A valve control device controls an opening degree of a valve provided in an intake passage, an exhaust passage, or a passage connected one of these and includes an observed value acquisition unit, an inlet temperature acquisition unit, a target calculation unit, an equilibrium opening degree calculation unit, an observer, a correction opening degree calculation unit, an instruction opening degree calculation unit, and an output unit. The target calculation unit calculates an equilibrium state value and a target property value. The correction opening degree calculation unit calculates a correction opening degree by multiplying a gain matrix by a deviation vector including, a deviation between the equilibrium state value and the estimated state value and an integrated value of a deviation between the target property value and the estimated property value.

A controller for an internal combustion engine may comprise a first assignment unit, an observer, a calibration unit, and a second assignment unit. The first assignment unit may determine cylinder-specific measurement signals as a function of the measurement signal from a lambda probe. The observer may include a sensor model of the lambda probe arranged in a feedback branch of the observer. The calibration unit may impress a predefined interference pattern made of cylinder-specific mixture differences and adapt, in reaction to the respectively predefined interference pattern as a function of the observer output variables related to the respective cylinders, an assignment rule between the measurement signal of the lambda probe and a lambda signal. The second assignment unit may carry out, by means of the assignment rule, an assignment between the measurement signal and the lambda signal.

The present disclosure relates to internal combustion engines in general. The teachings may be embodied in methods and devices for operating an internal combustion engine having one or more cylinders which are each assigned gas inlet valves. The method may include: in a first operating state, determining a model temperature of a gas in the intake tract cyclically for a present point in time using a predefined intake pipe model without reference to a present temperature measurement value of the gas; determining a cylinder air mass situated in a respective cylinder after closing the gas exchange valves based at least in part on the model temperature determined for the present point in time; and metering fuel into the respective cylinder based at least in part on the determined cylinder air mass. The model temperature for the present point in time depends at least in part on a model temperature determined for a preceding point in time.

A Dual-fuel combustion engine, possessing: a control device at least one combustion chamber at least one gas supply device for supplying a gaseous fuel to at least one combustion chamber, and at least one injector for injecting liquid fuel into the at least one combustion chamber, and which injector is controllable through a control device by the use of an actuator triggering signal, for which at least one injector possesses an output opening for the liquid fuel, which is closable by means of a needle (6), and for which the control device regulates through the use of the actuator triggering signal, the opening of the needle (6) in the ballistic region of the needle in a pilot operating mode of the combustion engine
to which end, an algorithm is stored in the control device, which receives, as input values, at least the actuator triggering signal (t) and, using an injector model, calculates the mass of liquid fuel introduced via the output opening of the injector, and which compares the mass calculated by means of the injector model with a required target value (m.sub.d.sup.ref) of the mass of liquid fuel, and on the basis of the result of such comparison, either leaves the actuator triggering signal (t) unchanged or corrects it, and a process for the operation of a combustion engine and of an injector.

Methods and systems for controlling combustion performance of an engine during recompression HCCI combustion are provided. The method includes regulating a valve actuation timing and a fuel injection timing to cause a combustion phasing of at least one cylinder of the engine to approach a target combustion phasing, and estimating current combustion state information based on the combustion phasing. The current combustion state information includes at least one of a temperature, a pressure, and a pre-combustion charge composition associated with the at least one cylinder. The method further includes determining a target fuel injection amount, and determining whether the target fuel injection amount would require actuator settings that violate predetermined constraints in order to cause the combustion phasing to approach the target combustion phasing. A fuel injection amount is adjusted when the target fuel injection amount would require actuator settings that violate the predetermined constraints.

An internal combustion engine including a control device, at least one combustion chamber, and at least one injector for injecting liquid fuel into the at least one combustion chamber is provided. The injector can be controlled by the control device by means of an actuator control signal. An algorithm is stored in the control device, which algorithm receives the actuator control signal and using an injector model calculates the amount of liquid fuel that is discharged via the discharge opening of the injector and compares the amount of liquid fuel calculated by means of the injector model with a desired target value of the amount of liquid fuel. Depending on the result of the comparison, the control device leaves the actuator control signal the same or corrects it.

An internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a control device, and at least one injector for liquid fuel. The injector(s) can be controlled by the control device via an actuator control signal. The injector(s) include an injector outlet opening for the liquid fuel which can be closed by a needle. A sensor is also provided for measuring a measurement variable of the injector(s). The sensor is or can be in a signal connection with the control device. An algorithm is stored in the control device, which algorithm calculates a state of the injector(s) based on input variables and an injector model, compares the state calculated via the injector model with a target state, and produces a state signal in accordance therewith. The state signal is characteristic of a change in the state of the injector(s) that occurs during intended use of the injector(s) and/or an unforeseen change in the state of the injector(s). The input variables include at least the actuator control signal and the measurement values of the sensor. A method for operating such an internal combustion engine and an injector is also provided.

An internal combustion engine is provided. The internal combustion engine includes a control device, and at least one injector for liquid fuel that includes a discharge opening for the liquid fuel. The at least one injector is connected to a collection volume by means of a line for liquid fuel. Liquid fuel can flow through the line for liquid fuel from the at least one injector to the collection volume. A control element that can be adjusted by the control device via a control signal is also provided. Via the control element, a back pressure in the line for liquid fuel can be adjusted in order to adjust an amount of liquid fuel discharged through the discharge opening of the at least one injector. Also provided is a method for operating an internal combustion engine and an injector.

A combustion engine with at least one injector for the injection of liquid fuel into at least one combustion chamber is provided. The injector can be regulated by means of a regulating device through an actuator triggering signal, wherein the at least one injector has an outlet opening that can be closed by means of a needle. An algorithm is contained in the regulating device, which receives as an input value at least the actuator trigger signal, and which calculates via an injector model the mass of liquid fuel transferred via the outlet opening of the injector. The regulating device compares by means of the injector model, the calculated mass with a required target value ref of the mass of liquid fuel, to correct the actuator trigger signal.

A control device of a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a drive source, wheels, a driving force transmission shaft provided in a driving force transmission path extending from the drive source to the wheels, and an accelerator position sensor for detecting a depression amount of an accelerator pedal. The control device estimates or detects a torsion angle of a drive source side end portion of the shaft with respect to a wheel side end portion, an instruction to the drive source to generate a first torque corresponding to the depression amount of the pedal when the depression is determined to have started, and instructs the drive source to generate a second torque when a change rate of the torsion angle is determined to have inverted from a positive rate to a negative rate for the first time after the depression is determined to have started.