A variety of methods and arrangements for controlling the exhaust gas temperature of a lean burn, skip fire controlled internal combustion engine are described. In one aspect, an engine controller includes an aftertreatment system monitor and a firing timing determination unit. The aftertreatment monitor obtains data relating to a temperature of one or more aftertreatment elements, such as a catalytic converter. Based at least partly on this data, the firing timing determination unit generates a firing sequence for operating the engine in a skip fire manner such that the temperature of the aftertreatment element is controlled within its effective operating range.

Particulate accumulation in a particulate filter in the exhaust line of an engine is calculated by an electronic engine control unit. When the estimated accumulated particulate mass exceeds a predetermined threshold, an automatic regeneration step of the filter is activated. An actual instantaneous burned particulate mass is calculated as a function of values indicative of the state of the filter. A temporary correction factor representing an error between a theoretical value and the actual value is calculated. The temporary correction factor is stored in a second map of correction factors, based on the engine operating conditions. During an accumulation step, the estimated instantaneous particulate mass, calculated according to the first map based on the operating conditions of the engine, is multiplied by a correction factor calculated according to the second map based on the operating conditions of the engine.

When a temperature of a catalyst in an exhaust emission control device mounted in an exhaust system of an engine is equal to or higher than a predetermined temperature at a time of a request for stopping the engine, a hybrid vehicle including the engine and a motor continues fuel injection of the engine until satisfaction of a predetermined condition and stops fuel injection of the engine on satisfaction of the predetermined condition. When the temperature of the catalyst is lower than the predetermined temperature at the time of the request for stopping the engine, on the other hand, the hybrid vehicle immediately stops fuel injection of the engine.

A control apparatus for a vehicle that includes a drive wheel, an engine and an automatic transmission configured to transmit power from the engine toward the drive wheel. When the automatic transmission is shifted, the control apparatus is configured to execute a shifting-time torque-down control by using an ignition retard method of retarding an ignition timing of the engine or a fuel cut method of restricting fuel supply to the engine. The control apparatus is configured to estimate a temperature of a predetermined portion of an exhaust pipe of the engine in a case in which the shifting-time torque-down control is executed by using the ignition retard method, and to execute the shifting-time torque-down control by using the fuel cut method when an estimated value of the temperature of the predetermined portion of the exhaust pipe is not lower than a predetermined upper-limit temperature value.

A control apparatus for a vehicle that includes a drive wheel, an engine and an automatic transmission configured to transmit power from the engine toward the drive wheel. When the automatic transmission is shifted, the control apparatus is configured to execute a shifting-time torque-down control by using an ignition retard method of retarding an ignition timing of the engine or a fuel cut method of restricting fuel supply to the engine. The control apparatus is configured to estimate a temperature of a predetermined portion of an exhaust pipe of the engine in a case in which the shifting-time torque-down control is executed by using the ignition retard method, and to execute the shifting-time torque-down control by using the fuel cut method when an estimated value of the temperature of the predetermined portion of the exhaust pipe is not lower than a predetermined upper-limit temperature value.

Provided is an engine control device for correcting output characteristics of an oxygen sensor and performing air-fuel ratio feedback control. The engine control device includes various sensors for detecting operating state information of an engine, an oxygen sensor, and air-fuel ratio feedback controller to adjust an amount of fuel injected into the engine, on the basis of the operating state information and an output voltage value of the oxygen sensor, wherein the air-fuel ratio feedback controller calculates, in accordance with the operating state information based on detection results from the various sensors, a coefficient for correcting the output voltage value, implements air-fuel ratio feedback control on the basis of an air-fuel ratio feedback control correction amount calculated using a corrected oxygen sensor output voltage value calculated on the basis of the coefficient, and adjusts the amount of fuel injected into the engine.

A controller for an internal combustion engine is configured to execute a dither control process and a filter temperature calculating process. In the dither control process, on condition that an execution request for a regeneration process of the filter is made, fuel injection valves are operated such that at least one of the cylinders is a lean combustion cylinder, and at least another one of the cylinders is a rich combustion cylinder. The filter temperature calculating process is a process of calculating the temperature of the filter to be lower when a target value of an average value of the exhaust air-fuel ratio in a predetermined period by the dither control is leaner than the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio than when the target value is the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio.

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine configured to perform control to remove a combustible residue adhered to an exhaust path of the internal combustion engine includes one or more processors and one or more memories communicatively coupled to the one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to: obtain information on an exhaust temperature at a predetermined position in the exhaust path during operation of the internal combustion engine; determine whether the exhaust temperature or a predetermined reference temperature obtained based on the exhaust temperature has exceeded a threshold; and, when the exhaust temperature or the reference temperature has exceeded the threshold, increase an amount of oxygen to be supplied to the exhaust path to forcibly combust the combustible residue.

A skip fire control that relies on a combination of a torque request, exhaust temperature, and air-fuel ratio in determining firing density is described. Also, skipped firing opportunities may either pump or not pump air into an exhaust system, allowing an exhaust gas temperature in the exhaust system to be controlled or modulated. The present invention is also related to Dynamic Skip Fire (DSF), where a decision to either fire or skip cylinders is made every firing opportunity.

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for adaptive regeneration of aftertreatment system components. The system may include an aftertreatment system and a controller. The controller is configured to access one or more parameters indicative of an ambient condition, determine a regeneration type of a regeneration process for a component of the aftertreatment system, determine an application in condition, and modify a parameter for the regeneration process for the component of the aftertreatment system. In some instances, the controller initiates the regeneration process. In some instances, the one or more parameters include an ambient air temperature, a reductant tank temperature, or a particulate matter sensor temperature. In some instances, the modified parameter includes a target regeneration temperature, a regeneration duration, a dwell time between regeneration process, a threshold value for the regeneration process, or a minimum regeneration temperature.