The invention relates to a method of controlling operation of an ICE arrangement (1), comprising acquiring (100) a first signal indicative of a required torque; acquiring (102) a second signal indicative of a temperature (T) of an EATS (23); and when the second signal indicates that the temperature (T) of the EATS (23) is lower than a predefined first threshold temperature (T.sub.1): determining (108; 118) an amount of second fuel (17) needed to deliver the required torque; supplying the amount of second fuel (17); controlling (112; 122) an inlet valve (19) to allow flow of a second fuel-air mix into the cylinder (3); injecting first fuel (13) into the cylinder (3) when the second fuel-air mix is compressed by the piston (9), resulting in flame propagation ignition of the second fuel-air mix; and controlling (116; 126) and outlet valve (21) to allow flow of exhaust from the cylinder (3) during an exhaust stroke (ES) of the piston (9).

Methods and systems are provided for controlling a vehicle engine to reduce engine knock and increase fuel efficiency by reducing hydrocarbon breakthrough. In one example, a method may include adjusting a compression ratio of a variable compression engine in response to hydrocarbon breakthrough above a threshold from a fuel vapor canister of an evaporative emissions system.

An engine system is provided, including a controller which controls devices of an engine at a given engine speed so that, when a demanded engine load is a first load, a mass ratio (G/F) of intake air inside a cylinder (containing fresh air and burnt gas) to fuel is a first G/F and mixture gas inside the cylinder combusts by flame-propagation, when the demanded load is a second load (<the first load), the G/F is a second G/F (>the first G/F) and an injection center-of-gravity is at a timing such that the entire mixture gas combusts by CI combustion, and when the demanded load is between the first and second loads, the G/F is at a third G/F (between the first and second G/Fs) and the injection center-of-gravity is at a later timing such that at least part of the mixture gas combusts by the CI combustion.

A control device is applied to an internal combustion engine equipped with an electric heating catalyst system provided with an EHC. The control device executes a preheating process to warm up an exhaust gas reduction catalyst prior to a start of the internal combustion engine by supplying electric power to the EHC, when the control device determines that a temperature of the exhaust gas reduction catalyst is lower than an activation temperature. The control device executes a determination process for determining whether water is adhered to a catalyst carrier. The control device starts the internal combustion engine without executing the preheating process when the control device determines by the determination process that water is adhered to the catalyst carrier, even when the control device determines that the temperature of the exhaust gas reduction catalyst is lower than the activation temperature.

Systems and methods are provided for diagnosing cylinders in an engine. In one example, the method may include while receiving first feedback from a vibration sensor coupled to a first cylinder of the engine, perturbing the first cylinder during engine operation. Responsive to the first feedback indicating a first vibration level difference greater than or equal to a first threshold difference, a first indication of a first degradation condition of the first cylinder may be set, and thereafter the engine may be operated based on whether or not the first indication was set.

The present subject matter relates to a control unit for controlling an internal combustion engine, wherein the internal combustion engine includes at least one cylinder 100, at least one combustion chamber 90 within which a fuel is burned, at least one fuel injector 40, 50, at least one ignition device 60, and an oxygen determination unit 20 configured to determine the content of oxygen in the fuel, wherein the control unit 10 is configured to control the internal combustion engine based on the content of oxygen in the fuel detected by the oxygen determination unit 20.

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.

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 controller sets beforehand a combustion mode 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, sets an in-cylinder property when an intake valve is closed in the specific cycle so that the set combustion mode is realized in the specific cycle, estimates the actual in-cylinder property when the intake valve is closed in the specific cycle, when the delay time passes and the cycle becomes the specific cycle, and adjusts an operating amount of at least one of the injector and the spark plug, when the estimated in-cylinder property deviates from the target in-cylinder property.