A method for an enhanced vehicle monitoring system that utilizes cameras and other sensors to determine the state of the interior and/or exterior of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises detecting that a driver has exited a vehicle. The method further comprises monitoring a state of the vehicle. The method further comprises determining based, at least in part, on the monitoring, if an object has been left in the vehicle unintentionally or if the vehicle has been left running unattended. The method further comprises, upon determining that the object has been left in the vehicle or the vehicle has been left running unattended, sending a notification to the driver.

A method for an enhanced vehicle monitoring system that utilizes cameras and other sensors to determine the state of the interior and/or exterior of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises detecting that a driver has exited a vehicle. The method further comprises monitoring a state of the vehicle. The method further comprises determining based, at least in part, on the monitoring, if an object has been left in the vehicle unintentionally or if the vehicle has been left running unattended. The method further comprises, upon determining that the object has been left in the vehicle or the vehicle has been left running unattended, sending a notification to the driver.

This blow-by gas recirculation device for an internal combustion engine is provided with a vacuum pump which supplies negative pressure to a brake booster and usable for recirculation of blow-by gas to an intake passage. This device includes: a PCV device for recirculating blow-by gas in a crankcase to the intake passage; a ventilation shortage region determination unit which determines whether or not an operational region of the engine is a PCV ventilation flow rate shortage region; and a brake negative pressure determination unit which determines whether or not the negative pressure of the brake booster is secured. The vacuum pump ventilates blow-by gas in the crankcase only when the determination units determines that the operational region is the PCV ventilation flow rate shortage region and that the negative pressure is secured. This reduces a contact risk of blow-by gas with engine oil, and inhibits the degradation of the oil.

A control apparatus of an engine including intake and exhaust valves and a variable valve timing mechanism for varying open and close timings is provided. The apparatus includes a processor configured to execute an increasing amount controlling module for performing a fuel amount increase control in which a fuel injection amount is increased to decrease an exhaust gas temperature, and a valve controlling module for controlling, via the variable valve timing mechanism, an overlapping period in which the intake and exhaust valves are both opened on intake stroke. When the increasing amount controlling module performs the increase control, based on an increase of a temperature of the exhaust gas in the increase control, the valve controlling module determines whether a protection for an exhaust system component is required, and if the protection is determined to be required, the valve controlling module shortens the overlapping period.

A multifunctional electronic gear shift lever for simultaneous manipulation includes a cylindrical lever rotatably inserted into a support which is disposed in a center fascia surface or a console surface of a vehicle and having an entrance opening that penetrates the cylindrical lever in a longitudinal direction. A start button is disposed at a lower side of the entrance opening, connected with a controller via a spring, and moving in a vertical direction. A display is disposed on the center fascia surface or the console surface, and displays a gear shift stage of the vehicle and a state of the vehicle. The gear shift stage is changeable by rotating the cylindrical lever while simultaneously starting an engine of the vehicle by operating the start button.

A vehicle includes a filter disposed in an exhaust passage through which exhaust gas discharged from an internal combustion engine passes, the filter being configured to collect PM that is particulate matter contained in the exhaust gas; a PM removal control device configured to start execution of PM removal control that heats the filter to remove the PM accumulated on the filter while the internal combustion engine is stopped; and a determination device configured to determine whether a user of the vehicle is away from the vehicle. The PM removal control device is configured to start the execution of the PM removal control only when the determination device determines that the user of the vehicle is away from the vehicle.

Systems and methods for operating an engine in a variety of different cylinder operating modes are presented. In one example, an actual total number of available cylinder modes is increased in response to a vehicle's suspension setting and road roughness. By increasing the available cylinder modes, the engine may be operated in a higher number of modes where one or more engine cylinders may be deactivated to conserve fuel. The number of cylinder modes is increased during conditions where vehicle occupants may be less likely to object to operating the engine with fewer active cylinders.

The first engine speed or a work machine is higher than the minimum engine speed, and the second engine speed is higher than the first engine speed and lower than the maximum engine speed. The ratio of the change in the target engine speed to the change in the operation amount of the engine speed instructing device when the operation amount of the engine speed instructing device is changed from the operation amount for instructing the minimum speed to the operation amount for instructing the first engine speed is larger than the ratio of the change in the target engine speed to the change in the operation amount of the engine speed instructing device when the operation amount of the engine speed instructing device is changed from the operation amount for instructing the second engine speed to the operation amount for instructing the maximum speed.

Methods and systems are provided for operating a lift pump of an engine fuel system. In one example, a method may comprise limiting a lift pump voltage to a lower first level when powering on a lift pump from off. The method may further comprise maintaining the lift pump voltage at the lower first level for a duration before increasing the lift pump voltage above the first level.

A secondary controller for controlling the performance of an automobile is described. The secondary controller can be configured to temporarily reprogram one or more vehicle controllers, such as the engine control unit, after the automobile has been powered on. The secondary controller can substitute command sets with different command sets by rewriting the corresponding portion of RAM. The secondary controller can receive vehicle information from the engine control unit to determine the particular type of vehicle to locate the particular command in RAM in order to rewrite the command set. In one embodiment, the secondary controller communicates with the vehicle controller via the vehicle's diagnostic port, such as an OBD-II port. In another embodiment, the secondary controller can be configured to control a variable displacement engine in a vehicle to command the vehicle to operate using all available cylinders.