Methods for engine supervision and control based on cylinder pressure information

The increasing demands for low emissions and low fuel consumption in modern combustion engines require improved methods for on-line diagnosis and best possible control of the combustion process. In this paper, it will be demo nstrated that the cylinder pressure signal can successfully be used for thi s task. After introduction of some theoretical background, several applicat ion examples are presented: an on-line supervision of fuel injection, some results on feedforward emission control, and a concept for feedback control of spark timing. Experimental results obtained from stack car diesel and s park ignition engines are included to support the automation concepts.