Methods and systems for heating an emission control device are provided. In one example, a method for a vehicle comprises during an engine cold start, heating an emission control device of the engine using a dual heat exchanger to heat secondary air and cool exhaust gas, and further heat secondary air with an electric heater. The method further comprises directing the heated secondary air to each exhaust runner of the engine via individual air injectors to mix with exhaust gas. In this way, an improved mixture of air and exhaust reduces catalyst light-off time and increases conversion efficiency, thereby reducing hydrocarbon emissions during engine cold start.

In exemplary embodiments, methods and systems are provided for controlling emissions for a drive system for a vehicle. In one embodiment, the system includes: one or more first sensors configured to measure an engine temperature pertaining to an engine of the vehicle; one or more second sensors configured to measure an ambient temperature surrounding the vehicle; one or more third sensors configured to detect an amount of running time in which the engine has been running; and a processor coupled to the one or more first sensors, the one or more second sensors, and the one or more third sensors and configured to at least facilitate controlling emissions for the drive system based on the engine temperature, the ambient temperature, and the amount of running time in which the engine has been running.

Various embodiments include a method of ascertaining the oxygen load of a catalytic converter disposed in an exhaust tract of an internal combustion engine with an exhaust gas sensor is disposed downstream of the catalytic converter comprising: generating a signal using the exhaust gas sensor indicating a proportion of nitrogen oxide and/or ammonia in the exhaust gas; and ascertaining the oxygen load of the catalytic converter at least partly on the basis of the signal from the exhaust gas sensor.

A controller for a hybrid electric vehicle includes processing circuitry configured to execute a manual filter regeneration process when satisfying a condition including that execution of the manual filter regeneration process is requested to decrease a PM deposit amount on the filter and that the hybrid electric vehicle is in a stopped state. In the manual filter regeneration process, when a state of charge of the battery becomes less than a discharge threshold value, an output of an internal combustion engine is converted to electric power for charging the battery while the filter is supplied with oxygen from the engine. Further, when the state of charge of the battery becomes greater than or equal to a charge threshold value that is greater than or equal to the discharge threshold value, an output shaft of the engine is rotated with the motor to supply the filter with oxygen from the engine.

A hybrid vehicle includes: an internal combustion engine; a rotating electric machine; a planetary gear mechanism to which the internal combustion engine, the rotating electric machine and an output shaft are connected; a catalyst that purifies exhaust gas of the internal combustion engine; and a controller that controls the internal combustion engine and the rotating electric machine. The controller controls the internal combustion engine and the rotating electric machine to perform catalyst temperature control to shift an operating point on a map representing a relationship between rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and torque generated by the internal combustion engine so that the catalyst has a temperature within an appropriate temperature range. Degradation of the catalyst can be suppressed without deteriorating the function of the catalyst.

A variety of methods and arrangements for reducing noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) in a skip fire engine control system are described. In one aspect, a firing sequence is used to operate the engine in a skip fire manner. A smoothing torque is determined that is applied to a powertrain by an energy storage/release device. The smoothing torque is arranged to at least partially cancel out variation in torque generated by the skip fire firing sequence. Various methods, powertrain controllers, arrangements and computer software related to the above operations are also described.

When an amount of particulate matters (PM) collected by a gasoline particulate filter (GPF) increases, a control processing unit (CPU) of an engine electronic control unit (ENG ECU) stops combustion control of some cylinders and executes a regeneration process to cause air-fuel ratios of air-fuel mixtures in the remaining cylinders to be richer than a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio. A CPU of a hybrid electric vehicle electronic control unit (HV ECU) increases a target rotation speed of an internal combustion engine when the regeneration process is executed. When executing the regeneration process, the CPU increases a filling efficiency of the internal combustion engine.

A control apparatus is applied to an internal combustion engine where an EHC and a filter are arranged in this sequence from an upstream side. The control apparatus performs a regeneration process for removing particulate matter deposited in the filter through oxidation, and a recovery process for raising the temperature of exhaust gas to a temperature higher than in the case of the regeneration process and removing the particulate matter deposited at a front end portion of the EHC through oxidation when it is determined that the insulation resistance of the EHC is equal to or lower than a prescribed value. The control apparatus performs the regeneration process and then the recovery process when it is determined that the insulation resistance is equal to or lower than the prescribed value and the deposition amount of the particulate matter in the filter is equal to or larger than a prescribed amount.

A method for controlling a vehicle including a continuously variable transmission includes determining, by a controller, whether a speed difference between a speed of a vehicle according to revolutions per minute (RPM) of a driving wheel of the vehicle and a speed of the vehicle according to revolutions per minute (RPM) of a towed wheel of the vehicle is equal to or greater than a speed reference value and reducing, by the controller, torque of an engine providing a driving force to a driving pulley of the continuously variable transmission when the difference in vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the speed reference value.

A method is provided for controlling a gear change in the case of a non-synchronized dog-shift transmission having at least one shift fork controllable by way of a selector drum, wherein, by way of a position sensor on the selector drum, the rotational position of the selector drum is sensed and is transmitted to an electronic control unit for controlling a drive motor. By use of the sensed rotational position, the control unit detects whether the/a shift fork is in an intermediate position, in which none of the two possible gears associated with the shift fork is engaged. If the shift fork is in the intermediate position, the rotational speed of the drive motor is controlled to a middle value between the target rotational speeds of the two possible gears if in addition the clutch between the drive motor and the dog-shift transmission is open.