Provided is a vehicle control device with which improved fuel economy and lowered exhaust gas emissions can be effectively achieved without adversely affecting the driver when traveling while following a leading vehicle. The present invention has: a following-determination means that, during travel while following a leading vehicle, determines, on the basis of the speed of the host vehicle, the speed of the leading vehicle, and the distance from the leading vehicle, whether the host vehicle will be able to follow the leading vehicle by coasting; and an idle stop determination means that, when the following-determination means has determined that the host vehicle will be able to follow the leading vehicle by coasting, and the driving/travel state of the host vehicle satisfies other traveling idle stop criteria, determines that a traveling idle stop should be performed; and is provided with a determination criteria updating means for updating the determination criteria for the idle stop determination means in regard to criteria such as the leading vehicle characteristics, road surface conditions, and weather. In the event that it has been determined, from the determination conditions that have been updated in regard to the leading vehicle characteristics, etc., that following by coasting is possible, a control to shut off the on-board engine is performed.

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.

There is provided a control device for an internal combustion engine including a variable-capacity turbocharger, which has a turbine with a variable nozzle and an actuator that controls the variable nozzle opening degree, and a throttle disposed in an intake passage. The control device includes an electronic control unit (ECU). The ECU include a first control mode as a control mode for the intake air amount. When an air amount range on the high flow rate side including a maximum value of a required air amount for the internal combustion engine is defined as a high air amount range, the ECU controls the actuator and the throttle so as to increase the throttle opening degree while maintaining the variable nozzle at a fully-closed opening degree as the required air amount is increased in the high air amount range on the side of the maximum value in the first control mode.

In a control device for an internal combustion engine in which internal EGR and external EGR are conducted, an ideal in-cylinder gas amount and an ideal in-cylinder gas temperature in an ideal state in which neither of EGR gas recirculates into a cylinder are calculated (steps 1 and 2). A mixed gas amount of intake air and the external EGR gas present on a downstream side of a throttle valve is calculated, based on a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and intake air pressure (step 21) to detect a mixed gas temperature. An actual in-cylinder gas temperature and amount and an EGR ratio are calculated, based on the ideal in-cylinder gas amount, the ideal in-cylinder gas temperature, the mixed gas amount, and the mixed gas temperature (steps 24, 4, and 5), and an internal combustion engine is controlled based on the EGR ratio.

A controller for a dedicated exhaust gas recirculation (D-EGR) engine is disclosed. The controller may receive a plurality of cylinder pressure signals, each of which is associated with a respective cylinder in a plurality of cylinders of the D-EGR engine. The plurality of cylinders includes at least one donor cylinder and a set of non-donor cylinders. The controller may receive a crankshaft angle signal associated with a crankshaft of the D-EGR engine. The controller may selectively adjust ignition timing of a cylinder, of the plurality of cylinders, based on the crankshaft angle signal and a cylinder pressure signal, of the plurality of cylinder pressure signals, associated with the cylinder; or a fuel rate of the at least one donor cylinder based on the crankshaft angle signal and a set of cylinder pressure signals, of the plurality of cylinder pressure signals, associated with the set of non-donor cylinders.

A method and system for controlling operation of a two-stroke engine having a turbocharger includes the two-stroke engine comprising an electronically controlled exhaust valve. A throttle position sensor generates a throttle position signal corresponding to a position of a throttle plate of a throttle. A boost box is coupled to the two-stroke engine. A boost box pressure sensor is coupled to the boost box and generates a boost box pressure signal corresponding to a pressure within the boost box. A controller is coupled to the boost box pressure signal controlling a position of the electronically controlled exhaust valve in response to the boost box pressure signal and the throttle position signal.

A control unit performs a vehicle attitude control to reduce a torque generated by an engine when an increase in a steering angle exceeds a standard increase, and a spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion in a predetermined operating range. In the spark ignition controlled compression ignition combustion, switching of an air-fuel ratio mode is performed between a first air-fuel ratio mode (λ>1) is formed and a second air-fuel ratio mode (in which a mixed gas of λ≤1) is formed. If the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested without the vehicle attitude control, the control unit allows performing the requested switching of the air-fuel ratio mode. In contrast, if the mode switching is requested in a state where the vehicle attitude control is requested, the control unit disallows switching of the air-fuel ratio mode even when the switching of the air-fuel ratio mode is requested.

An engine system is provided, which includes a main combustion chamber, a subchamber, an injector that injects fuel into the main combustion chamber, a main spark plug that ignites a mixture gas inside the main combustion chamber, a subspark plug that ignites the mixture gas inside the subchamber, an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) device and a control device. In a specific range where EGR is performed, the ignition devices are controlled so that a subignition timing is retarded from a main ignition timing, and an ignition phase difference that is a retard amount of the subignition timing from the main ignition timing becomes larger under a high EGR condition than a low EGR condition, the EGR conditions being conditions in the specific range where engine speeds are the same and EGR rates are different, and the high EGR condition being larger in the EGR rate than the low EGR condition.

Methods and systems are provided for increasing engine power while reducing vehicle emissions and engine system degradation. In one example, a method may include, responsive to an engine load reaching a threshold load, increasing engine torque by increasing an amount of boost without providing exhaust gas recirculation (EGR), and, responsive to the engine torque reaching a first threshold torque, increasing the engine torque by increasing an EGR rate over a plurality of engine cycles while further increasing the amount of boost. In this way, cooling effects from the EGR enable engine air flow, and thus engine power, to be increased while engine vibrations and heat-related exhaust component degradation are decreased.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a cylinder with a series gap igniter coupled to an ion sensing module. In one example, a method may include determining a location of an initial combustion in a cylinder from a series gap igniter based on a pressure rise rate in the cylinder, the ignition spark initiating combustion in the cylinder; and adjusting at least one setting of the cylinder based on the determined location. In this way, combustion stability and efficiency may be increased without increasing a cost and complexity of the engine.