A control apparatus for a vehicle allows execution of an idle-stop control for temporarily stopping an engine, in a case in which a plurality of conditions are satisfied. The plurality of conditions include (i) a first condition is that it is determined upon power ON of the vehicle that the execution of the idle-stop control is allowed in a result of a determination stored upon power OFF of the vehicle last time and (ii) a second condition that it is determined that a smoothed value of an output voltage of a power storage device is at least a predetermined voltage value that guarantees the start of the engine. The smoothed value is obtained by a smoothing processing for smoothing the output voltage during a preparation period from the power ON until elapse of a predetermined time for which an initialization processing of the control apparatus is executed.

A power management system for a vehicle includes a first battery monitoring module configured to monitor a first state of charge (SOC) of a first battery of the vehicle. The first battery has a first nominal voltage. A second battery monitoring module is configured to monitor a second SOC of a second battery of the vehicle. The second battery has a second nominal voltage that is greater than the first nominal voltage. A control module is configured to selectively apply power to a heater of the second battery based on an estimated value of the second SOC of the second battery at a next startup of an engine.

A management device for an energy storage device, includes a processing unit that manages the energy storage device. When the management device for the energy storage device has lost power due to a voltage drop of the energy storage device, the processing unit determines whether cause of the power loss is an external short circuit between external terminals of the energy storage device or an engine start, and the processing unit executes a response operation according to the occurrence of the external short circuit in the case of the external short circuit, and does not execute the response operation in the case of the engine start.

An energy storage system (ESS) for a vehicle propulsion system includes a first battery electrically coupled to a first voltage bus, a second battery electrically coupled to a second voltage bus, and a bidirectional DC/DC power converter electrically coupled to the voltage buses. A starter for cranking an engine is electrically coupled to the first voltage bus. A controller executes computer code stored in memory. The computer code is configured to operate the converter in a boost mode to transfer power from the second voltage bus to the first voltage bus, in response to the controller determining that: a power capability of the first battery is below a power demand on the first voltage bus; a state of charge of the first battery is below a state of charge threshold; or a temperature of the first battery is below a temperature threshold.

A system for discharging or charging a capacitor of a hybrid vehicle according to the present disclosure includes a target state of charge (SOC) module and a capacitor charge/discharge module. The target SOC module determines a target state of charge of the capacitor based on a speed of the vehicle. The capacitor charge/discharge module determines whether a state of charge of a capacitor is greater than a target state of charge. The capacitor charge/discharge module dissipates power from the capacitor to at least one of a battery of the vehicle and an electrical load of the vehicle when the state of charge of the capacitor is greater than the target state of charge.

Described herein are system for evaluating operation of a battery by utilizing battery operating data for the battery and utilizing battery operating data for a plurality of other batteries. A system for evaluating operation of a first battery based on measured temperature and voltage monitored in the first battery and in a plurality of other batteries, the system comprising: a battery monitor circuit and a remote device in communicative connection with the battery monitor circuit, wherein the battery monitor circuit wirelessly transmits temperature and voltage information for the first battery to the remote device, wherein the remote device receives temperature and voltage information associated with a plurality of other batteries, and the remote device is configured to evaluate a condition of the first battery as a function of both: (i) the temperature and voltage information of the first battery and (ii) the temperature and voltage information of the plurality of other batteries.

A method for controlling a start of a mild hybrid vehicle that includes an engine, a starter-generator starting the engine or generating electricity by an output of the engine, a starter starting the engine, and a battery supplying electric power to the starter-generator may include: determining, by a controller configured for controlling an operation of the vehicle, whether a start of the vehicle is requested; checking, by the controller, current limit data of the battery when the start of the vehicle is requested; checking, by the controller, start torque current data of the starter-generator according to state data of the vehicle; comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data; and starting, by the controller, the engine using the starter-generator or the starter according to a result of the comparing, by the controller, the current limit data with the start torque current data.

A method for operating a vehicle that includes a DC/DC converter is described. In one example, the method includes adjusting an output voltage of the DC/DC converter after the DC/DC converter is used to crank an engine. The output voltage of the DC/DC converter may be adjusted responsive to a state of charge of an ultra-capacitor.

Energy storage device, in particular for the starter of an internal combustion engine, includes at least one energy storage element, a data generating unit for acquiring operating parameters of the energy storage device and generating corresponding data, at least one separating device for reversibly separating an electrically conductive connection between the energy storage element and a power source and/or an electrically conductive connection between the energy storage element and a power receiver, and a data transmitting unit for transmitting data between the data generating unit and a data input/output device and between the data input/output device and the separating device, where the separating device is actuated depending on data which is transmitted from the data generating unit and/or the data transmitting unit to the separating device.

A vehicle control apparatus includes a condition determining unit, a mode switching controller, and a notification controller. The condition determining unit is configured to determine whether enabling conditions set to enable a switching control to an engine stop mode are satisfied. The engine stop mode stops an engine of a vehicle in a driving state. The mode switching controller is configured to perform the switching control to the engine stop mode in response to that the condition determining unit determines that the enabling conditions are satisfied. The notification controller is configured to compare a measured time value and a threshold both related to the enabling condition which the condition determining unit determines as not being satisfied. The notification controller is configured to perform, in response to that the measured time value exceeds the threshold, a control of making notification that the switching control is in a disabled state.