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.

An internal combustion engine is configured to operate in a homogeneous-charge compression-ignition combustion mode. Operation of the engine includes determining a combustion pressure parameter for each cylinder. Fueling for each cylinder is controlled responsive to a target state for the combustion pressure parameter for the corresponding cylinder. An end-of-injection timing and a corresponding spark ignition timing for each cylinder are controlled responsive to a target mass-burn-fraction point for an engine operating point.

The present invention relates to a control apparatus and method for an internal combustion engine including two fuel injection valves in the intake port of each cylinder. In the present invention, fuel injection from a first fuel injection valve is activated while fuel injection from a second fuel injection valve is temporarily stopped at the resumption of fuel injection from the deceleration fuel cut-off state in response to a decrease in the engine rotation speed. The amount of minimum fuel injection to each cylinder that ensures the accuracy of fuel measurement can be reduced, and fuel is injected from the first fuel injection valve in an amount equal to or greater than the amount of minimum fuel injection. Thus, fuel injection can be resumed at a lower engine speed than when fuel injection is resumed from the two fuel injection valves.

Methods and systems are described for monitoring air/fuel imbalance in cylinders of an engine. Engine speed signals are sampled and then run through a notch filter set to the sampling frequency. Based on a first frequency content of the resulting filtered engine speed, cylinder imbalance is detected and addressed.

Systems and methods are for controlling internal combustion engines having a plurality of piston-cylinders that cause rotation of a crankshaft. A crankshaft sensor is configured to sense rotational speed of the crankshaft. A controller is configured to calculate an an engine speed increase for each piston-cylinder based upon the rotational speed of the crankshaft and then balance the engine speed increases of the respective piston-cylinders by modifying a combustion input to one or more of the piston-cylinders in order to reduce engine vibration.

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, a combustion engine controller, and a combustion engine incorporating the controller to implement the method are provided. The method includes determining a first dedicated exhaust gas recirculation (D-EGR) cylinder parameter value of a first D-EGR cylinder parameter associated with a first D-EGR cylinder of the combustion engine; and regenerating the first D-EGR cylinder responsive to the first D-EGR cylinder parameter value satisfying a threshold indicative of a carbon build-up level.

A system according to the principles of the present disclosure includes a cylinder activation module and a spark timing module. The cylinder activation module selectively deactivates and reactivates a cylinder of an engine based on a driver torque request. When the cylinder is deactivated, the spark timing module selectively increases an amount by which spark timing of at least one active cylinder of the engine is retarded based on noise and vibration generated by the engine when the cylinder is deactivated.

A method for controlling an internal combustion engine. Target ignition times for the individual cylinders are given by an engine control device through trigger signals transmitted to the ignition control device. After receiving a trigger signal, the ignition control device activates the ignition device associated with this trigger signal to effect ignition in the respective cylinder. The ignition control device stores a firing order in which an ignition is to be cyclically effected in the individual cylinders, and it is checked whether trigger signals for all cylinders are received in the stored firing order, and if not, a substitutional ignition time is calculated for the at least one cylinder for which no trigger signal has been received, from at least two trigger signals for the cylinders or one of the remaining cylinders, and the respective ignition device or ignition devices are activated according to the calculated substitutional ignition time.

A system, method, and engine control module for energy ignition management of a combustion engine. The method may be performed by the system or the engine control module. The method includes determining operating conditions of the combustion engine, setting ignition energy characteristics for a dedicated EGR cylinder and a non-dedicated EGR cylinder based on the operating conditions. The ignition energy characteristics include at least one of magnitude of energy, current, voltage, and ignition energy duration. At least one characteristic of the ignition energy characteristics for the non-dedicated EGR cylinder is different than a corresponding characteristic for the dedicated EGR cylinder. The method also includes energizing ignition aid plugs based on the ignition energy characteristics.