A method includes calculating whether a quantity of the PMs accumulated in a PF is at or above a risk level at which damage to the PF is caused when reproducing the PF, calculating a driving condition index by accumulating a weighting factor for a driving condition under which there is a likelihood of causing the damage to the PF, when the amount of accumulated PMs is at or above the risk level; calculating a temperature index in accordance with a temperature of the PF and a PM index in accordance with the quantity of the accumulated PMs when the quantity of the accumulated PMs is at or above the risk level; calculating a degradation condition index considering the driving condition index, the temperature of the PF, and the quantity of accumulated PMs; and changing a reproduction periodicity of the PF according to the degradation condition index.

The invention concerns a method (200) for operating a motor vehicle (100) with a combustion engine (110), including the determination (210) of a current operating state of the vehicle (100), the determination (220) of an emission state of the vehicle (100) during the determined operating state, carrying out (230) at least one measure to reduce emissions depending on the emission state and evaluating (240) the at least one measure in connection with the operating state with regard to its success in reducing emissions. Furthermore, a computing unit (130) and a computer program product for carrying out such a method (200) are proposed.

The invention relates to a method (200) for operating an internal combustion engine (110) having at least one catalytic converter (122), wherein control interventions of a lambda control for controlling an exhaust gas composition of the internal combustion engine are deactivated, comprising ascertaining a current exhaust gas composition upstream of the at least one catalytic converter (122), determining a current oxygen fill level of the at least one catalytic converter (122) on the basis of the ascertained current exhaust gas composition, ascertaining (210) a planned control intervention on a composition of an air-fuel mixture supplied to the internal combustion engine (110) on the basis of the determined current oxygen fill level of the at least one catalytic converter, ascertaining a current exhaust gas composition (123) downstream of the at least one catalytic converter (122), ascertaining a future exhaust gas composition (123) downstream of the at least one catalytic converter (122) resulting on the basis of an air-fuel mixture already supplied to the internal combustion engine (110), and reactivating the lambda control and specifying (260) a control intervention to be carried out as a function of the planned control intervention and the current exhaust gas composition (123) downstream of the at least one catalytic converter (122), and/or as a function of the planned control intervention and the future exhaust gas composition. Furthermore, a processing unit (130) and a computer program for carrying out such a method (200) are proposed.

Methods and systems are provided for estimation of a road roughness index (RRI) and adjusting vehicle operation based on the metric. In one example, a method may include estimating the RRI as a function of a pitch energy and a roll energy of the vehicle travelling on the road. In response to the RRI being higher than a threshold, engine operation such as EGR flow rate may be adjusted.

Vehicle sound attenuation systems and methods are provided herein. An example method includes determining a triggering event for a vehicle using an advanced driver assisted technology system, and controlling a sound enhancing system of the vehicle in response to the triggering event. Controlling the sound enhancing system may include attenuating engine or exhaust sound produced by the sound enhancing system of the vehicle.

This invention involves the effect of multiple rules of the road at different elevation profiles on the speed constraints and therefore the overall fuel efficiency. A vehicle designed to optimize fuel consumption that is comprised of the rules of the road that determine maximum speed, minimum speed, stop signs, streetlights, and/or changes in other rules that determine the allowable speeds of the road, a localization mechanism, and an optimization engine to optimize the fuel economy by selecting a speed profile within that maintains the vehicle within the assigned range of speeds and minimizes fuel consumption. A wide variety of methods that typically are used to optimize the fuel efficiency of human drivers operating standard vehicles can also be applied towards autonomous vehicles driving at different speed constraints and with different changes in the elevation.

An engine ignition timing control method includes: acquiring, by an engine control unit (ECU), intake air humidity of an engine using a humidity sensor; calculating, by the ECU, an amount of first ignition timing correction based on the intake air humidity and an EGR rate; calculating, by the ECU, an amount of second ignition timing correction based on an engine operation region; and correcting, by the ECU, ignition timing of the engine using the amount of first ignition timing correction and the amount of second ignition timing correction.

In abnormality determination of determining whether fuel injection has been executed normally, making an erroneous determination is prevented. A fuel injection control device 127 that controls a plurality of fuel injection valves each having a coil for energization includes a drive state detection unit 211 that detects a drive state of a fuel injection valve, from an energization current or an applied voltage of the coil of the fuel injection valve, an injection abnormality detection unit 213 that detects an injection abnormality of the fuel injection valve by comparing a fuel injection instruction with the drive state of the fuel injection valve, and an injection abnormality detection execution determining unit 212 that based on a state of an internal combustion engine, determines whether or not to permit execution of injection abnormality detection by the injection abnormality detection unit 213.

Methods and systems are provided for regenerating a particulate filter positioned in an exhaust system of an engine of a vehicle. In one example, a method comprises obtaining a first air flow in an intake of the engine and obtaining a second air flow in the intake of the engine, where regeneration of the particulate filter is conducted in response to the first air flow differing from the second air flow by at least a threshold amount, where the first air flow and the second air flow comprise air flow routed from the exhaust system to the intake of the engine. In this way, the particulate filter may be regenerated under conditions where a loading state of the particulate filter is not known.

Systems, methods, and computer readable storage media for controlling oxidation of a particulate filter (PF) are disclosed. The oxidation of the PF may be controlled using a PF model. The PF model may be utilized to simulate operations of the PF based on various input data and/or derived data to determine an optimum time for initiating an oxidation event at the PF, and an oxidation event may be initiated at the PF based on the simulating.