The invention relates to a method of controlling operation of an ICE arrangement (1), comprising acquiring (100) a first signal indicative of a required torque; acquiring (102) a second signal indicative of a temperature (T) of an EATS (23); and when the second signal indicates that the temperature (T) of the EATS (23) is lower than a predefined first threshold temperature (T.sub.1): determining (108; 118) an amount of second fuel (17) needed to deliver the required torque; supplying the amount of second fuel (17); controlling (112; 122) an inlet valve (19) to allow flow of a second fuel-air mix into the cylinder (3); injecting first fuel (13) into the cylinder (3) when the second fuel-air mix is compressed by the piston (9), resulting in flame propagation ignition of the second fuel-air mix; and controlling (116; 126) and outlet valve (21) to allow flow of exhaust from the cylinder (3) during an exhaust stroke (ES) of the piston (9).

The invention relates to a method of controlling operation of an ICE arrangement (1), comprising acquiring (100) a first signal indicative of a required torque; acquiring (102) a second signal indicative of a temperature (T) of an EATS (23); and when the second signal indicates that the temperature (T) of the EATS (23) is lower than a predefined first threshold temperature (T.sub.1): determining (108; 118) an amount of second fuel (17) needed to deliver the required torque; supplying the amount of second fuel (17); controlling (112; 122) an inlet valve (19) to allow flow of a second fuel-air mix into the cylinder (3); injecting first fuel (13) into the cylinder (3) when the second fuel-air mix is compressed by the piston (9), resulting in flame propagation ignition of the second fuel-air mix; and controlling (116; 126) and outlet valve (21) to allow flow of exhaust from the cylinder (3) during an exhaust stroke (ES) of the piston (9).

Low noise control of a high-pressure fuel pump is performed by reducing noise generated by an anchor colliding with a fixing core. A control device 800 for a high-pressure fuel pump controls a suction valve that opens and closes an inflow port through which fuel flows to a pressurizing chamber by performing energization to a solenoid 205 in synchronization with a reciprocating motion of a plunger. A current energized to the solenoid 205 includes a peak current for giving a force to start closing a valve to the suction valve in a stationary state and a holding current for performing switching in a range smaller a maximum value of the peak current in order to hold the suction valve in a valve closing state. When the control device 800 reduces a peak current application amount of the peak current from a value sufficient to close the high-pressure fuel pump, a valve closing speed of the suction valve becomes small up to a certain application amount, and when the peak current application amount becomes smaller than the application amount, there is a saturation range of a current application amount of the peak current in which the valve closing speed of the suction valve is saturated. The control device 800 controls the current application amount of the peak current to fall in the saturation range.

A control apparatus of an internal combustion engine having an injector which directly injects fuel into a combustion chamber of a cylinder and a spark plug which ignites an air-fuel mixture containing the fuel injected by the injector includes an air-fuel ratio acquisition unit acquiring an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber, a nitrogen oxide concentration acquisition unit acquiring a concentration of nitrogen oxide in a combustion gas exhausted from the internal combustion engine, and a stratification level estimation unit estimating a level of stratification as a measure of level of distribution of the air-fuel mixture at a predetermined air-fuel ratio or below in a vicinity of the spark plug. The stratification level estimation unit estimates the level of stratification according to the air-fuel ratio acquired by the air-fuel ratio acquisition unit and the concentration of nitrogen oxide acquired by the nitrogen oxide concentration acquisition unit.

An engine output control device controls engine output at a time of a downshift speed change of a transmission. The engine output control device includes: engine speed detecting means for detecting an actual engine speed NeJ of a crankshaft; and engine output adjusting means capable of adjusting the engine output according to an operation of a rider. The smaller of a requested engine output PA calculated on a basis of the actual engine speed NeJ and a rider requested engine output PB adjusted by the engine output adjusting means is output as the engine output.

An injection device for an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including a combustion chamber and at least one intake manifold, the injection device including a first injector for injecting a fuel directly into the combustion chamber, and the injection device including a second injector for injection into the intake manifold, wherein the second injector is configured to inject water.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing blackening of an oxygen sensor due to voltage excursions into an over-potential region. Before transitioning the sensor from a lower voltage to an upper voltage during variable voltage operation, an operating temperature of the sensor is reduced via adjustments to a sensor heater setting. The reduction in temperature increases the range of temperatures available to the sensor before the over-potential region is entered.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing blackening of an oxygen sensor due to voltage excursions into an over-potential region. Before transitioning the sensor from a lower voltage to an upper voltage during variable voltage operation, an operating temperature of the sensor is reduced via adjustments to a sensor heater setting. The reduction in temperature increases the range of temperatures available to the sensor before the over-potential region is entered.

A fuel supply device for a liquefied petroleum direct injection (LPDI) engine in which liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is directly injected into a combustion chamber and a start control method of an LPDI engine having the fuel supply device, wherein the high pressure fuel pump receives and compresses fuel to a pressure higher than a pressure at which fuel has been supplied, wherein the high pressure fuel rail buffers and supplies fuel to a direct injector that injects fuel directly into a combustion chamber, wherein the return line is connected to the supply line through the high pressure fuel pump to form a low pressure line, allowing a surplus portion of fuel supplied to the high pressure fuel pump from the fuel tank to return to the fuel tank, and wherein a first valve is disposed on the return line to control the flow rate of returning fuel.

A characteristic determining device is provided which determines fuel injection characteristics of a plurality of fuel injectors for an internal combustion engine. The characteristic determining device includes a pressure sensor and a plurality of pipes each of which connects between the pressure sensor and one of the fuel injectors. The pressure sensor is designed to have a plurality of pressure inputs from the respective fuel injectors through the pipes and outputs a signal indicative of a level of pressure in each of the fuel injectors. The characteristic determining device analyzes the signals from the first pressure sensor to determine the fuel injection characteristics of the respective fuel injectors. These arrangements result in a simplified structure of the characteristic determining device and a decreased manufacturing cost thereof.