A balance device for an internal combustion engine includes a crankshaft and a balance shaft. The crankshaft includes a CS eccentric weight. The balance shaft includes a BS eccentric weight. A CS connected point deviated from the CS main shaft, and a BS connected point deviated from the BS axial shaft are connected with a connection rod. A CS connection mechanism that enables relative rotation of the crankshaft and the connection rod is provided at the CS connected point. A BS connection mechanism that enables relative rotation of the balance shaft and the connection rod is provided at the BS connected point. A guide section guides a motion of the connection rod so that the balance shaft rotates in an opposite direction to the crankshaft.

A reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine includes first, second, and third cylinders, and a crank drive having a crankshaft rotatably mounted in a crank housing. The crankshaft has first and second crank pins, wherein a first and a second connecting rod for a first and a second piston are assigned to the first crank pin, and a third connecting rod for a third piston is assigned to the second crank pin. The first and the second cylinder together with the first and the second piston are arranged in a V-shape, wherein the third cylinder together with the third piston is arranged in the V.

A reciprocating-piston internal combustion engine includes first, second, and third cylinders, and a crank drive having a crankshaft rotatably mounted in a crank housing. The crankshaft has first and second crank pins, wherein a first and a second connecting rod for a first and a second piston are assigned to the first crank pin, and a third connecting rod for a third piston is assigned to the second crank pin. The first and the second cylinder together with the first and the second piston are arranged in a V-shape, wherein the third cylinder together with the third piston is arranged in the V.

An illustrative example method of controlling an engine of a vehicle, includes determining a target pressure curve for a cylinder of the engine for a first combustion cycle, determining a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle, determining a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle, and automatically controlling opening of an injector of the cylinder of the engine during the first combustion cycle to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder. The method includes determining a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle and automatically adjusting at least one of the heat release model or the mass flow for a second, subsequent combustion cycle based on a difference between the target pressure curve and the real pressure curve.

An illustrative example method of controlling an engine of a vehicle, includes determining a target pressure curve for a cylinder of the engine for a first combustion cycle, determining a heat release model for the cylinder for the first combustion cycle, determining a mass flow of fuel from the heat release model to achieve the target pressure curve during the first combustion cycle, and automatically controlling opening of an injector of the cylinder of the engine during the first combustion cycle to provide the determined mass flow of fuel to the cylinder. The method includes determining a real pressure curve during the first combustion cycle and automatically adjusting at least one of the heat release model or the mass flow for a second, subsequent combustion cycle based on a difference between the target pressure curve and the real pressure curve.

With reference to FIG. 2, the invention relates to an opposed stepped piston two-stroke engine comprising at least a first and a second cylinder, wherein the air piston is a stepped piston providing a first air transfer piston that expands and compresses a first air transfer volume to deliver air from the first air transfer volume to an air transfer system, and the exhaust piston is a stepped piston providing a second air transfer piston that expands and compresses a second air transfer volume to deliver air from the second air transfer volume to the air transfer system, each of the first and second air transfer volumes having an air inlet for receiving air; and wherein the air transfer system provides fluid connection between the respective first air transfer volume of each cylinder and the air port of another respective cylinder, via respective first air transfer conduits, and fluid connection between the respective second air transfer volume of each cylinder and the air port of the other respective cylinder, via respective second air transfer conduits, wherein the drive system is configured, for each cylinder, to have a predetermined phase angle such that one of the exhaust piston and air piston is driven before the other piston, causing delivery of air from its respective air transfer volume to the air transfer system before delivery of air occurs from the other of the air transfer volumes.

With reference to FIG. 2, the invention relates to an opposed stepped piston two-stroke engine comprising at least a first and a second cylinder, wherein the air piston is a stepped piston providing a first air transfer piston that expands and compresses a first air transfer volume to deliver air from the first air transfer volume to an air transfer system, and the exhaust piston is a stepped piston providing a second air transfer piston that expands and compresses a second air transfer volume to deliver air from the second air transfer volume to the air transfer system, each of the first and second air transfer volumes having an air inlet for receiving air; and wherein the air transfer system provides fluid connection between the respective first air transfer volume of each cylinder and the air port of another respective cylinder, via respective first air transfer conduits, and fluid connection between the respective second air transfer volume of each cylinder and the air port of the other respective cylinder, via respective second air transfer conduits, wherein the drive system is configured, for each cylinder, to have a predetermined phase angle such that one of the exhaust piston and air piston is driven before the other piston, causing delivery of air from its respective air transfer volume to the air transfer system before delivery of air occurs from the other of the air transfer volumes.

An engine cooling system for cooling a cylinder head and a cylinder block separately may include a cylinder block having cylinders arranged from a front side to a rear side of an engine with a block water jacket formed therein around the cylinders, a cylinder head fastened to a top side of the cylinder block with a head water jacket formed therein from the front side to the rear side of the engine, a water pump mounted to a front side of the cylinder block for pumping coolant to a front of the block water jacket, and a coolant control valve arranged in a rear side of the cylinder block and the cylinder head to have a first end connected to a rear end of the block water jacket and a second end connected to a rear end of the head water jacket for having the coolant supplied thereto.

A control device for a hybrid vehicle is, in the process of stopping an internal combustion engine of the vehicle, capable of making twist angle fluctuation reduction control and crank angle position control mutually compatible. When a request for stopping the internal combustion engine has been issued, twist angle fluctuation reduction control is implemented without implementing crank angle position control, until, in the process of bringing the engine to a stopped state, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine drops below the resonant rotational speed region of the torsional damper; and, after the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine has dropped below the resonant rotational speed region of the torsional damper in the process of bringing the engine to a stopped state, crank angle position control is implemented without implementing twist angle fluctuation reduction control, until stopping of the internal combustion engine has been completed.

A control device for a hybrid vehicle is, in the process of stopping an internal combustion engine of the vehicle, capable of making twist angle fluctuation reduction control and crank angle position control mutually compatible. When a request for stopping the internal combustion engine has been issued, twist angle fluctuation reduction control is implemented without implementing crank angle position control, until, in the process of bringing the engine to a stopped state, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine drops below the resonant rotational speed region of the torsional damper; and, after the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine has dropped below the resonant rotational speed region of the torsional damper in the process of bringing the engine to a stopped state, crank angle position control is implemented without implementing twist angle fluctuation reduction control, until stopping of the internal combustion engine has been completed.