The internal combustion engine includes: a plurality of cylinders each including a piston that reciprocally operates in association with rotation of a crankshaft, and an intake valve and an exhaust valve that open and close a combustion chamber; a starter motor that drives and rotates the crankshaft; and a valve opening-closing timing control mechanism that sets opening and closing timings of the exhaust valve by driving an electric actuator. If an environmental temperature detected by an environmental temperature sensor is less than 10 degrees below freezing, the control device controls the electric actuator such that the closing timing of the exhaust valve is made different from a top dead center of the piston, at a point in time when cranking is performed, and an initial combustion in one of the plurality of cylinders that is set to be the cylinder in which combustion is performed first is performed.

Methods and systems are provided for relieving pressure from a compression locked engine. The engine may be compression locked during an engine start attempt due to operator application of a manual transmission clutch at or around the time of a first combustion event of the engine start. A direct injector of the compression locked cylinder is commanded open to relieve the pressure into the fuel rail.

A prime mover for a lightweight vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, a starter motor integrally integrated with the internal combustion engine, and a housing for the prime mover. The prime mover additionally comprises a Hall Effect sensor and an prime mover control module structured and operable to communicate with the Hall Effect sensor, determine when operation of the internal combustion engine should cease, and upon the determination that operation of the internal combustion engine should cease, utilize the communication from the Hall Effect sensor to stop the internal combustion engine such that a piston of the internal combustion engine is positioned at between 15 and 25 after bottom-dead-center.

Methods and systems are provided for using compression heating to heat a cylinder piston before cylinder combustion is resumed. Cylinder heating is achieved using combinations of slow unfueled engine rotation where the engine cylinders are heated via compression stroke heating, and slow compressor rotation where the cylinders are heated via compression heating. One or more intake or exhaust heaters may be concurrently operated to expedite cylinder heating.

A prime mover for a lightweight vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, a starter motor integrally integrated with the internal combustion engine, and a housing for the prime mover. The prime mover additionally comprises a Hall Effect sensor and an prime mover control module structured and operable to communicate with the Hall Effect sensor, determine when operation of the internal combustion engine should cease, and upon the determination that operation of the internal combustion engine should cease, utilize the communication from the Hall Effect sensor to stop the internal combustion engine such that a piston of the internal combustion engine is positioned at between 15 and 25 after bottom-dead-center.

This igniter assembly 220 includes: an igniter 2 provided with a lead terminal 20; a body 1 made of resin and storing the igniter 2; and an internal terminal 3 fixed to the body 1 and having one end electrically connected to the lead terminal 20. The internal terminal 3 has another end extending outward of the body 1.

A depressurization device is mounted on a camshaft that includes an exhaust cam operable to push an exhaust rocker arm. The depressurization device includes a base disc mounted on the camshaft and adjacent to the exhaust cam, a counterweight swing arm coupled to the base disc, an elastic element arranged between the base disc and the counterweight swing arm, a depressurization cam element coupled to the exhaust cam and drivable by the counterweight swing arm, and an axle bar extending through the base disc and the counterweight swing arm. The depressurization cam element includes a driving section, a depressurization cam section, and a rotary shaft section. The depressurization cam element is drivable by the counterweight swing arm to rotate by an angle. The depressurization cam section includes an arc portion and first and second cut-off portions arranged at a side opposite to the arc portion.

A method for controlling an engine having a continuous variable valve duration (CVVD) apparatus is provided. The method includes: correcting a torque required by a driver; transmitting, by a hybrid control unit (HCU), a start signal to an engine control unit (ECU) when the corrected torque satisfies conditions required to drive the engine; determining a target CVVD value for operation of an intake CVVD apparatus corresponding to the corrected torque; determining a target current value corresponding to the target CVVD value; and changing the target CVVD value to a synchronizing CVVD value when a current state of the engine is in a cranking interval, wherein the synchronizing CVVD value is configured to synchronize starting revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine with RPM of an automatic transmission or RPM of a motor generator.

Provided is a control device for controlling an internal combustion engine including a fuel injection valve, an ignition device, and a variable valve operating device configured to switch between a base opening/closing mode of an intake valve and a continuous valve opening mode. The control device is configured to execute a cold start control at a cold start. The cold start control includes: a startability improvement processing executed in a predetermined number of cycles after the start of cranking; and a combustion start processing executed after this predetermined number of cycles. In the startability improvement processing, the continuous valve opening mode is selected in at least an expansion stroke and an exhaust stroke, and fuel injection is executed without ignition. In the combustion start processing, the base opening/closing mode is selected continuously during one cycle, and ignition is executed.

A method for controlling an engine having a continuous variable valve duration (CVVD) apparatus is provided. The method includes: correcting a torque required by a driver; transmitting, by a hybrid control unit (HCU), a start signal to an engine control unit (ECU) when the corrected torque satisfies conditions required to drive the engine; determining a target CVVD value for operation of an intake CVVD apparatus corresponding to the corrected torque; determining a target current value corresponding to the target CVVD value; and changing the target CVVD value to a synchronizing CVVD value when a current state of the engine is in a cranking interval, wherein the synchronizing CVVD value is configured to synchronize starting revolutions per minute (RPM) of the engine with RPM of an automatic transmission or RPM of a motor generator.