An internal combustion engine includes an aftertreatment device, an injector for injecting fuel into a cylinder and an Electronic Control Unit configured to perform a regeneration process of the aftertreatment device. The regeneration process includes determining a nominal fuel quantity to be injected by an after-injection; monitoring a temperature value of the aftertreatment device; determining a fuel quantity correction value, as a function of a difference between the monitored temperature value and a target temperature value of the aftertreatment device; correcting the nominal fuel quantity value, using the fuel quantity correction value, in order to determine a corrected fuel quantity value; performing a fuel injection cycle including a plurality of after-injections; and injecting the corrected fuel quantity value into the cylinder during one of the after-injections of the cycle.

A control device is configured to calculate a basic accelerator request torque based on an accelerator opening degree detected by an accelerator opening degree sensor, and calculate a target acceleration increase amount based on relations between the target acceleration increase amount and an accelerator opening degree increase amount. Further, the control device is configured to calculate a torque increase amount correction amount based on the target acceleration increase amount, calculate a request engine torque based on the basic accelerator request torque and the torque increase amount correction amount, calculate a request injection amount based on the request engine torque, and control a fuel injection valve based on the request injection amount. The relations are such that as a present operating state is close to a constraint, a ratio of the target acceleration increase amount and the accelerator opening degree increase amount becomes smaller.

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.

A fuel pump system of a hybrid vehicle is provided. The fuel pump system prevents a fuel pump from continuing to operate when fuel is exhausted, whereby the fuel pump may be damaged. The pressure of fuel is measured in response to exhaustion of fuel, and when the pressure of fuel is low, fuel is circulated within the fuel pump instead of being supplied to the engine side, thereby preventing the fuel pump from being stuck due to frictional heat.

Methods and systems are provided for adjusting spark and/or fuel injection to a cylinder based on late combustion, partial burn, or misfire in a neighboring cylinder. A pressure sensor coupled to a cylinder exhaust port is used to sample exhaust pressure pulsations over a cylinder exhaust valve event, and accurately estimate an amount of residuals generated in and released from the cylinder as well as residuals received from the neighboring cylinder. Mitigating actions are performed in the cylinder in accordance before the occurrence of a pre-ignition event.

A method to determine the injection pattern in the compression stroke of the combustion cycle of the cylinders of a direct-injection internal combustion engine, comprising the steps of determining the initial quantity of fuel and an objective quantity of fuel to be injected for each partial injection of a maximum number of partial injections; determining an effective quantity of fuel to be injected for each partial injection as a function of the respective initial quantity of fuel and of the respective objective quantity of fuel; and determining an objective pattern of partial injections to be performed in the compression stroke as a function of the value of the end of injection angle and of the effective quantity of fuel to be injected for each partial injection of a maximum number of partial injections to be performed in the compression stroke.

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 system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a fault command module, a fuel control module, and a fault detection module. The fault command module selectively generates a command to induce a fuel system fault based on a user input. The fuel control module automatically adjusts a fuel correction factor to a target value outside of a first predetermined range in response to the command to induce a fuel system fault. The fuel control module actuates a fuel injector associated with a cylinder of an engine based on the fuel correction factor. The fault detection module detects a fuel system fault when the fuel correction factor is outside of the first predetermined range.

A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a fuel injector cleaning module and a fuel control module. The fuel injector cleaning module generates an instruction to clean a fuel injector of an engine based on engine operating conditions. The fuel control module, in response to the injector clean instruction, controls the fuel injector to perform N fuel injections for each combustion event in a cylinder of the engine and, during each of the N fuel injections, deactivates the fuel injector before the fuel injector fully opens. N is an integer greater than one.

A method of improving fuel efficiency by analyzing a driving pattern of a vehicle may include: calculating weighting factors according to a driving pattern of the vehicle at coordinates, which are the ratios of weightings accumulated at the coordinates to the sum of the weightings accumulated at all coordinates in an engine operation region; calculating a reference fuel consumption ratio K.sub.FUEL and a reference NOx exhaust ratio K.sub.NOx using the weighting factors; determining whether the reference NOx exhaust ratio K.sub.NOx exceeds a predetermined comparative value; and controlling an engine to improve fuel efficiency when the reference NOx exhaust ratio K.sub.NOx is equal to or less than the predetermined comparative value.