In a control device and a control method for an internal combustion engine according to the present invention, when a crank angle signal is behaving abnormally, a phase angle of an exhaust camshaft relative to a crankshaft is set to a reference phase angle, and a phase angle of an intake camshaft relative to the crankshaft is determined based on an intake cam signal and an exhaust cam signal. Furthermore, the phase difference between the exhaust cam signal generated when the relative phase angle of the exhaust camshaft is set to the reference phase angle and the intake cam signal generated when the relative phase angle of the intake camshaft is set to a target value is greater after a start-up of the internal combustion engine than during the start-up.

Disclosed is a verification system including a throttle actuation verification system. The verification system may include one or more sensors positioned at a location that will receive a force applied by an operator when a throttle lever is engaged or loaded for the intention to be actuated by the operator. A signal from the sensor is compared to a throttle position.

Systems and methods for early camshaft position detection in an encoded crankshaft system are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes determining a crankshaft angular position of a crank pulse wheel based on electronic signals received from vehicle sensors. The crank pulse wheel is associated with a cycle including a first crankshaft rotation and a second crankshaft rotation. The method also includes determining a crankshaft angular position from electronic signals received from vehicle sensors. The method yet further includes receiving a sensed camshaft value for a camshaft wheel having a camshaft rotation in the cycle. The method then includes determining if the cycle is in the first crankshaft rotation or the second crankshaft rotation of the crank pulse wheel based on the crankshaft angular position of the crank pulse wheel and the sensed camshaft value.

A start-up method of a mild hybrid system determines whether start-up is attempted through an MHSG in accordance with a request for start-up from a driver, compares an engine rpm at the end of cranking with a reference rpm in start-up using the MHSG, determines whether an engine rpm immediately after start-up follows an idle target rpm when the engine rpm at the end of cranking exceeds the reference rpm, checks whether there is an error in a cam angle sensor when poor following in which the engine rpm immediately after start-up does not follow the idle target rpm is generated, forcibly changes an engine state into cranking when the cam angle sensor has an error, and executes an existing backup crank logic that decreases a target rpm of the MHSG and finds out a fuel injection time while performing test injection using a signal from an crank angle sensor.

A heater system for an exhaust system is provided. The heater system includes a heater disposed in an exhaust conduit. The heater includes a plurality of heating elements disposed in the exhaust conduit. A heating control module controls the plurality of heating elements differently according to operating conditions specific to each heating element. In other forms, the heater system for an exhaust system has a plurality of heating zones, instead of a plurality of heating elements. The heating control module controls the plurality of heating zones differently according to operating conditions specific to each heating zone.

A failure detection apparatus for a gas sensor includes an electronic control unit configured to: perform control so that a predetermined voltage, which is a positive voltage and is a voltage lower than a limiting current range when the gas sensor does not fail, is applied between a pair of electrodes; acquire a determination current, which is a current flowing between the pair of electrodes when the predetermined voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes; and determine whether the gas sensor fails based on the acquired determination current.

Methods and systems for diagnosing operation of an exhaust gas recirculation system of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, the EGR system is diagnosed while an engine that includes the EGR system is not rotating and combusting fuel. The EGR system is diagnosed when the engine is not operating so that vehicle passengers are not disturbed by the diagnostic and so that flow estimates through the EGR system may not be disturbed by pressure changes that may be related to combustion within the engine.

A controller for an internal combustion engine includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to execute an inflow process when an oxygen storage amount of the catalyst is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount. The inflow process includes operating the fuel injection valve to cause a fluid containing oxygen and unburned fuel to flow into the catalyst. An amount of the unburned fuel is greater than or equal to an ideal amount of unburned fuel that reacts with all of the oxygen. The processing circuitry is configured to execute, based on a detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor obtained during an execution of the inflow process, a deviation amount calculation process that calculates a deviation amount indication value that indicates a deviation amount of a detection value of the air-fuel ratio sensor.

The present invention relates to a diagnosis method for an ethanol sensor of a flexible fuel vehicle, the diagnosis method including: a) the fuel refilling detection step of detecting whether fuel is filled to a fuel tank; b) the maximum changeable content range calculation step of calculating a content range of ethanol in the fuel stored in the fuel tank; c) the ethanol sensor value acquirement step of determining whether the data detected from an ethanol sensor converges into a given value; d) the oxygen sensor value acquirement step of determining whether the data detected from an oxygen sensor converges into a given value; and e) the ethanol sensor abnormality determination step of determining that an error is generated from the ethanol sensor if the data acquired at the ethanol sensor value acquirement step or the data acquired at the step is not a value in the calculated range.

Methods and systems are disclosed for operating an engine that includes a knock control system that may determine contributions of individual noise sources to an engine background noise level. The contributions of the individual noise sources may be the basis for establishing the presence or absence of knock in one or more engine cylinders.