A storage device stores a first mapping that receives, as an input, first input variables including a previously estimated value for a fuel temperature variable, a pump variable on a state of a fuel pump, a first engine variable on a state of an engine, and an outside air temperature variable on an outside air temperature, and outputs the fuel temperature variable. Further, an execution device is configured to acquire the first input variables and estimate the fuel temperature variable by applying the acquired first input variables to the first mapping. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the fuel temperature variable by applying the first input variables to the first mapping even without providing a temperature sensor.

A hydrogen discharge control system controls a hydrogen discharge flow rate in a hydrogen engine vehicle that discharges hydrogen from a hydrogen tank in which a resin liner is laminated on an inner wall, to a hydrogen engine, in accordance with an accelerator operation amount. The hydrogen discharge control system comprises a control device. The control device estimates a temperature attained in the hydrogen tank after a predetermined time elapses with the accelerator operation amount at a maximum during an on operation of an accelerator, based on a temporal temperature gradient in the hydrogen tank and a temperature in the hydrogen tank, and when the temperature attained is no higher than a first predetermined temperature, performs discharge limit control for limiting a maximum value of the hydrogen discharge flow rate from the hydrogen tank to a predetermined flow rate.

A method of determining the total evaporation rate of fuel from an oil sump of an engine comprising: a) defining for said fuel, a plurality (n-1) of zones, each zone comprising a separate temperature range, and corresponding to a particular fuel constituent portion; b) determining or estimating the mass of said particular fuel constituent portion present in the sump for each zone; c) for each zone, determining an evaporation rate based on oil temperature; and the corresponding mass determined in step b); d) summing the evaporation rates for each zone from step c) to provide said total evaporation rate.

A method is provided for determining the fuel temperature in the high-pressure zone of a fuel injection system of a motor vehicle. The fuel injection system has at least one injector operated by a servo valve which is actuated by means of a piezo actuator. After an injection process has been carried out, the piezo actuator is discharged after the injection has ended in such a way that the servo valve can close, but a non-positive connection remains between the piezo actuator and the servo valve. This condition of reduced charge is maintained. The pressure oscillation of the actuator voltage resulting from this is recorded and from this the hydraulic natural frequency of the enclosed high-pressure volume of fuel is deduced. The prevailing fuel temperature can be determined from the natural frequency.

Methods and systems are provided for improving engine knock control by accounting for a drop in charge cooling efficiency of a knock control fluid at higher temperatures. In response to the prediction of an elevated temperature of a knock control fluid at a time of release from a direct injector, a pulse width of the injection is adjusted. Any knock relief deficits are compensated for using alternate engine adjustments, such as boost or spark timing adjustments.

Disclosed is a method for limiting fuel leakage from at least one injector in an engine of a motor vehicle, the engine being stopped and the motor vehicle ignition circuit being switched off, the injector being supplied with fuel via a fuel rail which is pressurized during operation, the pressurization persisting for a certain period when the engine has been stopped and the ignition circuit switched off, leading to leakage of fuel through the injector. The injection rail is subjected to forced cooling following the stoppage of the engine with the motor vehicle ignition circuit switched off, which is sufficient to reduce the pressure, the forced cooling continuing until the pressure in the rail is close to atmospheric pressure.

A method for starting an internal combustion engine with a fuel tank and a low-pressure pump which pumps gasoline out of the fuel tank at a low-pressure to a high-pressure pump that pumps the gasoline at a high-pressure to injectors of the internal combustion engine. An electronic controller is provided for controlling and/or regulating the low-pressure pump, the high-pressure pump, and the injectors. After a start pulse for the internal combustion engine, the method: checks whether a formation of vapor bubbles in the gasoline is possible on the low-pressure side during a hot start. If not possible, then the normal low-pressure is set. If possible, then a low pressure which is high enough that the formation of vapor bubbles is not possible on the low-pressure side is set, and the normal low-pressure is set after a period of time. The problem of vapor bubble formation is prevented in an inexpensive or cost neutral manner via the method.

Disclosed is a method for diagnosing sealing in a fuel vapor recirculation system for an engine of a motor vehicle. An electronic module is integrated into the engine control unit that is woken up and placed on standby periodically while the engine is off, at the start and end of time intervals in order to perform a respective leak diagnosis, the fuel vapor temperature Tsys being estimated as a function of a time t ending at the start of each interval and starting when the engine is switched off according to the following equation, in which Tamb is the ambient temperature measured, Tsys0 is the fuel vapor temperature when the vehicle is switched off, and tsys is a system response time:
Tsys(t)=Tamb+(Tsys0−Tamb)e.sup.−t/tsys.

An injection control device includes: a conversion coefficient setter setting a conversion coefficient for each injection when a fuel injection valve is driven by an electric current to inject fuel from the fuel injection valve; and an area correction unit calculating an energization time correction amount by performing area correction using the conversion coefficient for each injection regardless of whether a drive current of the fuel injection valve has reached a target peak current or not.

A method for determining a quantity of fuel injected into a cylinder of an internal combustion engine including an injection rail includes:—measuring the pressure prevailing in the injection rail during fuel injection from the rail into a cylinder;—filtering the pressure measurement;—determining the relative minimum and maximum points of the filtered pressure curve;—insofar as a first (Pdrop1) pressure drop followed by a pressure rise and then a second (Pdrop2) pressure drop is identified, determining a physical quantity that makes it possible to characterize the first pressure drop and the second pressure drop; and—determining the quantity of fuel injected by applying the bulk modulus for the two pressure drops identified as a function of the temperature in the injection rail.