To provide a controller and a control method for internal combustion engine which can set appropriately an angle interval for estimating the combustion state in accordance with change of a burning angle interval, and can reduce calculation processing load for estimation of the combustion state. A controller for internal combustion engine changes the estimation crank angle interval based on an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; calculates an increment of gas pressure torque by burning at each crank angle of the estimation crank angle interval; and estimates the combustion state of the internal combustion engine, based on the increment of gas pressure torque by burning in the estimation crank angle interval.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing evaporative emissions from a vehicle. In one example, the vehicle may include a system for capturing emissions including a plurality of vacuum ports coupled to a vacuum source. The plurality of vacuum ports may be disposed in vehicle components prone to emitting hydrocarbon vapors and activation of the vacuum source draws the vapors from the vehicle components to a fuel canister where the evaporative emissions are stored until the fuel canister is purged.

A method for operating a reciprocating internal combustion engine in an engine braking mode includes, in a working cycle of the engine braking mode, a first outlet valve of a first cylinder is closed for a first time, then opened for a first time, and subsequently closed for a second time, and then opened for a second time, in order to thereby discharge gas that has been compressed in the first cylinder from the first cylinder by a cylinder piston. The outlet valve is held open after the first opening and prior to the second closing long enough for the cylinder to be filled with gas that flows out of a second cylinder via at least one outlet channel, where when the engine braking mode is activated, at least one camshaft for activating at least one gas exchange valve of the reciprocating internal combustion engine is adjusted.

An electromechanical camshaft phaser (3) comprises a setting gear (4) and an electric motor (5), which is controlled by means of an electric-motor control unit (6). Data concerning the operation of the electric motor (5) including position changes of its motor shaft are transferred via a data bus (8) from the electric-motor control unit (6) to an engine control unit (7) of the internal combustion engine (1) comprising the camshaft phaser (3). In addition, recurring time signals are transferred from the electric-motor control unit (6) to the engine control unit (7) via a separate line (9), by which harder real-time requirements are met than by the data bus (8). The time signals are used to generate a time difference signal in the engine control unit (7) by comparison with the data received by the engine control unit (7), which time difference signal is fed back to the electric-motor control unit (6) via the data bus (8) and is used there to synchronize the electric-motor control unit (6) with the engine control unit (7).

A method for calculating the mass of an overlap gaseous flow (M.sub.OVL), wherein the exhaust pressure is higher than the intake pressure, or in the case of scavenging (SCAV), wherein the intake pressure is higher than the exhaust pressure. The overlap gaseous flow (M.sub.OVL) is the flow which flows, in overlap conditions, through the intake valve and the exhaust valve of a cylinder of an internal combustion engine. At least one intake valve is driven so as to vary the lift (H) of the intake valve in controlled manner. The overlap condition is a condition in which the intake valve and the exhaust valve are both at least partially open. The method comprises calculating the mass of the gaseous flow (M.sub.OVL) which flows through the intake valve and the exhaust valve on the basis of the relation:
M.sub.OVL=PERM*β(P/P.sub.0,n)*P.sub.0/P.sub.0_REF*(T.sub.0_REF/T.sub.0).sup.1/2/n.

A combustion mode module is configured to switch operation of a low-temperature combustion (LTC) engine between a spark ignition (SI) mode, a positive valve overlap (PVO) mode, and a negative valve overlap (NVO) mode. A spark control module is configured to control a spark plug to generate a spark in a cylinder of the LTC engine when the LTC engine is operating in the SI mode. A valve control module is configured to control intake and exhaust valves of the cylinder to yield a PVO and a NVO when the LTC engine is operating in the PVO mode and the NVO mode, respectively. An air/fuel (A/F) control module is configured to adjust a desired A/F ratio of the LTC engine to a rich A/F ratio when operation of the LTC engine is switched to the PVO mode from either one of the SI mode and the NVO mode.

A combustion mode module is configured to switch operation of a low-temperature combustion (LTC) engine between a spark ignition (SI) mode, a positive valve overlap (PVO) mode, and a negative valve overlap (NVO) mode. A spark control module is configured to control a spark plug to generate a spark in a cylinder of the LTC engine when the LTC engine is operating in the SI mode. A valve control module is configured to control intake and exhaust valves of the cylinder to yield a PVO and a NVO when the LTC engine is operating in the PVO mode and the NVO mode, respectively. An air/fuel (A/F) control module is configured to adjust a desired A/F ratio of the LTC engine to a rich A/F ratio when operation of the LTC engine is switched to the PVO mode from either one of the SI mode and the NVO mode.

An engine is provided, which includes an engine body including a cylinder provided with intake and exhaust ports and intake and exhaust valves, intake and exhaust passages, a turbocharger including a turbine provided to the exhaust passage and a compressor provided to the intake passage, and a variable phase mechanism configured to change open/close timings of the intake valve while maintaining an open period of the intake valve at a 270° C.A or larger. A geometric compression ratio of the cylinder is 11:1 or higher. In a high-load range, the variable phase mechanism sets the intake valve close timing to be after an intake BDC and to make a ratio of a retarded amount of the intake closing to the geometric compression ratio be 4.58 or above and 6.67 or below, and sets the intake valve open timing to be before a close timing of the exhaust valve.

An internal combustion engine includes an internal combustion engine body including an intake valve and an exhaust valve, and a controller configured or programmed to perform a control to set a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine body to a predetermined rotational speed based on an environmental temperature at a time of starting the internal combustion engine body, and perform a control to drive the internal combustion engine body at the set predetermined rotational speed during a time period until when fuel is supplied to a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine body and first ignition is performed.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing evaporative emissions from a vehicle. In one example, the vehicle may include a system for capturing emissions including a plurality of vacuum ports coupled to a vacuum source. The plurality of vacuum ports may be disposed in vehicle components prone to emitting hydrocarbon vapors and activation of the vacuum source draws the vapors from the vehicle components to a fuel canister where the evaporative emissions are stored until the fuel canister is purged.