In a catalyst warming-up control, a first time injection is performed by an injector in an intake stroke. A second time injection is performed with an amount smaller than the first time injection in an expansion stroke after a compression top dead center. In the catalyst warming-up control, an interval from the start of the ignition period of an spark plug to the completion of the second time injection is controlled by the ECU so that the initial flame generated from an air-fuel mixture containing the fuel spray injected by the first time injection is brought into contact with the fuel spray injected by the second time injection.

A method includes: initiating a low engine-out NOx (LEON) mode by controlling a component of a vehicle having an aftertreatment system to decrease an instantaneous engine-out NOx (EONOx) amount; comparing a temperature of the aftertreatment system during the LEON mode to a warm-operation threshold temperature; responsive to determining that the temperature of the aftertreatment system exceeds the warm-operation threshold temperature, disengaging the LEON mode; responsive to determining that the temperature of the aftertreatment system is below the warm-up operation threshold temperature, comparing information indicative of an operating status of the vehicle to a LEON exit threshold; and disengaging the LEON mode responsive to determining that the information indicative of the operating status of the vehicle during the LEON mode exceeds the LEON exit threshold.

A heater may include: a conductive ceramic cylinder tube in which cell-arrays are concentrically arranged, each cell-array including cells which are arranged in a circumferential direction of the ceramic cylinder tube; an inner electrode electrically coupled to an inner wall portion of the ceramic cylinder tube; and an outer electrode electrically coupled to an outer wall portion of the ceramic cylinder tube. Non-linear portions are radially arranged in the ceramic cylinder tube, each non-linear portion extending in a radial direction of the ceramic cylinder tube while having a plurality of bends or curves between the inner wall portion and outer wall portion of the ceramic cylinder tube. The inner and outer electrodes are provided such that current flows radially at least via said non-linear portions between the inner and outer electrodes.

Methods and systems are provided for a turbocharger. In one example, a method may include bypassing exhaust gases flowing to the turbocharger in response to a catalyst temperature being less than a threshold temperature. The bypassing includes opening a bypass valve and adjusting a position of one or more turbine nozzle vanes.

An ECM executes a catalyst early activation control at the cold start of an engine such that the activation of a catalyzer is promoted by opening a WGV. Further, the ECM performs a diagnosis process of diagnosing whether or not the WGV is stuck closed, based on the amplitude of the output fluctuation in an air-fuel-ratio sensor during execution of the catalyst early activation control.

An ECM executes a catalyst early activation control at cold start of an engine such that the activation of a catalyzer is promoted by opening a WGV. Further, the ECM performs a diagnosis process of, during execution of the catalyst early activation control, repeating opening and closing of the WGV with a given period and diagnosing whether or not the WGV is stuck, based on whether or not a fluctuation component with the same period as the period of the opening and closing of the WGV is included in output from an intake manifold pressure sensor during the repetition.

An exhaust purification device for an internal combustion engine is provided with an NO.sub.x adsorbent for adsorbing NO.sub.x in exhaust gas and an NO.sub.x purifying catalyst for purifying NO.sub.x in exhaust gas, which are arranged in an engine exhaust passage. An electric heater is provided for raising the temperature of the NO.sub.x adsorbent. When a signal requesting startup of an internal combustion engine is issued, the device starts to supply electric power to the electric heater before the internal combustion engine completely warms up, and supplies the electric heater with a quantity of electric power making the temperature of the NO.sub.x adsorbent equal to or higher than the moisture desorption temperature but lower than the NO.sub.x desorption temperature.

An engine and after treatment system comprising an engine with an exhaust line engaged to upstream after treatment components, the upstream after treatment components engaged to a selective catalytic reduction converter, a means for bypassing the upstream after treatment components to allow engine exhausts to warm a catalyst within the selective catalytic reduction converter. One version allows indirect warming of the catalyst by providing a pathway for engine exhausts thru a warming cavity located on an outer region of the selective catalytic converter and then back thru the upstream after treatment components.

An internal combustion engine system includes a cylinder block with a plurality of cylinders, a gas intake manifold for providing at least air to the cylinder block and an exhaust gas manifold for exiting the exhaust gas from the cylinder block, wherein the exhaust gas manifold includes at least a main exhaust gas outlet and a waste gate exhaust gas outlet, wherein the main exhaust gas outlet is connected to a main exhaust gas pipe for guiding the exhaust gas to a main exhaust gas after treatment system and the waste gate exhaust gas outlet is connected to a waste gate exhaust gas pipe, and wherein the waste gate exhaust gas pipe is reconnected to the main exhaust gas pipe upstream of the main exhaust gas after treatment system and includes at least one waste gate exhaust gas after treatment unit, such as an oxidation catalyst such as a diesel oxidation catalyst, for catalytically treating the exhaust gas streaming through the waste gate exhaust gas pipe, and to a method for increasing the temperature in an internal combustion engine system.

An exhaust-gas aftertreatment device for an internal combustion engine, for use in a motor vehicle, includes an exhaust tract with at least one exhaust pipe and at least one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element. The exhaust-pipe internal wall and/or the at least one exhaust-gas aftertreatment element have/has a vapor-sorbing material forming at least one exhaust-tract-side sorption element.