Methods and systems are provided for increasing vehicle maneuverability when operating on sand, snow, or rocky terrain, as well as while performing cornering and sliding maneuvers. Boost path actuators are held in positions that enable manifold pressure to be held above barometric pressure as torque demand changes, including when torque demand drops. Engine torque is reduced or raised via adjustments to one or more of fuel delivery, spark timing, and intake throttle opening.

A control system for a vehicle includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to i) calculate a target supercharging pressure of an intake air such that, when an internal combustion engine is operated through the homogeneous charge compression ignition, the internal combustion engine achieves a required output while satisfying a predetermined requirement, ii) control an output of the internal combustion engine such that the output approaches the required output in accordance with an actual supercharging pressure in process of changing the actual supercharging pressure to the target supercharging pressure that is achieved by a supercharger, and iii) control a rotary machine such that an output of the rotary machine compensates for part or all of a differential output between the required output and the output in process of changing the actual supercharging pressure to the target supercharging pressure.

In one aspect, a method for controlling operation of an internal combustion engine is described. The engine is operated in a skip fire manner such that selected skipped working cycles are skipped and selected active working cycles are fired to deliver a desired engine output. A particular level of torque output is selected for each of the fired working chambers. Various methods, arrangements and systems related to the above method are also described.

An engine control device for an engine provided with a supercharger, including a cylinder injection valve and a port injection valve. The device includes an injection controller that controls injections of fuel through the cylinder injection valve and through the port injection valve, on the basis of at least a load on an engine. The injection controller, in a low load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the port injection valve; in an intermediate load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the cylinder injection valve during an intake stroke, and causes the fuel to be injected through the port injection valve; and in a high load operating state, causes the fuel to be injected through the cylinder injection valve at least during an intake stroke and during a compression stroke.

An exhaust gas purification system of an internal combustion engine according to the present invention includes: processing means for executing at least one of a process of increasing an air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture burned in the internal combustion engine and a process of increasing EGR gas recirculated by an EGR apparatus, when increasing a NO.sub.2 proportion in exhaust gas; and control means for controlling the processing means so that an increase in the air-fuel ratio becomes larger, and an increase in the EGR gas becomes smaller when a temperature of the exhaust gas purification apparatus is high as compared to when the temperature of the exhaust gas purification apparatus is low.

A method and a system for control of a torque Tq.sub.demand requested from an engine in a vehicle, wherein the engine provides a dynamic torque Tq.sub.fw in response to the torque Tq.sub.demand. Control of the requested torque Tq.sub.demand is performed such that the control provides a desired value Tq.sub.fw.sub._.sub.req for the dynamic torque and/or a desired derivative Tq.sub.fw.sub._.sub.req for the dynamic torque. This is achieved by basing the control on at least one current value Tq.sub.fw.sub._.sub.pres for the dynamic torque, on one or several of the desired value Tq.sub.fw.sub._.sub.req and the desired derivative Tq.sub.fw.sub._.sub.req for the dynamic torque, and on a total delay time t.sub.delay-total elapsing from determination of at least one parameter value, to when a change of the dynamic torque Tq.sub.fw based on the determined at least one parameter value, has been effected.

A vehicle control apparatus is provided that can maintain an automatic engine stop function when an abnormality occurs in a preceding vehicle following control function. The vehicle control apparatus includes a first control unit configured to include a preceding vehicle following control function to control vehicle speed, based on a traveling state of a preceding vehicle, and to output a prohibition request to an automatic engine stop function; and a second control unit configured to include the automatic engine stop function, and to maintain the automatic engine stop function, contrary to the prohibition request output from the first control unit, when an abnormality occurs in the preceding vehicle following control function.

This method of injection management in a direct-injection engine involves shifting from a so-called single-injection mode (Init 1 pulse), in which the major portion of the quantity of fuel injected during a combustion cycle is injected in one go, to a so-called multi-injection mode (MPL active), in which several successive injections are carried out in order to inject fuel during a combustion cycle, and vice versa. The multi-injection mode is chosen when a condition based on one or more parameter(s) of the engine is fulfilled (MPL cdn ok). The multi-injection mode is limited to a predefined time interval (Tact_MPL_max) even if, at the end of the interval, the condition for adopting the multi-injection mode is still fulfilled.

A control strategy for a vehicle powered by an internal combustion engine has a repeating cycle of accelerating the vehicle during a more fuel efficient acceleration phase of the cycle followed by a deceleration phase of the cycle which uses little or no fuel.

Method and systems are provided for adjusting an engine torque in response to changes in a desired engine torque. In one example, a method may comprise responsive to increasing desired engine torques, monotonically decreasing an alternator torque to a first level from a second level when not injecting fuel to engine cylinders, and stepping up the alternator torque from the first level to the second level while initiating engine combustion, and then monotonically decreasing the alternator torque from the second level to the first level in response to the alternator torque reaching the first level. In this way, a method may comprise adjusting a load exerted on an engine by an alternator mechanically coupled to said engine during both cylinder combustion, and during non-fueling conditions.