Abstract: An engine control system includes an fuel injector for each cylinder of the engine, an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in an exhaust manifold and an electronic control unit to which signals from various sensors are fed. Operation of the engine is controlled by the electronic control unit. An air-fuel ratio deviation among cylinders is calculated based on output signals of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and injection amount errors of each injector are calculated from the deviation of air-fuel ratio among cylinders. An injection characteristic of each injector is learned from the injection amount errors, and a right amount of fuel is supplied to each cylinder based on the learned injection characteristic. In this manner, the injection amount errors are effectively adjusted, and the air-fuel ratio deviation among cylinders due to external disturbances is surely adjusted.

Abstract: It is determined whether an engine operating state is within a specified operating range. When the engine operating state is within the specified operating range, the air-fuel ratio of an i-th cylinder is estimated based on the detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and a cylinder deviation, which is the deviation of an estimated air-fuel ratio from a reference air-fuel ratio, is computed. When this cylinder deviation becomes larger than a specified determination value, the processing of incrementing the count value of an abnormality counter is started at a point in time when a specified delay time elapses after the cylinder deviation becomes larger than the specified determination value. At a point in time when the count value of the abnormality counter becomes larger than a specified abnormality determination value, it is determined that the air-fuel ratio of the i-th cylinder is abnormal.

Abstract: An engine control system includes an fuel injector for each cylinder of the engine, an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in an exhaust manifold and an electronic control unit to which signals from various sensors are fed. Operation of the engine is controlled by the electronic control unit. An air-fuel ratio deviation among cylinders is calculated based on output signals of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and injection amount errors of each injector are calculated from the deviation of air-fuel ratio among cylinders. An injection characteristic of each injector is learned from the injection amount errors, and a right amount of fuel is supplied to each cylinder based on the learned injection characteristic. In this manner, the injection amount errors are effectively adjusted, and the air-fuel ratio deviation among cylinders due to external disturbances is surely adjusted.

Abstract: It is determined whether an engine operating state is within a specified operating range. When the engine operating state is within the specified operating range, the air-fuel ratio of an i-th cylinder is estimated based on the detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor, and a cylinder deviation, which is the deviation of an estimated air-fuel ratio from a reference air-fuel ratio, is computed. When this cylinder deviation becomes larger than a specified determination value, the processing of incrementing the count value of an abnormality counter is started at a point in time when a specified delay time elapses after the cylinder deviation becomes larger than the specified determination value. At a point in time when the count value of the abnormality counter becomes larger than a specified abnormality determination value, it is determined that the air-fuel ratio of the i-th cylinder is abnormal.

Abstract: One-way valves are provided in a hydraulic pressure supply passage in an advance hydraulic chamber and a hydraulic pressure supply passage in a retard hydraulic chamber respectively. A drain oil passage bypassing each of the one-way valves is provided in the hydraulic pressure supply passage in the each hydraulic chamber to be in parallel therewith. A drain switching valve is provided in the each drain oil passage. A drain switching control function for switching the hydraulic pressure driving the each drain switching valve is integral with a function of the hydraulic control valve for controlling the hydraulic pressure supplied to the advance hydraulic chamber and the retard hydraulic chamber. It is determined whether the responsiveness of an advance/retard operation is in a normal range based upon a changing rate of the VTC displacement angle during advance/retard operating, thereby determining presence/absence of abnormality in the advance/retard operation.

Abstract: An engine has variable timing mechanisms, which are controlled in starting an engine to set valve opening overlap of an intake valve and an exhaust valve around 30° CA. In this case, internal EGR is actively conducted and fuel burning velocity within a cylinder becomes relatively slow and unburned fuel within the cylinder is emitted to an exhaust pipe to be post-burned by itself. Temperature of exhaust gas is maintained high and catalyst converters in the cold state may be activated quickly by actively implementing the post-burning within the exhaust pipe. Further, ignition timing is retarded, an air-fuel ratio is controlled at a slightly lean ratio and the exhaust valve is advanced. The effect of raising the temperature of exhaust gas by the post-burning may be realized more reliably by combining each of these controls.

Abstract: An engine variable valve timing mechanism is controlled during engine starting to set valve opening overlap of intake and exhaust valves around 30° CA. In this case, internal EGR is actively conducted, fuel burning velocity within a cylinder becomes relatively slow and unburned fuel within the cylinder is emitted to an exhaust pipe to be post-burned. The temperature of exhaust gas is maintained high and catalyst converters in the cold state may be activated quickly by actively implementing such post-burning within the exhaust pipe. Further, ignition timing is retarded, the air-fuel ratio is controlled to a slightly lean ratio and the exhaust valve is advanced. The effect of raising the temperature of exhaust gas by post-burning may be realized more reliably by combining each of these controls.

Abstract: A fuel injector comprises an injector body and an air assisting adapter. The adapter is attached to the injector body and has a fuel passage for guiding spray of injected fuel. The fuel passage is divided into two directions. A plurality of air introduction holes are communicated with the fuel passage, so that pressurized air is introduced into the fuel passage to atomize the injected fuel. The air introduction holes open to the passage at a position where the particle size of the injected fuel starts to reduce. This position is 4 mm to 5 mm away in the downstream direction from an injection port plate of the injector body.

