An optimized port plus direct injection (PFI+DI) fueling system for reducing DI-generated particulates from a spark ignition gasoline engine is disclosed. It uses information from a computational model that includes piston wetting. Means for DI particulate reduction include control of DI timing and duration as a function of various parameters. Illustrative computational results for decreasing particulates in various drive cycles are presented. These calculations illustrate large potential particulate reductions (e.g. 95%) that can be obtained relative to DI operation alone. The optimized PFI+DI system could provide DI generated particulate reduction, efficiency and cost advantages relative to operation of a DI alone engine with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF). Alternatively, it could be used in combination with a GPF to ease GPF operation requirements and provide additional particulate reduction. Techniques for reducing piston wetting generation of particles from use of DI alone are also described.

Methods and systems are provided for using an engine laser ignition system to take images, in real-time, of a cylinder during combustion and estimate cylinder soot generation. If excess soot generation is determined, cylinder fueling is adjusted by varying an injection pressure, amount, and ratio. An air-fuel ratio of the cylinder is also adjusted in view of exhaust temperature constraints to reduce soot generation.

An optimized port plus direct injection (PFI+DI) fueling system for reducing DI-generated particulates from a spark ignition gasoline engine is disclosed. It uses information from a computational model that includes piston wetting. Means for DI particulate reduction include control of DI timing and duration as a function of various parameters. Illustrative computational results for decreasing particulates in various drive cycles are presented. These calculations illustrate large potential particulate reductions (e.g. 95%) that can be obtained relative to DI operation alone. The optimized PFI+DI system could provide DI generated particulate reduction, efficiency and cost advantages relative to operation of a DI alone engine with a gasoline particulate filter (GPF). Alternatively, it could be used in combination with a GPF to ease GPF operation requirements and provide additional particulate reduction. Techniques for reducing piston wetting generation of particles from use of DI alone are also described.

Particulate accumulation in a particulate filter in the exhaust line of an engine is calculated by an electronic engine control unit. When the estimated accumulated particulate mass exceeds a predetermined threshold, an automatic regeneration step of the filter is activated. An actual instantaneous burned particulate mass is calculated as a function of values indicative of the state of the filter. A temporary correction factor representing an error between a theoretical value and the actual value is calculated. The temporary correction factor is stored in a second map of correction factors, based on the engine operating conditions. During an accumulation step, the estimated instantaneous particulate mass, calculated according to the first map based on the operating conditions of the engine, is multiplied by a correction factor calculated according to the second map based on the operating conditions of the engine.

A method of controlling exhaust gas recirculation in the internal combustion engine includes: sensing one or more sensing signals indicative of operating conditions of an internal combustion engine, producing, as a function of the sensing signal or signals sensed, an exhaust gas recirculation control signal for controlling exhaust gas recirculation in the internal combustion engine, producing, e.g., via a virtual sensor including a neural network, a particulate size distribution signal indicative of the particulate size distribution in the exhaust of the internal combustion engine, correcting the exhaust gas recirculation control signal as a function of the particulate size distribution control signal, thereby producing a corrected exhaust gas recirculation control signal, and controlling exhaust gas recirculation in the internal combustion engine as a function of the corrected exhaust gas recirculation control signal.

A smoke amount estimation device includes a component amount acquisition unit and an estimation unit. The component amount acquisition unit acquires the amount of aromatic components contained in a fuel to be used for the combustion of an internal combustion engine, and acquires the amount of aromatic variable components that are components that decompose and polymerize before combustion to form aromatic components among components contained in the fuel. The estimation unit estimates the amount of smoke contained in the exhaust gas discharged from the internal combustion engine based on the amount of aromatic components and the amount of aromatic variable components acquired by the component amount acquisition unit.

A control apparatus for an engine includes a rotation detector, a fuel injection device, and an output controller. The output controller calculates an emission amount of the pollutant and calculates an accumulated emission amount of a pollutant for a period of time. The output controller calculates a maximum allowable emission amount of the pollutant for a period of time. The output controller calculates a difference between the accumulated emission amount of pollutant and the maximum allowable emission amount of the pollutant. The output controller calculates a first output index by dividing the difference by the period of time. The output controller sets the allowable range for the output of the engine so that the emission amount of pollutant becomes equal to or less than the first output index.

A deposit estimation device includes an acquisition unit, a soot calculation unit, an adhesion index calculation unit, and a deposit amount estimation unit. The acquisition unit acquires the mixing ratio of each of a plurality of types of molecular structures contained in a fuel to be used for combustion of a combustion system. The soot calculation unit calculates a soot generation index, representing how likely a soot component is to be generated due to combustion, based on the mixing ratio acquired by the acquisition unit. The adhesion index calculation unit calculates an adhesion index, representing how likely a soluble organic component generated due to combustion is to adhere, based on a value detected by a sensor for detecting the property of a fuel or the mixing ratio acquired by the acquisition unit. The deposit amount estimation unit estimates a deposit amount of a soluble organic component that has adhered to a predetermined portion of the combustion system, based on the soot generation index calculated by the soot calculation unit and the adhesion index calculated by the adhesion index calculation unit.

A method and system for determining remaining useful life of an in-use injector of a reciprocating engine is disclosed. The method includes determining nozzle wear relationship data for different duty cycles of the in-use injector, and using the nozzle wear relationship data together with operating parameters for the reciprocating engine, and emission relationship data to determine actual emission levels for the in-use injector based on the wear relationship data and the emission relationship data. The method and system further include determining remaining useful life of the in-use injector based on actual emission levels and the nozzle wear relationship data; and controlling an operation of the reciprocating engine based on the actual emission levels.

An internal-combustion engine control device and a filter regeneration method according to the present invention are used for an internal-combustion engine fueled by gasoline and including a filter that traps particulate matter in exhaust gas. When regeneration of the filter is required, fuel cut control for temporarily stopping supply of fuel to the internal-combustion engine is performed to burn off the particulate matter trapped in the filter, and the fuel cut control is repeated while performing exhaust temperature control for increasing the temperature of the exhaust gas of the internal-combustion engine. This makes it possible to prevent particulate matter (PM) from remaining unburned in a filter regeneration process.