A method for controlling a vehicle propulsion system. More particularly, the method estimates a future, upcoming driving condition and controls the vehicle propulsion system to operate the prime mover in a specific operation mode based on a determined regeneration level of a particle filter for the estimated future, upcoming driving condition.

Systems and apparatuses include an aftertreatment system including a catalyst, and a controller coupled to the aftertreatment system. During a warmup period for an engine coupled to the catalyst, the controller is configured to determine a value of a catalyst heating metric indicative of an amount of emissions produced per unit of exhaust energy based on information received from the engine and the aftertreatment system, and control at least one of a turbocharger, a fuel injection system, or an Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system to reach a target value of the catalyst heating metric.

A heater is provided that includes at least one resistive heating element having a material with a non-monotonic resistivity vs. temperature profile and exhibiting a negative dR/dT characteristic over a predetermined operating temperature range along the profile. The heater can include a plurality of circuits disposed in a fluid path to heat fluid flow.

System and methods are described for optimizing exhaust flow rate and temperature during specified operational periods warm-up and keep-warm conditions, by minimizing or maximizing heat flux during those specified operational periods.

A control device comprises an estimated temperature calculation part calculating an estimated temperature of a conductive base based on an engine operating state, an electrical heating permission judgment part judging if to permit warmup of a catalyst device by electrical heating, and a catalyst warmup control part warming up the catalyst device by electrical heating when electrical heating is permitted and warming up the catalyst device by heat of exhaust discharged from the internal combustion engine when electrical heating is prohibited. The electrical heating permission judgment part prohibits warmup of the catalyst device by electrical heating when it is predicted that the actual temperature of the conductive base has diverged from the estimated temperature, when the estimated temperature is low in reliability, or when it is not possible to calculate the estimated temperature.

A system and an approach for determining various flows in an internal combustion engine, such as an amount of recirculation exhaust gas flow through a controlled valve and a fresh air mass flow to an intake of an engine. Also, among the sensors accommodated in the system, is an inexpensive but slow-responding lambda sensor in the exhaust stream.

Methods and systems are provided for reducing emissions and improving fuel economy for vehicles participating in car-sharing models. In one example, a method comprises while a vehicle is stationary with an engine deactivated, actively raising a temperature of an exhaust catalyst positioned in an exhaust system of the engine to maintain the temperature of the exhaust catalyst above a threshold temperature until a subsequent request for engine torque to propel the vehicle is requested. In this way, cold-starts of engines for vehicles participating in car-sharing models may occur less frequently, and accordingly release of undesired emissions to the environment may be reduced.

An apparatus includes circuitry configured to calculate a temperature of exhaust flowing into an exhaust after-treatment system as a first exhaust temperature, calculate a temperature of exhaust flowing out from the exhaust after-treatment system as a second exhaust temperature, calculate a rate of change over time of the first exhaust temperature and a rate of change over time of the second exhaust temperature, and judge if the exhaust after-treatment system is in a removed state removed from the exhaust passage based on a difference between the rate of change over time of the first exhaust temperature and the rate of change over time of the second exhaust temperature.

Methods and systems are provided for protecting an exhaust catalyst from degradation during a DFSO event. Exit from DFSO due to pedal input received from an operator with a jittery foot is averted by filtering the pedal input differently when operating in a DFSO mode as compared to when operating out of the DFSO mode. Exit from DFSO is confirmed after receiving a higher than threshold pedal position input for a sustained period of time, or when an integrated fuel injection amount exceeds a threshold amount.

A hybrid electric vehicle and a catalyst heating control method are configured to select a point in time at which catalyst heating control is performed and to perform a follow-up measure based on the selected point in time. The catalyst heating control method includes performing mode switching from a first mode in which only a drive motor is used as a driving source to a second mode in which an engine is driven in a state in which a drive shaft and the engine are disconnected from each other to start heating of a catalyst of the engine. When demand torque higher than a maximum output of the drive motor occurs before the catalyst heating is completed, the second mode is maintained until the demand torque is greater than the sum of the maximum output and a predetermined margin.