When stopping combustion in a cylinder under a situation in which the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine having an ignition device is rotating, a controller executes a fuel introduction process of injecting fuel from a fuel injection valve and introducing the fuel from inside the cylinder to the exhaust passage without burning the fuel. Also, the controller executes a storing process before starting the fuel introduction process. In the storing process, the controller stores oxygen in a three-way catalyst by executing a fuel cutoff process of stopping fuel injection of the fuel injection valve under a situation in which the crankshaft is rotating.

An apparatus for controlling an environment-friendly vehicle, a system having the same, and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes a processor to perform a control operation to expand an operable area based on a motor efficiency gain and a state of charge (SOC) of a battery in an Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) operation or a lean burn operation, and a storage to store the motor efficiency gain and the SOC of the battery, which are acquired by the processor.

A blow-by gas treating device discharges blow-by gas into intake air. A controller selects and executes one of a fuel cutoff process and a fuel introduction process when stopping combustion in a cylinder under a situation in which a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine is rotating. An injection valve controlling section controls a fuel injection valve to regulate a fuel injection amount in a period in which the combustion in the cylinder is stopped under the situation in which the crankshaft is rotating. The injection valve controlling section decreases the fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve as an oil temperature that is the temperature of engine oil increases.

A vehicle includes an internal combustion engine including an exhaust passage, a catalyst provided in the exhaust passage, and an electronic control unit. When the engine stop condition is established, the electronic control unit stops fuel injection and increases a catalyst inflow oxygen amount that is an amount of oxygen flowing into the catalyst by a specified oxygen increase amount. The engine stop condition is a condition for stopping operation of the internal combustion engine. The specified oxygen increase amount is larger than an increased part of the catalyst inflow oxygen amount that is increased by the stop of the fuel injection.

Methods and systems are provided for on-board diagnostics of an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system of an engine coupled to a hybrid vehicle. In one example, a method may include, upon receiving an engine shut-down request, prior to engine spin-down, rotating the engine at an idling speed via an electric motor and carrying out diagnostics of the EGR system. EGR diagnostics may include estimating a ratio of accumulated difference between a measured EGR flow and an EGR limit to accumulated intake air flow, over a duration of time, and indicating EGR system degradation in response to the ratio being higher than a threshold.

Methods and systems are presented for regenerating a particulate filter. In one example, vehicle speed control mode parameters may be adjusted in response to an amount of soot stored in a particulate filter being greater than a first threshold. The vehicle speed control parameters may be returned to base values in response to the amount of soot stored in the particulate filter being less than a second threshold.

When stopping combustion in a cylinder under a situation in which the crankshaft of an internal combustion engine having an ignition device is rotating, a controller executes a fuel introduction process of injecting fuel from a fuel injection valve and introducing the fuel from inside the cylinder to the exhaust passage without burning the fuel. Also, the controller executes a storing process before starting the fuel introduction process. In the storing process, the controller stores oxygen in a three-way catalyst by executing a fuel cutoff process of stopping fuel injection of the fuel injection valve under a situation in which the crankshaft is rotating.

A blow-by gas treating device discharges blow-by gas into intake air. A controller selects and executes one of a fuel cutoff process and a fuel introduction process when stopping combustion in a cylinder under a situation in which a crankshaft of the internal combustion engine is rotating. An injection valve controlling section controls a fuel injection valve to regulate a fuel injection amount in a period in which the combustion in the cylinder is stopped under the situation in which the crankshaft is rotating. The injection valve controlling section decreases the fuel injection amount from the fuel injection valve as an oil temperature that is the temperature of engine oil increases.

An engine management apparatus for a vehicle having a fuel ratio controller arranged to control the air to fuel ratio of a fuel mixture for the vehicle's engine, a power demand sensor arranged to sense power demands made of the engine, and an engine controller configured to increase the air to fuel ratio from a first selected value to a second selected value in the event that the rate of vehicle speed change is less than a first threshold and the demand is less than a second threshold.

A controller is configured to control a vehicle that includes an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission. The controller is configured to execute a shifting process that switches a gear ratio of the automatic transmission and a lean operation process that operates the internal combustion engine with an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture in a cylinder leaner than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. The controller is further configured to, when executing the shifting process during execution of the lean operation process, set an air-fuel ratio in a case in which the shifting process is being executed to a value closer to the stoichiometric air-fuel ratio than an air-fuel ratio in a case in which the shifting process is not being executed.