Systems and methods for operating a vehicle that includes an engine that may be automatically stopped and started are described. In one example, an amount of time to start an engine and a rate of engine acceleration are adjusted in response to what type of event triggered an automatic engine start.

A control device for a multi-stage automatic transmission-equipped vehicle includes a hydraulic power controller, a combustion controller configured to, if a predetermined combustion stop condition is satisfied when the vehicle is traveling, perform deceleration-period combustion stop control, and limit combustion restart triggered by a reduction in rotational speed of an internal combustion engine, during execution of the deceleration-period combustion stop control, and a motoring controller configured to control the rotational drive of the internal combustion engine by a motor during execution of the deceleration-period combustion stop control so that the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is maintained at a predetermined rotational speed during a period of time from the time that the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine decreases to the predetermined rotational speed until downshifting to a predetermined gear ratio is completed.

Methods and systems are provided for extending a duration of engine idle-stop while reducing a frequency of engine restart from idle-stop. In one example, in response to engine restart conditions where combustion torque is not necessary, an engine can be rotated electrically, without fuel delivery, via an electric motor. The unfueled engine spinning via the motor drives an FEAD which in turns drives an actuator coupled to the FEAD, such as an AC compressor or an automatic transmission oil pump.

A method for operating a vehicle that may be automatically stopped and started is described. In one example, the method includes supply electrical current to a starter motor independently from supplying electrical current to a starter solenoid. In addition, the method includes adjusting and amount of electrical current that is delivered to the starter motor in response to a level of urgency of an automatic engine start.

A starter assembly includes a housing defining an interior, a rotatable pinion gear wherein the rotatable pinion gear extends exteriorly of the housing and operably coupling to a combustion engine, a torque sensor providing a torque output indicative of a torque experienced by the pinion gear, and a controller module configured operate a starting sequence for the starter assembly.

A system for controlling a compression ignition engine includes: a speed obtaining section which detects or estimates an engine speed achieved by combustion in an n-th cycle; and an injection amount setting section which sets, in a start period after the start of cranking, a fuel injection amount to be injected by injectors in an (n+1)-th cycle. If the engine speed achieved by the combustion in the n-th cycle falls in the resonance range, the injection amount setting section sets the fuel injection amount for an (n+1)-th cycle to be larger than the fuel injection amount injected when the engine speed is higher than or equal to an upper limit of the resonance range.

Systems and methods for preventing activation of a starter when engine speed is above a threshold engine speed value are disclosed. In examples, an engine driven power system includes an engine and a current transformer to generate an induced current in response to an excitation current from an excitation circuit. As the excitation current is induced in response to rotational movement of the engine, the excitation current and the induced current exhibits characteristics corresponding to engine speed. A control circuit receives a signal from the current transformer representing characteristics representative of engine speed and determines the engine speed, compares the characteristics to a list of values that correlates current characteristics to engine speed, compare a list of threshold engine speed values to the calculated engine speed value, and prevents activation of an engine starter if the control circuitry determines that the engine speed exceeds the threshold engine speed value.

A hybrid electric vehicle control apparatus increases a speed of an engine in view of a speed of a drive motor when starting the engine, and turns on an engine clutch after identifying a self-operation of the engine, based on a disturbance torque, thereby rapidly synchronizing the engine speed and the drive motor speed and preventing waste of fuel, which in turn improves fuel efficiency.

An air turbine starter (ATS) assembly includes a rotatable pinion gear (72) wherein the rotatable pinion gear is coupled to a combustion engine (10), a speed sensor (78) measuring the rotational speed (302) of the rotatable pinion gear (72), a torque sensor (79) providing a torque output (304) indicative of a torque experienced by the pinion gear (72), and a controller module configured to operate a starting sequence for the ATS assembly such that the rotational speed (302) is controllably increased while the torque output (304) is kept below the start sequence torque threshold (310).

Disclosed is a method for managing the starting of a combustion engine of a hybrid drive system including a combustion engine and an electric machine, as well as a drive shaft, the electric machine producing torque to start the combustion engine and drive the drive shaft at least during an initial phase of the start. In a transient starting phase, the combustion engine drives the drive shaft and the electric machine is stopped. The electric machine is regulated, during the initial phase and transient phases, with a first engine speed setpoint. The transient phase begins when the drive shaft reaches the first engine speed setpoint and remains steady. Torque control produced by the electric machine during the transient starting phase being configured so that the electric machine is stopped as soon as the control determines that the torque produced by the electric machine is tending toward zero torque.