In a control device for an internal combustion engine in which internal EGR and external EGR are conducted, an ideal in-cylinder gas amount and an ideal in-cylinder gas temperature in an ideal state in which neither of EGR gas recirculates into a cylinder are calculated (steps 1 and 2). A mixed gas amount of intake air and the external EGR gas present on a downstream side of a throttle valve is calculated, based on a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and intake air pressure (step 21) to detect a mixed gas temperature. An actual in-cylinder gas temperature and amount and an EGR ratio are calculated, based on the ideal in-cylinder gas amount, the ideal in-cylinder gas temperature, the mixed gas amount, and the mixed gas temperature (steps 24, 4, and 5), and an internal combustion engine is controlled based on the EGR ratio.

A method to determine the mass of air trapped in each cylinder of an internal combustion engine, which comprises determining, based on a model using measured and/or estimated physical quantities, a value for a first group of reference quantities; determining, based on the model, the actual inner volume of each cylinder as a function of the speed of rotation of the internal combustion engine and of the closing delay angle of the intake valve; and calculating the mass of air trapped in each cylinder as a function of the first group of reference quantities and of the actual inner volume of each cylinder.

An engine system is provided, including a controller which estimates an intake-valve-closing temperature inside a cylinder. When an engine operates at a given speed and a demanded engine load is a first load or a second load (>the first load), the controller controls so that a mixture gas inside the cylinder combusts by compression ignition, and controls so that, at the first load, the entire mixture gas combusts by compression ignition when the intake-valve-closing temperature is above a first temperature, and at least part of the mixture gas combusts by flame propagation when the intake-valve-closing temperature is below the first temperature, whereas at the second load, the entire mixture gas combusts by compression ignition when the intake-valve-closing temperature is above a second temperature (<the first temperature), and at least part of the mixture gas combusts by flame propagation when the intake-valve-closing temperature is below the second temperature.

An engine system is provided, including a controller which estimates a mass ratio (G/F) of intake air inside a cylinder (containing fresh air and burnt gas) to fuel, and controls devices of an engine at a given engine speed so that, while a demanded engine load is a first load, at least part of a mixture gas inside the cylinder combusts by flame-propagation when the estimated G/F is below a first G/F, and the entire mixture gas combusts by compression ignition when the estimated G/F is above the first G/F, whereas while the demanded load is a second load (>the first load), at least part of the mixture gas combusts by flame-propagation when the estimated G/F is below a second G/F (<the first G/F), and the entire mixture gas combusts by compression ignition when the estimated G/F is above the second G/F.

An engine system is provided, including a controller which controls devices of an engine at a given engine speed so that, when a demanded engine load is a first load, a mass ratio (G/F) of intake air inside a cylinder (containing fresh air and burnt gas) to fuel is a first G/F and mixture gas inside the cylinder combusts by flame-propagation, when the demanded load is a second load (<the first load), the G/F is a second G/F (>the first G/F) and an injection center-of-gravity is at a timing such that the entire mixture gas combusts by CI combustion, and when the demanded load is between the first and second loads, the G/F is at a third G/F (between the first and second G/Fs) and the injection center-of-gravity is at a later timing such that at least part of the mixture gas combusts by the CI combustion.

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 control method for an internal combustion engine, the internal combustion engine including a valve timing control mechanism on at least an intake side and configured to control an operation of the valve timing control mechanism on the intake side during acceleration, the method including, calculating a relational expression between an intake valve timing, the intake valve timing being an operation timing of an intake valve, and a cylinder air charge amount in a range in which the intake valve timing can be advanced or retarded within a predetermined calculation cycle from a current value, calculating a target air charge amount, the target air charge amount being a target value of the cylinder air charge amount during the acceleration, based on an operating state of the internal combustion engine, calculating a target value of the intake valve timing corresponding to the target air charge amount from the relational expression for each calculation cycle, and setting a command signal for the valve timing control mechanism on the intake side based on a calculated target value of the intake valve timing.

A method to determine the mass of air trapped in each cylinder of an internal combustion engine, which comprises determining, based on a model using measured and/or estimated physical quantities, a value for a first group of reference quantities; determining, based on the model, the actual inner volume of each cylinder as a function of the speed of rotation of the internal combustion engine and of the closing delay angle of the intake valve; and calculating the mass of air trapped in each cylinder as a function of the first group of reference quantities and of the actual inner volume of each cylinder.

A neat-fuel direct-injected compression ignition engine having a thermal barrier coated combustion chamber, an injection port injects fuel that satisfies a stoichiometric condition with respect to the intake air, a mechanical exhaust regenerator transfers energy from exhaust gas to intake compression stages, an exhaust O.sub.2 sensor inputs to a feedback control to deliver quantified fuel, a variable valve actuation (VVA) controls valve positions, an exhaust gas temperature sensor controls exhaust feedback by closing the exhaust valve early according to the VVA, or recirculated to the chamber with an exhaust-gas-recirculation (EGR), heat exchanger, and flow path connecting an air intake, a load command input, and a computer operates the EGR from sensors to input exhaust gas according exhaust temperature signals and changes VVA timing, the load control is by chamber exhaust gas, the computer operates a fuel injector to deliver fuel independent of exhaust gas by the O.sub.2 signals.

In a control device for an internal combustion engine in which internal EGR and external EGR are conducted, an ideal in-cylinder gas amount and an ideal in-cylinder gas temperature in an ideal state in which neither of EGR gas recirculates into a cylinder are calculated (steps 1 and 2). A mixed gas amount of intake air and the external EGR gas present on a downstream side of a throttle valve is calculated, based on a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and intake air pressure (step 21) to detect a mixed gas temperature. An actual in-cylinder gas temperature and amount and an EGR ratio are calculated, based on the ideal in-cylinder gas amount, the ideal in-cylinder gas temperature, the mixed gas amount, and the mixed gas temperature (steps 24, 4, and 5), and an internal combustion engine is controlled based on the EGR ratio.