Fuel management system for enhanced operation of a spark ignition gasoline engine. Injectors inject an anti-knock agent such as ethanol directly into a cylinder. It is preferred that the direct injection occur after the inlet valve is closed. It is also preferred that stoichiometric operation with a three way catalyst be used to minimize emissions. In addition, it is also preferred that the anti-knock agents have a heat of vaporization per unit of combustion energy that is at least three times that of gasoline.

A method and device are provided for increasing the possible compression ratio of internal combustion engines of motor vehicles in the case of varying fuel quality in an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber for burning the fuel. The device has an apparatus for determining the knock resistance property of the fuel, an apparatus for sensing the operating state of the internal combustion engine, a water tank, and a feeding apparatus for the water. In the method, the knock resistance property of the fuel is determined and the operating state of the internal combustion engine is sensed. A need for a feed of water to the fuel is determined therefrom.

A controller for an internal combustion engine includes processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to execute an estimation process that estimates a density parameter of fuel in an upper layer portion of a delivery pipe and a density parameter of fuel in a lower layer portion of the delivery pipe and an operation process that includes acquiring a density parameter of the fuel injected from a fuel injection valve and operating an operation unit of the internal combustion engine based on the acquired density parameter. The estimation process includes a process that assumes that when the density of the fuel flowing into the delivery pipe is high, a greater proportion of the fuel flowing into the delivery pipe flows into the lower layer portion than when the density of the fuel flowing into the delivery pipe is low.

A method and a corresponding device are disclosed for starting an internal combustion engine designed for alcohol or a high content of alcohol in a mixed alcohol-gasoline fuel, including setting an early starting ignition time point in a first time period beginning immediately after the activation of the starting process of the engine. The rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is monitored and the number of the cylinder working cycles is summed during the starting process and, upon exceeding a predetermined rotational speed threshold value, the number of those cylinder working cycles is summed in which there occurs a rotational speed increase greater than a predetermined threshold value. The number of the cylinder working cycles is compared with predetermined threshold values and, upon reaching or exceeding the threshold values, the ignition time point is shifted starting from the early ignition time point toward a late ignition time point.

A fuel pump has a pump function of sucking fuel in a fuel tank and discharging fuel, and a detection function of detecting a capacitance correlated to a concentration of alcohol in fuel in the fuel tank. The fuel pump includes a pump main body that is received in the fuel tank to perform the pump function, a housing electrode that covers the pump main body in the fuel tank, and an outside electrode that is located outside of the housing electrode in the fuel tank. A gap is formed between the outside electrode and the housing electrode to give the capacitance.

Methods and systems are provided for an engine to infer fuel temperature from a measured rate of change in a pressure of a fuel passage between a low pressure fuel pump and a high pressure fuel pump during certain operating conditions, including when the low pressure fuel pump is switched off. The operation of the low pressure fuel pump may be adjusted responsively to a change in the inferred fuel temperature.

Methods and systems are provided for cleaning an exhaust particulate filter by routing air via the exhaust particulate filter during a vehicle-off condition. In one example, during vehicle-off conditions, a turbocharger may be reverse rotated via an electric motor or an engine may be reverse rotated via an electric machine to route air via the exhaust particulate filter and the soot collected from the particulate filter may then be deposited on an air filter coupled to the intake manifold. During a subsequent engine start, the soot from the intake air filter may be routed to the engine cylinders for combustion.

A method may comprise: positioning a pressure control valve (PCV) at an outlet of a fuel rail; positioning a volume control valve (VCV) at an inlet of a high pressure pump; and in response to an exhaust particulate matter (PM) level deviating from a target PM level, adjusting a fuel ratio of a first fuel and a second fuel delivered to an engine, and opening one of the PCV and the VCV. In this way, the fuel oxygen content may be adjusted to maintain a PM at or below a target level without a DPF over a broad range of engine designs and operating conditions, while maintaining fuel economy.

Methods and systems are provided for an integrated fuel composition-pressure sensor. In one example, the integrated sensor may include a set of cylindrical capacitors and a set of plate capacitors with a common capacitor element shared between the sets. A composition of fuel may be determined from the set of cylindrical capacitors and a pressure of fuel may be determined from the set of plate capacitors.

The present invention describes a fuel-management system for minimizing particulate emissions in turbocharged direct injection gasoline engines. The system optimizes the use of port fuel injection (PFI) in combination with direct injection (DI), particularly in cold start and other transient conditions. In the present invention, the use of these control systems together with other control systems for increasing the effectiveness of port fuel injector use and for reducing particulate emissions from turbocharged direct injection engines is described. Particular attention is given to reducing particulate emissions that occur during cold start and transient conditions since a substantial fraction of the particulate emissions during a drive cycle occur at these times. Further optimization of the fuel management system for these conditions is important for reducing drive cycle emissions.