A method of testing an automotive vehicle estimates acceleration for multiple time windows. Each of the time windows has a different length. A speed of the vehicle is measured. The acceleration vector is estimated, for the time windows, as a function of the speed and a test speed. A target acceleration is calculated by multiplying the acceleration vector by a driving mode vector. A target speed, of a driver model, is set as a function of a test cycle, the target acceleration, and the speed. The vehicle is controlled at the target speed.

There is provided a configuration in which a cylinder which is in an inlet stroke when an internal combustion engine is in a stop (automatic stop) state is determined and stored, and when starting the engine upon detection of a start request, the fuel injection of an initial cycle to the cylinder, which has been determined as having been stopped in the inlet stroke when the engine was in the stop state before starting, is split into a plurality if injections at least including an injection before engine rotation, to thereby perform injections. As a result, startability is improved while suppressing pre-ignition at the time of starting.

A device for measuring temperature of a turbine wheel in a turbocharger includes: a guide that passes infrared ray generated from the turbine wheel and includes a coolant path; a protection unit that protects an optical head which senses the infrared ray; and a signal processing unit that measures a temperature of the turbine wheel by processing a signal corresponding to the sensed infrared ray.

Methods and systems are provided for classification of the type and weight of a trailer being towed by a vehicle. The classification is based on a comparison between a real-time road gradient as determined by the vehicle system and an expected road gradient as determined from an off-board or an onboard map. Vehicle operations may be adjusted based on the classification of the attached trailer.

An internal combustion engine comprising: a plurality of cylinders in which combustion chambers are provided, wherein an ignition device and/or a fuel introduction device is associated with each combustion chamber, wherein the combustion chambers are adapted for cyclic ignition of fuel, an open-loop or closed-loop control device for actuation or closed-loop control of the ignition devices and/or fuel introduction devices, and at least one measuring device for detecting a temperature which is characteristic for each cylinder, wherein the open-loop or closed-loop control device is adapted for actuation or closed-loop control of the ignition devices or the fuel introduction devices in dependence on the signals of the at least one measuring device so that no ignition takes place in at least one selected cylinder during at least one cycle and that an even temperature distribution over all cylinders is achieved.

A fuel injection control device which is provided with an input terminal to which a first pulse signal for driving a liquid fuel injection valve is input and an output terminal from which the first pulse signal is output, and converts the first pulse signal which is input from the input terminal to a second pulse signal for driving a gaseous fuel injection valve, includes: a P-channel field-effect transistor interposed in a wiring which connects the input terminal and the output terminal; a switching control section which performs switching control between an ON state and an OFF state of the field-effect transistor; and a gate drive circuit which maintains the field-effect transistor in the ON state in a case where power supply to the switching control section is not performed.

In a fuel injection controller, a first throttle opening TH0 is defined at a specific time P2. The P2 is a specific time later than the peak value of an intake pipe internal pressure PB of a previous cycle. In the cycle, P3 is a specific time that is set immediately before the calculation of the injection time. A second throttle opening TH2 is defined at P3. The fuel injection controller corrects a fuel injection amount based on variation in correction time ta0 at the first throttle opening TH0 to correction time ta1 at the second throttle opening TH1. The time P2 is later than time P1, which is the peak value of the intake pipe internal pressure of the previous cycle. Accordingly, the fuel injection amount correction is completely unaffected or only slightly affected by the intake pipe internal pressure, thus ensuring close-to-ideal correction.

A method for activating an injector for injecting fuel into an internal combustion engine, in which a nozzle needle of the injector moves from a closed position in the direction of an open position as long as an activation signal is applied to the injector. The nozzle needle of the injector moves from the open position into the closed position when the activation signal is absent. The duration of the activation signal is selected in such a way that the nozzle needle does not reach its completely open position. In specific operating states, a second activation signal is applied to the injector before reaching the closed position of the injector, which has the result that the nozzle needle of the injector moves back in the direction of the open position.

An apparatus for controlling an internal combustion engine is provided. An engine includes a compression release mechanism and a fuel injection valve. The compression release mechanism variably controls the opening degree of a valve member, and thereby connects the combustion chamber of the engine with at least one of the intake passage and the exhaust passage in order to release in-cylinder pressure during at least the compression stroke. A controller controls the fuel injection valve to execute coasting with the fuel cut off in which the fuel is cut off under a predetermined condition, and while executing coasting with the fuel cut off, controls the compression release mechanism to increase the opening degree of the valve member of the compression release mechanism as the speed of the engine is higher.

There is provided a vehicle engine control system that includes engine and transmission control functions and enables evacuation driving to be readily performed. A monitoring control circuit unit and an error processing circuit unit monitors controlling operation of a main control circuit unit; when the occurrence frequency of valve-opening control abnormality becomes larger than threshold value, a first storage circuit stores the occurrence frequency, and driving of an intake valve control motor is stopped to set to fixed opening degree; when transmission-control abnormality is occurs, power supply to automatic transmission is stopped to set to the third speed fixation ratio; when an abnormality occurs, evacuation driving is implemented using fixed opening degree and automatic transmission ratio, variable rotation speed and fixed transmission ratio, or fixed opening degree and fixed transmission ratio. When valve-opening control abnormality or transmission-control abnormality occurs, fuel injection control is prevented from being inappropriately stopped.