A camshaft toothed wheel, forming a target for a camshaft rotation sensor, including a plurality of teeth distributed over its circumference. The toothed wheel including a first set of four teeth each spaced apart by 90°, and a second set of six teeth each spaced apart by 60°. The teeth of each set being distributed such that the wheel includes two portions of its circumference without an active edge of teeth over an angle of at least 35° and which are spaced apart by 180°. The teeth of the first set of teeth and of the second set of teeth being arranged such that no tooth is common to the first set of teeth and to the second set of teeth.

A variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft having a general shaft part and a cam part arranged next to each other in an axial direction, an input arm that swings when pressed by the cam part, an output arm that is swingably mounted and that drives a valve when swinging, and a switch device that switches the variable valve mechanism between a coupled state where the input arm and the output arm are coupled to swing together and an uncoupled state. The output arm has a great height so that clearance between the output arm and the general shaft part is 3 mm or less when the variable valve mechanism is in the coupled state and the valve is closed. If the output arm bounces in the uncoupled state, the output arm comes into contact with the general shaft part through the clearance.

A variable valve mechanism of an internal combustion engine includes a camshaft having a general shaft part and a cam part arranged next to each other in an axial direction, an input arm that swings when pressed by the cam part, an output arm that is swingably mounted and that drives a valve when swinging, and a switch device that switches the variable valve mechanism between a coupled state where the input arm and the output arm are coupled to swing together and an uncoupled state. The output arm has a great height so that clearance between the output arm and the general shaft part is 3 mm or less when the variable valve mechanism is in the coupled state and the valve is closed. If the output arm bounces in the uncoupled state, the output arm comes into contact with the general shaft part through the clearance.

Internal combustion engine having cam actuated valves that can be controlled to facilitate the use of different air charge levels in different cylinders or sets of cylinders are described. In one aspect a first set of cylinders is operated in a skip fire manner in which the corresponding cylinders are deactivated during skipped working cycles. Cam actuated intake valves associated with a second set of cylinders are operated differently so that the air charge in the cylinders in the second set is different than the air charge in fired cylinders subject to the skip fire control. According to another aspect, an engine having cam actuated intake valves is operated in a dynamic firing level modulation mode. During the dynamic firing level modulation operation, the cam actuated intake valves are controlled in at least two different manners to such that different cylinder working cycles have different air charges.

An engine assembly includes a control module configured to receive a torque request and an engine configured to produce an output torque in response to the torque request. The control module includes a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method for supervisory model predictive control. The control module includes a multi-layered structure with an upper-level (“UL”) optimizer module configured to optimize at least one system-level objective and a lower-level (“LL”) tracking control module configured to maintain at least one tracking parameter. The multi-layered structure is characterized by a decoupled cost function such that the UL optimizer module minimizes an upper-level cost function (CF.sub.UL) and the LL tracking control module minimizes a lower-level cost function (CF.sub.LL). The system-level objective may include minimizing fuel consumption of the engine and the tracking parameter may include delivering the torque requested to engine.

A method for controlling valve timing of a continuous variable valve duration engine may include: 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 a valve overlap between an exhaust valve and an intake valve by using an exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing in a first control region; advancing an intake valve closing (IVC) timing and applying a maximum duration to the exhaust valve in a second control region; advancing the IVC timing and the EVC timing in a third control region; controlling the EVC timing in a fourth control region; controlling a throttle valve to be fully opened and controlling the IVC timing in a fifth control region; and controlling the throttle valve to be fully opened and advancing the IVC timing in a sixth control region.

A method for controlling valve timing of a continuous variable valve duration engine may include: 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 a valve overlap between an exhaust valve and an intake valve by using an exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing in a first control region; advancing an intake valve closing (IVC) timing and applying a maximum duration to the exhaust valve in a second control region; advancing the IVC timing and the EVC timing in a third control region; controlling the EVC timing in a fourth control region; controlling a throttle valve to be fully opened and controlling the IVC timing in a fifth control region; and controlling the throttle valve to be fully opened and advancing the IVC timing in a sixth control region.

A vehicle includes an engine having a combustion chamber with an inlet and an outlet. Valves and valve actuators regulate open and closing of the inlet and the outlet. A plasma ignition source initiates ignition in the combustion chamber. A controller is in communication with the inlet valve actuator and outlet valve actuator. The controller is configured to detect a transition from a first combustion mode of the engine to a second combustion mode of the engine. The controller is also configured to change at least one of an opening time, a closing time, and an open duration of the first valve in response to detecting the transition.

A vehicle includes an engine having a combustion chamber with an inlet and an outlet. Valves and valve actuators regulate open and closing of the inlet and the outlet. A plasma ignition source initiates ignition in the combustion chamber. A controller is in communication with the inlet valve actuator and outlet valve actuator. The controller is configured to detect a transition from a first combustion mode of the engine to a second combustion mode of the engine. The controller is also configured to change at least one of an opening time, a closing time, and an open duration of the first valve in response to detecting the transition.

The present disclosure provides a system and a method for controlling valve timing of a continuous variable valve duration engine. The method may include: classifying a plurality of control regions depending on an engine speed and an engine load; applying a maximum duration to an intake valve in a first control region; maintaining the maximum duration of the intake valve and controlling a valve overlap by using exhaust valve closing (EVC) timing in a second control region; advancing intake valve closing (IVC) timing in a third control region; controlling the IVC timing to be close to bottom dead center (BDC) in a fourth control region; controlling a throttle valve to be fully opened and generating a scavenging phenomenon in a fifth control region; and controlling the throttle valve to be fully opened and controlling the IVC timing to prevent knocking in a sixth control region.