To provide a controller and a control method for an internal combustion engine capable of calculating a target value of controlled variable of internal combustion engine which realizes the target torque, while reducing the number of calculations using a torque characteristics function. A controller and a control method for an internal combustion engine calculates ignition sample numbers of ignition corresponding torques corresponding to the respective ignition sample numbers of ignition timings, by using a torque characteristics function relationship in which a relationship between driving condition and output torque is preliminarily set; and calculates an ignition torque approximated curve approximating a relationship between the ignition sample numbers of the ignition timings and the ignition sample numbers of the ignition corresponding torques; and calculates a target ignition timing corresponding to the target torque.

Methods and systems for enabling regeneration of a particulate filter of an engine system are provided. In one embodiment, a method includes: receiving, by a processor, a request for particulate filter regeneration; in response to the request, determining, by the processor, at least one of a compression ratio and an expansion ratio; generating, by the processor, control signals to actuators of the engine system to adjust the at least one of the compression ratio and the expansion ratio to achieve a desired exhaust temperature; generating, by the processor, control signals to actuators of the engine system to optimize torque output based on the desired exhaust temperature, engine speed, and a desired engine load; and initiating, by the processor, regeneration of the particulate filter based on the command signals.

Systems and methods for starting an engine of a hybrid vehicle are described. In one example, the method uses the engine to generate larger amounts of thermal energy while the engine is rotated under power of an electric machine. The systems and methods described herein may be applied to series and parallel hybrid vehicles.

A piston engine is provided; the piston engine has a cylinder, a main piston and an auxiliary piston; a combustion chamber is formed between the main piston and the auxiliary piston within the cylinder; the main piston has an crankpin offset L0, the auxiliary piston and the main piston move in different frequencies, an extended constant V≈Vc of the combustion chamber is formed from θ to >10° CA; when at a=θ=arc sin[L0/(L+R)] the main piston is at its top dead center; at a=arc sin(L0/R) the side force on the main piston is 0; when peak pressure of combustion is located at PPmax by choosing ignition timing, the most effective torque can be obtained; the torque is controlled by the amount of fuel injected; engine knocking can be prevented by retarded ignition at a>θ.

A hybrid vehicle includes a multi-cylinder engine, an exhaust gas control apparatus including a catalyst for removing exhaust gas from the multi-cylinder engine, an electric motor, and a control device configured to execute catalyst temperature increase control for stopping fuel supply to at least one cylinder and making an air-fuel ratio in each of remaining cylinders rich in a case where a temperature increase of a catalyst is requested during a load operation of the multi-cylinder engine, execute control such that an electric motor supplements insufficient drive power due to the execution of the catalyst temperature increase control, and change the air-fuel ratio in at least one of the remaining cylinders to a lean side after a temperature of the exhaust gas control apparatus becomes equal to or higher than a determination threshold value during the execution of the catalyst temperature increase control.

A method for controlling a rotational speed of an output shaft of a propulsion unit. The method includes determining a speed setpoint value, indicative of a rotational speed setpoint for the output shaft, and an actual speed value, indicative of an actual rotational speed of the output shaft, determining an acceleration value using an acceleration value determination procedure comprising employing an acceleration conversion function that uses the speed setpoint value, the actual speed value and an acceleration setting member as inputs and which produces a resulting value to be used for determining the acceleration value, the acceleration conversion function being such that different resulting values can be obtained for the same set of the speed setpoint value and the actual speed value but for different choices of the acceleration setting member, determining a torque request value using a torque conversion operation that uses the acceleration value, and controlling the propulsion unit using the torque request value.

A method of controlling an engine is provided, which includes setting, by a controller, a target torque of the engine in a specific cycle in the future by a given delay time from the present time based on a present accelerator opening. The method includes selecting beforehand, by the controller, combustion in the specific cycle according to the target torque, from flame propagation combustion and compressed self-ignition combustion. The method includes outputting, by the controller, a control signal to a property adjusting device before the specific cycle so that a property inside the cylinder in the specific cycle becomes a property corresponding to the selected combustion. The method includes estimating, by the controller, the property at a timing when an intake valve is closed in the specific cycle. The method includes outputting, by the controller, a control signal corresponding to the estimated property to a spark plug or an injector.

An engine system is provided, which includes a vehicle-mounted engine having an injector, a spark plug, and a property adjusting device, an accelerator opening sensor, and a controller. The controller performs a combustion control for controlling the injector, the spark plug, and the property adjusting device so that a target torque set based on a present accelerator opening detected by the accelerator opening sensor is outputted in a specific cycle in the future from a present time by a given delay time. In the combustion control, the controller sets a target load of the engine in the specific cycle based on the present accelerator opening, and sets a combustion transition from the present cycle to the specific cycle by selecting beforehand combustion from the present cycle to the specific cycle, from flame propagation combustion and compressed self-ignition combustion, based on the set target load.

An engine system is provided, which includes a vehicle-mounted engine having an injector, a spark plug, an intake valve operating mechanism, and an exhaust valve operating mechanism, an accelerator opening sensor, and a controller. The engine is configured to execute flame propagation combustion and compressed self-ignition combustion. The controller performs a combustion control so that a target torque set based on an accelerator opening is realized in a specific cycle in the future from a present time by a given delay time. The controller sets beforehand the combustion mode based on a target load, estimates an in-cylinder property when the intake valve is closed in the present cycle, sets a target in-cylinder property so that the set combustion mode is realized in the specific cycle, and sets a target operating amount of each of the intake and exhaust valve operating mechanisms based on the set target in-cylinder property.

The present disclosure relates to a gas engine heat pump including: an engine which burns a mixed air of air and fuel; a first charger which compresses the mixed air and supplies to the engine; a first exhaust flow path which is connected to the engine, and through which exhaust gas discharged from the engine flows; and a second charger which is driven by the exhaust gas branched from the first exhaust flow path to a second exhaust flow path, and compresses the exhaust gas discharged from the engine and supplies the compressed exhaust gas to the engine, thereby reducing the emission of nitrogen oxide by recirculating the exhaust gas without additional power consumption.