Abstract: A device and a method for detecting phase in four-stroke engines, in which an electronic control unit (ECU) detects a spark current as a measuring signal and determines whether ignition occurred for ascertaining the compression cycles of the cylinders, whereby the electronic control unit is able to cause the injection to be performed in a correct phase relation.

Abstract: Electronic control apparatus including a V-type multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having right and left banks of cylinders 1a and 1b, a crank-angle detecting device 12 for a camshaft of one bank 1a and which outputs a rotational-angle signal, a cylinder determination device 14 for generating a determination signal of which cylinder is to be ignited, an intake-air volume measuring device 4 for measuring an intake-air volume, and an ECU 18 for inputting the intake-air volume, the rotational-angle signal and the cylinder determination signal to calculate a rotational speed and ignition timing. The electronic control apparatus is configured so that ECU 18 inputs the rotational-angle signal from the crank-angle detecting device 12 and predicts a signal period of the next time from a state of change in the signal period of the same bank and sets ignition timing of the next time based on this predicted result.

Abstract: An engine control system and method include determining which engine cylinder is performing at a level differently than a majority of the other cylinders. Whenever a cylinder output is below that of the other cylinders, an engine performance variable, such as the spark angle, preferably is adjusted to bring the cylinder indicated mean effective pressure into conformance with that of the other cylinders. By adjusting the individual cylinder performance variable, engine performance is brought to a desired level of smoothness, especially under conditions such as engine idle.

Abstract: A combustion state during the initial stage after ignition is detected, and based on the detected combustion state, it is judged whether or not incomplete combustion has occurred, and when it is judged that incomplete combustion has occurred, an ignition signal is output so as to perform the re-ignition immediately.

Abstract: A method of detecting combustion misfires in an internal-combustion engine, includes the following steps: variably actuating valve drives of the engine by an electronic engine control; performing a load-dependent control with the control system by a cylinder-control program; the load-dependent control includes the step of reducing power in at least one cylinder by separately affecting ignition and fuel supply thereto; detecting, in the control system by the cylinder-control program, the cylinder of reduced power with a cylinder-identification signal; at predeterminable intervals detecting, from signals obtained in the preceding step, resulting deviations of predetermined operating data as normal operation; detecting, as combustion misfires, deviations of the predetermined operating data from the normal operation obtained in the preceding step; and generating a setting signal upon detecting deviations in the preceding step.

Abstract: A method for detecting an abnormal disturbance of an internal combustion engine torque and for suspending the functioning of a system in which combustion misfiring has been diagnosed. The method operates by analysis of values of a quantity representing the quality of combustion by observing engine crank shaft rotation. A stability criterion is defined of the quantity for each of the engine cylinders. Then, after each combustion the stability criterion is compared with a predetermined threshold, and an abnormal torque disturbance is detected when the stability criterion is greater than the threshold for a given number of consecutive times for at least one cylinder.