Disclosed is a method for determination of the water content of a mixed alcohol/gasoline fuel in an internal combustion engine of a vehicle, which includes the stages of: determination of a first value for alcohol content of the fuel using a measurement of combustion richness; determination of a second value for alcohol content of the fuel using a measurement recorded by a sensor for measurement of the electrical conductivity of the fuel; comparison of the first value and the second value; and, when the first value is lower than the second value, determination of the water content of the fuel by assigning a predetermined value for water content associated with the pair consisting of the first value and of the second value for alcohol content.

A system for testing a particulate filter system includes a filter controller connected to the particulate filter system and a vehicular computer configured to determine at least one engine condition. The filter controller is configured to control a condition of a component of the particulate filter system and the vehicular computer is operatively connected to the filter controller to communicate therewith. The vehicular computer compares the condition of the component of the particulate filter system with the engine condition to determine whether the component of the particulate filter system is functioning properly.

An apparatus for controlling a startup of an engine includes an engine, an engine controller configured to check whether the startup of the engine is prepared to generate information on whether the startup is prepared when an ignition is turned on, a hybrid controller configured to check whether communication with the engine controller is normal and to generate information on whether the hybrid controller is normal, the hybrid controller causing a vehicle to be driven only in an EV mode or generating a start control signal for the startup of the engine, according to whether the EV mode is engaged when a start signal is input from a driver, and a starter driver configured to start the engine in response to the start control signal.

Methods and systems are provided for detecting NOx sensor degradation based on results from a NOx sensor self-diagnostic (SD) test. In one example, a method may comprise: determining that a nitrogen oxide (NOx) sensor is degraded if outputs received from the sensor via a CAN bus during a self-diagnostic test are outside a threshold range. Additionally, only outputs received from the sensor during a self-diagnostic (SD) test performed after a first completed SD test after a key-off event, where the outputs are generated under conditions where a temperature at the sensor is less than a threshold, and an oxygen concentration is within a threshold range may be used to determine if the sensor is degraded.

A fuel vapor control system for a vehicle includes a fuel vapor canister that traps fuel vapor from a fuel tank of the vehicle. A purge valve opens to allow fuel vapor flow to an intake system of an engine and closes to prevent fuel vapor flow to the intake system of the engine. An electrical pump pumps fuel vapor from the fuel vapor canister to the purge valve. A pressure sensor measures a pressure within a conduit at a location between the electrical pump and the purge valve. A purge control module, based on the pressure measured using the pressure sensor at the location between the electrical pump and the purge valve, controls at least one of a speed of the electrical pump and opening of the purge valve.

An aspect of the present invention relates to a control device for an exhaust gas post-treatment device that includes a filter that collects a particulate substance in exhaust gas of an engine and an oxidation catalyst provided upstream of the filter, and that is configured to regenerate the filter by an action of the oxidation catalyst, the control device including a notification unit configured to, in a case in which forced regeneration for forcibly increasing a temperature of the exhaust gas is carried out, when the number of times it is estimated that the temperature of the exhaust gas is lower than a light-off temperature for a period of time equal to or longer than a prescribed period of time exceeds a prescribed threshold, issue a notification indicating that there is a problem in an operation state of the engine.

Systems, methods and apparatus for controlling operation of dual fuel engines are disclosed that regulate the fuelling amounts provided by a first fuel and a second fuel during operation of the engine. The first fuel can be a liquid fuel and the second fuel can be a gaseous fuel. The fuelling amounts are controlled to improve operational outcomes of the duel fuel engine.

The objective of the present invention is to provide an exhaust purification system that is capable of purifying exhaust gas during both lean and stoichiometric driving. The exhaust purification system is equipped with: a feedback-use identifier, which identifies parameter values such that the error between the output value from a LAF sensor and the estimated value for the LAF sensor output as obtained from a model equation is minimized; and a stoichiometric driving mode controller. The controller performs feedback control and thereby determines the fuel injection amount such that in the stoichiometric driving mode the equivalence ratio value as calculated from the parameters reaches a target value which is set such that a three-way purification reaction occurs in an under-engine catalyst. The identifier identifies the model parameters before feedback control is initiated by the controller.

The disclosure describes systems and methods of detecting a misfire in a cylinder of an engine. Such systems and methods may include determining a standard deviation for a crank angle location in a chamber of the engine, determining a standard deviation of the peak pressure in a chamber of the engine. If the standard deviation for a crank angle location is greater than a threshold value for the standard deviation for a crank angle, or if the standard deviation for the peak pressure is greater than a threshold value for the standard deviation of the peak pressure, an engine cylinder cut out check may be performed to identify one or more misfiring cylinders.

A method to monitor an operating characteristic in a combustion engine: creating a monitoring matrix divided into a number of sections for storage of information, wherein each section is associated with specific intervals of engine speed and torque requested from the engine T.sub.1. When the engine is used during an operational time window with a pre-determined duration, measuring or estimating an operating characteristic and associating the characteristic with the monitoring matrix's respective section, associated with the current engine speed and the torque requested. For each section in the monitoring matrix, calculating at least one statistical parameter describing the operating characteristic associated with this section during the current operational time window; storing the statistical parameter(s) in the respective section. At the end of the operational time window, storing information in the monitoring matrix in an individual storage matrix associated with the operational time window, wherein the monitoring matrix is emptied of information.