In a control apparatus, a discharge control unit controls an igniter unit so that a flow of current from a primary coil towards a ground side is blocked, thereby generating a high voltage in a secondary coil, and controls a spark plug so that the spark plug generates electric discharge. An energy input control unit controls an energy input unit so as to input electrical energy to an ignition coil after the start of control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit. A control unit and an abnormality detecting unit detects an abnormality in the igniter unit or the ignition coil based on a first threshold and a first current value that is a value corresponding to a current detected by a current detection circuit at this time, when a first predetermined period elapses after the start of control of the spark plug by the discharge control unit.

A control device for an electric vehicle including a traveling motor which is configured to transmit a driving force to driving wheels, includes: a control unit having a suppression mode function for suppressing a traveling state amount of the vehicle when an abnormality occurs in an electrically driven system of the vehicle. The suppression mode function includes a first suppression state and a second suppression state, and a suppression degree in the second suppression state is smaller than a suppression degree in the first suppression state. In accordance with a kind of the abnormality in the electrically driven system, the control unit is configured to cause the vehicle to be in the first suppression state or is configured to cause the vehicle to be in the first suppression state after causing the vehicle to be in the second suppression state.

A vehicle includes a body holding device configured to hold the body of a seated driver; a travel control unit configured to drive the vehicle body so that it travels; and a maximum vehicle speed setting unit configured to set a set maximum vehicle speed. The travel control unit controls an output from the driving unit based on the operation amount of an accelerator device if the vehicle speed is lower than the set maximum vehicle speed, and restricts the output from the driving unit irrespective of the operation amount of the accelerator device if the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the set maximum vehicle speed. The maximum vehicle speed setting unit sets, if it is detected that the body holding device is worn, a first vehicle speed as the set maximum vehicle speed, and sets, if it is detected that the body holding device is not worn, a second vehicle speed lower than the first vehicle speed as the set maximum vehicle speed.

Methods and systems are provided for determining a type of spark plug fouling. In one example, a method may include differentiating spark plug fouling due to soot accumulation from spark plug fouling due to fuel additive accumulation based on a current on a control wire of the spark plug following application of a dwell command. Further, exhaust oxygen sensor degradation and/or exhaust catalyst degradation may be determined based on switching frequencies of one or more exhaust oxygen sensors and the type of spark plug fouling.

A controller includes a forced-induction-device controlling section, an obtaining section that is configured to repeatedly obtain a temperature of the coolant in the intake-air cooling system, a determining section that is configured to determine whether the temperature obtained by the obtaining section is higher than or equal to a forced-induction limiting control starting temperature. On condition that the temperature of the coolant has risen to a value at which the determining section determines that the temperature obtained by the obtaining section is higher than or equal to the forced-induction limiting control starting temperature, the forced-induction-device controlling section starts a forced-induction limiting control to lower a forced-induction pressure In the forced-induction limiting control, the forced-induction-device controlling section increases an extent of limiting of the forced induction as the temperature obtained by the obtaining section becomes closer to the boiling point.

Methods and systems for simultaneously operating port fuel injectors and direct fuel injectors of an internal combustion engine are described. In one example, operation of a port fuel injector is deactivated in response to an indication of reduced performance of a direct fuel injector so that degradation of the direct fuel injector may be reduced.

A powertrain arrangement for use with additized Dimethyl Ether (DME) fuel, the additized DME comprising DME and a lubricity additive, is provided. The powertrain arrangement includes a powertrain comprising an engine adapted for use with the additized DME fuel, a fuel tank, a conductivity sensor in the fuel tank; the conductivity sensor being arranged to transmit a signal, corresponding to a conductivity of fuel in the fuel tank, a temperature sensor in the fuel tank, the temperature sensor being arranged to transmit a signal corresponding to a temperature of the fuel in the fuel tank, and a controller configured to receive and process the conductivity signal and the temperature signal and to send a control signal to control functioning of the powertrain in response to the conductivity signal and the temperature signal. A measuring apparatus and method are also provided.

A variable compression ratio internal combustion engine is provided with a variable compression ratio mechanism in which a mechanical compression ratio of the internal combustion engine changes in accordance with a rotational position of a control shaft, a low compression ratio side stopper, a high compression ratio side stopper, a sensor for detecting a rotational position of a drive shaft of an actuator, and an arm press-fitted onto the drive shaft Relative rotation between the arm and the drive shaft occurs when a torque exceeding an upper-limit torque has been applied, The drive shaft or the control shaft is caused to move to restriction positions restricted by the respective stoppers, and then a diagnosis on the presence or absence of the relative rotation is executed, based on the detected values at the respective restriction positions.

The invention relates to a method of controlling a vehicle powertrain including determining that a performance feature associated with the powertrain is outside of a desired performance range. A plurality of operation parameters that are associated with the powertrain are identified that have a relationship to the performance feature. An adjustment is automatically made to at least one of the identified operation parameters to thereby bring the performance feature closer to the desired performance range. Preferably, the relationship comprises a mathematical model that corresponds to how the operation parameters influence whether the performance feature is within the desired performance range, the method further comprising identifying an actuator failure associated with the powertrain; determining at least one of the operation parameters corresponding to the actuator failure; determining a value of the corresponding operation parameter that is indicative of the actuator failure; and using the determined value as a fixed value for the corresponding operation parameter in the mathematical model.

Systems and methods for determining air-fuel error in an engine fueled via direct and port fuel injection. Errors associated with individual fuel injection systems are distinguished from a common error based on trends in the error correction coefficients of the individual fuel injection systems. Adaptive fuel multipliers for each injection system are updated to account for the common error.