Nissan Motor Company Limited

Takashi Nakazawa

Hatsuo Nagaishi

Kazuhiko Abe

Takahisa Koseki

Takeshi Suzuki

Tetsuya Iwasaki

Masahiko Yuya

Yuji Sasaki

Takao Kawasaki

Takeshi Miyamoto

Toru Fuse

Satoshi Sakakibara

Mitsuhiko Kubota

Yuzo Kageyama

Manabu Okamura

Takeshi Etou

Chiaki Harada

Toru Urasawa

Ryozo Hiraku

Takanobu Ikeuchi

Makoto Shouji

Asuka Soutome

Takhisa Koseki

A fan coupling deviceconnecting an internal combustion engineto a cooling fancomprises an input shaftdriven to rotate by the engine, a fluid couplingthat transmits torque from the input shaftto the cooling fanvia a fluid, and a solenoid valvehaving a valve main bodythat adjusts a fluid amount in the fluid coupling. A determination as to whether or not the valve main bodyis stuck in a lifted position on the basis of a rotation speed of the cooling fan, is started after the elapse of a predetermined time following output of a signal for returning the valve main bodyto a closed position, The sticking determination can be performed with a high degree of precision without being affected by variation in the rotation speed of the input shaft

Diagnosis device and diagnosis method for fan coupling device

An engine intake air quantity control apparatus is provided with a throttle valve, a supercharger, a variable intake valve operating device and an intake air control device. The throttle valve varies an intake air flow passage area of an intake passage. The supercharger supercharges intake air. The variable intake valve operating device changes an intake valve timing of an intake valve in accordance with an engine operating state. The intake air control device increases an opening degree of the throttle valve in accordance with a detected increase of an accelerator pedal depression amount, and increases an intake air quantity by starting to supercharge the intake air with the supercharger upon a prescribed throttle valve opening degree having been reached. The intake air control device changes the prescribed throttle valve opening degree in accordance with the intake valve timing of the intake valve.

Engine intake quantity control apparatus

A fuel control method and system is provided for delivering fuel to an engine that employs an engine controller that is configured to the fuel injection quantity delivered to the engine. The engine controller is configured to: calculate a fuel injection quantity based on at least one operating condition of an engine; calculate an estimated fuel pressure value of the high pressure fuel that will be acting on a fuel injection valve when the prescribed fuel injection timing is reached at a prescribed calculation time occurring before the prescribed fuel injection timing; correct the fuel injection quantity that was previously calculated to a corrected fuel injection quantity based on the estimated fuel pressure value that will exist at the prescribed fuel injection timing; and open the fuel injection valve at the prescribed fuel injection timing to discharge a quantity of fuel equal to the corrected fuel injection quantity.

Engine fuel control system

Fuel properties estimating apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes a controller to determine an estimated component concentration of a component in a fuel. The controller calculates an air-fuel correction quantity in accordance with an actual air fuel ratio of the engine; and calculates an air-fuel ratio sensitivity correction quantity from the air-fuel ratio correction quantity and a fuel properties correction quantity calculated from a most recent value of the component concentration. The controller then determines a new value of the estimated component concentration in accordance with the air-fuel ratio sensitivity correction quantity.

Fuel properties estimation for internal combustion engine

An intake parameter estimating device is provided for estimating a tuning frequency of an internal combustion engine, which in turn can be used to estimate an intake air pressure of the internal combustion engine. The intake parameter estimating device basically has a fundamental frequency calculating section, an engine rotational speed detecting section and a tuning frequency calculating section. The fundamental frequency calculating section calculates a fundamental frequency of a pressure wave inside an air intake pipe based on a shape of the air intake pipe and speed of sound. The engine rotational speed detecting section detects an engine rotational speed. The tuning frequency calculating section calculates a tuning frequency of the pressure wave inside the air intake pipe based on the fundamental frequency and the engine rotational speed. The tuning frequency can then be used to estimate the intake air pressure of the internal combustion engine.

Intake air parameter estimating device for internal combustion engine

An EGR control method and unit for an internal combustion engine includes an EGR passage configured to recirculate a portion of an exhaust gas from an exhaust system to an intake system. An EGR valve, disposed in the EGR passage, is configured to control an amount of EGR, and an index calculator is configured to calculate a surge-increase index according to a variance in rotation of the engine. A detector is configured to compare the surge-increase index with a determination threshold to detect a surge increase, an adjuster is configured to adjust a correction value relative to a target amount of the EGR according to an output of the detector, and a target-amount calculator is configured to calculate the target amount of the EGR by subtracting the correction value from a reference target amount of the EGR determined based upon an engine operating condition.

