Method for setting a knock determination period in an internal combustion engine, method for setting a fuel injection timing in an internal combustion engine, and control apparatus for an internal combustion engine

A method for setting a fuel injection timing at each cylinder in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which makes a knock determination of each cylinder based on an output signal from a knock sensor during a knock determination period corresponding to each cylinder, the method comprising the step of:

• setting the fuel injection timing at a second cylinder in accordance with the knock determination period corresponding to a first cylinder so as to avoid a case in which noise produced from operation of a fuel injector at the second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder.

A control apparatus for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which operates each fuel injector based on a fuel injection timing at each cylinder and makes a knock determination of each cylinder based on an output signal from a knock sensor during a knock determination period corresponding to each cylinder, the control apparatus comprising:

• a determining device that determines whether noise produced by operation of the fuel injector at a second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to a first cylinder based on the fuel injection timing at the second cylinder and the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder;
• and
• a setting device that sets the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder in accordance with a fuel injection timing at a second cylinder based on a determination result from the determining device so as to avoid a case in which noise produced from operation of the fuel injector at the second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder.

A control apparatus for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which operates each fuel injector based on a fuel injection timing at each cylinder and makes a knock determination of each cylinder based on an output signal from a knock sensor during a knock determination period corresponding to each cylinder, the control apparatus comprising:

• a determining device that determines whether noise produced by operation of the fuel injector at a second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to a first cylinder based on the fuel injection timing at the second cylinder and the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder;
• and
• a setting device that sets the fuel injection timing at the second cylinder in accordance with the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder based on a determination result from the determining device so as to avoid a case in which noise produced from operation of the fuel injector at the second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder.

A control apparatus for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine which operates each fuel injector based on a fuel injection timing at each cylinder and makes a knock determination of each cylinder based on an output signal from a knock sensor during a knock determination period corresponding to each cylinder, the control apparatus comprising:

• a determining device that determines whether noise produced by operation of the fuel injector at a second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to a first cylinder based on the fuel injection timing at the second cylinder and the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder;
• and
• a changing device that changes at least one of the fuel injection timing at the second cylinder and the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder based on a determination result from the determining device so as to avoid a case in which noise produced by operation of the fuel injector at the second cylinder rides on the output signal from the knock sensor during the knock determination period corresponding to the first cylinder.