An apparatus is provided for detonation control in spark ignition engines. The apparatus includes an analog neurocomputing hardware device, a knock sensor coupled to a spark ignition engine, an ignition coil for the spark ignition engine, and an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) for the spark ignition engine. The analog neuromorphic hardware device is configured to receive knock signals from the knock sensor, receive ignition coil data from the ignition coil, determine a knock level and ignition quality measure based on the received knock sensor signals and the received ignition coil data, and transmit the knock level and ignition quality measure to the ECU.

An Internet of Things (IoT) gateway integrated into a real-time monitoring system for skid-mounted natural gas compression systems. The IoT gateway enables remote monitoring, troubleshooting, and diagnosing of natural gas compression systems by providing access to cellular and satellite communication networks for communicating operational data to one or more remote servers. The IoT gateway can be configured to select a communication network based on an order of priority and other various criteria. The order of priority and the selection criteria may be updated over the air. The IoT gateway can be further configured to receive and relay software and other updates to one or more components of the natural gas compression system. The IoT gateway is configured to meet various regulatory compliance standards and is explosion proof.

The inhibition device includes a micro-controller configured with a triggering condition including a number of intervals and, for each interval, a corresponding duration and a corresponding threshold. Each interval is a range specifying how much the vehicle's acceleration pedal has changed its position in terms of percentages of a pedal stroke. Each duration specifies the fastest time duration allowable for the acceleration pedal to attain a corresponding interval of pedal position change. The micro-controller converts progress signals of the acceleration pedal to corresponding percentages, obtains a difference DEF between the successive percentages, records a time duration RES between successive progress signals, and calculates DEF/RES=X. When X is greater than or equal to a threshold of a corresponding interval, the micro-controller sends an idle signal to the vehicle's engine control unit or intercepts the progress signals to prevent them from reaching the engine control unit.

Adaptive control of a Free Piston Mover (1, 19), wherein a Control Parameter Set (COPS′) for closed loop control of a Target Control Variable (CV.sub.t) is adapted using a Future-Stroke Controller (20) to respond to Input Demand (21) signals whilst ensuring a sufficient current control margin and compensating for system changes over time. The Control Parameter Set (COPS′) is transmitted to an In-Stroke Controller (23) in advance of the start of a stroke to be controlled, and the In-Stroke Controller (23) transmits a Current Demand (Qt) to a Current Controller (25) of the Free Piston Mover (119).

New and/or alternative approaches to physical plant performance control that can account for the health of the physical plant. A physical plant may be controlled by configurable controller, which may further comprise a low level controller associated with a higher level controller such as an Engine Control Unit (ECU). The ECU uses modeling to calculate an estimated operating value of a first parameter in the physical plant, and also uses a sensor to measure an operating value of the first parameter. The measured and modeled values are compared to determine the state of health (SOH) of the physical plant or a component thereof. The SOH may be stored, transmitted, or used to modify one or more control values used by the low level controller.

A vehicle control system is provided. A classification process classifies vehicles into groups based on information related to vehicles. In order to update relationship defining data for each of the classified groups, an update process inputs, into an update map, states of the vehicles belonging to a same group, values of action variables used to operate the electronic devices of the vehicles belonging to the same group, and rewards corresponding to the operation of the electronic devices.

Systems for efficiently starting an engine of a hybrid electric vehicle are provided. An example of a system comprises a first processor and a second processor. The second processor is configured to determine when to start an internal combustion engine, cause energy to be supplied from an energy storage device to a generator/motor to cause the generator/motor and crankshaft to rotate to at least a hold speed, transmit a first instruction to a first processor when determining that the internal combination engine should be started. The first processor does not supply fuel to at least one cylinder of the internal combustion engine in response to the first instruction. The second processor is configured to transmit a second instruction to the first processor after a variable period of time has elapse after the generator/motor or crankshaft has reached at least the hold speed.

A model calculating unit for calculating a neural layer of a multilayer perceptron model having a hardwired processor core developed in hardware for calculating a definitely specified computing algorithm in coupled functional blocks. The processor core is designed to calculate, as a function of one or multiple input variables of an input variable vector, of a weighting matrix having weighting factors and an offset value specified for each neuron, an output variable for each neuron for a neural layer of a multilayer perceptron model having a number of neurons, a sum of the values of the input variables weighted by the weighting factor, determined by the neuron and the input variable, and the offset value specified for the neuron being calculated for each neuron and the result being transformed using an activation function in order to obtain the output variable for the neuron.

A method and apparatus to determine values for at least one fuel use characteristic variable which represents a first fuel use process in a first vehicle, are provided. In addition, values are determined for at least one parameter which represents at least one peripheral condition of the fuel use in the first vehicle during the first fuel supply process. A mathematical relationship is determined between one or more supplied values of the at least one fuel use characteristic variable and the corresponding values of the at least one parameter. A profile data record including a data record and/or learning data is supplied on the basis of at least one determined mathematical relationship. At least one further fuel parameter of a fuel which is used by the first vehicle and/or by a second vehicle during a second fuel use process is adapted as a function of the supplied profile data record.

The present disclosure provides a control device having versatility and extensibility of a load driving circuit. A control device includes a processor and an IC, in which the IC includes: a communication circuit that transmits a control signal from the processor; a first drive circuit that drives a first load; a second drive circuit that drives a second load and is provided outside the IC separately from the first drive circuit; and a third drive circuit that controls the second drive circuit, the processor transmits channel information corresponding to the number of switches of the second drive circuit to the IC, and the communication circuit changes the number of channels of the third drive circuit on the basis of the channel information.