The purpose of the present invention is to provide an engine control device with which it is possible to minimize decreases in combustion speed even when the EGR rate has been increased. The present invention is an engine control device for: controlling an engine provided with an injector for injecting fuel directly into a cylinder, an ignition device for igniting the injected fuel, and an EGR means capable of recycling combustion gas and varying the EGR rate of the recycling combustion gas; and commanding the injector to perform multiple injections during one cycle, wherein a command is given to perform a control for increasing the injection quantity per compression stroke relative to the total injection quantity in one cycle so that the injection quantity per compression stroke is greater when the EGR rate is high than when the EGR rate is low, and/or a control for increasing the number of injections per compression stroke relative to the total number of injections in one cycle so that the number of injections per compression stroke is greater when the EGR rate is high than when the EGR rate is low.

An internal combustion engine includes a twin entry type turbocharger with which a first exhaust passage and a second exhaust passage respectively communicate individually, a communication path that causes the first exhaust passage and the second exhaust passage to communicate with each other, a communication valve that opens and closes the communication path, an abnormality diagnosis device that diagnoses presence or absence of abnormality of the communication valve, a variable valve timing mechanism capable of changing a period of valve overlap of the engine, and a control device. When it is determined that abnormality of a valve closure failure of the communication valve is present, the control device operates the mechanism to reduce the valve overlap in an operating state in which the communication valve is closed, more than in a case where it is determined that abnormality of a valve closure failure of the communication valve is absent.

At the time of increasing an actual intake air amount by increasing a valve overlap period of intake and exhaust valves (2; 3), an actual compression ratio is temporarily decreased to be lower than a steady-state target compression ratio. This makes it possible to increase the valve overlap period without causing interference of the intake and exhaust valves (2; 3) with a piston (8).

A method for cold start pre-warming of a pressure-charged internal combustion engine and/or of an exhaust gas aftertreatment device of a internal combustion engine, includes arranging a cold-starting aid in the intake duct for warming the charge air while the engine is stationary. The internal combustion engine has at least one working cylinder with at least one inlet valve and at least one outlet valve and further includes a device for setting a valve position. The internal combustion engine can be pressure-charged by a pressure-charging device operable by an electric motor. In the method, after detection of a cold start of the internal combustion engine: the cold-starting aid is activated while the engine is stationary; electric-motor operation of the pressure-charging device is activated; and a valve overlap between at least one inlet valve and at least one outlet valve is set.

A method and device for controlling a supercharged internal combustion engine is disclosed. An oxygen charge of a catalytic converter of the internal combustion engine is determined. A valve overlap of the internal combustion engine is increased from a lower valve overlap value to an upper valve overlap value. Increasing the valve overlap and/or for at least one phase of the increase, a control value for increasing an air-fuel ratio in at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine is reduced as a function of the determined oxygen charge.

A fuel removal method is for an internal combustion engine that has a closed- and open-loop control system and a lubricant circuit containing a lubricant. The closed- and open-loop control system has characteristic values for operation of the internal combustion engine. The method includes carrying out a load point shift starting from a first operating point of the internal combustion engine to a second operating point of the internal combustion engine with the aid of the closed- and open-loop control system. The load point shift is carried out when a fuel characteristic value, which characterizes a fuel quantity formed in the lubricant, is greater than or equal to a fuel threshold value. The second operating point having a second scavenging gradient which is greater than a first scavenging gradient of the first operating point.

A controller for an internal combustion engine is provided. The engine includes a compressor, a three way catalyst, a canister, an evaporated fuel passage, an ejector, and a purge control valve. The controller includes an ECU. The ECU is configured to decrease an opening degree of the purge control valve in response to an increase in pressure on the downstream side of the compressor in a lean supercharging range. The is a range in which an operation air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine is leaner than a theoretical air-fuel ratio of the internal combustion engine, and in which the pressure on the downstream side of the compressor is higher than pressure on the upstream side of the compressor.

A control device for an engine, the engine includes an exhaust gas control apparatus that is configured to store NOx and react NOx with a reduction agent. The control device includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to: (i) execute a rich spike control, the rich spike control is a control executed to temporarily change an in-cylinder air-fuel ratio from a leaner air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio or a richer air-fuel ratio than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio, and (ii) vary an overlap amount of an intake valve and an exhaust valve such that the overlap amount is less during non-execution of the rich spike control than during execution of the rich spike control, in an operation range where a pressure of the intake port becomes higher than a pressure of the exhaust port.

Computational models and calculations relating to trapped and scavenged air per cylinder (APC) improve scavenging and non-scavenging operational modes of internal combustion engines as well as the transition there-between. Data from sensors which include engine speed, manifold air pressure, barometric pressure, crankshaft position, and valve state are provided to a pair of artificial neural networks. A first neural network utilizes this data to calculate the nominal volume of gas, i.e., air trapped in the cylinder. A second neural network utilizes this data to calculate the trapping ratio. The output of the first network is utilized with the ideal gas law to calculate the actual mass of trapped APC. The actual mass of trapped APC is also divided by the trapping ratio calculated by the second network to determine the total APC and is further utilized to calculate the scavenged APC by subtracting the trapped APC from the total APC.

An internal combustion engine includes an intake variable lift amount mechanism that changes a maximum lift amount and valve-open period of an intake valve, and an exhaust variable lift amount mechanism that changes a maximum lift amount and valve-open period of an exhaust valve. A control unit executes a process to increase the valve-open period of the intake valve and reduce the valve-open period of the exhaust valve, when idling with a temperature of the internal combustion engine that is equal to or higher than a reference value.