An ECU is applied to an engine system including an engine and an MG. The ECU determines whether or not a piston is located at a position, at which compression reactive force is received, at a time point at which engine speed reaches zero after combustion of the engine is stopped. Further, in a case where the ECU determines that the piston is located at the position at which compression reactive force is received, the ECU stops the piston by applying positive torque on a positive rotation side to a crank shaft by the MG.

An EGR rate estimation method using an EGR valve opening area involves aggravated EGR rate estimation accuracy as an EGR valve is deteriorated and is unable to satisfy required accuracy when a target EGR rate is high. With a method for correcting a fuel injection amount by a fuel injection valve through estimation of a purge air-fuel ratio on the basis of variations in an air-fuel ratio variable depending on whether purging is performed, the fuel injection correction fails to accommodate the change in the air-fuel ratio when concentration of fuel evaporative emissions adsorbed by an activated carbon of a canister is high, resulting in reduced conversion efficiency of a catalyst. An arrangement includes an introduction port that is disposed in an intake pipe and through which a gas other than fresh air flows in the intake pipe and humidity sensors disposed upstream and downstream, respectively, of the introduction port. The EGR rate or the purge air-fuel ratio in the intake pipe is estimated using detection values of the respective humidity sensors.

An EGR rate estimation method using an EGR valve opening area involves aggravated EGR rate estimation accuracy as an EGR valve is deteriorated and is unable to satisfy required accuracy when a target EGR rate is high. With a method for correcting a fuel injection amount by a fuel injection valve through estimation of a purge air-fuel ratio on the basis of variations in an air-fuel ratio variable depending on whether purging is performed, the fuel injection correction fails to accommodate the change in the air-fuel ratio when concentration of fuel evaporative emissions adsorbed by an activated carbon of a canister is high, resulting in reduced conversion efficiency of a catalyst. An arrangement includes an introduction port that is disposed in an intake pipe and through which a gas other than fresh air flows in the intake pipe and humidity sensors disposed upstream and downstream, respectively, of the introduction port. The EGR rate or the purge air-fuel ratio in the intake pipe is estimated using detection values of the respective humidity sensors.

Various embodiments include a method for operating an internal combustion engine wherein the compression is variably adjusted comprising: checking a sensor signal indicative of a compression of the engine; checking the plausibility of the signal by: ascertaining a series of corresponding values of the signal and values of the actuating variable; determining a mathematical relationship between the signal and the variable based on the series; determining a deviation between the relationship and a predetermined characteristic relationship; and determining the signal is plausible when the determined deviation is lower than a predetermined threshold value; and if the determined deviation is higher than the predetermined threshold value, adjusting operation of the internal combustion engine.

Various embodiments include a method for operating an internal combustion engine wherein the compression is variably adjusted comprising: checking a sensor signal indicative of a compression of the engine; checking the plausibility of the signal by: ascertaining a series of corresponding values of the signal and values of the actuating variable; determining a mathematical relationship between the signal and the variable based on the series; determining a deviation between the relationship and a predetermined characteristic relationship; and determining the signal is plausible when the determined deviation is lower than a predetermined threshold value; and if the determined deviation is higher than the predetermined threshold value, adjusting operation of the internal combustion engine.

Methods and systems are provided for an engine system configured with a wide range active compressor and high pressure EGR. In one example, a compressor may include an active casing treatment with a slideable sleeve may be adjusted to direct air flow through either a choke slot and surge slot to control compressor efficiency, thereby maintaining EGR flow. In another example, the compressor may comprise a variable inlet device to regulate air flow through the compressor, thereby adjusting compressor efficiency and also maintaining EGR flow.

A plant control system comprises a feedback controller 5 configured to determine a control input of a plant 6 so that one control output of the plant approaches a target value, a provisional target value calculating part 2 configured to calculate a provisional target value based on a predetermined parameter of the plant, and a reference governor 3 configured to perform a minimum value search of an object function by updating a corrected target value to thereby derive the target value from the provisional target value. The reference governor is configured to update the corrected target value only between r0.5R.sub.r and r. R.sub.r is a value of a partial differential for the corrected target value w of the object function when the corrected target value w is the provisional target value r.

The invention provides an exhaust purification device capable of suppressing the temporal decrease in NOx catalyst removal efficiency due to soot accumulation. The invention provides an exhaust purification device using an air injection nozzle to inject pressurized air into a casing of a catalyst reactor containing an NOx catalyst as a catalyst and removing soot adhering to the NOx catalyst, wherein it is determined and externally notified that there is abnormal deterioration in the NOx catalyst when the pressure difference P in exhaust between the upstream and downstream sides of the NOx catalyst has increased by at least a first reference pressure difference increase Pt1, which is the allowable amount of pressure difference increase, above the pressure difference Pi in exhaust between the upstream and downstream sides of the catalyst in the initial state at the same exhaust flow rate Ve.

The invention provides an exhaust purification device capable of suppressing the temporal decrease in NOx catalyst removal efficiency due to soot accumulation. The invention provides an exhaust purification device using an air injection nozzle to inject pressurized air into a casing of a catalyst reactor containing an NOx catalyst as a catalyst and removing soot adhering to the NOx catalyst, wherein it is determined and externally notified that there is abnormal deterioration in the NOx catalyst when the pressure difference P in exhaust between the upstream and downstream sides of the NOx catalyst has increased by at least a first reference pressure difference increase Pt1, which is the allowable amount of pressure difference increase, above the pressure difference Pi in exhaust between the upstream and downstream sides of the catalyst in the initial state at the same exhaust flow rate Ve.

An engine promoting DPF regeneration processing is provided. Catalyst activation processing and thereafter DPF regeneration processing are performed under control of a device. In the catalyst activation processing, a target temperature of exhaust at an exhaust exit of a catalyst is set to be in a first temperature region, and then the opening degree of an exhaust throttle device is controlled. In the DPF regeneration processing, the target temperature is set to be in a second temperature region. A target temperature of the exhaust at an exhaust inlet of a DPF is set to be in a third temperature region. The opening degree of the exhaust throttle device is controlled, and unburned fuel is supplied into the exhaust. The temperature regions are set to be successively higher, and a temperature difference between successive temperature regions is set to be successively lower.