Disclosed is a method for controlling a module for driving a transistor of a DC-DC voltage converter allowing at least one fuel injector of a motor-vehicle internal combustion engine to be controlled. The method includes a step of measuring the amplitude of the current flowing through that of the first switch or of the second switch that is in the on state, a step of determining the electric charge transported by the current, and a step of interrupting the operation of the drive module when the determined electric charge is higher than a preset maximum electric-charge threshold.

A method for model-based control and regulation of an internal combustion engine. An emission class for operating the engine is read from a first library by an optimizer; a maximum mechanical component load is read from a second library by the optimizer using the engine type; and the emission class and the component load are set as mandatory for a combustion model and a gas path model. Injection system target values for actuating injection system actuators are calculated using the combustion model based on a target torque. Gas path target values for actuating gas path actuators are calculated using the gas path model based on the target torque. A quality measurement is calculated by the optimizer based on the injection system and gas path target values. The quality measurement is minimized by the optimizer by changing the injection system and gas path target values within a prediction horizon. The injection system and gas path target values are set as decisive for adjusting the operating point of the engine by the optimizer using the minimized quality measurement.

An engine speed control device performing: a first PID gain calculation step of calculating a target engine speed to thereby calculate a first PID gain based on an engine speed deviation between the target engine speed and an engine speed; a target rack position calculation step of correcting the first PID gain based on a cooling water temperature to thereby calculate a target rack position of a fuel injection pump; a second PID gain calculation step of calculating a second PID gain based on a rack position deviation between the target rack position and a rack position; and a rack control signal producing step of correcting the second PID gain based on a lubricating oil temperature to thereby produce a rack control signal. The engine speed control device thus controls an engine speed by controlling the rack position based on the rack control signal.

An internal combustion engine includes a state determination device. The state determination device includes a storage device and an execution device. The execution device executes an acquisition process, and a determination process. The execution device executes a guard process of bringing an internal combustion engine state variable closer to an allowable range or a value within the allowable range when the internal combustion engine state variable acquired in the acquisition process is out of the predetermined allowable range. The execution device determines the state of the internal combustion engine based on the internal combustion engine state variable after the guard process in the subsequent determination process when the guard process is executed.

An engine system and method for operating an engine that includes a particulate filter is described. In one example, soot loading of a green particulate filter is increased to improve efficiency of the green particulate filter. The soot loading of the green particulate filter may be expedited so that by the time a vehicle reaches a customer or testing facility, the green particulate filter may be operating at a desired efficiency level.

An engine control device is provided, which includes an engine body where a cylinder is formed, an exhaust passage through which exhaust gas discharged from the engine body circulates, a NO.sub.x sensor disposed in the exhaust passage and configured to detect a concentration of NO.sub.x in the exhaust gas, an injector configured to change an air-fuel ratio inside the cylinder, an in-cylinder temperature changer configured to change a temperature inside the cylinder, and a controller configured to control the injector and the exhaust shutter valve. The controller controls the injector based on a detection value of the NO.sub.x sensor to variably set the air-fuel ratio inside the cylinder, and when a particular condition that the air-fuel ratio inside the cylinder is leaner than a preset upper limit is satisfied, and causes the in-cylinder temperature changer to raise the temperature inside the cylinder.

A method for engine start control based on a failsafe logic includes performing, by an engine control unit, calculated information failsafe control for performing miscalculation verification for a submodule start angle of a submodule using a start angle for fuel injection and ignition of an engine as a driver start angle of an injector driver.

An air-fuel ratio control method reflecting a brake booster inflow flow rate includes: determining a deviation between an actually measured pressure of an intake manifold and a model pressure of the intake manifold is equal to or greater than a predetermined value; determining that the deviation is caused by a brake operation; correcting an intake air amount by reflecting a flow rate flowing into the intake manifold from a brake booster; and performing an air-fuel ratio control based on the corrected intake air amount.

An in-vehicle control device carries out fuel cut-off for stopping fuel injection from a fuel injection valve when a prescribed fuel cut-off condition including that a lockup clutch with which a torque converter is equipped is engaged and that an accelerator is off is fulfilled. Besides, the in-vehicle control device performs a fuel cut-off suspension process for carrying out fuel injection from the fuel injection valve and releasing the lockup clutch when there is a request to suspend fuel cut-off with the accelerator off. Also, the in-vehicle control device performs a speed increase process for performing shift control of an automatic transmission such that the rotational speed of a turbine impeller with which the torque converter is equipped becomes higher while the fuel cut-off suspension process is performed than when fuel cut-off is carried out.

An engine system and method for operating an engine that includes a particulate filter is described. In one example, soot loading of a green particulate filter is increased to improve efficiency of the green particulate filter. The soot loading of the green particulate filter may be expedited so that by the time a vehicle reaches a customer or testing facility, the green particulate filter may be operating at a desired efficiency level.