A method of generating vehicle control data includes: storing, with a storage device, relationship prescription data; operating, with an execution device, an operable portion of an internal combustion engine; acquiring, with the execution device, a detection value from a sensor that detects the state of the vehicle; calculating, with the execution device, a reward; and updating, with the execution device, the relationship prescription data using update mapping determined in advance, the update mapping using the state of the vehicle based on the detection value, an operation amount used to operate the operable portion, and the reward corresponding to the operation as arguments, and returning the relationship prescription data which have been updated such that an expected profit for the reward calculated when the operable portion is operated in accordance with the relationship prescription data increases.

There is provided the diagnostic device for a sensor which is arranged in an exhaust passage of an internal combustion engine and detects a particulate matter amount in exhaust, the diagnostic device including a time-rate-of-change calculation unit which calculates a time rate of change of the particulate matter amount detected by the sensor during a period in which a fuel injection amount of the internal combustion engine is equal to or less than a predetermined injection amount threshold, and an abnormality determination unit which determines an abnormality of the sensor based on the time rate of change of the particulate matter amount calculated by the time-rate-of-change calculation unit.

An aftertreatment system comprises an aftertreatment component structured to decompose constituents of an exhaust gas produced by an engine. A reductant insertion assembly is fluidly coupled to the aftertreatment component and configured to insert a reductant therein. A controller is operatively coupled to the reductant insertion assembly and configured to instruct the reductant insertion assembly to insert the reductant into the aftertreatment component for a first insertion time between first time intervals. The controller determines an operating condition of the engine, and determines if the operating condition satisfies a predetermined condition. In response to the predetermined condition being satisfied, the controller instructs the reductant insertion assembly to insert the reductant into the aftertreatment component for a second insertion time between second time intervals. The second insertion time is longer than the first insertion time.

A catalyst deterioration diagnosis apparatus includes an upstream side air-fuel ratio detector, a downstream side air-fuel ratio detector, an air-fuel ratio variation integrator that integrates the output variations of the respective air-fuel ratio detectors when a diagnosis running condition is satisfied, and a determiner that determines catalyst deterioration when the output variation integrated value of the upstream side air-fuel ratio detector exceeds a predetermined integration ending threshold, and further when a ratio between the output variation integrated value of the two detectors exceeds a predetermined determination threshold. The air-fuel ratio variation integrator holds the integrated values when the diagnosis running condition becomes unsatisfied before the integrated value of the upstream side air-fuel ratio detector reaches the integration ending threshold. The air-fuel ratio variation integrator resumes the integration using the held values as initial values when the diagnosis running condition is satisfied later again.

The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines. The teachings thereof may include monitoring a secondary air system with which secondary air is introduced into exhaust of the internal combustion engine wherein individual cylinders of the internal combustion engine are associated with one of at least two cylinder banks and a separate exhaust duct is associated with each cylinder bank. The methods may include delivering secondary air with a compression arrangement via a common secondary air line divided into a number of individual secondary air sublines corresponding to the number of exhaust ducts at a branching point downstream of the compression arrangement; controlling the secondary air to simultaneously enable or inhibit the flow to the individual secondary air sublines; detecting values for the pressure downstream of the compression arrangement and upstream of the branching point; detecting pulsations of a pressure in each cylinder bank when the compression arrangement is activated and the throughflow control arrangement set into the open state; summing the pulsations; comparing each of summed-up values with threshold values; and if the respective threshold value is exceeded, identifying a fault in the throughflow control arrangement.

A method of manufacturing an on-board diagnostic (OBD) limit part and a method of testing to evaluate an OBD system. The method of manufacturing the OBD limit part includes introducing a contaminant to a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalyst and contacting the contaminant with the SCR catalyst for a selected period of time. The method of manufacturing utilizes a vessel, the contaminant, and the SCR catalyst. The OBD limit part is a combination of the contaminant and the SCR catalyst within the vessel. The method of testing to evaluate the OBD system includes collecting data related to an exhaust gas before and after the exhaust gas is exposed to the OBD limit part, collecting an indication provided by the OBD system, and comparing the data related to the exhaust gas and the indication provided by the OBD system. The method of testing to evaluate the OBD system utilizes a system that includes an exhaust gas source, a first and a second fluid path, the OBD limit part, and the OBD system.

A method of adaptively sampling data to determine the start of injection in a solenoid actuated valve of a fluid injector includes, in an operating cycle or portion thereof of the valve, sampling the signal of current through a solenoid of the valve at sampling points having a pre-defined interval therebetween. At each sampling point, determining the value of the first derivative of current and detecting the sampling point at which the first derivative achieves a maximum as the start of injection. Values of the first derivative of the sampling points immediately preceding and immediately following the start of injection are determined. In a subsequent operating cycle, synchronisation of sampling is altered to shift sampling times depending on the values of the first derivative of the sampling points immediately preceding and immediately following the start of injection.

When an integrated value of a determination value correlated with a command value for an amount of supply of a reducing agent at the time of the command value being larger than a command supply amount threshold value reaches an integration threshold value, a determination is made that a diagnosis condition is satisfied, and an abnormality in the supply of the reducing agent is diagnosed based on an integrated value of the command value for the amount of supply of the reducing agent and an integrated value of an estimated value of the amount of supply of the reducing agent, whereas in cases where a period of time in which the diagnosis condition is not satisfied is longer than a time period threshold value, an interval of supply of the reducing agent is extended.

According to various embodiments, an exhaust treatment system includes a catalyst that is in direct contact with an exhaust stream, at least one sensor that senses a system parameter and produces one or more signals corresponding to the system parameter, and a controller that is configured to receive the one or more signals and control catalyst performance based on the one or more signals by regenerating the catalyst. Regenerating the catalyst includes increasing a temperature of the exhaust stream flowing to the catalyst and directing a reductant injector to adjust a flow rate of reductant being injected into the exhaust stream flowing to the catalyst.

A method of calculating an ammonia (NH3) mass generated in a lean NOx trap (LNT) of an exhaust purification device includes sequentially calculating a NH3 mass flow at a downstream of each slice from a first slice to an n-th slice, and integrating the NH3 mass flow at the downstream of the n-th slice over a predetermined time, wherein the calculation of the NH3 mass flow at the downstream of the i-th slice comprises calculating a NH3 mass flow flowing into the i-th slice, calculating a NH3 mass flow generated at the i-th slice, and adding the NH3 mass flow generated at the i-th slice to a value obtained by subtracting the NH3 mass flow used to reduce the NOx and the O2 at the i-th slice from the NH3 mass flow flowing into the i-th slice.