Abstract: A fuel injection control system for an engine enhances efficiency for charging suctioned air into a cylinder stabilizes a fuel combustion state. An engine intake pipe is provided with an air-assisted injector. Fuel injected by the injector flows into a combustion chamber within the cylinder via an intake valve. An ECU controls the injector drive so that injected fuel flows into the cylinder about 1/3 of the time at the beginning of the valve opening period. This arrangement allows a large amount of fuel supplied into the cylinder to be vaporized quickly and completely before the intake value is closed. At this time, because temperature of air drops due to heat of vaporization of the fuel, weight (density) of air suctioned into the cylinder per unit volume increases, thus enhancing the charging efficiency of suctioned air.

Abstract: An air-assisted type injector injects a fuel into an intake port toward the face part of an intake valve, and its injection port has multiple holes to atomize the injected fuel into a predetermined fuel particle diameter (e.g., SMD=about 50 microns). An air feed pump supplies pressurized air to the injector to atomize the gas particle size of about 10 microns in a low/medium speed and low/medium load region where the face of the intake valve is at low temperatures. In a high speed or high load region where the face temperature is high, the air assistance by the air feed pump is stopped. When the fuel atomization by the air assistance is stopped, the gas particle diameter of the injected fuel is about 50 microns, but the fuel atomization is promoted by the valve face at a high temperature. Thus, the fuel flowing into the cylinder is atomized to a diameter as small as that at the time when the air assistance is executed.

Abstract: An apparatus for detecting the concentration of particles in a liquid includes a light-emitting portion for emitting examination light which is totally reflected-by a boundary surface contiguous to the liquid to be examined, a photosensor for receiving the totally-reflected light, a reference sensor for directly receiving the examination light, and a judgment portion for finding the reflectance from outputs of the two sensors to compute the particle concentration. In case that the liquid to be examined is lubricating oil of an engine, the concentration of carbon particles is calculated, thereby judging the deterioration of the lubricating oil.

Abstract: An oil deterioration detector comprising a sensitive electrode whose electric potential varies in response to acidity and/or basicity of oil to be measured, and a reference electrode associated with this sensitive electrode. An electrically conductive housing accommodates the sensitive electrode and the reference electrode together with the oil. A potential difference detector detects oil deterioration by measuring a potential difference between the sensitive electrode and the reference electrode. And, an insulating member is interposed between these electrodes and the electrically conductive housing for electrically insulating these electrodes from the electrically conductive housing. The reference electrode is grounded together with the electrically conductive housing. An insulating, hydrophilic porous member would be interposed between the sensitive electrode and the reference electrode.

Abstract: Additive is supplied to the lubricating oil by an additive supplying pump according to TBN of the lubricating oil which is detected by a TBN sensor which detects the current produced by the impressed voltage. TBN is kept between 0 and 2.

Abstract: A device for detecting a transmissivity of a substance utilizing a transmitted light value, which comprises a light emitting element and a photo detecting element. The light emitting element and the photo detecting element are spaced from each other at a predetermined distance so that a transmitted light value of a substance passing through the space is detected as an amount of light transmitted therethrough. The photo detecting element further comprises a photo oscillator circuit including the photo detecting element as one component thereof and outputs a signal having characteristics selected from a cycle and a frequency corresponding to the transmitted light value, and when the condition of a substance exceeds a predetermined reference level, such information is displayed at a display unit.

Abstract: In a lubricant contamination measuring device, an optical path gap is provided between a light source window at a light source side and a light receiving window at a light receiving element side. A lubricant having an amount of contaminant to be measured in accordance with a light transmittance is present in the optical path gap and the length of the optical path gap is selected to be shorter than a predetermined length. At least one of the light source and light receiving windows has a convex shape, and the center of the convex window is in contact with a surface of the other window. Thus, the amount of contaminant in the lubricant can be measured up to a high contamination range.

Abstract: Carbon particles are effectively removed from contaminated lubricating oil, for example, in a diesel engine by an electrostatic filtering device comprising a porous dielectric inserted between positive and negative electrodes in a container into which the contaiminated lubricating oil in introduced. In particluar, in the preferred embodiment the spaced parallel electrodes sandwich a porous dielectric film for collecting particles and a porous spacer which is disposed between the porous dielectric film and one of the electrodes. The pores of the porous spacer have a size which is considerably larger than that of the pores of the particle-collecting film.

Abstract: A burner device adapted for use in a particulate filter arranged in an exhaust system in a diesel engine for incinerating particles collected by the filter. The device includes a mixing chamber for mixing the fuel and the air, the chamber has nozzles for generating flows of the mixture directed to the combustion chamber. Means are provided for pre-heating the air introduced into the mixing chamber. A trapping vaporizer is provided for improving the vaporization of the fuel in the mixing chamber.

Abstract: An exhaust gas cleaning device for collecting carbon particulates in the exhaust gases, is disclosed. The device is provided with a filter member formed of a material having interconnected pores and an electric heater which is buried within the exhaust gas inlet end portion of the filter member. According to the exhaust gas cleaning device of the present invention, the carbon particulates collected in the inlet end portion of the filter member is directly heated by means of the electric heater which is provided in the inlet end portion of the filter member. Therefore, carbon particulates can be ignited by a small amount of electric power.

Abstract: Particle-laden exhaust gases flow through a first stage consisting of a filter cake so the particles of sizes of the order of microns are trapped over the surface of the filter cake and agglomerated or granulated and the agglomerated or granulated particles are entrained by the flow of exhaust gases into an inertia type particle collector or separator in which they are separated from the exhaust gases and the collected particles are burned out by an electric heating element.