A method of determining whether a block heater has been used prior to starting an internal combustion engine includes monitoring the temperature with time of the intake air subsequent to the start of the engine. The method also includes determining whether there is a subsequent drop in the temperature after starting. If a temperature drop is determined, a parameter of the temperature drop with time is determined. If the parameter becomes larger than a predetermined threshold, block heater use is indicated.

An estimation device is applicable to a combustion system in which relative movement of a piston to a cylinder is lubricated with a lubricating oil. An estimation device includes a mixing acquisition unit and a piercing force estimation unit. The mixing acquisition unit acquires a mixing ratio of various components contained in a fuel injected into the combustion chamber. The piercing force estimation unit estimates a piercing force of the fuel injected into the combustion chamber according to the mixing ratio acquired with the mixing acquisition unit to manage reach of the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine, at least one of the cylinder and the piston.

A control system for use in a fluid flow application is provided. The control system includes a heater having at least one resistive heating element. The heater is adapted to heat the fluid flow. The control system further includes a control device that uses heat loss from at least one resistive heating element to determine flow characteristics of the fluid flow.

A process of causing an engine (10) to perform high-temperature exhaust driving (D1) after urea water from an urea water injection valve (33) is not supplied to an SCR catalyst (34), and a process of causing the engine (10) to perform high-flow-rate exhaust driving (D2) after a flow rate of exhaust gas from a cylinder interior (13) is not reduced are performed on an ECU (40). A process of determining deterioration or malfunction of upstream and downstream NOx sensors (47 and 48) based on detected values (Ca and Cb) acquired when the engine speed (Na) reaches a determination speed (Nx) is performed on a vehicle external computer (52).

An abnormality diagnosis apparatus is an abnormality diagnosis apparatus for a pressure sensor provided in a purge passage that provides communication between an intake passage of an internal combustion engine and a canister, the pressure sensor being closer to the intake passage than a purge valve and a check valve are, the purge valve opening and closing the purge passage, the abnormality diagnosis apparatus for the pressure sensor including: a first determination unit that determines whether the purge valve is being kept in a closing state and a fuel cut in which fuel injection in the internal combustion engine is stopped is being executed; and a second determination unit that determines whether the pressure sensor is abnormal, based on a detection value of the pressure sensor, when the positive determination is made by the first determination unit.

An evaporative fuel treatment apparatus includes a canister, a vapor passage, an outside air introduction passage, a purge passage that connects the canister and an intake passage to each other, a sealing valve configured to open/close a flow channel of the vapor passage, a tank internal pressure sensor, a pressure sensor configured to detect a vapor pressure; and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the tank internal pressure sensor based on a change in the vapor pressure in changing over the sealing valve from a closed state to an open state, when an amount of change in the tank pressure in changing over the sealing valve from the closed state to the open state is lower than a first predetermined value.

A lean operation fault detection and isolation (FDI) technique involves receiving, from a manifold absolute pressure (MAP) sensor, a measured MAP, detecting a lean operation fault where an engine is operating with a lean air/fuel ratio, estimating, using an observer, (i) an air/fuel ratio of an exhaust gas produced by the engine and (ii) the MAP, monitoring first and second residual values indicative of differences between (i) the estimated air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas and a measured air/fuel ratio of the exhaust gas from an exhaust O2 sensor and (ii) the estimated MAP and the measured MAP from the MAP sensor, respectively, and, based on the monitoring of the first and second residual values, determining which of (i) an air intake of the engine, (ii) the exhaust O2 sensor, and (iii) a fuel injector of the engine is malfunctioning and causing the lean operation fault.

A sensor for detecting electrically conductive and/or polarizable particles, in particular for detecting soot particles, includes a substrate, a first electrode layer, and a second electrode layer, which is arranged between the substrate and the first electrode layer. An insulation layer is formed betweem the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer and at least one opening is formed in the first electrode layer and in the insulation layer, wherein the opening of the first electrode layer and the opening of the insulation layer are arranged one over the other at least in some segments in such a way that at least one passage to the second electrode layer is formed.

A method for monitoring a cylinder pressure sensor, in which method the sensor value is checked for admissibility and inadmissibility in a predefinable crankshaft angle range, when admissibility is detected the cylinder pressure sensor is used further and when inadmissibility is detected the cylinder pressure sensor is deactivated. A first sensor value of the cylinder pressure sensor is set as a start value, and a second sensor value is set as a stop value, a plateau range is determined from the number of sampling steps between the start value and the stop value, and the plateau range is set as decisive for the admissibility or inadmissibility of the sensor values.

A method for checking the function of a pressure sensor in the air intake tract or gas outlet tract of an internal combustion engine and to an engine control unit for carrying out the method and based on measuring dynamic pressure oscillations of the intake air or the exhaust gas by the relevant pressure sensor and, on the basis of the pressure oscillation signal obtained, respectively determining with the aid of a discrete Fourier transformation for a number of selected signal frequencies in each case a value of a specific operating characteristic of the internal combustion engine and deviation values of the values determined for the different signal frequencies from one another. Depending on whether deviation values determined fall below or exceed a predetermined limit value, the satisfactory function of the pressure sensor is confirmed, or a malfunction of the pressure sensor is diagnosed.