An internal combustion engine includes a combustion chamber with a cylinder head, a cylinder, and a piston. The internal combustion engine also includes at least one intake valve and at least one exhaust valve that are connected to the combustion chamber, a fuel injector that injects fuel into the combustion chamber, at least two ignition devices arranged in the combustion chamber, and control means that control the valves, the injector, and the ignition means. The control means operate the engine according to different combustion modes including a controlled ignition combustion mode, a compression ignition combustion mode, and an assisted compression ignition combustion mode. The control means activate the ignition means in the assisted compression ignition combustion mode.

The present invention provides a method for analyzing and optimizing the injection of fluid into an internal combustion engine via a common rail system. Once various injection parameters are determined for a given injection system, these data may be used to model the effect of sequential injection events for the system. A processer can then be used to run the model and to adjust sequential fuel injection events to optimize engine performance and fuel usage.

An action of injection of the main injection fuel (QM) from the fuel injector (3) is started within a range of crank angle from 10 degree before the compression top dead center to 10 degree after the compression top dead center. A smaller amount of the auxiliary injection fuel (QN) than the main injection fuel (QM) is made to be injected from the fuel injector (3) before the main injection fuel (QM) so as to make the auxiliary injection fuel (QN) ignite by the premixed charge compression ignition. The injection timing of the auxiliary injection fuel (QN) is controlled to a timing whereby a heat generated by the premixed charge compression ignition of the auxiliary injection fuel (QN) causes the premixed charge compression ignition of the main injection fuel (QM) after the start of injection of the main injection fuel (QM).

The disclosure relates to a method for operating an internal combustion engine comprising at least two cylinders and a system for fuel injection, in which the fuel is withdrawn from a primary tank and supplied to at least one rail in a form significantly compressed compared with atmospheric pressure, and a plurality of cylinders draw the gaseous fuel from a rail used collectively, wherein, during operation of the internal combustion engine, the pressure target value of the gaseous fuel stored in the rail is controlled to or otherwise held at a constant value or a variable target value, which changes only in a small range B, irrespective of the engine operating point.

Methods and systems are provided for a multi-fuel engine. In one example, a method includes adjusting an ignitability of a combustion mixture comprising ammonia and hydrogen. The combustion mixture may further include a carbon-containing fuel.

An apparatus and method for igniting a gaseous fuel directly introduced into a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine comprises steps of heating a space near a fuel injector nozzle; introducing a pilot amount of the gaseous fuel in the combustion chamber during a first stage injection event; controlling residency of the pilot amount in the space such that a temperature of the pilot amount increases to an auto-ignition temperature of the gaseous fuel whereby ignition occurs; introducing a main amount of the gaseous fuel during a second stage injection event after the first stage injection event; and using heat from combustion of the pilot amount to ignite the main amount.

A diesel engine of the present invention includes a turbocharger including: a turbine provided on an exhaust passage; a compressor provided on an intake passage; and a plurality of nozzle vanes provided around the turbine to control a flow velocity of an exhaust gas colliding with the turbine, angles of the nozzle vanes being changeable. In a case where a ratio of a volume of a combustion chamber when the intake valve is closed to a volume of the combustion chamber when a piston is located at a top dead center is denoted by an effective compression ratio ε.sub.e, and a total displacement of the engine is denoted by V (L), the effective compression ratio ε.sub.e is set to satisfy Formula (1) “−0.67×V+15.2≦ε.sub.e≦14.8.”

Autonomous diesel vehicles and control methods thereof are disclosed. An autonomous vehicle may include a peripheral information collecting unit configured to collect peripheral information necessary for autonomous travelling through an image camera and a laser scanner, a main control unit configured to control the autonomous travelling with reference to the peripheral information collected by the peripheral information collecting unit, a passenger monitoring unit configured to check whether a passenger exists inside the vehicle through a sensor and transmit a result of the check to the main control unit, and an engine control unit configured to control driving of an engine and injection of fuel of an injector according to a control instruction of the main control unit. When the passenger is inside the vehicle, the main control unit performs a pilot injection control, and when the passenger is not inside the vehicle, the main control unit omits the pilot injection control.

Methods and systems for adapting pilot fuel injection pulse widths are disclosed. In one example, pilot fuel injection values are varied to determine adjustments to a fuel injector transfer function and a glow plug is activated in response to a request to adapt the fuel injector transfer function so that adaptation may be improved.

An object is to enable stable diesel combustion in an internal combustion engine using a fuel having a relatively high self-ignition temperature. In the internal combustion engine, pre-injection and ignition of pre-spray fuel are performed, and thereafter main injection is performed to cause a portion of main-injected fuel to be burned by diffusion combustion. Injection ports of a fuel injection valve are provided in such a way that the quantity of the main injected fuel injected to a predetermined region defined by a predetermined angle equal to or smaller than 90 degrees about the fuel injection valve from the location of an ignition device in the direction of rotation of the swirl is relatively small.