a control system for an in-cylinder direct injection engine, an actual port intake air density ganmap is calculated based on the intake air temperature thae and the atmospheric pressure atp, a reference port intake air density ganmap* corresponding to the current operating conditions of the engine is read out of a map and compared with the actual port intake air density ganmap, and a target fuel pressure or fuel injection timing is compensatorily modified based on the comparison result. This prevents fuel spray and the tumble from being thrown out of balance due to a change in intake air temperature or atmospheric pressure thereby providing suitable mixture stratification.

Abstract: A direct-injection spark-ignition engine in which a combustible mixture is produced around a spark plug at an ignition point by causing a tumble and a fuel spray to collide with each other in a combustion chamber during stratified charge combustion comprises a fuel pressure controller which controls fuel pressure such that penetration of the fuel spray from a fuel injector is progressively intensified with an increase in engine speed in a stratified charge combustion region and means for controlling fuel injection timing including an injection timing setter. The means for controlling fuel injection timing controls the injection timing in such a way that the interval between a fuel injection ending point and the ignition point becomes progressively shorter as engine speed increases under the same engine load conditions in the stratified charge combustion region.

Abstract: In a control system for an in-cylinder direct injection engine, an actual port intake air density ganmap is calculated based on the intake air temperature thae and the atmospheric pressure atp, a reference port intake air density ganmap* corresponding to the current operating conditions of the engine is read out of a map and compared with the actual port intake air density ganmap, and a target fuel pressure or fuel injection timing is compensatorily modified based on the comparison result. This prevents fuel spray and the tumble from being thrown out of balance due to a change in intake air temperature or atmospheric pressure thereby providing suitable mixture stratification.

Abstract: In a control system for an in-cylinder direct injection engine, during idling operation, the fuel injection timing is compensated to the advance side for each cylinder so that the rate of change in crank angular velocity becomes smaller than a preset criterion while the fuel injection pressure of an injector is gradually reduced from a reference target fuel pressure to a preset lower limit. If the rate of change in crank angular speed becomes smaller than the criterion as a result of the above compensation, the fuel injection timing is compensated to the retard side so that the rate of change in crank angular velocity becomes smaller while the fuel pressure is gradually increased to the preset upper limit. Consequently, the unbalance of fuel spray and tumble due to deviations of fuel spray penetration and the like can be eliminated thereby providing suitable mixture stratification.

Abstract: A fuel injection control system for a direct injection-spark ignition type of engine forcibly turns off appliances as an external engine load while the engine operates in a stratified charge combustion mode after warming-up so as thereby to fix a quantity of intake air approximately constant and concurrently feedback controls a quantity of fuel injection according to an engine speed so as to bring the engine speed into a specified idling speed. An actual quantitative variation of fuel injection is learned on the basis of a feedback correction value of the quantity of fuel injection for each of predetermined fuel injection timings which are changed from a timing for minimum advance for best torque (MBT) so as to correspond to injection pulse widths within a region adopted for a micro-flow characteristic of the fuel injector.

Abstract: Upon refreshing a catalyst (25) in steps SA2 to SA6, the air-fuel ratio of each combustion chamber (4) of an engine (1) is dither-controlled to periodically vary to the rich and lean sides of a target value (A/F=15 to 16) in steps SA16 and SA17. In step SA15, an injector (7) divisionally injects fuel in two injections within the period from the intake stroke to the compression stroke of each cylinder, thus accomplishing weakly stratified combustion. In step SA18, the opening of an EGR valve (27) is controlled to recirculate a large amount of exhaust gas to an intake path (10) so as to achieve around 40% EGR ratio.

Abstract: A control device for controlling a direct injection engine provided with an injector for injecting fuel directly into a combustion chamber in a cylinder thereof and a throttle valve is switchable between a stratified charge combustion mode and a uniform charge combustion mode. The control device predicts switching to the uniform charge combustion mode based on a change in the target load Piobj during engine acceleration in the stratified charge combustion mode, and corrects the target load Piobj so that the opening of the throttle valve approaches the opening suited for the uniform charge combustion mode prior to the switching to the uniform charge combustion mode when such combustion mode switching has been predicted. This control device prevents torque shock due to the combustion mode switching during engine acceleration without causing a deterioration in fuel economy or in vehicle acceleration performance.

Abstract: A fuel injection control system for a direct injection-spark ignition engine determines an injection pulse width corresponding to a given quantity of fuel with which an injector is kept open, controls the injector to spray a given quantity of fuel in a compression stroke while the engine operates in a zone of lower engine loads specified for lean stratified charge combustion so that the fuel is stratified around an ignition plug to cause lean stratified charge combustion so as thereby to provide an air-fuel ratio greater than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, executes fuel injection feedback control to control a quantity of fuel injection based on an air-fuel ratio detected by an oxygen sensor, causes the injector to spray a given quantity of fuel through a plurality of intake stroke split injection in a specified engine operating zone in which the fuel injection feedback control is performed to maintain at least a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio while the engine operates with lower loads, learns a fuel injectio

Abstract: An engine control system for an engine equipped with a swirl control valve which is operative in operation modes different in fuel injection form according to engine operating conditions judges based on a change in an engine operating condition whether a mode shift to one operation mode to another is demanded and controls the swirl control valve so as to attain a target opening for the one engine operation mode while keeping a specific mode shift waiting until the swirl valve opening reaches a limit value permissible in one engine operation mode into which the specific mode shift is made when the swirl control valve is judged to be out of the limit value.

Abstract: An engine control system for a direct injection-spark ignition type of engine determines a target load based on an engine speed and an accelerator pedal travel, determines target air-to-fuel ratio based on an amount of intake air and the target engine load, and determines an amount of fuel injection based on the target air-to-fuel ratio, so as thereby to control engine output torque balancing the target engine load even during a transitional operating state.

Abstract: An air intake control system for an engine equipped with an exhaust gas recirculation feature controls an exhaust gas recirculation valve according to an amount of air charge dictated by an amount of intake air detected by an air flow sensor to deliver a target amount of air charge and control an amount of air charge meeting an estimated amount of air charge estimated under the condition that the control of exhaust gas recirculation valve according to an amount of air charge is interrupted.