An internal combustion engine includes a cylinder including a piston connected to a rotatable crankshaft, an air guide arranged to guide an air flow to the cylinder an adjustable air flow restriction element arranged to restrict the How through the air guide, an exhaust guide being arranged to guide a gas flow from the cylinder, an adjustable exhaust flow restriction element arranged to restrict the flow through the exhaust guide, an exhaust valve arranged to control a communication between the cylinder and the exhaust guide, and an exhaust valve actuation assembly for actuating the exhaust valve so as to perform in each of a plurality of cycles of the cylinder an exhaust valve actuation sequence, wherein the exhaust valve actuation assembly is adapted to control the commencement of the exhaust valve actuation sequence to occur selectively at any crankshaft angle within a non-zero crankshaft angle interval.

A method, control system, and variable valve timing system are provided for controlling an actuator that can be switched into an on state and an off state with pulse width modulation. The systems and method include controls configured to determine an actual system parameter on a first time schedule and a desired system parameter on a second time schedule. On a third time schedule, a position error difference between the actual system parameter and the desired system parameter is determined. The third time schedule is configured to begin and to determine the position error difference each time that the actual system parameter is determined and each time that the desired system parameter is determined. A desired duty cycle is determined, and a duty cycle command is sent to a pulse width modulation output unit.

A method of transitioning between two intake valve lift states while providing constant engine torque output comprehends the steps of receiving a lift change request from an engine control device, determining the current phase angles of the camshafts, and determining whether the intake and exhaust camshafts are at transition positions. The transition positions are experimentally or empirically determined combinations of operating conditions that result in constant engine torque output before and after the intake valve lift transition. If they are, an appropriate, i.e., low to high or high to low cam lift state transition of the intake valves occurs. If they are not, the cam phasers move the intake and exhaust camshafts to transition positions. When the cam phasers have moved the intake and exhaust camshafts to the transition positions, i.e., positions of constant engine torque output, the intake valve lift transitions from high to low or low to high.

A control unit for an internal combustion engine is configured for suppressing knocking phenomenon with reduction of overlap, while maintaining an opening timing of an exhaust valve at the time of low-rotation, high-load state. A valve opening/closing timing control apparatus includes a phase adjustment mechanism configured to vary a relative rotational phase between a driving side rotary body rotatable in synchronism with a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine and a driven side rotary body rotatable together with an exhaust cam shaft. After an opening timing of the exhaust valve, an advancing operation is effected for displacing the relative rotational phase in the advancing direction relative to the opening timing.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a variable camshaft timing system. In one example, a method may include actuating a camshaft phaser with a camshaft duty cycle determined based on a sampled camshaft position and an estimated camshaft position, the estimated camshaft position determined based on a previously determined camshaft duty cycle.

A method of controlling valve timing and valve duration using a CVVT apparatus and a CVVD apparatus, the CVVT apparatus being configured to adjust an opening time of a valve in a vehicle engine, the CVVD apparatus being configured to adjust a duration of a valve lift, the method may include determining a desired valve opening time and a desired valve closing time; determining a desired valve duration by the desired valve opening time and the desired valve closing time; determining a desired valve timing through the desired valve opening time and an actual valve duration measured in real time; and controlling the CVVD apparatus to accomplish the desired valve duration while controlling the CVVT apparatus to accomplish the desired valve timing.

A variable cam timing system in an engine is provided. The variable cam timing system includes a camshaft receiving rotational input from a crankshaft. The camshaft includes a valve cam rotationally actuating a valve coupled to a cylinder and a null cam actuating a null follower including a null spring exerting a return force on the null cam during interaction between the null cam and the null follower, where the null follower is independent from the cylinder.

A variable cam timing system in an engine is provided. The variable cam timing system includes a camshaft receiving rotational input from a crankshaft. The camshaft includes a valve cam rotationally actuating a valve coupled to a cylinder and a null cam actuating a null follower including a null spring exerting a return force on the null cam during interaction between the null cam and the null follower, where the null follower is independent from the cylinder.

A method for controlling valve timing for an engine includes: classifying a plurality of control regions depending on an engine speed and an engine load; applying a maximum duration to an intake valve and controlling an exhaust valve to limit a valve overlap in a first region; controlling the intake valve and the exhaust valve to maintain the maximum duration in a second region; advancing an intake valve closing (IVC) timing and an exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing in a third region; approaching the IVC timing to a bottom dead center (BDC) in a fourth region; controlling a throttle valve to be fully opened, advancing an intake valve opening (IVO) timing before a top dead center (TDC), and controlling the IVC timing to be a predetermined value after the BDC in a fifth region; and controlling the throttle valve to be fully opened and advancing the IVC timing in a sixth region.

A valve timing controller includes: a driving side rotation member synchronously rotating with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine; a driven side rotation member contained in the driving side rotation member and rotating integrally with a cam shaft for opening and closing a valve coaxially with a rotating axis of the driving side rotation member; an electromagnetic valve displacing a relative rotation phase between the driving side and driven side rotation members by supplying a working fluid to advancing and retarding chambers defined between the driving side and driven side rotation members; an intermediate locking mechanism holding the relative rotation phase in an intermediate locking phase; a phase detection section detecting the relative rotation phase; and a control section controlling the electromagnetic valve based on a detection signal of the phase detection section.