An electronic engine timing system that includes at least (1) an engine position sensor that includes a diametric magnet and two or more hall effect sensors configured and positioned to sense diametric magnet position, (2) sensor data receiving circuitry configured for receiving sensory input, including at least input from the engine position sensor; and (3) control circuitry configured to control firing of one or more cylinders of the engine at least in part by calculating one or more timing advance positions for one or more cylinders of the engine and by causing the one or more cylinders to fire according to the one or more calculated timing advance positions, the control circuitry further configured to calculate the one or more timing advance positions for the one or more cylinders separately from one another based at least in part on input from the engine position sensor.

Provided is a control device and a control method of a high-efficiency internal combustion engine capable of stabilizing combustion and suppressing NO.sub.x emissions without unnecessarily increasing a mounting load on an ECU. Therefore, the control device of the internal combustion engine for controlling the internal combustion engine includes an ignition plug that ignites an air-fuel mixture of fuel and air in the combustion chamber, a combustion pressure estimation sensor that detects a combustion pressure in the combustion chamber, and a crank angle sensor that detects a crank angle of a crankshaft. An MBT region is set based on an ignition delay period from an ignition timing of the ignition plug calculated from a detection value of the combustion pressure estimation sensor and a detection value of the crank angle sensor to a combustion start timing in the combustion chamber, and a combustion period from the combustion start timing to a set amount combustion end timing when a set amount of combustion ends. An ignition timing of the ignition plug is controlled so as to fall within the set MBT region.

To provide a controller and a control method for internal combustion engine which can set appropriately an angle interval for estimating the combustion state in accordance with change of a burning angle interval, and can reduce calculation processing load for estimation of the combustion state. A controller for internal combustion engine changes the estimation crank angle interval based on an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; calculates an increment of gas pressure torque by burning at each crank angle of the estimation crank angle interval; and estimates the combustion state of the internal combustion engine, based on the increment of gas pressure torque by burning in the estimation crank angle interval.

To provide a controller and a control method for internal combustion engine which can set appropriately an angle interval for estimating the combustion state in accordance with change of a burning angle interval, and can reduce calculation processing load for estimation of the combustion state. A controller for internal combustion engine changes the estimation crank angle interval based on an operating condition of the internal combustion engine; calculates an increment of gas pressure torque by burning at each crank angle of the estimation crank angle interval; and estimates the combustion state of the internal combustion engine, based on the increment of gas pressure torque by burning in the estimation crank angle interval.

A method for detecting a cylinder-specific combustion profile parameter value for an internal combustion engine is described. The method includes the following: (a) detecting a toothed encoder signal, (b) determining a cylinder-specific tooth time interval on the basis of the toothed encoder signal, (c) determining a cylinder-specific phase value on the basis of a Fourier transformation of a part of the toothed encoder signal corresponding to the cylinder-specific tooth time interval, (d) determining the combustion profile parameter value on the basis of the cylinder-specific phase value and a stored transfer function which represents a relationship between the combustion profile parameter and the phase value.

A method for detecting a cylinder-specific combustion profile parameter value for an internal combustion engine is described. The method includes the following: (a) detecting a toothed encoder signal, (b) determining a cylinder-specific tooth time interval on the basis of the toothed encoder signal, (c) determining a cylinder-specific phase value on the basis of a Fourier transformation of a part of the toothed encoder signal corresponding to the cylinder-specific tooth time interval, (d) determining the combustion profile parameter value on the basis of the cylinder-specific phase value and a stored transfer function which represents a relationship between the combustion profile parameter and the phase value.

To provide a controller and a control method for internal combustion engine which can calculate the shaft torque in unburning with good accuracy in all the operating condition in which calculation is required, using the shaft torque in unburning which was set in the specific operating condition, and can improve estimation accuracy of the parameter relevant to the combustion state. A controller for internal combustion engine calculates a specific shaft torque in unburning with reference to a specific unburning condition data; calculates specific and current generated torques of unburning assumption using the physical model equation; calculates a current shaft torque in unburning based on the specific shaft torque in unburning, and the specific and current generated torques of unburning assumption; and calculates an increment of gas pressure torque by burning based on the current shaft torque in unburning and the actual shaft torque in burning condition.

An engine system is provided, which includes a vehicle-mounted engine having an injector, a spark plug, an intake valve operating mechanism, and an exhaust valve operating mechanism, an accelerator opening sensor, and a controller. The controller sets beforehand a combustion mode so that a target torque set based on an accelerator opening is realized in a specific cycle in the future from a present time by a given delay time, sets an in-cylinder property when an intake valve is closed in the specific cycle so that the set combustion mode is realized in the specific cycle, estimates the actual in-cylinder property when the intake valve is closed in the specific cycle, when the delay time passes and the cycle becomes the specific cycle, and adjusts an operating amount of at least one of the injector and the spark plug, when the estimated in-cylinder property deviates from the target in-cylinder property.

A process to adjust the ignition timing of an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, the process comprises determining a first quantity indicative of a pressure of the mixture for a cycle of the engine, determining a second quantity indicative of a speed of the engine, determining a third quantity indicative of a first temperature of a conditioning fluid, providing a heat exchange mathematical model for the combustion chamber, which maps the three quantities from the first to the third one onto a fourth quantity indicative of a second temperature of a wall portion around the combustion chamber, estimating the fourth quantity by means of the three determined quantities and by means of the mathematical model, and adjusting the ignition timing as a function of the fourth estimated quantity.

A process to adjust the ignition timing of an air-fuel mixture in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine, the process comprises determining a first quantity indicative of a pressure of the mixture for a cycle of the engine, determining a second quantity indicative of a speed of the engine, determining a third quantity indicative of a first temperature of a conditioning fluid, providing a heat exchange mathematical model for the combustion chamber, which maps the three quantities from the first to the third one onto a fourth quantity indicative of a second temperature of a wall portion around the combustion chamber, estimating the fourth quantity by means of the three determined quantities and by means of the mathematical model, and adjusting the ignition timing as a function of the fourth estimated quantity.