Disclosed is a method for controlling the powertrain of a motor vehicle between the current location of the vehicle and an arrival point, including calculating a theoretical optimal traction force, determining a friction force applied to the vehicle, calculating an actual optimal force to be applied to the wheels as far as the arrival point, and applying a traction force to the wheels of the vehicle when the calculated actual optimal force is strictly greater than a predetermined threshold value or else not applying a force to the wheels of the vehicle when the calculated actual optimal force is greater than or equal to zero and less than or equal to the predetermined threshold value, or else applying a braking force to the wheels of the vehicle when the calculated actual optimal force is strictly less than zero.

A method for analyzing the distribution of energy expenditures of a motor vehicle from data from a communications network and from parameters of the vehicle includes steps in which the energy expenditures of the vehicle over a journey are calculated, the said energy expenditures are analyzed by comparing them with at least one model of the vehicle simulating the same journey, an energy balance report is formulated on the basis of the analysis of the energy expenditures and of the fuel consumption and the said energy balance report is communicated to an external server.

A system for controlling an internal combustion engine start threshold in a parallel hybrid-electric vehicle. A predetermined conditions tracking module determines whether or not conditions of a plurality of predetermined conditions exist. Responsive to a determination that the conditions exist, a required power estimation module estimates a next acceleration required by the vehicle and a final power requirement for the next acceleration. A propulsion system control module determines if the estimated final power requirement is between a first amount of electric motor power available at a predetermined base engine start threshold and a second amount of electric motor power available at a predetermined elevated engine start threshold. If the estimated final power requirement is between the first and second amounts of power, operation of the vehicle is controlled so as to ensure that the engine start threshold is at the predetermined elevated threshold.

A moving machine control program causes a computer to execute: acquiring requested external force regarding an actuator; reading out a reference kinetic model that defines moving machine behavior exhibited when the actuator generates external force corresponding to the requested external force; calculating, as requested moving machine behavior, the moving machine behavior exhibited when the actuator generates the external force corresponding to the requested external force, in accordance with the reference kinetic model; measuring actual moving machine behavior during traveling of the moving machine; correcting the requested external force such that the actual moving machine behavior measured in the measuring step approaches the requested moving machine behavior calculated in the calculating step; and controlling the actuator based on the corrected requested external force.

Methods and systems are provided for a vehicle system. In one example, a method may include ascertaining a functional relationship between the driving resistance and the velocity v.sub.veh of a motor vehicle comprising an electrical machine as a torque source for the drive and a storage device for electrical energy.

A method of operating a vehicle, comprising: receiving ambient air information; receiving size, distance and relative velocity information about a vehicle in proximity to the vehicle; receiving road surface properties information; receiving wind velocity and direction information; computing an air density ratio factor using the ambient air information; computing an aerodynamic drag ratio factor using the size, distance and relative velocity information; computing a rolling resistance ratio factor using the information road surface properties information; computing effective velocity of the vehicle using the wind velocity and direction information; combining at least one of the air density ratio factor, the aerodynamic drag ratio factor and the rolling resistance ratio factor with vehicle loss coefficients to determining new vehicle loss coefficients; computing an energy loss or power loss of the vehicle using the new vehicle loss coefficients and the effective velocity of the vehicle; and controlling the vehicle to improve fuel economy.

A method for operating a motor vehicle including a drive mechanism having at least a first drive unit and at least a second drive unit is provided. The method includes providing a drive torque directed at the driving of the motor vehicle in a first setting of the drive mechanism only by means of the second drive unit and in a second setting by means of both drive units, wherein upon exceeding a start-up threshold value by a demanded preset power there is a switching from the first setting to the second setting, and upon falling below a shut-off threshold value by the demanded preset power there is a switching from the second setting to the first setting. It is provided that the start-up threshold value and/or the shut-off threshold value is determined in dependence on a driving resistance of the motor vehicle and/or a vehicle weight of the motor vehicle. A motor vehicle employing the method is also provided.

The invention relates to a method for assisting a driver of a vehicle (1) having an electric drive, in which a list of predefined influencing variables for the consumption of electrical energy by the vehicle (1) is drawn up and output by an output device (14), with the influencing variables relating to factors which can be influenced by the driver of the vehicle (1), the method comprising the following steps: a) calling up characteristic maps which specify a relationship between energy consumption and the various influencing variables, b) determining possible optimizations of the energy consumption by modifying a particular influencing variable, c) computing possible energy savings on implementation of the possible optimizations of the particular influencing variable using the characteristic maps retrieved, d) sorting the influencing variables in the list.

The present invention relates to a method and device for estimating the road surface friction coefficient of a tire, which estimate the road surface friction coefficient of a tire mounted on a wheel of a vehicle in a state in which the vehicle is normally running at high speed. The method includes: acquiring the state information of a vehicle including at least one of engine state information, transmission state information, and chassis state information from sensors mounted on the vehicle and specifications set for the vehicle; estimating a longitudinal slip ratio, normal force, and longitudinal force for a tire mounted on each wheel of the vehicle by using the acquired state information of the vehicle; and estimating a road surface friction coefficient for the tire by using the estimated longitudinal slip ratio, normal force, and longitudinal force.

Disclosed is a method for controlling engagement of an engine clutch in a hybrid electric vehicle in which an engagement control method of the engine clutch is accurately determined so as to minimize a determination error and a sense of discontinuity caused by conversion of the engagement control method resulting therefrom.