An engine control module includes at least one high side driver connected to at least one intake camshaft actuator and at least one exhaust camshaft actuator. A plurality of low side drivers is connected to the at least one intake camshaft actuator and the at least one exhaust camshaft actuator. A sliding camshaft control module selectively actuates the at least one high side driver and the plurality of low side drivers based on a status associated with the at least one intake camshaft actuator and/or the at least one exhaust camshaft actuator.

Current sensors measure current flowing into and out of an inductive load such as a solenoid coil and provide signals to a processor when the difference between the two measured currents exceeds a threshold. A solenoid coil and electronic devices driving it are protected from damage caused by a short circuit at the connections to the coil.

A method involves operating an internal combustion engine connected to an electric generator, in particular a synchronous generator, during a network fault, in particular during an electric short-circuit, in a power supply network connected to the generator. A mechanical power delivered by the internal combustion engine is introduced into the generator and converted into electric power in the generator. The electric power is delivered to the power supply network, and the mechanical power delivered by the internal combustion engine is at least temporarily increased depending on the value of at least one operating parameter of the generator and/or the internal combustion engine prior to the network fault and/or during the network fault, preferably by an amount of a fuel introduced into the internal combustion engine being increased.

A method for controlling a plurality of injectors installed in the same cylinder of an engine may include determining whether an electrical failure occurred in any of the injectors, and entering a fail-safe mode when an electrical failure has occurred only in one of the plurality of injectors in the same cylinder. In the fail-safe mode, fuel supply to an injector that has experienced an electrical failure is cut off, and the amount of fuel injected into the cylinder by a normally operating injector is increased.

A heater control apparatus of a fuel filter for a vehicle includes a heater mounted within a fuel filter; a relay for a heater power source supplying or interrupting power of a battery to or from the heater; a fuel temperature detection sensor mounted on an engine and detecting a temperature of a fuel; and an engine electronic control unit (ECU) for switching on and off the relay based on a detection signal of the fuel temperature detection sensor.

A controller of an air-fuel-ratio sensor includes a control unit, a voltage-abnormality detecting unit, and a short-circuit-abnormality detecting unit. The control unit controls a current and a voltage of a gas sensor element through a plurality of terminals connected with the gas sensor element. The voltage-abnormality detecting unit changes, when at least one of voltages of the plurality of terminals is out of a predetermined range, a voltage level of an output voltage. The short-circuit-abnormality detecting unit causes, when the voltage level of the output voltage changes from a first voltage into a second voltage, a control unit to perform for a predetermined time a protective operation that suppresses currents from the control unit to the plurality of terminals, and detects, when the voltage level of the output voltage is the second voltage after the protective operation is released, a short-circuit abnormality.

This invention involves a battery short-circuit protection circuit installed in a battery-load circuit. In the battery-load circuit, there is a battery and a load RL. The battery and RL form a circuit. The two ends of the battery are positive discharge end P+ and negative discharge end P, respectively. The battery short-circuit protection circuit is in series with the battery-load circuit. The battery short-circuit protection circuit includes a charge-discharge circuit, a current amplifier circuit, and a current comparator circuit. The charge-discharge circuit includes MOS transistors and a sampling resistor. The current amplifier circuit includes a signal conditioning circuit and a current amplifier. The current comparator circuit includes a current comparator, a current reference circuit for short-circuit protection consisting, a MOS transistor, a diode, a resistor, and an optronics relay.

A method and a device for performing diagnostics on an exhaust gas sensor includes a series circuit of a Nernst cell and a first other cell. The exhaust gas sensor has a first, a second, and a third connection where a voltage drop can be measured between the first connection and the second connection by the Nernst cell and a voltage drop between the second connection and the third connection can be measured by the first other cell. The diagnostic method has steps for feeding a direct or alternating current into the first, second, and third connections; for directly or indirectly sensing an electrical voltage potential at at least one of the first, second, and third connections; and for evaluating the voltage potential sensed to diagnose a short circuit or an open circuit in the Nernst cell and/or in the first other cell.

A method for preventing engine stall of a vehicle includes detecting, by a control portion, whether a purge control valve becomes short to ground or not, determining, by the control portion, how rich a fuel is that has flowed into the engine using an oxygen sensor when it is determined that the purge control valve becomes short to ground in the detecting step, and controlling, by the control portion, a target RPM of the engine to be increased when it is determined that the fuel is rich in the determining step.

A method for preventing engine stall of a vehicle includes detecting, by a control portion, whether a purge control valve becomes short to ground or not, determining, by the control portion, how rich a fuel is that has flowed into the engine using an oxygen sensor when it is determined that the purge control valve becomes short to ground in the detecting step, and controlling, by the control portion, a target RPM of the engine to be increased when it is determined that the fuel is rich in the determining step.