An engine start control device is provided with: a starter relay that is provided between a battery and a starter motor; a start abnormality determining means that determines the occurrence of start abnormality of an engine; and a start control means, which turns on the starter relay, and starts supplying power from the battery to the starter motor in the cases where a start instruction signal is inputted from a start switch, and which turns off the starter relay in the cases where the start abnormality determining means determined the occurrence of start abnormality of the engine.

A method for operating a belt-driven starter generator of an internal combustion engine, in which a time interval between an onset of a rotary motion of the belt-driven starter generator and an onset of a rotary motion of the internal combustion engine is determined, the determined time interval is compared to a reference value, and the structural change of a belt of the belt-driven starter generator is inferred therefrom, and a torque of the belt-driven starter generator and/or a torque of a component connected to the belt is restricted as a function of the structural change of the belt.

An engine start abnormality diagnosis apparatus determines a cause of a long cranking abnormality in which, when an engine including cylinders is started, start of the engine is not completed even if a cranking period is equal to or greater than a predetermined time. The engine start abnormality diagnosis apparatus includes a rotation speed detector and an abnormality diagnosis processor. The rotation speed detector detects a rotation speed of a crankshaft of the engine when at least one of the cylinders is in a latter stage of a compression stroke. The abnormality diagnosis processor determines that the cause of the long cranking abnormality is an electric system abnormality when the rotation speed is less than a predetermined threshold, and determines that the cause of the long cranking abnormality is a combustion abnormality when the rotation speed is equal to or greater than the threshold.

Systems and methods for operating a vehicle that includes an engine that may be automatically stopped and started are described. In one example, thresholds for allowing or inhibiting of automatic engine stopping and starting may be adjusted in response to an automatic engine cranking time. Additionally, automatic engine stopping may be inhibited during some conditions.

A vehicular apparatus receiving power from a battery mounted on a vehicle includes a main controller unit, a defect detection unit, and an operation controller unit. The operation controller unit is configured to turn off an operation of a target device among a plurality of devices controlled by the main controller unit in response to an occurrence of a voltage drop in which the voltage from the battery is equal to or lower than a predetermined threshold value. In response to turning off the operation of the target device due to the voltage drop, the operation controller unit is configured to transmit a notification indicating turning off of the operation of the target device to the defect detection unit. Upon receiving the notification, the defect detection unit is configured to cancel a determination of a defect relative to the target device.

A control apparatus controls rotating electrical machine which is applied to a vehicle in which an engine is automatically stopped in the case where predetermined automatic stop conditions are satisfied, and, the engine is automatically restarted in the case where predetermined restarting conditions are satisfied, the rotating electrical machine receiving supply of an exciting current from a transistor-chopper type exciting circuit in which a first pair of facing arms of a bridge circuit is configured with power transistors, and a second pair of arms is configured with diodes, and the rotating electrical machine having a power generation function based on rotational force of the engine. The control apparatus executes first grounding control in which, during automatic stop of the engine, among the first pair of arms, the power transistor connected on an earth side of the rotating electrical machine is put into an ON state.

A method for ascertaining an accuracy of a torque transmitted by a belt-driven starter generator of an internal combustion engine to the internal combustion engine, the method being similar to a learning operation or a calibration of the actual torque of the starter generator with respect to a setpoint torque, includes: in an idling instance of the internal combustion engine, controlling the belt-driven starter generator to transmit a specified test torque to the internal combustion engine and decreasing the torque of the internal combustion engine by the specified test torque; determining and evaluating a speed variable, which is a function of a speed of the internal combustion engine; and deducing the torque accuracy from the evaluated speed variable.

An apparatus for controlling power generation in a vehicle may include an engine, a motor connected to a crankshaft of the engine by a connecting device to generate power, a main battery supplying power to the motor, a controller diagnosing a failure of the main battery and generating a reverse output control command to reversely supply seed power for prefluxing the motor to the main battery when the failure occurs, an auxiliary battery outputting the seed power according to the reverse output control command, and a converter regulating the seed power according to the reverse output control command and supplying the regulated seed power to the motor.

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for vehicle charge control for protection against cold crank failure. An example vehicle includes a battery and a body control module. The body control module is to obtain state of charge information of the battery, obtain temperature information, and estimate a next crank time based on the state of charge information and the temperature information.

Systems and methods for restarting an engine are presented. In one example, an engine may be automatically stopped and started in response to thresholds that may be adjusted as a distance traveled by the vehicle increases. The thresholds may be adjusted responsive to useful life consumed of an engine starter that may participate in automatic engine starting and stopping.