The present invention relates to a method of controlling a positive-ignition internal combustion engine, in which the ignition advance is controlled (CON) by means of an estimation (EST) of the distribution of the knock measurements (MEAS). This estimation (EST) makes it possible to determine, for these measurements (MEAS), a confidence interval (q.sub.min, q.sub.max) of a predetermined quantile of the distribution of the knock measurements (MEAS).

A method of providing a model which provides air/fuel ratio at a point of an air/fuel sensor located in an exhaust system of an engine includes a) providing a first model which provides a first air/fuel ratio which is outlet from an exhaust manifold of the engine; b) measuring or estimating volumetric flow through the exhaust; c) applying a transfer function to the first air/fuel ratio to provide a model of the air/fuel ratio at the sensor. The transfer function includes a first order filter and is dependent on the volumetric flow. The transfer function has a time constant equivalent to a filter coefficient which is 1/time constant which is determined based on the flow rate.

An apparatus for controlling an EGR valve, includes: a measurement unit to measure at least one operation condition of an engine system; a fresh air amount setting unit to set a target amount of fresh air based on the operation condition; a fresh air amount sensor to measure a current amount of fresh air introduced through an intake line; a control calculation unit to set a signal for controlling an opening degree of the EGR valve so that the current amount of fresh air follows the target amount of fresh air; and an identifier to simulate an input and an output of the engine system, and output engine system input-output sensitivity which is a ratio of a change rate of the current amount of fresh air to a change rate of the opening degree of the EGR valve.

An estimation device includes: a memory and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to execute a process including: determining a point of a burning having a higher peak in a predetermined range of a heat release rate based on a peak of a burning having a smaller peak, in a heat release rate waveform in an internal combustion engine that performs a multiple-stage fuel injection; calculating a tangential line of the heat release rate waveform at the point; setting a predetermined point on the tangential line as an initial value for identifying a model parameter of a heat release rate model; identifying the model parameter so that a difference between a calculation value of the heat release rate model and the heat release rate waveform is reduced with use of the initial value; and estimating a heat release rate with a result of an identification of the identifying.

A vehicle throttle control system includes a torque control system providing a desired torque for a throttle valve. A conversion module converts the desired torque to a desired throttle area and converts the desired throttle area to a target throttle position. A selection module determines which one of multiple MPC controllers should be used based on a current position of the throttle valve. A prediction module determines future state values using a mathematical model of a throttle body. A cost module determines a first cost for a first set of MPC target throttle duty cycle values. A control module identifies optimal sets of target throttle motor duty cycle values for each of the MPC controllers. The multiple MPC controllers control operation of a throttle valve duty cycle to achieve a target throttle opening area based on a first one of the target throttle motor duty cycle values.

Methods and systems are provided for catalyst control. In one example, a method may include controlling an air-fuel ratio downstream of a catalyst by adjusting fuel injection. The fuel injection is adjusted based on control parameters updated online through system identification at a point of feedback control instability.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a control device for an engine that enables precise control of the equivalence ratio. The system from the fuel injection amount to the output from a LAF sensor is modeled as an injection amount-sensor output model by means of a model equation containing model parameters and a lag coefficient. The system from the equivalence ratio to the LAF sensor output is modeled as a port equivalence ratio-sensor output model by means of a model equation containing the lag coefficient. The control device is equipped with: a feedback-use identifier that successively identifies values for the model parameters; a LAF lag compensation-use identifier that successively identifies values for the lag coefficient; and a stoichiometric driving mode controller that determines the value of a fuel injection amount.

An engine torque estimating system includes: an engine; a crank angle sensor installed for a crankshaft of an engine; an acquiring circuit for acquiring, from the crank angle sensor, a chronological waveform in which amplitude changes based on a rotational speed of the crankshaft; a generating circuit for generating input data to a mathematical model based on information of the amplitude of the chronological waveform; a calculating circuit for calculating an estimated value of engine torque by giving the generated input data to the mathematical model; and a control circuit for controlling the engine based on the estimated value of engine torque.

Systems and methods automatically rescale an original electric motor model so that it models an electric motor of a different size. The original electric motor model may be coupled to a motor controller model, and the systems and methods may also rescale the original motor controller model to produce a rescaled motor controller model matched to the rescaled electric motor model. The original electric motor model may include motor parameters and motor lookup tables, and the original motor controller model may include controller parameters and controller lookup tables. Rescaling factors indicating the size of the new electric motor being modeled may be received, and ratios may be computed as a function of the rescaling factors. Original motor parameters and controller parameters may be rescaled based on the ratios. Original motor lookup tables and controller lookup tables may be reshaped based on the ratios.

A control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, which is capable of calculating engine parameters required for controlling the engine, particularly a combustion parameter, based on a result of detection by an in-cylinder pressure sensor, accurately in real time, thereby making it possible to improve the controllability of the engine. The control apparatus includes an in-cylinder pressure sensor for detecting in-cylinder pressure PCYL in a cylinder, a plant model provided in an electronic control unit and including a combustion model for calculating a heat release rate using the detected in-cylinder pressure PC for calculating engine parameters (the heat release rate, intake manifold pressure Pin, EGR temperature Iegr, EGR pressure Pegr) indicative of states of the engine, including the heat release rate, and an engine controller provided in the electronic control unit, for controlling the engine using the engine parameters calculated by the plant model.