A control system for a vehicle includes a first vehicle system including a plurality of components and a controller. The controller monitors diagnostic data for the plurality of components of the first vehicle system and outputs a two-state status indicator for each of the components of the first vehicle system. States of the two-state status indicator include a failing state and a not failing state. A control module is configured to receive the two-state status indicator and the diagnostic data from the first vehicle system and to convert the two-state status indicator into a three-state status indicator. The three-state status indicator includes a pass state, a fail state and an indeterminate state. The control module is further configured to alter an engine operating parameter based on the three-state status indicator.

A vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a DC power source and a controller are described. The internal combustion engine includes an engine starting system and an electrical charging system. A method for monitoring the DC power source includes determining a State of Charge (SOC) for the DC power source. Upon detecting that the SOC is less than a threshold SOC, routines are executed in the controller to evaluate a plurality of potential root causes associated with the low SOC. At least one of the potential root causes associated with the low SOC may be identified as a candidate root cause, and a fault probability for each of the candidate root causes is determined. One of the candidate root causes is determined to be a final root cause based upon the fault probabilities associated with the candidate root causes.

An electronic device for the ignition system of an engine, which may incorporate circuitry for voltage amplification via transformer action, while also containing circuitry for sensing operational parameters, circuitry for calculation of derived values from the sensed data or operational parameters, circuitry for storage of the data and derived values, circuitry for engine system control, and circuitry for the wireless communication of data and derived values.

In an engine control device, an automatic engine stop control section automatically stops an engine operating when an automatic engine stop condition is satisfied. An engine start control section supplies electric power to a starter to drive the starter when receiving an initial engine start intention signal transmitted from a push starter and when an automatic engine start condition has been satisfied. An engine start completion detection section detects whether the engine start of the engine has finished. An automatic engine stop permission section permits the automatic engine stop control section to stop the engine operating when the automatic engine stop permission section detects that the engine start has finished at a timing when the engine start control section has started the engine after receiving an initial engine start intention detection signal transmitted from the push starter.

A secondary controller for controlling the performance of an automobile is described. The secondary controller can be configured to temporarily reprogram one or more vehicle controllers, such as the engine control unit, after the automobile has been powered on. The secondary controller can substitute command sets with different command sets by rewriting the corresponding portion of RAM. The secondary controller can receive vehicle information from the engine control unit to determine the particular type of vehicle to locate the particular command in RAM in order to rewrite the command set. In one embodiment, the secondary controller communicates with the vehicle controller via the vehicle's diagnostic port, such as an OBD-II port. In another embodiment, the secondary controller can be configured to control a variable displacement engine in a vehicle to command the vehicle to operate using all available cylinders.

A crank permission system includes first and second permission modules and a crank module. The first permission module selectively generates a first permission signal, based on a first gear range engaged within a transmission, when an ignition system transitions to crank. The second permission module selectively generates a second permission signal, based on (i) the first gear range stored when the ignition system last transitioned to off and (ii) a second gear range of the transmission requested by a driver using a transmission range selector, when the ignition system transitions to crank. The crank module begins cranking an engine via a starter, in response to the generation of at least one of the first and second permission signals, when the ignition system of the vehicle transitions to crank.

A method for controlling a vehicle power train that includes a heat engine connected to the transmission of the vehicle by a clutch controlled between an open position and a closed position of the transmission by a computer of the transmission exchanging information with a computer of the heat engine. The method includes sending, in order to shut down the engine before the clutch is opened when the vehicle is in motion, the kinematic chain being closed and the injection interrupted, a message from the computer of the transmission to the computer of the engine at a first moment in time so as to synchronize an opening of the clutch and the closure of an air flap of the engine at a second moment in time subsequent to the first moment.

A control unit disposed on a vehicle for use in a system for monitoring, configuring, programming and/or diagnosing operation on at least one vehicle system. The control unit comprising a user interface and a network interface to support communication between the control unit and at least one remote device, to perform various functions such as remote start, remote schedule start, vehicle health diagnostics, and tracking on the vehicle remotely.

A control system of a vehicle includes a controller configured to be disposed onboard a first vehicle in a vehicle system formed from the first vehicle and at least a second vehicle. The controller is configured to control deactivation of an engine of the first vehicle based on one or more deactivation settings or limits of the first vehicle. The controller is configured to obtain one or more deactivation settings or limits of the at least the second vehicle and to normalize the one or more deactivation settings or limits of the first vehicle based on the one or more deactivation settings or limits of the at least the second vehicle.

The present disclosure provides a drive control method and a drive control device of a hybrid electric vehicle. The method includes: obtaining a current gear position of the vehicle, a current electric charge level of a power battery and a slope of a road on which the vehicle is driving; determining whether the vehicle is within a taxiing start-stop interval according to the current gear position, the current electric charge level, and the slope; if the vehicle is within the taxiing start-stop interval, obtaining a current speed of the vehicle; if the current speed is greater than or equal to a first speed threshold, and less than a second speed threshold, causing the vehicle to enter a small load stop mode; and if the current speed is greater than or equal to the second speed threshold, and less than a third speed threshold, causing the vehicle to enter a small load stall mode.