An engine ignition system for a spark-ignited engine includes a sparkplug and a control system having primary ignition circuitry, secondary ignition circuitry coupled with electrodes of the sparkplug, and sensing circuitry. A control device determines a timing of spark production based on a pattern of varying of an electrical property in the primary ignition circuitry. An inflection point in a sensed current signal may be detected to determine the timing.

System for driving motors for operating switching units, in particular for an electrical supply substation, comprising control units for controlling the motors, wherein the control unit comprises, to have only one of the motors in operation at a time, a device for managing the priority of operation of the motors which is provided with a first line, referred to as the parallel line, carrying a binary datum comprising a first state representative of the stopping of all of the motors and a second state representative of the operation of any one of the motors, to which the units are connected in parallel, the parallel line being connected to a device for preventing/allowing the starting of the motor of each of the units and a second line, referred to as the series line, to which the units are connected in series in an upstream/downstream chain, the series line constituting a means for preventing the operation of the motors downstream of the any one of the motors on detection of a signal for starting the any one of said motors, to which the units are connected in series, the series line being connected to a device for preventing the operation of the motor of each of the units.

A fashionable bracelet operates as a remote car key fob and a clock. The bracelet provides multiple buttons allowing a user to operate the bracelet to control access to the vehicle coupled to the bracelet. The bracelet receives voice commands to operate the vehicle. Moreover, the bracelet incorporates a GPS subsystem for auto-piloting the vehicle to the location of the user. The bracelet further incorporates multiple LEDs to provide operational feedback to the user. The clock can be turned on and off using one of the buttons. The wireless key fob functions and the clock are controlled by a microcontroller disposed within the bracelet. The bracelet includes a battery to provide power to various components of the bracelet. The battery is operatively coupled to a solar panel. The bracelet is conveniently and securely attached to the wrist of the user.

A starter controller incorporated in a starter control system for controlling actuation of a first starter and a second starter to start an engine. The second starter is an alternating-current (AC) starter. The starter control system actuates the first starter in response to an engine start-up request, deactivates the first starter before completion of engine start-up, and activates the second starter while the second starter is being rotated by rotation of an engine rotary shaft. In the starter controller, a determination unit is configured to, under a condition where the engine rotary shaft is rotating after deactivation of the first starter, determine whether or not recognition of rotation of the second starter is complete. A fail-safe unit is configured to, if the recognition of rotation of the second starter is complete, perform predefined fail-safe processing responding to an abnormality in the second starter.

A method for controlling a mild hybrid vehicle may include receiving, by a controller, navigation information; determining, by the controller, whether a road on which the mild hybrid vehicle travels is in a dangerous area based on the navigation information; and releasing, by the controller, an idle stop and go state in which fuel supply to an engine of the mild hybrid vehicle is interrupted and the engine is stopped when the mild hybrid vehicle is stopped when it is determined that the road on which the mild hybrid vehicle travels is in the dangerous area.

A battery pack for use in providing starting power for a starter motor of an internal combustion engine and to supply power to one or more auxiliary loads. The battery pack includes an outer housing that encloses a plurality of battery cells. The battery pack further includes a control module. The control module includes a processing circuit configured to control one or more functions associated with the internal combustion engine and an interface circuit configured to interface with the internal combustion engine.

Implementations provide techniques for remote starter adapter for use with a communication device. In one implementation, a system comprising a memory and an adapter coupled, operatively coupled to the memory, having an interface to connect to a remote starter. The adapter is to receive, via a wireless connection, a probe request from a communication device, the probe request comprising a command data structure. It is determined whether to change a status of an indicator based on the command data structure. Responsive to changing the statue of the indicator, a signal associated with the adapter is generated. Thereupon, the signal is transmitted, via the interface, to an input circuit to activate the remote starter.

An idling stop control apparatus of an embodiment includes: an idling stop condition satisfaction determination section that determines whether an idling stop condition, which is a predetermined condition for stopping idling of an engine of a vehicle, is satisfied; an idling stop prohibition determination section that determines that, if the idling stop condition is satisfied, an idling stop prohibition condition is satisfied due to occurrence of one or more specific idling stop prohibition factors due to which idling stop is prohibited from being performed; and a number of times of prohibition counter that counts a number of times of prohibition, which is a number of times that the idling stop prohibition determination section has determined that the idling stop prohibition condition has been satisfied.

An automotive vehicle includes road wheels and a power source configured to provide drive torque to the road wheels. The power source includes an internal combustion engine having an associated fuel level. The vehicle additionally includes an alternator coupled to the internal combustion engine and configured to generate power when the internal combustion engine is in a running state. The vehicle also includes an electric power receptacle electrically coupled to the alternator. The receptacle is configured to selectively electrically couple to an external device. The vehicle further includes a controller. The controller is configured to, in response to the internal combustion engine being in the running state, the receptacle being electrically coupled to an external device, and the fuel level falling below a calibrated threshold, stop the internal combustion engine.

A remote startup system includes a first terminal and a second terminal, a center server configured to communicate with each of the first terminal and the second terminal and receive a startup request from each of the first terminal and the second terminal, and a vehicle on which a driving device is mounted, the vehicle being configured to communicate with the center server, receive a startup request from the center server, and start up the driving device. The remote startup system is configured to prohibit startup of the driving device based on a startup request from the second terminal when the driving device is started up and being operated based on the startup request from the first terminal or when the driving device is likely to be started up based on the startup request from the first terminal.