A vehicle control apparatus for a vehicle includes a catalyst deterioration diagnosing unit, an engine controlling unit, and a diagnosis start determining unit. The catalyst deterioration diagnosing unit executes a deterioration diagnosis of a catalyst included in an exhaust system of an engine provided in the vehicle. The engine controlling unit controls an air-fuel ratio of the engine to a lean side and thereafter to a rich side during the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst. The diagnosis start determining unit prohibits the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst from being executed when a deceleration rate upon deceleration of the vehicle is high, and permits the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst to be executed when the deceleration rate upon deceleration of the vehicle is low.

An internal combustion engine control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform determining whether a start of the internal combustion engine is complete, determining whether a warm-up of an exhaust catalyst device is needed, acquiring an information on a temperature inside a cylinder, switching an injection mode, and controlling the fuel injector to inject the fuel in accordance with the injection mode, the switching including switching the injection mode to the first injection mode when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is needed, and switching the injection mode to the second injection mode or the third injection mode in accordance with the information on the temperature when the start of the internal combustion engine is complete and the warm-up of the exhaust catalyst device is not needed.

A control device for a hybrid electric vehicle includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to perform a start-up control of shifting the connection and disconnection clutch to a coupled state at the time of starting the internal combustion engine to rotate the internal combustion engine by the driving torque of the electric motor, and starting the first fuel injection mode using the direct injection injector. The electronic control unit is configured to switch from the first fuel injection mode to a second fuel injection mode for using the port injector prior to an end of the start-up control when the number of times of combustion cycles of the internal combustion engine with the first fuel injection mode reaches a predetermined first target number of times.

A system and method for a variable displacement internal combustion engine using different types of pneumatic cylinder springs on skipped working cycles to control engine and aftertreatment system temperatures are described. The system and method may be used to rapidly heat up the aftertreatment system(s) and/or an engine block of the engine following a cold start by using one or more different types of pneumatic cylinder springs during skipped firing opportunities. By rapidly heating the aftertreatment system(s) and/or engine block, noxious emissions such as hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, NO.sub.x and/or particulates, following cold starts are significantly reduced.

A fuel injection control apparatus including a microprocessor. The microprocessor is configured to perform calculating a target injection time, determining a first crank angle defining a start of fuel injection and a second crank angle defining an end of fuel injection, controlling a fuel injector in a first injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the first target injection time from a first time point corresponding to the first crank angle or a second injection mode in which the fuel is injected for the second target injection time from a second time point corresponding to a target crank angle, and the controlling including controlling the fuel injector so as to inject the fuel in an intake stroke in the first injection mode, while inject the fuel in a compression stroke in the second injection mode.

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine carries out lean combustion to cause flame propagation to a homogeneous air-fuel mixture while drifting primary flames on a tumble flow by injecting fuel for ignition from a second fuel injection valve to a vicinity of an electrode portion and igniting an air-fuel mixture for ignition at a primary ignition timing, and to ignite an air-fuel mixture for accelerating combustion at a secondary ignition timing by injecting fuel for accelerating combustion in a squish area from the second fuel injection valve at a timing before an injection timing of the fuel for ignition and drifting the air-fuel mixture for accelerating combustion in a combustion chamber on the tumble flow. The secondary ignition timing is set as a timing allowing secondary flames produced by igniting the air-fuel mixture for accelerating combustion to be drawn into the squish area by a reverse squish flow.

Presented are multi-pulse fuel injection systems for monitoring engine fuel injectors for missed pulses, methods for making/using such systems, and vehicles equipped with such systems. A method of operating a fuel injection system includes an engine controller determining if the system's injectors are operating in a multi-pulse mode for injecting multiple fuel pulses per combustion cycle to an engine's cylinders and, if so, monitoring pulse signals transmitted to the injectors for injecting the multiple fuel pulses. For each combustion cycle for each injector, the controller flags a cylinder misfire if any one of the fuel pulses for that combustion cycle is missed. For each cylinder, the controller calculates a misfire ratio of a total number of cylinder misfires to a total number of combustion cycles; if one of these misfire ratios exceeds a calibrated misfire limit, the controller commands a resident subsystem to execute control operations to mitigate the misfires.

Method of operating an internal combustion engine that applies to both types of ignition types; Spark Ignition (SI) and Compression Ignition (CI). The method comprises opening the intake valve, allowing the fuel and air mixture to flow through the intake valve and into the chamber during at least during a portion of the intake stroke; closing the intake port during a portion of the intake stroke; applying a negative pressure during a portion of the intake stroke; directly or indirectly igniting the fuel and air mixture during a portion of the intake stroke; opening the exhaust valve during the exhaust stroke. The operation of intake valve, the exhaust valve, and the application of the ignition source is performed at any time during the intake and/or exhaust stroke or cycle.

A conventional gasoline engine is retrofitted and calibrated to operate as a bi-fuel engine using Hydrogen as the second fuel. When operated with Hydrogen, which typically leads to a reduction of engine output power, the engine is preferably operated in a charged mode and in a lean mode with the engine throttle kept in a wide open position during charged and lean mode operation resulting in a more efficient engine with a reduction of engine output power loss.

Methods and systems are described for combustion engine mode optimization. The system includes a combustion engine, a fuel delivery system, and a controller communicatively coupled to the combustion engine and the fuel delivery system. The controller selects a low temperature combustion mode based on the combustion engine being warmer than a predetermined temperature and low load conditions on the combustion engine. The low temperature combustion mode includes instructions that reduces an intake valve opening duration and an exhaust valve opening duration. The controller reduces the intake valve opening duration and the exhaust valve opening duration to create a delay between an intake valve opening duration and an exhaust valve opening duration in response to selecting the low temperature combustion mode. The delay increases a residual gas temperature in the combustion chamber and induces auto-ignition of fuel in the combustion chamber.