Systems and methods for improving operation of an engine are presented. In one example, a position of a throttle is adjusted along with other actuators to improve engine starting.

A vehicle drive includes a gear set, a first motor/generator coupled to the gear set, a second motor/generator at least selectively rotationally engaged with the gear set, and an engine at least selectively coupled to the gear set and at least selectively coupled to the second motor/generator. The second motor/generator is electrically coupled to the first motor/generator by an electrical power transmission system. The first motor/generator and the second motor/generator are electrically coupled without an energy storage device configured to at least one of (a) provide electrical energy to the first motor/generator or the second motor/generator to power the first motor/generator or the second motor/generator and (b) be charged by electrical energy from the first motor/generator or the second motor/generator.

Methods and systems are provided for managing torque arbitration for a hybrid powertrain. In one example, a method may include operating the hybrid powertrain over a predetermined route with a torque arbitration, and updating the torque arbitration based on a vehicle mass.

A method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle are disclosed. The method comprises acquiring an acceleration of a front wheel and a rear wheel, determining that the front wheel is passing a bump of a road in response to determining that the acceleration of the front wheel is outside an acceleration range and fluctuates in the range wider than the acceleration range within a first maximum time period, determining that the rear wheel is passing the bump in response to determining that the acceleration of the rear wheel is outside the acceleration range and fluctuates in the range wider than the acceleration range within a second maximum time period, and in response to determining that the front wheel has passed the bump and the rear wheel is passing the bump, controlling a drive unit of the vehicle.

A hybrid driving apparatus is provided which enables a driver to sufficiently enjoy a driving feeling of a vehicle driven by an internal combustion engine. A hybrid driving apparatus includes an internal combustion engine that drive main driving wheels, a motive power transmission mechanism transmitting a driving force to the main driving wheels, a main driving electric motor driving the main driving wheels, an accumulator, sub-driving electric motors transmitting motive power to sub-driving wheels of the vehicle, and a control apparatus executing an electric motor traveling mode and an internal combustion engine traveling mode. The control apparatus causes the internal combustion engine to generate the driving force, the internal combustion engine is a flywheel-less engine, and the control apparatus causes the main driving electric motor to generate a torque for maintaining idling of the internal combustion engine in the internal combustion engine traveling mode.

A vehicle is operable in three modes of operation. The vehicle includes a first electromagnetic device, a second electromagnetic device electrically coupled to the first electromagnetic device, and an engine coupled to the first electromagnetic device and configured to drive the first electromagnetic device to provide electrical energy. In each of the three modes of operation, whenever the engine drives the first electromagnetic device to provide the electrical energy, the first electromagnetic device operates without providing the electrical energy to an energy storage device.

The present disclosure provides a method and a device for controlling a motion of a vehicle, and a vehicle. A power system of the vehicle includes an engine, a first motor and a second motor, the method includes: receiving a cruise speed, a speed fluctuation quantity and a preset traveling mileage of the vehicle, and obtaining an upper speed bound and a lower speed bound of the vehicle based on the cruise speed and the speed fluctuation quantity; adjusting a current speed of the vehicle to the lower speed bound, and controlling the vehicle to enter a first cruise phase of a two-phase cruise mode; and controlling the vehicle to enter a second cruise phase of the two-phase cruise mode when the current speed of the vehicle is greater than or equal to the upper speed bound and a current traveling mileage is less than the preset traveling mileage.

Systems and methods for improving operation of a stop/start vehicle are presented. In one example, an engine throttle position is adjusted in response to whether or not a starter engages a flywheel during engine stopping. The throttle may be adjusted to a more open position if the starter engages the flywheel or to a more closed position if the starter does not engage the flywheel.

A multimode clutch may be adapted for selectively connecting and disconnecting front and/or rear axles from respective internal combustion engine and electric motor powertrains connected to such front and rear driving axles in a through-the-road hybrid vehicle. For example, the engine may be part of a front axle driven powertrain connected to the front wheels, while the motor may be part of a separate rear axle driven powertrain connected to the rear wheels, or vice versa. By selective disconnection of an axle not being actively driven, a real time reduction in parasitic losses may be achieved, leading to higher overall operating efficiencies. The multimode clutch offers greater flexibility over the use of standard friction clutches; each multimode clutch may provide four distinct operational modes for accommodating a wide diversity of driving conditions. For example, bi-rotational freewheeling of the rear axle may occur whenever the motor is not in use.

A control device includes an acquisition unit configured to acquire a position at which one or more occupants of a vehicle are seated, and a controller configured to determine necessity of reduction of noise of a drive source of the vehicle based on a distance between the position and the drive source of the vehicle, and reduce the noise by controlling the drive source according to a determination result of the necessity of the reduction of the noise.