A method for estimating the aging of a battery of a motor vehicle with a combustion engine, the vehicle including an electric starter, a temperature sensor for the temperature of the coolant, a speed sensor for the speed of the combustion engine and a computer for managing the drive system of the vehicle. The method includes, each time the combustion engine is started, the steps of the computer determining the value of the speed of the combustion engine and the value of the temperature, if the determined value of the speed is higher than a speed threshold, incrementing a first counter, if the determined value of the speed is lower than the speed threshold, incrementing a second counter, detecting the aging of the battery when the value of the second counter is higher than a predetermined alert threshold.

Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to a test bench and methods for carrying out a test run on a test bench. In one example embodiment, a test run method includes: connecting a test object to a load machine, specifying a target torque for a torque controller by a test bench automation unit according to the test run, adjusting an actual torque of the load machine by the torque controller, specifying a test object control variable for the test object by a test object controller, determining an actual rotational speed of the load machine, determining at least one deviation of at least one attribute of the actual rotational speed from at least one threshold value, and based on the at least one deviation, and determining at least one additive torque correction value and superimposing the at least one additive torque correction value on the target torque.

A method for operating an internal combustion engine with a motor, having a moving machine part and at least one machine element which retains the moving machine part and is subject to wear, such as, for example, a supporting, sealing, guiding or the like retaining machine element that is subject to wear during operation relative to the moving machine part, which machine element, because of the wear, is service-life-limiting for the operation of the internal combustion engine, wherein—for the operation of the internal combustion engine, a service-life-limiting time interval until the next maintenance of the internal combustion engine is specified, and—the internal combustion engine has a number of service-life-limiting machine elements, wherein for the at least one service-life-limiting machine element a remaining service life is forecast and the service-life-limiting time interval is determined therefrom.

In this control apparatus design method, a feedback control system comprises a generalization plant including a nominal plant N representing the input/output characteristic of an object to be controlled and a fluctuation unit Δ for making at least one model parameter included in the nominal plant N fluctuate, and a controller for applying input to the generalization plant P on the basis of output from the generalization plant P. The controller is designed so as to satisfy a prescribed design condition. The nominal plant N comprises a nominal value multiplication unit for multiplying an input signal η by a nominal value for the model parameter and an addition unit for adding a fluctuation output signal ξ from the fluctuation unit Δ and an output signal from the nominal value multiplication unit. Further, the fluctuation unit Δ generates the fluctuation output signal ξ using a mapping Δp obtained from a Cayley transform of unbounded complex fluctuation Δg.

A specific sound having a higher frequency than an operation sound of an engine is generated in synchronization with timing of a top dead center of a specific cylinder of the engine. Thus, timing of a noise of the engine is estimated by using, for example, a deviation in time between timing of generation of a specific sound and timing at which a noise occurs in the engine, based on a sound collected from around the engine without directly using a signal of a crank angle of the engine.

Methods and systems are provided for diagnostics of a cylinder valve actuation mechanism in a variable displacement engine (VDE). In one example, during an engine-off condition, the engine may be rotated unfueled, via a starter motor, and a reference exhaust air flow may be estimated. One or more deactivatable engine cylinders may then be deactivated and degradation of the cylinder valve actuation mechanism may be indicated based on a difference between the exhaust air flow following the cylinder deactivation and the reference exhaust air flow.

An engine including an exhaust bypass valve and an intake bypass valve. The exhaust bypass valve is disposed in an exhaust bypass channel connecting an outlet of an exhaust manifold and an exhaust outlet of a turbocharger to each other. The intake bypass valve is disposed in an intake bypass channel connecting an inlet of an intake manifold and an inlet of the turbocharger. An intake pressure sensor detects a pressure of the intake manifold. If an instruction value indicating an upper limit or a lower limit of the valve opening degree of the intake bypass valve is continuously output for a predetermined time or more, an engine control device determines that an abnormality occurs in at least one of the exhaust bypass valve and the intake bypass valve.

A filtration monitoring system is an electronic system control module installed on an internal combustion engine or within a vehicle powered by the internal combustion engine. The filtration monitoring system monitors the health and status of the filtration systems present on the engine. The filtration monitoring system tracks filter loading patterns and predicts remaining service life of the filters by running smart algorithms based on sensor feedback (e.g., pressure sensor feedback, fluid quality characteristic sensor feedback, etc.). In some arrangements, the described filtration monitoring systems provide feedback as to whether a genuine (i.e., authorized, OEM approved, etc.) or unauthorized filter cartridge is installed in a given filtration system. The filtration monitoring system may be retrofit into an existing internal combustion engine or vehicle that does not already have a filtration monitoring system.

A method for detecting glow plug replacement or an aging glow plug. The glow plugs are heated and monitored. When a threshold value is reached for a first glow plug, a first value of a temperature-dependent variable is measured for all other glow plugs and is stored as reference values associated with the first glow plug. This process is repeated until reference values associated with each glow plug have been determined and stored for each glow plug. The process is repeated to determine a set of comparative values. The comparative values are compared with the reference values. A deviation of a comparative from a reference value of less than a specified tolerance value is considered an agreement. The inventive process concludes which of the glow plugs of the engine are unaltered and which have a resistance-temperature characteristic that has been altered to an extent indicating replacement, aging or a defect.

Provided are a residual stress estimation method and a residual stress estimation device capable of estimating residual stress suitable for a structure in which inherent strain occupied mainly by plastic strain occurs. A constraint condition is introduced to a distribution function used in the residual stress estimation method based on an inherent strain method, the constraint condition being that a plastic-worked structure does not undergo volume change before and after working. Residual stress or elastic strain is measured from a T piece collected from the structure, and a parameter of the distribution function is optimized so as to approximate the inherent strain at each measurement point obtained from the measured value of the residual stress or elastic strain. An estimated value of the residual stress in the structure is calculated using the obtained parameter.