An igniter includes a switch element and a switch control apparatus. An ignition signal IGT is input to an input line of the switch control apparatus. A high-frequency filter removes high-frequency noise from the input line. A voltage comparator compares an output voltage V.sub.FIL of the high-frequency filter with a reference voltage V.sub.REF, so as to generate a judgment signal S.sub.DET. A driving stage controls an on/off switching operation of the switch element according to the judgment signal S.sub.DET. An off-state dead-time circuit prohibits the switch element from turning off during a predetermined dead time after the judgment signal S.sub.DET transits to a negated level that corresponds to the off state of the switch element.

A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a storage capability module and at least one of an engine speed control module and a spark control module. The storage capability module determines a capability of a catalytic converter to store oxygen. The engine speed control module controls a speed of an engine based on the oxygen storage capability of the catalytic converter. The spark control module controls a spark timing of the engine based on the oxygen storage capability of the catalytic converter.

When a catalytic converter in an exhaust passage is in an un-activated state, an intake air amount is increased, as compared to when the converter is in an activated state under the same engine operation condition, and an ignition timing is retarded beyond a TDC of a compression stroke. The ignition timing is set such that a retard amount thereof from the TDC becomes larger as an external load causing a rotational resistance of an engine becomes lower. A valve opening start timing of an exhaust valve is set such that, when the external load is lower than a given reference load, the valve starts opening, before an in-cylinder pressure reaches a peak, according to combustion of an air-fuel mixture ignited at the above ignition timing, in a subsequent expansion stroke, wherein the in-cylinder pressure is based on an assumption that the valve is maintained in a valve-closed state.

A PCM (60) performs a catalyst early warming control (AWS control) for accelerating warm-up of a catalytic device. When the catalytic device (35) is not in an activated state and a vehicle is traveling, the PCM (60) is configured to perform: a fuel injection control to inject fuel such that a homogeneous fuel-air mixture can be formed in a combustion chamber (11) of an engine (10) so as to generate a homogeneous combustion; an intake air amount control to increase intake air amount; and an ignition control to retard ignition timing from a reference ignition timing. In addition, the PCM (60) is configured to vary ignition timing retard amount corresponding to a difference between the ignition timing retarded by the ignition timing control and the reference ignition timing, in accordance with engine speed and/or engine load.

An engine is configured such that, during the starting of the engine, when it is being detected that throttle opening has been set at a starting position, if it is detected that the engine speed has exceeded a predetermined speed slightly lower than a speed when a centrifugal clutch becomes an engaged state, a control unit retards the ignition timing from a general angle to a first angle BTDC, and then advances the ignition timing to a second angle at predetermined intervals, and holds the ignition timing at the second angle for a predetermined time period, thereby preventing the engine from stopping due to fouling on the spark plug while suppressing the engine speed at the speed when the centrifugal clutch becomes the engaged state, or less.

Systems and methods for improving operation of a hybrid vehicle are presented. In one example, an engine may be started in one of two ways depending on operating conditions. In particular, the engine may be started via a lower power output electric machine or a higher power output electric machine.

A standby generator includes a standby housing defining a cavity and an internal combustion engine. The engine includes an engine block including a cylinder comprising a piston, an engine housing at least partially covering the engine block, and a crankshaft configured to rotate about a vertical crankshaft axis in response to movement by the piston. The standby generator also includes an alternator configured to generate alternating current electrical power, a controller comprising a rectifier configured to convert the alternating current to a direct current and an inverter configured to convert the direct current to a clean alternating current electrical power, and a transfer switch configured to receive the clean alternating current electrical power from the controller and at least one of grid, solar, or battery power, and configured to supply power to an electrical load. The internal combustion engine, the alternator, and the controller are positioned within the cavity.

An electrode of an ignition plug at the time of cooling start is heated to suppress generation of hydrocarbons at the time of cooling start of an internal combustion engine, and to reduce a production cost of an exhaust catalyst. Therefore, an ignition control unit 83 is provided to control a discharge of an ignition plug 200 provided in a cylinder 150. In a first combustion cycle after the operation of an internal combustion engine 100 is started, the ignition control unit 83 performs a discharge of the ignition plug 200 in a state where fuel in the cylinder 150 is not injected from a fuel injection valve 134 into the cylinder 150.

A control device that controls an internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit configured to, during an operation other than a start-up of the internal combustion engine, cause the fuel injection valve to execute one or a plurality of fuel injections in each cycle such that a target fuel injection amount in one injection becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined minimum injection amount, and when the internal combustion engine is started up, in a case where startability of the internal combustion engine is insufficient, execute an excess split injection control for causing the fuel injection valve to execute more fuel injections than the maximum number of fuel injections per cycle while making the target fuel injection amount in one injection smaller than the minimum injection amount per cycle and maintaining a target total fuel injection amount per cycle.

An internal combustion engine includes a fuel injection valve that injects fuel into a combustion chamber and an ignition plug that ignites an air-fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. A control device of the internal combustion engine includes an electronic control unit configured to, when a cold-starting of the internal combustion engine is started, execute a plurality of fuel injections into each cylinder in one cycle, after the cold-starting of the internal combustion engine is started, retard a timing of an ignition by the ignition plug in each cylinder, and after the timing of the ignition by the ignition plug is retarded, decrease the number of fuel injections into each cylinder in one cycle according to the retardation of the ignition timing by the ignition plug.