A rotary engine includes a shroud surrounding a rotor. The rotor carries at least one combustion chamber spaced from an axis of rotation of the rotor. A pressure activated valve, such as a relief valve, is located between the combustion chamber and obliquely arranged exhaust nozzles. A drive shaft is engaged to the rotor for mutual rotation. An ECU controls the combustion cycle of the engine based on a signal from a pressure sensor in the combustion chamber. A fuel control valve delivers fuel into the combustion chamber. An air control valve delivers pressurized air into the combustion chamber. The electronic control responds to the pressure signal from the pressure sensor to open the fuel control valve, to fire a spark plug and cause combustion of the fuel within the combustion chamber, and to thereafter open the air control valve to purge the combustion chamber of exhaust gasses. A method of operating the controls is also disclosed.

An internal combustion engine includes a crankcase that defines a crank chamber, a crankshaft that has a crank housed in the crank chamber and is rotatably supported on the crankcase, a cylinder block that is joined to the crankcase and defines a plurality of cylinders in a horizontally-opposed arrangement, a to-be-detected body that rotates integrally with the crankshaft, and a detection sensor that extends through the crankcase from an upper face of the crankcase, is made to face a trajectory of the to-be-detected body, and generates a pulse signal in response to movement of the to-be-detected body. Thus, in a so-called horizontally-opposed internal combustion engine, a structure for disposing a detection sensor that can detect the angular velocity of a crankshaft with high precision is provided.

An adaptive, any-fuel reciprocating engine using sensor feedback integration of high-speed optical sensors with real-time control loops to adaptively manage the electronic actuation schemes over a range of engine loads and fuels. The engine uses one or more optical sensors to collect specific types of gas property data via a spectroscopic technique to adaptively control various components within the engine.

A method of monitoring an operating event of a combustion engine includes receiving a noise signal sensed by a knock sensor disposed in or proximate to the combustion engine, correlating the noise signal with a musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) fingerprint having at least an ADSR envelope indicative of the operating event, and detecting if the operating event has occurred based on the correlating of the noise signal with the fingerprint.

An adaptive, any-fuel reciprocating engine using sensor feedback integration of high-speed optical sensors with real-time control loops to adaptively manage the electronic actuation schemes over a range of engine loads and fuels. The engine uses one or more optical sensors to collect specific types of gas property data via a spectroscopic technique to adaptively control various components within the engine.

An engine unit includes an internal combustion engine and a misfire detection device. The misfire detection device includes a rough road traveling determination unit that: (a) determines a rough road traveling state based on a distribution state of a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquired by a crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity acquisition unit, or (b) includes a vehicle traveling state detection unit for detecting a physical quantity in relation to a vehicle traveling state except the crankshaft rotation speed fluctuation physical quantity, and determines a rough road traveling state based on a detection result obtained by the vehicle traveling state detection unit; and suspends a determination of a misfire in the internal combustion engine based on a determination result obtained by the rough road traveling determination unit.

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.

A system and method are disclosed for determining the mechanical angular position of a rotating member of a prime mover which is connected, directly, or indirectly, to an electric machine, such as a permanent magnet synchronous machine or an induction machine. The electrical angular position of the rotor of the electric machine is determined by a sensorless AC motor control system, such as a Field Oriented Control System or back EMF control system, and is used in turn to determine the mechanical angular position of the rotating member.

A method of controlling a rotary engine is disclosed. The rotary engine includes a shroud surrounding a rotor. The rotor carries a combustion chamber spaced from an axis of rotation of the rotor. A pressure activated valve is located between the combustion chamber and obliquely arranged exhaust nozzles. An ECU controls the combustion cycle of the engine based on a signal from a pressure sensor in the combustion chamber. The electronic control responds to the pressure signal from the pressure sensor to open a fuel control valve, to fire a spark plug and cause combustion of the fuel within the combustion chamber, and to thereafter open an air control valve to purge the combustion chamber of exhaust gasses.

A rotary engine includes a shroud surrounding a rotor. The rotor carries a combustion chamber spaced from an axis of rotation of the rotor. A pressure activated valve is located between the combustion chamber and obliquely arranged exhaust nozzles. An ECU controls the combustion cycle of the engine based on a signal from a pressure sensor in the combustion chamber. The electronic control responds to the pressure signal from the pressure sensor to open a fuel control valve, to fire a spark plug and cause combustion of the fuel within the combustion chamber, and to thereafter open an air control valve to purge the combustion chamber of exhaust gasses.