Methods and systems are provided for indicating degradation of a VCR mechanism that mechanically alters a cylinder compression ratio. Degradation is detected based on an elevated knock incidence and increased spark retard usage. If the VCR mechanism is stuck, knock and pre-ignition that could be induced by continued operation in a higher than intended compression ratio is mitigated by limiting the engine load.

An engine ECU is provided with an abnormality-diagnosis unit performing an abnormality diagnosis of an Air-Con ECU, and a monitoring IC monitoring the abnormality-diagnosis unit. The abnormality-diagnosis unit determines whether the output signal of the Air-Con ECU is normal based on the specified criterion value, so that the abnormality diagnosis of the Air-Con ECU is performed. The monitoring IC determines whether a criterion value is normal, which is used during the abnormality diagnosis of the Air-Con ECU. The abnormality-diagnosis unit performs an abnormality diagnosis of the monitoring IC. When the monitoring IC determines that the criterion value is abnormal or the abnormality-diagnosis unit determines that the monitoring IC is abnormal, the abnormality diagnosis of the Air-Con ECU is prohibited and a specified operation for abnormality is performed.

A vehicle predictive control system based on big data includes: a vehicle terminal, which is installed in each of a plurality of vehicles, collecting status information related with an in-vehicle device in a corresponding vehicle to transmit the collected status information in real time, and transmitting problem occurrence information upon problem occurrence of the in-vehicle device; and a big data service provider classifying and storing the status information received from the vehicle terminal as big data, and obtaining a problem occurrence condition based on the status information to transmit information corresponding to the problem occurrence condition to the vehicle terminal when receiving the problem occurrence information of the in-vehicle device from the vehicle terminal of at least some vehicles among the plurality of vehicles.

A control device for a vehicle includes a failure detector to detect failure in a cooling device to cool an internal combustion engine of the vehicle. An acceleration operation sensor is to detect an acceleration operation amount indicating a target acceleration. Circuitry is configured to control a power output from the internal combustion engine in accordance with the acceleration operation amount, control an air fuel ratio of air-fuel mixture in the internal combustion engine to be in a richer side with respect to a predetermined air fuel ratio if the acceleration operation amount exceeds a high load threshold, limit the power output from the internal combustion engine if the failure detector detects the failure, and prohibit the air fuel ratio from being controlled to be in the richer side even if the acceleration operation amount exceeds the high load threshold if the failure detector detects the failure.

A control device of a general-purpose engine which can continue operation of a working machine even when an operation management unit of the working machine has failed. The control device includes an engine control unit that controls the general-purpose engine based on a command from the operation management unit managing an operating state of the working machine, a communication interface for communicating with an external device; a management program acquisition unit that acquires a management program that is used by the operation management unit to manage the operating state, from the external device through the communication interface and stores the acquired management program in a storage medium, and an operation management substitute unit that manages the operating state of the working machine in place of the operation management unit in accordance with the management program when a failure of operation management unit is detected.

A method of preventing bearing seizure may include using at least one of a knock sensor, an engine oil pressure sensor, and a continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) system as a bearing seizure detection factor by a bearing controller, detecting damage of a bearing applied to an engine during operation of the engine in which a state of the bearing seizure detection factor is changed, and performing engine control using the bearing seizure detection factor when the bearing damage is detected.

A method and system for controlling operation of an internal combustion engine of a vehicle (such as a remotely operable unmanned aerial vehicle) to perform or implement a control strategy for controlling operation of the engine. The method and system comprises providing first and second modes optionally available for operating the engine, and changing operation of the engine from the first mode of operation to the second mode of operation following a determination that a characteristic of the operation of the engine (such as engine speed) has been requested to be modified to beyond a predetermined threshold or level. The method and system further comprises reverting control of operation of the engine from the second mode to the first mode once the requested characteristic is no longer beyond the predetermined threshold or level.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and system for enacting various driving profiles based on identifying the age and gender of the user. Initially, identifying information is acquired from a user of a vehicle. An identification program determines whether the driver is known, by comparing the identifying information to a set of stored identifying information. If the driver of the vehicle is known, as the identifying information from the user is similar to stored identifying information, then a specific driver profile associated with the specific driver is activated. If the driver is not known, as the identifying information from the user of the vehicle is not similar to the stored identifying information, then the age and gender of the user of the vehicle is determined. Based on the determined age and gender of the driver of the vehicle, various vehicle setting ranges are enacted.

Methods and systems are provided for diagnosing a variable displacement engine. In one example, a method includes during steady-state vehicle cruising, operating an engine with one or more cylinders of the engine deactivated, commanding the one or more cylinders to reactivate, and indicating cylinder valve actuator degradation responsive to a fuel usage change following the command to reactivate.

The present invention relates to a method, system, and computer program product for controlling an internal combustion that comprises a cylinder having a space arranged to receive air and fuel, a piston disposed in the cylinder, and a crankcase being in fluid communication with the cylinder. The method comprises determining an uncontrolled behavior due to fluid flow between said crankcase and said cylinder space and combustion of such fluid. The step of determining an uncontrolled behavior comprises the steps of: determining whether a powertrain of the vehicle is disengaged; determining whether the engine speed is increasing; and determining whether said cylinder space is receiving fuel. The method further comprises determining that an uncontrolled behavior is occurring if the conditions that: said powertrain is disengaged, the engine speed is increasing and said cylinder space is not receiving any fuel, are fulfilled.