Aspects of the present invention relate to methods of stop/start of an internal combustion engine provided with a CVVL system; also a control unit and a vehicle for employing the methods.

Aspects of the present invention relate to methods of stop/start of an internal combustion engine provided with a CVVL system; also a control unit and a vehicle for employing the methods.

A controller and a method for a hybrid drive, which includes an internal combustion engine and an electrical machine are provided. The internal combustion engine includes adjustment devices that deactivate the intake and exhaust valve opening actuation. The controller is designed in such a way that, in the case of at least one specified condition (such as regeneration during unfired overrun or in the case of electric travel, in particular in the case of operation with high activation frequency of the internal combustion engine, e.g., in charge sustaining or HEV operation), the intake and exhaust valves are kept at least approximately (preferably completely) closed at least approximately simultaneously while the internal combustion engine is unfired. The internal combustion engine must be connected to the electrical machine. If there is a disconnect clutch, the disconnect clutch is brought into the closed state or remains closed.

A controller and a method for a hybrid drive, which includes an internal combustion engine and an electrical machine are provided. The internal combustion engine includes adjustment devices that deactivate the intake and exhaust valve opening actuation. The controller is designed in such a way that, in the case of at least one specified condition (such as regeneration during unfired overrun or in the case of electric travel, in particular in the case of operation with high activation frequency of the internal combustion engine, e.g., in charge sustaining or HEV operation), the intake and exhaust valves are kept at least approximately (preferably completely) closed at least approximately simultaneously while the internal combustion engine is unfired. The internal combustion engine must be connected to the electrical machine. If there is a disconnect clutch, the disconnect clutch is brought into the closed state or remains closed.

An internal combustion engine is provided with a DOHC-type valve train in a cylinder head. The valve train includes an intake side camshaft with an intake side driven gear, and an exhaust side camshaft with an exhaust side driven gear. The cylinder head supports therein a spindle with an idle gear with an idle chain sprocket fixed thereto. The idle gear is in meshing engagement with both the intake and exhaust side driven gears. Rotary power of a crankshaft is transmitted via a cam chain to the idle gear to rotate both the intake and exhaust side camshafts. These camshafts are supported by bearings of a bearing wall and a camshaft holder. These bearings and camshaft holder are located, for compact arrangement, at a position axially coinciding or overlapping with the idle chain sprocket.

An internal combustion engine is provided with a DOHC-type valve train in a cylinder head. The valve train includes an intake side camshaft with an intake side driven gear, and an exhaust side camshaft with an exhaust side driven gear. The cylinder head supports therein a spindle with an idle gear with an idle chain sprocket fixed thereto. The idle gear is in meshing engagement with both the intake and exhaust side driven gears. Rotary power of a crankshaft is transmitted via a cam chain to the idle gear to rotate both the intake and exhaust side camshafts. These camshafts are supported by bearings of a bearing wall and a camshaft holder. These bearings and camshaft holder are located, for compact arrangement, at a position axially coinciding or overlapping with the idle chain sprocket.

In a control device for an engine, the engine includes combustion chambers, ports connected to the combustion chambers, and valves that open and close areas between the combustion chambers and the ports. The control device includes an electronic control unit that is configured to execute an anti-freezing operation of performing control to fully close the valves or make the valves be in a state of being opened with a lift amount of 1 mm or more, in a case where temperatures around the valves are lowered to a predetermined temperature range after the engine is stopped, or in a case where an outside air temperature when the engine is stopped is equal to or lower than a predetermined temperature. The predetermined temperature range is a temperature range in which an upper limit value is lower than 10? C., and the predetermined temperature is lower than 5? C.

When a stop request to the engine is issued, it is determined whether or not all of the drive cams are large cams. When it is determined that at least one of the small cams is included in the drive cams, the engine is continued to drive for a while and a switch control for switching the drive cams from the small cams to the large cams is executed within the duration. A self-holding type solenoid is used to switch between the small cams and the large cams. In the switch control, a permission to stop the engine is output at a timing when the pin protrudable section of the final cylinder #2 has elapsed.

An engine control system for a vehicle includes a shutdown control module that generates a command to shut down an engine of the vehicle when at least one of: a driver requests the shutdown of the engine via an ignition system; and when one or more predetermined conditions are satisfied for shutting down the engine without the driver requesting shutdown of the engine via the ignition system. A valve control module, when the command to shut down the engine is generated, advances an exhaust camshaft phaser based on a predetermined exhaust park position. When the exhaust camshaft phaser is in the predetermined exhaust park position, an exhaust valve of a cylinder is fully closed during an exhaust stroke of the cylinder before a piston of the cylinder reaches a topmost position for a next intake stroke of the cylinder.

An engine control system for a vehicle includes a shutdown control module that generates a command to shut down an engine of the vehicle when at least one of: a driver requests the shutdown of the engine via an ignition system; and when one or more predetermined conditions are satisfied for shutting down the engine without the driver requesting shutdown of the engine via the ignition system. A valve control module, when the command to shut down the engine is generated, advances an exhaust camshaft phaser based on a predetermined exhaust park position. When the exhaust camshaft phaser is in the predetermined exhaust park position, an exhaust valve of a cylinder is fully closed during an exhaust stroke of the cylinder before a piston of the cylinder reaches a topmost position for a next intake stroke of the cylinder.