A variable combustion cylinder ratio control device includes a target ratio setting section and a pattern determining section. The pattern determining section determines a target deactivation interval as a subsequent deactivation interval when the difference between a current deactivation interval and the target deactivation interval is less than or equal to X cylinders, and determines, as the subsequent deactivation interval, an interval closer to the target deactivation interval than the current deactivation interval by X cylinders when the difference between the current deactivation interval and the target deactivation interval exceeds X cylinders. The value of X is a natural number and a variable value that varies in accordance with the operating state of the engine.

Embodiments for operating an engine with skip fire are provided. In one example, a method comprises during a skip fire mode or during a skip fire mode transition, port injecting a first fuel quantity to a cylinder of an engine, the first fuel quantity based on a first, predicted air charge amount for the cylinder and lean of a desired air-fuel ratio, and direct injecting a second fuel quantity to the cylinder, the second fuel quantity based on the first fuel quantity and a second, calculated air charge amount for the cylinder.

The invention, while reducing noise, suppresses a load increase in a processor and a delay in drive control. An engine control unit includes a processor, a driving circuit including a switching element to drive a load such as a fuel injector and an ignition device, and a communication circuit that transmits control signals from the processor to the driving circuit via serial communication. The control signals each include a command frame for controlling the driving circuit and a data frame for driving the load. If a predetermined bits in each of the data frames received from the processor at predetermined time intervals are determined to be the same twice in succession, the engine control unit changes a state of a driving signal Drive for driving the load and thereby changes an operating state of the switching element.

An apparatus and method of controlling an electronic continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) is provided. The apparatus includes a sensor disposed in a motor facing a reducer and an intelligent motor controller. The sensor determines a rotation speed of a first and second projection of a first and second rotation member and generates a sensing signal that corresponds to an output waveform of each rotation speed and inputs the signal to an intelligent motor controller coupled to the motor. The intelligent motor controller receives the signal and separates a crank shaft and cam shaft position signal. The signals are compared to detect an actual phase angle of the suction or exhaust valve. A phase deviation between the detected, actual and predetermined target phase angle is calculated.

Provided is a vehicle control apparatus which can output, to the outside, a signal input from a sensor to an arithmetic processing unit while keeping delay at a lower level. An ECU (vehicle control apparatus) includes an arithmetic processing unit having a pair of an input port and an output port assigned to a sensor signal indicating a signal output from a sensor. The arithmetic processing unit performs arithmetic processing by using the sensor signal input from the input port, and outputs the sensor signal from the output port.

Diagnosis system, method, and apparatus for a starting system are discloses herein. The method comprises receiving a run condition parameter for a vehicle, receiving a fueling system engagement parameter and an associated time threshold for the fueling system engagement parameter, and receiving an ignition command for turning an engine of the vehicle from an off state to an on state. If the run condition parameter is met, the method receives time data indicative of a time duration from reception of the ignition command to reach or substantially reach the fueling system engagement parameter, compare the time duration to the associated time threshold, and diagnose a starting system of the vehicle based on the comparison.

When single-injection control is executed, processing for initiating full injection is executed at a crank angle immediately before initiation of each fuel injection among crank angles at crank angle intervals of 30. When multi-injection control is executed, processing for initiating the fuel injection is executed at a crank angle immediately before the initiation of the each fuel injection among crank angles at crank angle intervals of 10.

A system for controlling an internal combustion engine has an in-cylinder pressure sensor, a crank angle sensor and a controller coupled to receive inputs from the pressure sensor and crank angle sensor. The controller is configured to convert the cylinder pressure input into a combustion metric indicative of the combustion occurring in the measured cylinder and control fuel input and timing into the engine based on the combustion metric. The controller samples the in-cylinder pressure sensor at a high frequency during critical combustion events and at a lower frequency during the non-critical cylinder conditions.

A fuel injection controller for an internal combustion engine includes first and second calculation sections. The first calculation section acquires a fuel pressure at a predetermined point of time before an injection starting point of time and calculates an injection time using the acquired fuel pressure. The second calculation section acquires a fuel pressure when the injection starting point of time arrives and calculates the injection time by using the acquired fuel pressure. The controller is configured to, before starting the energization to the injector, set a point of time to stop energization to an injector based on a calculation result of the injection time by the first calculation section. The controller is also configured to, after starting the energization to the injector, reset the point of time to stop the energization to the injector based on a calculation result of the injection time by the second calculation section.

A method for predictive open-loop and/or closed-loop control of an internal combustion engine with control variables pursuant to a model of the engine with characterizing variables and a control circuit for the control variables. The control variables are adjusted in an open-loop or closed-loop manner by measuring actual values and specifying target values of the characterizing variables and, optionally, depending on the boundary and/or environmental and/or ageing conditions. The characterizing variables are controlled pursuant to a model of the engine with the characterizing variables and a control circuit with the control variables. The controlling is part of a model-based predictive control, wherein the characterizing variables of the engine model are calculated and the control variables of the engine are adjusted in a predictively controlled manner. A model-based predictive non-linear controller is used for the controlling, which is constructed in a modular manner with a number of model-based predictive control modules.