Methods and systems are provided for periodically activating a vehicle engine such that issues that may occur responsive to engine inactivity, such as rust and the sticking of components of the valve train, may be prevented. In one example, a vehicle engine increment off timer is used to monitor a duration wherein the vehicle engine has not been active, and responsive to expiration of the timer, spinning the engine unfueled in reverse while concurrently activating an onboard pump to direct air and fuel vapor to be stored in a fuel vapor canister. In this way, periodic engine lubrication operations may be conducted that do not require the use of fueled engine operation, thereby improving fuel economy and reducing undesired evaporative emissions.

A split ring planetary drive of an electric phaser includes at least one planet gear adjuster and at least one load generator. The load generator biases the planet gear adjuster, such that at a low rotational speed, the planet gear adjuster applies a force on the planet gear to take up the backlash between the planet gear and the ring gears. As the rotational speed increases, the inertia of a mass of the planet gear adjuster generates an increasing force opposing the force of the load generator, causing the planet gear adjuster to move at least one planet gear to a position where the at least one planet gear no longer takes up the backlash. In some embodiments, the planet gear adjuster includes an eccentric pin and an extension arm. In other embodiments, the planet gear adjuster includes a pivot support for a pair of inner and outer planet gears.

Methods are provided for improved control of valve activation/deactivation mechanisms. One example method comprises, adjusting an electromechanical actuator to actuate cylinder valve deactivation/activation mechanisms. The actuator is operated at multiple levels based on engine operating conditions.

An electromagnetic-valve controller includes a control switch, a control portion regulating a supply current supplied to the electromagnetic valve by controlling a drive of the control switch and controlling to open or close the electromagnetic valve, and a current detection portion detecting the supply current. The control portion controls the drive of the control switch based on a detection result of the current detection portion. The control portion controls the drive of the control switch by using a first pulse signal having a duty ratio that is variable, in a closed period. The control portion controls the drive of the control switch by using a second pulse signal maintaining the supply current to be constant so as to maintain the electromagnetic valve to be in the fully closed state, in a closed-state maintaining period.

A variety of methods and devices for controlling the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine during skip fire operation are described. In various embodiments, an exhaust valve monitor or other suitable mechanism is used to detect exhaust valve actuation faults. When an exhaust valve actuation fault is detected for a particular cylinder, the corresponding intake valve is deactivated (or not activated) in circumstances when it would otherwise be activated in order to prevent the intake valve from opening into a cylinder that contains high pressure combustion gases. The described approach is particularly beneficial when skip fire operation is combined with cylinder deactivation so that air is not pumped through the cylinders during the skipped working cycles.

A system (42) including a phaser (28), a motor (38), and a controller (40) for controlling the phase between a camshaft (18) and a crankshaft (16) of an engine (10). The phaser (28) is attached to the camshaft (18), is in communication with the crankshaft (16), and is configured to adjust the phase of the camshaft (18). The motor (38) actuates the phaser (28) and is operatively attached to and in communication with the phaser (28) such that rotation of the crankshaft (16) back-drives the motor (38) to subsequently generate a signal. The controller (40) is in electrical communication with the motor (38), is responsive to the signal, and uses the signal to determine the rotational speed of the motor (38) to thereby commutate the motor (38) and subsequently drive the motor (38) so as to actuate the phaser (28) and control the phase of the camshaft (18).

Methods and systems are provided for coordinating cylinder deactivation adjustments with changes to individual cylinder piston displacement. In doing do, the benefits of variable displacement and variable compression ratio may be synergized. An engine can be operated with some cylinders deactivated while active cylinders operate with knock addressed while spark timing is at MBT for a longer duration.

A valve-timing control apparatus includes an electric motor; a speed-reduction mechanism configured to reduce a rotational speed of the output shaft of the electric motor; a slip ring provided on a surface of a tip portion of the electric motor; a cover member provided to cover at least a part of the surface of the tip portion of the electric motor; a power-feeding brush disposed in the cover member and being in contact with the slip ring; and an angle sensing mechanism configured to sense a rotational angle of the output shaft of the electric motor. The angle sensing mechanism includes a detected portion attached to the output shaft of the electric motor, and a detecting portion attached to the cover member and opposed to the detected portion. The power-feeding brush is located so as not to overlap with the detected portion in a vertically-upper direction from the detected portion.

An electromagnetic actuator is provided in which a mobile member is designed to slide inside a ferromagnetic frame along a displacement axis X-X between two end positions, when exposed to a magnetic flux circulating in said frame. The frame forms a magnetic circuit that extends in a single loop interrupted by two air gaps, each placed on the displacement axis of the mobile member. At the air gaps the flux generates two transverse magnetic fields in opposite directions. The mobile member includes a permanent magnet, polarized in a pre-determined direction and having an axial dimension such that in each end position, one end of the magnet extends into one of the air gaps and the opposite end of the magnet extends into the other air gap.

An apparatus and method of controlling an electronic continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) is provided. The apparatus includes a sensor disposed in a motor facing a reducer and an intelligent motor controller. The sensor determines a rotation speed of a first and second projection of a first and second rotation member and generates a sensing signal that corresponds to an output waveform of each rotation speed and inputs the signal to an intelligent motor controller coupled to the motor. The intelligent motor controller receives the signal and separates a crank shaft and cam shaft position signal. The signals are compared to detect an actual phase angle of the suction or exhaust valve. A phase deviation between the detected, actual and predetermined target phase angle is calculated.