EGR control unit and method for an internal combustion engine

An internal EGR parameter estimating device is configured to estimate the internal EGR quantity based on the quantity of blow-by gas that blows by during an overlap period when both the intake valve(s) and the exhaust valve(s) are open. The blow-by gas quantity is calculated based on the intake air pressure and the exhaust gas pressure during the overlap period and the effective cross sectional area opening formed by the intake and exhaust valves. The overlap period is divided into intervals of a prescribed period and the interval cross sectional area opening during each interval is calculated.

Internal EGR parameter estimating device for internal combustion engine

An intake port () is connected to a combustion chamber () of an internal combustion engine () via an intake valve (), and a volatile liquid fuel is injected from a fuel injector () provided in the intake port (). The controller () calculates a suspension ratio in the combustion chamber () of the injected fuel according to the particle diameter of the injected fuel (), calculates an amount of fuel burnt in the combustion chamber () based on the suspension ratio (), calculates a target fuel injection amount based on the burnt fuel amount (), and controls a fuel injection amount of the fuel injector () based on the target fuel injection amount (). Precise fuel injection control can be performed without performing adaptation experiments, based on particle diameter data for different fuel injectors by taking the particle diameter as a parameter.

Engine fuel injection amount control device

Air is aspirated into a combustion chamber () of an internal combustion engine () through an intake passage () and an intake valve (). Purge gas and externally recirculated exhaust gas are mixed into the air in the intake passage () through a purge gas passage () and an exhaust gas recirculation passage (). A controller () estimates temperature variation in the air inside the intake passage () from the inlet to the intake passage () to the point where the purge gas and externally recirculated exhaust gas are mixed into the air (S, S). The temperature of the gas that is aspirated into the combustion chamber () is estimated accurately on the basis of the mass, specific heat, and estimated temperature of the air, and the mass, specific heat, and temperature of the purge gas and externally recirculated exhaust gas that are mixed into the air (S).

Estimation of intake gas temperature in internal combustion engine

Apparatus for an internal combustion engine includes an estimating or controlling unit to determine an oil-diluting fuel quantity of an engine oil-diluting fuel which is fuel leaking out through a clearance between a piston and a cylinder of the engine and diluting an engine oil. The unit calculates a variation of the engine oil-diluting fuel quantity, and determines the oil-diluting fuel quantity in accordance with the variation.

Estimation of oil-diluting fuel quantity of engine

An engineis stopped according to conditions when a vehicle has stopped, and the engineis started by starting a motor/generatorwhen a request to restart the enginewhich has stopped, is determined. Engine torque is absorbed by the motor/generatorso that that the starting torque according to an accelerator pedal depression after restart, is effectively the same torque for starting from the engine stop state as for starting from the engine idle state. In this way, the same starting performance is obtained when the vehicle starts from the engine stop state as when the vehicle starts from the engine idle rotation state.

Engine idle stop control system for vehicles

Engine cranking control is ended when it is detected that the battery voltage for driving the starter is lowered to at least as low as a starter drive judgment value and thereafter, returns to at least a starter stop judgment value during the engine cranking control that is started on condition that an engine is rotating. A start for driving a starter and a stop of driving the starter can be distinguished based on battery voltage where the battery voltage recovers due to a rapid reduction of consuming current and a rapid increase of a generating current when a driver recognizes an engine combustion completion and stops a starter driving. As a result, on increase of an engine friction, the cranking control is accurately ended, preventing deterioration of a fuel economy and excess exhaust gas emission.

Apparatus and a method for controlling an engine

A controller () of a knocking index value calculation device in a spark ignition engine () determines operating conditions of the engine (), estimates an in-cylinder pressure at a reference crank angle, which is set at a predetermined crank position after compression top dead center, using these operating conditions, estimates a temperature of unburned gas in the cylinder at the reference crank angle using these operating conditions, and calculates a knocking index value using the in-cylinder pressure and unburned gas temperature.

Knocking index value calculation device and calculation method thereof

An invention that judges whether an engine is being cranked by a starter based on the conditions that a prior cranking control has ended, the engine rotates at or less than a limit rotation velocity leading to an engine stall, and a battery voltage falls to or below a predetermined value. When such conditions are met, then engine cranking control is started. The engine can be shifted to the cranking control without an input signal from a starter switch and the engine can be promptly cranked.

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Kawasaki, Japan

Takashi Nakazawa