An apparatus intercepts and modifies sensor signals generated by vehicle sensors and provides the modified signals to an engine control unit in the vehicle. The engine control unit is configured to receive the modified sensor signals and generate engine control signals based thereon. The apparatus includes a fuel composition sensor and a fuel control module. The fuel composition sensor senses characteristics of fuel in the vehicle and generates a fuel composition signal based on the sensed characteristics. The fuel control module, which intercepts the sensor signals from the vehicle sensors, includes a processor programmed to generate modified sensor signals based on the intercepted sensor signals and the fuel composition signal. Based on the modified sensor signals, the engine control unit optimizes the performance of the engine for a given ratio of alcohol to gasoline in an alcohol/gasoline fuel blend.

A method for model-based open-loop and closed-loop control of an internal combustion engine, in which method injection system setpoint values for activating the injection system control elements are calculated dependent on a setpoint torque by a combustion model, and gas path setpoint values for activating the gas path control elements are calculated by a gas path model. The combustion model is adapted during ongoing operation of the internal combustion engine. A quality measure is calculated by an optimizer dependent on the injection system setpoint values and the gas path setpoint values, the quality measure is minimized by the optimizer by varying the injection system setpoint values and gas path setpoint values within a prediction horizon. The injection system setpoint values and gas path setpoint values are set by the optimizer, based on the minimized quality measure, as being definitive for setting of the operating point of the internal combustion engine.

A controller for controlling a fuel injection valve and a fuel pressure adjustment mechanism sets an air-fuel ratio of a fuel-air mixture to be generated within a combustion chamber to be equal to or leaner than a theoretical air-fuel ratio, based on an operating condition of an engine; drives the fuel injection valve, based on the set air-fuel ratio; estimates a deposition amount of deposits on an injection hole of the fuel injection valve, based on an operating condition of the engine; causes the fuel pressure adjustment mechanism to increase the fuel pressure, when the estimated deposition amount of deposits exceeds a predetermined value; and restricts the fuel pressure from increasing, even when the estimated deposition amount of deposits exceeds the predetermined value, as long as the fuel-air ratio is set to an air-fuel ratio leaner than the theoretical fuel-air ratio.

A fuel-empty-state recovery determination method including: when driving of the hybrid vehicle is started, performing rotation speed control of an electric power generator for a specified time, and then stopping the rotation speed control; in a case where it is detected that a state in which the rotation speed of an engine after stopping the rotation speed control is higher than a threshold continues for more than a first determination time, determining that recovery has been made from a fuel-empty state; in a case where the measured time does not exceed the first determination time, starting measurement of the time during which the rotation speed of the engine is lower than the threshold; and in a case where the measured time exceeds a second determination time, maintaining determination that the vehicle is in a fuel-empty state.

A method determines an inflection point OP of a parameter profile i, n which is representative of a component tolerance and a state of wear of a fuel pump. The fuel pump is provided for a fuel supply system for use in a device equipped with an internal combustion engine. The device being a passenger car, utility vehicle and/or a stationary or mobile power generator.

In the communication interruption state in which the transmission of a drive control command value DUTY from an engine control unit (ECU) 1 to a fuel pump driver (FPD) 2 is disabled, the FPD 2 is configured so as to drive a fuel pump 4 by using the maximum command value DTYMAX (100%) as a drive control command value DUTY. A stop state of the fuel pump 4 is maintained even if the drive control command value DUTY is the maximum command value DTYMAX when an ignition switch 21 is in the OFF State so as to have stopped the fuel pump 4, while the fuel pump 4 is driven when the ignition switch 21 is in the ON state and the drive control command value DUTY is the maximum command value DTYMAX.

An internal combustion engine control device (1) includes an injector-temperature calculation unit (21a), an engine-temperature calculation unit (21b), an operating-state control unit (21c), a cold/warmed-up state determination unit (21d), an ambient-temperature calculation unit (21e), and a correction unit (21f). The correction unit (21f) corrects an engine temperature calculated based on an injector temperature, when it is determined that an engine is in a cold state and a difference between the injector temperature and an ambient temperature is equal to or larger than a first predetermined value.

A controller for controlling a fuel injection valve and a fuel pressure adjustment mechanism sets an air-fuel ratio of a fuel-air mixture to be generated within a combustion chamber to be equal to or leaner than a theoretical air-fuel ratio, based on an operating condition of an engine; drives the fuel injection valve, based on the set air-fuel ratio; estimates a deposition amount of deposits on an injection hole of the fuel injection valve, based on an operating condition of the engine; causes the fuel pressure adjustment mechanism to increase the fuel pressure, when the estimated deposition amount of deposits exceeds a predetermined value; and restricts the fuel pressure from increasing, even when the estimated deposition amount of deposits exceeds the predetermined value, as long as the fuel-air ratio is set to an air-fuel ratio leaner than the theoretical fuel-air ratio.

The present invention refers to a charge changing control device for a reciprocating engine, comprising at least one cam follower configured for being pivotably actuated around a pivot axis (P) upon rotational movement of a camshaft, and an adjustment unit configured for setting at least three different charge-changing modes of the device by translationally displacing the pivot axis relative (P) to a rotational axis (R) of the camshaft.

A method for deposit mitigation in a gaseous fuel injector that introduces a gaseous fuel through a gaseous fuel orifice directly into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine includes at least one of a) reducing the ago length of the gaseous fuel orifice by substantially between 10% to 50% of a previous length of a previous gaseous fuel orifice showing deposit accumulation above a predetermined threshold; b) providing the gaseous fuel orifice with an inwardly and substantially linearly tapering profile; c) determining deposit mitigation is needed; and performing at least one of the following deposit mitigation techniques i) increasing gaseous fuel injection pressure wherein deposit accumulation is reduced during fuel injection; and ii) decreasing gaseous fuel temperature wherein a rate of deposit accumulation is reduced; and d) injecting compressed air through the gaseous fuel orifice during shutdown of the internal combustion engine; whereby torque loss in the internal combustion engine due to deposit accumulation in the gaseous fuel orifice is reduced below a predetermined value.