A hybrid drive for a vehicle includes an electric machine, an internal combustion engine, and a transmission with a transmission input shaft. The electric machine and the internal combustion engine are coupled to the transmission input shaft such that the electric machine and the internal combustion engine cannot be decoupled.

A split cycle internal combustion engine includes a combustion cylinder accommodating a combustion piston and a compression cylinder accommodating a compression piston. The engine also includes a controller arranged to receive an indication of a parameter associated with the combustion cylinder and/or a fluid associated therewith and to control an exhaust valve of the combustion cylinder in dependence on the indicated parameter to cause the exhaust valve to close during the return stroke of the combustion piston, before the combustion piston has reached its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is less than a target value for the parameter; and close on completion of the return stroke of the combustion piston, as the combustion piston reaches its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is equal to or greater than the target value for the parameter.

Systems and methods for internal exhaust gas recirculation (iEGR) in internal combustion engines may utilize secondary intake valve lift events during an exhaust valve main event in lost motion valve actuation systems. The secondary intake valve lift event may occur at the beginning or end of the exhaust valve main event. Favorable intake valve lift profiles are obtained with the use of a reset component, which may perform a hydraulic reset on the lost motion component in order to ensure that the intake valve secondary lift event occurs optimally near the beginning of an exhaust valve main event. The reset component may be triggered using motion from an exhaust valvetrain, for example, by a triggering component such as a reset pad, on an exhaust rocker. The reset component may also be triggered on the basis of the intake rocker arm position, in which case a reset pad that is fixed to the engine head or fixed relative to the intake rocker motion may be used.

An efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes, includes a valve actuating mechanism, a pre-combustion chamber, and a main combustion chamber. The valve actuating mechanism is a fully variable valve mechanism; an intake valve and an exhaust valve are driven by high-pressure oil; ignition is implemented by means of an ignition apparatus of the pre-combustion chamber; and a spark plug and a single-hole fuel injector are mounted in the pre-combustion chamber, a bottom end of which is provided with a flame jet hole. The continuous variable of valve timing and real-time adjustment of valve lift are realized by the control of a three-position four-way servo valve, driven by the high-pressure oil and monitored by a displacement sensor. The efficient engine combustion system with multiple combustion modes employs different combustion modes under different engine conditions, so as to ensure optimal thermal efficiency under different operating condition regions.

The invention relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine, which has an internal combustion motor, which forms at least two combustion chambers, which are bounded by cylinders formed in a cylinder housing and by pistons guided up and down cyclically in said cylinders and in which thermodynamic cycles can be performed during operation of the internal combustion engine, wherein then a gas exchange in the combustion chambers is controlled by means of at least one intake valve (28) and one exhaust valve in the case of each combustion chamber, which valves are actuated by means of cams, and wherein a first operating state is provided, in which the thermodynamic cycles are performed both in a first combustion chamber and in a second combustion chamber and a second operating state is provided, in which the thermodynamic cycles are performed in the first combustion chamber and the thermodynamic cycles are not performed in the second combustion chamber, is characterized in that, in order to switch from the first operating state to the second operating state, a switch is made from the use of a first intake cam to the use of a second intake cam for the actuation of the intake valve associated with the first combustion chamber. Such a method makes it possible to realize a switchover from full operation to partial operation in manner that is as torque-neutral as possible in that the torque component that ceases because of the deactivation of the cylinder or cylinders provided therefor is compensated by the one or more cylinders that continue to actively operate, at least also in that, in the event of the switchover, the delivery ratio, i.e. the ratio of the mass of fresh gas actually contained in the cylinder after the conclusion of a charge cycle to the theoretical maximum possible mass, is increased for said cylinders and, in particular, is set as high as possible.

A method (30) of protecting an internal combustion engine (12) of a vehicle (10) from damage by induction of liquid, the method (30) comprising: detecting (31) liquid in a gas induction system (11) to the engine (12); and causing (32) valve control means (44) to at least perform one or both of the following: inhibiting gas intake into a combustion chamber (47) of the engine (12) during a gas intake stage (50) of a combustion cycle of the combustion chamber (47); causing gas exhaust from a combustion chamber (47) of the engine (12) during a gas compression stage (51) of the combustion cycle of the combustion chamber (47), wherein the valve control means (44) comprises at least one of a hydraulic circuit or an electromagnetic actuator for controlling, at least in part, the inhibiting gas intake into a combustion chamber (47) and/or at least one of a hydraulic circuit or an electromagnetic actuator for controlling, at least in part, the causing gas exhaust from a combustion chamber (47).

An engine system and valvetrain can comprise a rocker shaft combined with a first block, a first cylinder deactivation oil control valve in the first block, a second cylinder deactivation oil control valve in the first block. Also, a second block can be combined with the rocker shaft with a third cylinder deactivation oil control valve and an early exhaust valve opening oil control valve in the second block. The rocker shaft can comprise oil infeeds and oil outfeeds configured for supplying hydraulic pressure to the first and second blocks, the blocks can distribute the pressure to the control valves, and the blocks can return pressure to the rocker shaft. Intake and exhaust rocker arms can receive the returned pressure to actuate valves, and the rockers arms can be arranged line-to-line with no overlap during motion.

Systems and methods for estimating an engine event location are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a control system is configured to receive feedback from at least one vibration sensor coupled to a reciprocating engine, estimate an engine parameter based at least on the feedback and an Empirical Transform Function (ETF), estimate a location of an engine event based on the engine parameter, and adjust operation of the reciprocating engine based at least on the location of the engine event.

A split cycle internal combustion engine includes a combustion cylinder accommodating a combustion piston and a compression cylinder accommodating a compression piston. The engine also includes a controller arranged to receive an indication of a parameter associated with the combustion cylinder and/or a fluid associated therewith and to control an exhaust valve of the combustion cylinder in dependence on the indicated parameter to cause the exhaust valve to close during the return stroke of the combustion piston, before the combustion piston has reached its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is less than a target value for the parameter; and close on completion of the return stroke of the combustion piston, as the combustion piston reaches its top dead centre position (TDC), when the indicated parameter is equal to or greater than the target value for the parameter.

The invention relates to a method (100) for estimating a cylinder pressure (CP) in an internal combustion engine arrangement (10), the method comprising the steps of: initiating (110) an opening of a valve by an actuator during an expansion stroke; monitoring (120) the valve to determine a point in time (Tp) when the valve opens; determining (130) a differential pressure (DP) between the combustion cylinder and a position in a fluid medium exhaust passage (29, 39, 60) downstream said valve at the point in time (Tp); receiving (140) data being indicative of a pressure (EP) in the fluid medium passage at the point in time (Tp); and determining (150) the cylinder pressure (CP) at the point in time (Tp) based on the determined differential pressure (DP) and the data indicative of the pressure in said fluid medium passage.