When acceleration control is interrupted due to a lane change or the like, the engine speed is controlled from a high rotation speed to a low rotation speed, a variation in engine speed increases, and poor driver's driving performance is brought about. Furthermore, suppression of acceleration when there is a lane change possibility may rather cause the lane change and the driver feels discomfort.

The vehicle control unit according to the present invention includes a target engine speed calculation unit which corrects a target engine speed to be reduced relative to a predetermined target engine speed when the acceleration/deceleration possibility determination unit determines that there is a deceleration possibility during acceleration to a target vehicle speed in automatic acceleration/deceleration control, and an engine control unit which controls an engine to have a target engine speed corrected by the target engine speed calculation unit.

Methods and systems are provided for boosted engine systems. In one example, a system may include a pressurized air induction system with two pathways, the first for delivering ambient and the second for delivering boosted air to the engine. The pressurized air induction system is also adapted to store boosted air for faster supply of boost pressure in the event of demand for greater engine torque.

A method for carrying out a gas exchange in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine is provided. The cylinder is connected to a gas line section via a valve. An actuator adjusts a gas pressure in the gas line section. The valve closes at a fixed point in time in a working cycle of the internal combustion engine in case of a constant torque of the internal combustion engine. The method includes the steps of recognizing a torque change request; determining a target value for the gas pressure in the gas line section in dependence on the torque change request; and determining a variable point in time for closing the valve as a result of the torque change request, wherein the variable point in time is shifted in the working cycle relative to the fixed point in time in dependence on the target value of the gas pressure.

The vehicle behavior control device comprises an engine control part operable, when an steering speed is greater than a predetermined threshold, and both of a steering wheel angle of a vehicle and the steering speed are increasing, to reduce an output torque of a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine along with an increase in the steering speed, and when the steering speed is equal to or less than the threshold, to stop the reduction of the output torque, and a threshold setting part operable, when the operation mode of the engine is the all-cylinder operation, to set the threshold to a first threshold T.sub.S1, and, when the operation mode of the engine is the reduced-cylinder operation, to set the threshold to a second threshold T.sub.S2 which is less than the first threshold T.sub.S1.

Method and systems are provided for adjusting an engine torque in response to changes in a desired engine torque. In one example, a method may comprise responsive to increasing desired engine torques, monotonically decreasing an alternator torque to a first level from a second level when not injecting fuel to engine cylinders, and stepping up the alternator torque from the first level to the second level while initiating engine combustion, and then monotonically decreasing the alternator torque from the second level to the first level in response to the alternator torque reaching the first level. In this way, a method may comprise adjusting a load exerted on an engine by an alternator mechanically coupled to said engine during both cylinder combustion, and during non-fueling conditions.

Systems and apparatuses include an engine having a cylinder and a dedicated cylinder, an air intake system providing fresh air to the engine, a fueling system providing fuel to the cylinder and the dedicated cylinder, an exhaust gas recirculation pathway from the dedicated cylinder to the air intake system, and a controller structured to control the fueling system and the air intake system to provide a lean air-to-fuel mixture to the dedicated cylinder during a low-load condition, and to provide a rich air-to-fuel mixture to the dedicated cylinder after a tip-in event.

Systems and methods for reducing noise or vibration generated by an internal combustion engine are described. An engine controller is arranged to operate the working chambers of the engine in a cylinder output level modulation manner A noise/vibration reduction unit actively control of a device that is not a part of the powertrain. The device is controlled in a feed forward manner to alter an NVH characteristic of the vehicle in a desired manner based at least in part on a characteristic of the cylinder output level modulation operation of the engine.

An engine output control device controls engine output at a time of a downshift speed change of a transmission. The engine output control device includes: engine speed detecting means for detecting an actual engine speed NeJ of a crankshaft; and engine output adjusting means capable of adjusting the engine output according to an operation of a rider. The smaller of a requested engine output PA calculated on a basis of the actual engine speed NeJ and a rider requested engine output PB adjusted by the engine output adjusting means is output as the engine output.

Methods and systems are provided for classification of the type and weight of a trailer being towed by a vehicle. The classification is based on a comparison between a real-time road gradient as determined by the vehicle system and an expected road gradient as determined from an off-board or an onboard map. Vehicle operations may be adjusted based on the classification of the attached trailer.

Methods and systems are provided for controlling an engine speed in a hybrid vehicle system during steady-state conditions and in response to transient acceleration and/or deceleration requests. In one example, an engine speed is controlled to an optimal engine speed for fuel economy during steady-state conditions, and in response to an acceleration or deceleration request, a target engine speed is obtained from a rate-limited optimal engine speed to vehicle speed ratio, and the engine is controlled to the target engine speed provided the target speed is below a threshold difference from optimal engine speed. In this way, the vehicle system may simulate a fixed ratio transmission during accelerations and decelerations, while maintaining optimal engine speed for fuel economy at steady state.