Methods and systems are provided for a NO.sub.x sensor. In one example, a method includes heating a NO.sub.x sensor during a vehicle off in response to a cumulative heat energy applied to the NO.sub.x.

A vehicle control apparatus for a vehicle includes a catalyst deterioration diagnosing unit, an engine controlling unit, and a diagnosis start determining unit. The catalyst deterioration diagnosing unit executes a deterioration diagnosis of a catalyst included in an exhaust system of an engine provided in the vehicle. The engine controlling unit controls an air-fuel ratio of the engine to a lean side and thereafter to a rich side during the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst. The diagnosis start determining unit prohibits the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst from being executed when a deceleration rate upon deceleration of the vehicle is high, and permits the deterioration diagnosis of the catalyst to be executed when the deceleration rate upon deceleration of the vehicle is low.

Approaches for predicting parameters contributing to engine emissions are described. In an example, the values of control parameters may be obtained from the vehicle sensors. Based on the obtained values of the control parameters, estimated emission value may be determined pertaining to a correlation criterion reflecting a predetermined relationship between the obtained control parameter and engine emission. Further, the contribution index of each of the individual control parameters may be identified. Further, based on the estimated emission value and the contribution index, aggregated emission value corresponding to the exhausted emission from the engine for particular trip may be calculated.

A method of providing a heating cycle for an after-treatment system is described. The method comprises initiating a pre-charge cycle of a DCDC converter and determining a temperature of the after-treatment system. In response to determining the temperature of the after-treatment system is below a threshold temperature and the pre-charge is complete, the method further comprises operating a solid-state switch to electrically connect a high voltage power source to a heating element to of the after-treatment system, and heating the after-treatment system with the heating element until the after-treatment system reaches the threshold temperature.

A catalyst deterioration diagnosis method is a method for a system. The system includes a stepped transmission or a continuously variable transmission connected to an internal combustion engine, a catalyst into which an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is introduced, and a gas sensor having sensitivity to ammonia that outputs a detection value corresponding to a component of an exhaust gas that has passed through the catalyst. The catalyst deterioration diagnosis method includes the following steps. Monitoring of temporary increase of a detection value of the gas sensor is started, and thereby a temporarily increased amount of the detection value of the gas sensor is acquired. The monitoring is started when upshifting of the stepped transmission or pseudo-upshifting of the continuously variable transmission is performed. Whether or not the temporarily increased amount is larger than a threshold amount is determined.

The invention concerns a method for controlling regeneration of an exhaust gas aftertreatment system (7, 8) of an internal combustion engine (4) arranged on a vehicle (1), wherein the vehicle (1) is provided with a control system configured to control the regeneration in at least a first regeneration strategy mode comprising a first set of predetermined actions to be taken for controlling initialization and performance of regeneration processes. The method comprises the steps of: (100)—adapting the control system so as to be configured to alternatively control the regeneration in a second regeneration strategy mode, wherein the second regeneration strategy mode comprises a second set of predetermined actions to be taken for controlling initialization and performance of regeneration processes, and wherein the first and second regeneration strategy modes differ from each other in that the first and second set of predetermined regeneration control actions differ from each other; (200)—collecting, during operation of said vehicle (1) or of another vehicle, data on an exhaust gas regeneration capability of said vehicle (1) or the other vehicle as a function of time; and (300)—evaluating, based on the collected data and the difference between the first and second regeneration strategy modes, whether the first or the second regeneration strategy mode is the most suitable for said vehicle (1) if operating under conditions corresponding to the operational conditions for the vehicle for which data were collected. The invention also concerns a vehicle arranged to be the subject of such a method and to a computer program product, a computer readable medium and a control system related to performance of the steps of the above method.

A vehicle control device includes a controller configured to execute: receiving a remote signal containing a target temperature in a cabin and an expected traveling start time of a vehicle from a remote controller used by a user of the vehicle; calculating a catalyst warming period which is an estimated period required to warm, to an active temperature, an electrically heated catalyst; calculating a pre-air conditioning period which is an estimated period required to adjust a temperature in the cabin to the target temperature; and starting pre-air conditioning of the cabin by starting an internal combustion engine after completion of warming of the electrically heated catalyst when a sum of the catalyst warming period and the pre-air conditioning period is equal to or shorter than a starting time margin from a time of reception of the remote signal to the expected traveling start time.

A vehicle includes a battery and a CO.sub.2 recovery device using electric power of the battery to recover CO.sub.2 contained in inflowing gas. A control device mounted in the vehicle controls the CO.sub.2 recovery device. The control device permits operation of the CO.sub.2 recovery device in the case where a high efficiency recovery condition, at which it is predicted that the efficiency of recovery of CO.sub.2, showing a ratio of the amount of recovery of CO.sub.2 in the CO.sub.2 recovery device with respect to the electric power consumed by the battery, will become equal to or greater than a preset predetermined efficiency, is satisfied, and prohibits operation of the CO.sub.2 recovery device in the case where the high efficiency recovery condition is not satisfied.

A work vehicle includes an exhaust gas treatment device including a DPF (diesel particulate filter); a DPF condition determiner configured to determine a DPF condition as a condition of the DPF based on a detection signal from a sensor; a monitor configured to display the DPF condition and having a DPF condition display area that includes a plurality of text segments to display respective predetermined text items different from each other; and a text display controller configured to light up two or more of the plurality of text segments in accordance with the DPF condition determined by the DPF condition determiner.

A CPU prompts a user to drive a vehicle to a repair shop by operating a display when an amount of PM deposited in a GPF increases. When a regeneration request for the GPF is input from a shop-side terminal in the repair shop, the CPU performs a regeneration process in a state in which the vehicle stops. The CPU controls a temperature of the GPF such that the temperature at the time of execution of the regeneration process becomes lower when an opening/closing member is in a closed state than when the opening/closing member is in an open state.