The disclosure is directed to an ignition circuit for a combustion engine. The combustion engine has a piston movable between a top dead center and a bottom dead center and, via a connecting rod, drives a crankshaft. Combustion air is apportioned via an intake channel. A control circuit provides an ignition time for the idling situation and an ignition time for the acceleration situation. To adjust an early switch to an ignition time for the acceleration situation, provision is made to monitor the rotational speed of the crankshaft over a crankshaft angle range and to detect the value of a drop in rotational speed. The value of the detected drop in rotational speed is compared to a predetermined value of a drop in rotational speed and, when the predetermined value of the drop in rotational speed is exceeded, a switch is made to the ignition time for the acceleration situation.

An ignition system has an ignition plug and an ignition control unit that controls the ignition plug. When an engine is in a predetermined operating state, the ignition control unit performs ignition control after top dead center to perform ignition after the compression top dead center. The ignition system has an airflow support structure that facilitates the flow of airflow through a discharge gap at least after the compression top dead center. The ignition system is configured such that due to the airflow support structure and the timing of the ignition, airflow at a flow rate of 5 m/s or more flows through the discharge gap during a spark period after top dead center, which is the generation period of the discharge spark in the ignition control after top dead center.

Systems and methods for operating an internal combustion engine that is coupled to a power split transmission are described. In one example, the internal combustion engine is operated in a speed control mode or a torque control mode in response to a braking torque and a transmission shift command. Operating the engine in the torque control mode may allow the engine to charge a battery while a neutral transmission state is selected.

Operating an internal combustion engine (110) having at least two combustion chambers (1-6) and at least one exhaust-gas catalytic converter (130). In one example, a beginning of the load operation phase of the internal combustion engine (110) that adjoins a coasting phase is detected. A combustion chamber of the at least two combustion chambers (1-6) is determined as the first combustion chamber; and one of other the combustion chambers is selected as the purging combustion chamber. An exhaust gas of the purging combustion chamber is directed into the same exhaust-gas catalytic converter (130) as an exhaust gas of the first combustion chamber. A first fuel quantity is fed into the purging combustion chamber such that the first fuel quantity, prior to igniting the fuel in the purging combustion chamber, is discharged to be partially or fully non-combusted in the direction of the exhaust-gas catalytic convertor (130).

A method in a combustion engine 100 for determining a desired fuel setting λ+. The method comprises configuring a fuel setting λ, determining a combustion engine parameter β in dependence of the configured fuel setting λ, wherein the combustion engine parameter is related to the fuel setting by a convex function relationship, and updating the fuel setting λ towards the desired fuel setting λ+, based on the determined combustion engine parameter β and on the convex function relationship between the fuel setting λ and the combustion engine parameter β.

In at least some implementations, a method of maintaining an engine speed below a first threshold, includes: (a) determining an engine speed; (b) comparing the engine speed to a second threshold that is less than the first threshold; (c) allowing an engine ignition event to occur during a subsequent engine cycle if the engine speed is less than the second threshold; and (d) skipping at least one subsequent engine ignition event if the engine speed is greater than the second threshold. In at least some implementations, the second threshold is less than the first threshold by a maximum acceleration of the engine after one ignition event so that an ignition event when the engine speed is less than the second threshold does not cause the engine speed to increase above the first threshold.

A method in a combustion engine 100 for determining a desired fuel setting λ+. The method comprises configuring a fuel setting λ, determining a combustion engine parameter β in dependence of the configured fuel setting λ, wherein the combustion engine parameter is related to the fuel setting by a convex function relationship, and updating the fuel setting λ towards the desired fuel setting λ+, based on the determined combustion engine parameter β and on the convex function relationship between the fuel setting λ and the combustion engine parameter β.

Methods and systems are provided for an exhaust catalyst heating strategy that uses spark retard to increase an amount of heat output by an engine without a combustion stability limit. In one example, a method may include, during an engine cold start, applying an ignition spark at a timing that produces substantially zero combustion torque while maintaining an engine speed greater than a threshold speed via electric motor torque. Furthermore, an amount of heat output by the engine may be controlled by adjusting an airflow through the engine, such as by adjusting one or more of a throttle position and the engine speed.

When atmospheric pressure (Pa) which varies according to altitude is higher than a predetermined pressure threshold (Path) during idle operation in which catalyst warm-up request is issued, an intake pressure is controlled, through a throttle valve (19), to an intake pressure at which an intake air amount required to promote the warm-up of a catalyst converter (26) is obtained. When the atmospheric pressure (Pa) is lower than the predetermined pressure threshold (Path), the intake pressure is controlled, through a throttle valve (19), to an intake pressure (PaPb) at which a differential pressure (Pb) required by a brake booster (8) is obtained. Accordingly, negative pressure in the brake booster (8) can be secured while promoting the warm-up of the catalyst during the idle operation.

When an acceptance unit accepts an advance notice, a control unit, controls inflow amount of the air, an air fuel ratio derived from an injection amount of a fuel, and an advance of an ignition timing of an ignition device to temporarily increase a power that can be supplied by a generator. The control unit is determines whether a margin of an opening of a throttle is not less than a predetermined threshold. If the margin of the opening of the throttle is less than the predetermined threshold, the control unit inhibits a temporarily increase of the power. If the margin of the opening of the throttle is not less than the predetermined threshold, the control unit permits the temporarily increase of the power.