In accordance with at least one aspect of this disclosure, a method can include controlling firing of an exciter of an engine with an electronic controller separate from the exciter as a function of at least one excitation command from the electronic controller and at least one feedback signal from the exciter operatively connected to the electronic controller.

A control system includes an electric heater disposed within an exhaust fluid flow pathway, and a control device for receiving at least one input selected from the group consisting of temperature readings along the exhaust fluid flow pathway, alternator power/current/voltage, battery power/current/voltage/state of charge, IAT and EAT profiles, mass flow rate of an exhaust fluid flow, NH.sub.3 slip, TCR characteristics of the heater, alternator speed, engine speed, state of aging of an aftertreatment component, state of aging of engine, aging degradation characteristics, a dosing rate and a temperature of DEF, NH.sub.3 storage condition of aftertreatment system, an ambient temperature, and combinations thereof. The control device modulates power to the heater based on the at least one input such that the heater provides different power output as a function of the at least one input and a continuously variable power output during operation of the exhaust system.

Various embodiments includes a method for determining energization data for an actuator of an injection valve of a motor vehicle comprising: receiving input data at a control unit; and determining the energization data based on the received input data into account with the control unit. Determining the energization data includes using a polynomial regression model.

A method and an apparatus for monitoring a temperature of a coil wire of a solenoid valve are provides. An actuation signal has actuation intervals which follow one another is used in this case, wherein a start pulse, which causes an increase in current in the coil wire of the magnet coil and has a prespecified pulse duration, and a pulse sequence, which follows the start pulse and has a duty cycle, are provided in each actuation interval. The current intensity of the current flowing through the coil wire of the solenoid valve is measured at two different times during the increase in current, and the current gradient is subsequently calculated from the measured current intensities. A prespecified threshold value for the current gradient is then compared with the calculated current gradient.

A control apparatus, which controlling an operation of an injector provided to an internal combustion engine, includes: a voltage application unit applying a voltage raised to have a step-up target value to the injector to open the injector; a current measurement unit measuring a drive current supplied to the injector in response to an application of the voltage; and a calculator calculating a current difference value which indicates a difference between an actually-measured profile and a reference profile. The actually-measured profile indicates a time-variation in an actually-measured value of the drive current, and the reference profile is a profile set in advance. The step-up target value is corrected according to the current difference value that is calculated.

A water injection system for spraying water toward an intake system of an engine is disclosed. The water injection system includes a water collection circuit that has a water collection pipe for collecting water from the intake system and a drain valve installed on the water collection pipe. The water collection circuit collects water from the intake system of the engine by opening the drain valve when amount of stagnant water in the intake system reaches a predetermined threshold.

Systems are provided for detecting a change in performance of an engine component. In one example, a system includes a first pressure sensor of a first exhaust manifold coupled to a first subset of cylinders of an engine, a second pressure sensor of a second exhaust manifold coupled to a second subset of cylinders of the engine, a passage coupling the first exhaust manifold to an intake manifold, and a controller configured to detect a change in performance of any cylinder of the engine based on frequency content from the first pressure sensor and from the second pressure sensor during both a first mode where no exhaust gas from the first exhaust manifold is provided to the intake manifold, and during a second mode where all exhaust gas from the first exhaust manifold is provided to the intake manifold, and adjust an operating parameter responsive to the change in performance.

To protect a switching element to be used in a boost circuit for an in-cylinder injection type internal combustion engine or the like from damage caused by overheating without using a temperature detection element.

In a control circuit that switches a switching element between a conductive state and a non-conductive state, the switching element is controlled or a temperature of the switching element is estimated based on a potential difference between an input terminal and an output terminal of the switching element and a voltage applied to a control terminal of the switching element in the conductive state.

The magnetic coil driving circuit of the magnetic contactor according to the present invention comprises a semiconductor switch configured to open or close a circuit for magnetizing or demagnetizing a magnetic coil; a pulse width modulation unit configured to output a pulse signal as a control signal for turning on or off the semiconductor switch; a control unit configured to output a control signal for changing a pulse width of the pulse signal to the pulse width modulation unit; and a temperature detection and protection unit configured to detect a temperature inside the magnetic contactor, output an output signal for turning off the semiconductor switch when the temperature exceeds an allowable temperature, and control the semiconductor switch by the pulse signal from the pulse width modulation unit when the temperature is within the allowable temperature.

The present invention relates to a method for determining a flow rate (Q) through an on-off valve (1) controlled by means of a pulse width modulated control signal (C) comprising a period (c) of updating the control signal and a control cycle (D), characterized in that, said control signal updating period (c) being a divisor of said control cycle (D), said method of determination comprises a determination period (d), the determination period (d) being shorter than or equal to the updating period (c) of the control signal (C) and being synchronized with the control signal (C), said determination period (d) being a period of refreshment of a determination of said flow rate (Q) through said on-off valve (1).