Abstract: An ignition timing control device for an internal combustion engine including: a setting unit configured to set a target ignition timing of the internal combustion engine based on a reference ignition timing and an advance correction amount; a start determination unit configured to determine, based on change in an alcohol concentration, whether or not the fuel injected from a fuel injection valve starts to switch from a first fuel to a second fuel higher in the alcohol concentration than the first fuel; a completion determination unit configured to determine whether or not switching to the second fuel is completed; a restriction unit configured to restrict the advance correction amount during a switching period to the advance correction amount corresponding to the alcohol concentration of the first fuel or lower; and a cancel unit configured to cancel restriction of the advance correction amount after the completion of the switching is determined.

Abstract: An engine system for determining an alcohol concentration in fuel is disclosed. In one example, engine throttle position, fuel pulse width, and air-fuel ratio form a basis for determining alcohol concentration of a fuel combusted in an engine. The system and its related method may improve engine operation in conjunction with detecting an alcohol concentration of a fuel.

Abstract: A method for operating an engine with a fuel reformer is presented. In one embodiment a method for operating an engine by injecting a gaseous fuel and a liquid fuel to at least an engine cylinder is presented. The mixture of an engine cylinder may be diluted with EGR and a fraction of gaseous fuel may be increased relative to a fraction of liquid fuel injected to a cylinder in response to an operator tip-out.

Abstract: A fuel delivery system for a fuel burning engine of a vehicle and a method of operating the fuel delivery system is provided. As one example, the method includes separating a first fuel and a second fuel from a fuel vapor on-board the vehicle, said fuel vapor including at least an alcohol component and a hydrocarbon component and said first fuel including a higher concentration of the alcohol component than the fuel vapor and the second fuel; condensing the separated first fuel from a vapor phase to a liquid phase; delivering the condensed liquid phase of the first fuel to the engine; and combusting at least the condensed liquid phase of the first fuel at the engine.

Abstract: A method and a device for purging an injector in a fuel injector system of use in regeneration of a particle filter. The aging of fuel is determined and compared with a fuel aging threshold value, and a purge request is activated if the threshold value is exceeded. On activating the purge request the satisfaction of the conditions of purge activation are verified and, if satisfied, the purge is activated. The purge is continued while the conditions are satisfied until the quantity of fuel purged reaches a quantity of fuel to be purged.

Abstract: A method is described for identifying fuel composition from an index ratio of oxygen sensors upstream and downstream of a catalyst of the engine. Different index ratios are achieved for different fuel compositions, and thus it is possible to identify fuel composition, such as fuel alcohol content, based on changes in the index ratio.

Abstract: A method is described for an engine having a delivery system configured to deliver fuel and a fluid to an engine cylinder, said fluid containing at least some water. In one example, an engine operating parameter may be varied based on an amount of water in said fluid, where said amount is determined based on an operating condition.

Abstract: A controller of an engine that can use a blended fuel with alcohol blended therein, the controller includes: an ignition timing controller, operable to control an ignition timing of the engine; an exhaust air-fuel ratio detector, operable to detect an exhaust air-fuel ratio of the engine; a concentration detector, operable to detect concentration of the alcohol in the blended fuel; an operation state detector, operable to detect an operation state of the engine; and a corrector, when the operation state which is detected by the operation state detector is a high-speed, high-load operation state, as the concentration of the alcohol which is detected by the concentration detector is higher, operable to control an injection amount which is injected from a fuel injection valve to correct a target equivalence ratio more in a lean direction, and operable to correct the ignition timing which is controlled by the ignition timing controller more to a spark advance side.

Abstract: The invention concerns a method for determining the composition of a fuel mixture from a first and at least a second fuel for operating a combustion engine, whereby the fuel mixtures of different compositions require various air/fuel ratios to achieve a stoichiometric combustion. Thereby it is provided that the air volume that has been delivered to the combustion engine, the fuel quantity that has been delivered and the oxygen content in the exhaust gas of the combustion engine are determined during one or several stationary operating phases of the combustion engine during one or several measuring phases, and in that the composition of the fuel mixture is determined from these values. The procedure allows an accurate and reliable determination of the composition of a fuel mixture for combustion engines that are operated in flex-fuel-mode.

Abstract: The alcohol concentration detection value estimated or detected by the alcohol concentration sensor is corrected in accordance with intensity, frequency and the like of knocking to set the alcohol concentration detection value after the correction as the alcohol concentration for ignition timing control. Thereby, occurrence of the knocking can be prevented by changing ignition timing in accordance with the knocking state. In regard to the fuel injection control, the alcohol concentration detection value before the correction is used as the alcohol concentration for fuel injection control as it is without using the alcohol concentration detection value corrected in accordance with the knocking state. This prevents a fluctuation of the fuel injection quantity due to correcting the alcohol concentration detection value in accordance with the knocking state, leading to prevention of a torque fluctuation or combustion deterioration.

Abstract: An ignition timing is established according to alcohol concentration of fuel detected by an alcohol concentration sensor. In a torque control where a throttle opening is controlled in such a manner that an estimated torque follows an target torque, when obtaining the estimated incylinder filling air quantity, the throttle opening is varied by correcting the estimated incylinder filling air quantity according to the detected alcohol concentration. Thereby, the variation in torque due to the correction of the ignition timing according to the alcohol concentration can be compensated by the variation in torque due to the correction of the estimated incylinder filling air quantity (the throttle opening). The variation in output torque due to difference of the alcohol concentration of the fuel is decreased.

Abstract: Fuel management system for operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. The system includes a gasoline engine powering the vehicle and a source of gasoline for introduction into the engine. A source of an anti-knock fuel such as ethanol is provided. An injector directly injects the anti-knock fuel into a cylinder of the engine and the control system shuts down the engine by stopping gasoline and anti-knock agent flow into the engine during vehicle deceleration and idling and restarts the engine upon driver demand. Direct ethanol injection and engine shutdown results in efficiencies similar to those of full hybrid vehicles.

Abstract: A system for an engine, comprising a cylinder, a first injection subsystem for injecting a first substance into the cylinder, a second injection subsystem for injecting a second substance into the cylinder, and an electronic engine controller configured to control a plurality of operating parameters of the engine, where the electronic engine controller is configured to cause variation of at least one of the operating parameters in response to a shortfall condition of the second injection subsystem.

Abstract: The types of gasolines having different distillation characteristics and various compositions are identified accurately and rapidly. A pulse voltage is applied for a predetermined time to a liquid type identifying sensor heater including a heater and an identifying liquid temperature sensor provided in the vicinity of the heater and an identified gasoline is heated by the heater and the liquid type is identified with a voltage output difference V0 corresponding to a temperature difference between an initial temperature and a peak temperature in the identifying liquid temperature asensor. Furthermore, a gasoline is introduced between electrodes of an alcohol concentration detecting sensor, and a change in a specific inductive capacity of the gasoline between the electrodes is measured with an oscillation frequency thereby detecting an alcohol concentration in the gasoline.

Abstract: An internal combustion engine includes an in-cylinder injector injecting a fuel into a cylinder and an intake port injector injecting a fuel into an intake port. In the internal combustion engine, when a fuel injection ratio between the in-cylinder injector and the intake port injector is changed such that the ratio of fuel injection from the in-cylinder injector is increased, ignition timing is retard-corrected for a prescribed period after that change.