A valve opening and closing timing control device includes a driving-side rotating body, a driven-side rotating body, a stopper configured to determine a mechanical limit of a displacement region of a relative rotation phase, a phase control mechanism configured to change the relative rotation phase, and a control unit configured to control the electric motor so as to displace the actual phase detected by a phase sensor. A limit phase at which the stopper reaches an abutting state is set in advance when rotation of the electric motor is stopped while the internal combustion engine operates. Upon executing stop control of stopping the internal combustion engine, except when the actual phase is already the limit phase, the control unit executes braking control of limiting the rotation of the electric motor by controlling an electric current to be supplied to the electric motor.

In a vehicle control device with an automatic engine stop function, when the engine is in a non-operating state and the shift lever is operated to the parking range, the engine is controlled to start to supply operating oil to a valve timing changing means. The valve timing changing means is thereupon caused to change the intake valve close timing (IVC) to a predetermined advance angle position and subsequently locked thereat. The engine is then controlled to stop.

Methods and systems are described for an engine with a cam torque actuated variable cam timing phaser. Phaser positioning control is improved by reducing inaccuracies resulting from inadvertent spool valve and/or phaser movement when the spool valve is commanded between regions. In addition, improved spool valve mapping is used to render phaser commands more consistent and robust.

Start-up of an internal combustion engine comprises maintaining one or more engine valves in an engine cylinder in a continuously open state for more than one engine cycle during engine cranking. When it is determined that an engine parameter or transmission oil pressure has reached a predetermined value, maintenance of the one or more engine valves in the continuously open state is discontinued and fuel is subsequently provided to the engine cylinder for engine start-up. In various embodiments, the engine parameter may comprise an engine temperature parameter, an engine pressure parameter or an engine electrical parameter.

A valve opening and closing timing control device includes: a driving-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine around a rotating shaft core; a driven-side rotating body that rotates integrally with a valve opening and closing camshaft of the internal combustion engine around the same shaft core as the rotating shaft core; a gear mechanism that sets a relative rotation phase between the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body by displacement of a meshing position; a motor that enables displacement of the meshing position of the gear mechanism by rotating a rotating shaft; and a control unit that controls the drive of the motor. The control unit intermittently performs control to energize the motor for one phase for a predetermined time after the internal combustion engine is stopped.

Various embodiments include a method for actuating a camshaft adjuster of an internal combustion engine, in which a current is generated in an electric motor of the camshaft adjuster comprising: measuring an instantaneous strength of the current; calculating a mean value of the measured strength of the current over a predefined elapsed time; measuring a temperature of the camshaft adjuster; comparing the mean value of the measured strength of the current to a threshold value obtained from a characteristic diagram stored in a memory based on the measured temperature and the predefined elapsed time; and reducing the current if the calculated mean value of the strength of the current is higher than the threshold value.

A valve opening and closing timing control device includes a driving-side rotating body, a driven-side rotating body, a stopper configured to determine a mechanical limit of a displacement region of a relative rotation phase, a phase control mechanism configured to change the relative rotation phase, and a control unit configured to control the electric motor so as to displace the actual phase detected by a phase sensor. A limit phase at which the stopper reaches an abutting state is set in advance when rotation of the electric motor is stopped while the internal combustion engine operates. Upon executing stop control of stopping the internal combustion engine, except when the actual phase is already the limit phase, the control unit executes braking control of limiting the rotation of the electric motor by controlling an electric current to be supplied to the electric motor.

An object of the present invention is to obtain a controller device for a variable valve timing apparatus capable of controlling a phase to an arbitrary fixed valve timing from immediately before an internal combustion engine stops until after the internal combustion engine has stopped. The controller device for the variable valve timing apparatus according to the present invention performs, during engine stop processing of the internal combustion engine, normal control of changing the relative rotational phase of a camshaft to a most advanced position or a most retarded position when the rotational speed of a crankshaft is equal to or more than a first threshold, and low-speed control of fixing a current or a voltage supplied to the motor to be constant to maintain the relative rotational phase of the camshaft at the most advanced position or the most retarded position in a period from when the rotational speed of the crankshaft is lower than the first threshold until the rotational speed becomes zero.

A stop control device for an internal combustion engine is structured that stops the engine in a state suitable for starting and that does not cause a crank angle to change after the engine is stopped. A four-cycle internal combustion engine includes an electric valve opening and closing timing control device that sets an opening and closing timing of either or both of an intake valve and an exhaust valve. Stop control of stopping the internal combustion engine is performed when a stop signal for stopping the internal combustion engine is acquired, and post-stop phase control of displacing the opening and closing timing of the valve opening and closing timing control device in either an advancing direction or a retarding direction is performed after the internal combustion engine is stopped by the stop control.

A valve opening and closing timing control device includes: a driving-side rotating body that rotates synchronously with a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine around a rotating shaft core; a driven-side rotating body that rotates integrally with a valve opening and closing camshaft of the internal combustion engine around the same shaft core as the rotating shaft core; a gear mechanism that sets a relative rotation phase between the driving-side rotating body and the driven-side rotating body by displacement of a meshing position; a motor that enables displacement of the meshing position of the gear mechanism by rotating a rotating shaft; and a control unit that controls the drive of the motor. The control unit intermittently performs control to energize the motor for one phase for a predetermined time after the internal combustion engine is stopped.