Systems and methods for operating an engine with deactivating and non-deactivating valves are presented. In one example, estimates of engine fuel consumption for operating the engine with a plurality of cylinder modes or patterns while a transmission is engaged in different gears are determined and are used as a basis for deactivating engine cylinders.

A method of providing automated control of vehicle speed in a driver assist mode may include receiving an operator selection of the driver assist mode and a target speed, monitoring vehicle speed, and generating a propulsive torque request and a braking torque request based on a difference between the target speed and the vehicle speed. The method may further include, responsive to vehicle speed being in a selected range from zero to about three miles per hour, initiating a low speed correction to automatically provide a variable modification to the propulsive torque request or the braking torque request.

A transmission includes an input shaft coupled to a prime mover, a countershaft, main shaft, and an output shaft, with gears between the countershaft and the main shaft. A shift actuator selectively couples the input shaft to the main shaft by rotatably coupling gears between the countershaft and the main shaft. The shift actuator is mounted on an exterior wall of a housing including the countershaft and the main shaft. An integrated actuator housing includes a single external power access for the shift actuator. A controller interprets a shaft displacement angle, determines if the transmission is in an imminent zero or zero torque region, and performs a transmission operation in response to the transmission in the imminent zero or zero torque region.

A method of generating vehicle control data includes: storing, with a storage device, relationship prescription data; operating, with an execution device, an operable portion of an internal combustion engine; acquiring, with the execution device, a detection value from a sensor that detects the state of the vehicle; calculating, with the execution device, a reward; and updating, with the execution device, the relationship prescription data using update mapping determined in advance, the update mapping using the state of the vehicle based on the detection value, an operation amount used to operate the operable portion, and the reward corresponding to the operation as arguments, and returning the relationship prescription data which have been updated such that an expected profit for the reward calculated when the operable portion is operated in accordance with the relationship prescription data increases.

An apparatus and a method for controlling an engine operating point of a hybrid electric vehicle are provided to determine charging and discharging tendency based on a moving average of an engine torque and a demand torque as well as a dynamical event capture. The method includes detecting a demand torque of a driver and determining a charging and discharging tendency by calculating a moving average based on the demand torque. System efficiency is then reflected using a dynamical event capture and the charging and discharging tendency is leveled. A compensation amount of the operating point is also determined based on the leveling of the charging and discharging tendency and the operating point of the hybrid electric vehicle is adjusted based on the compensation amount of the operating point.

A controller controls an electric motor such that a pulsation compensation torque corresponding to a pulsation component of a torque of an internal combustion engine, which appears in a drive shaft, is supplied to the drive shaft as a damping torque for suppressing vibrations of a hybrid vehicle. A determination is made as to whether a torque of the electric motor, excluding the pulsation compensation torque, is smaller than a predetermined value. When it is determined that the torque excluding the pulsation compensation torque is smaller than the predetermined value, the controller selects one mode having a highest energy efficiency of the hybrid vehicle from among a plurality of modes, and controls the internal combustion engine and the electric motor based on the selected mode.

The disclosed technology enables an in-vehicle control computer located in an autonomous vehicle to control torque applied by an engine in the autonomous vehicle. An example method of autonomous driving operation includes sending, by a computer located on the vehicle, instructions to one or more devices located on the vehicle that cause the vehicle to perform autonomous driving related operations in accordance with the instructions, where the sending the instructions includes sending a set of torque related values over time to control an engine located in the vehicle, where the set of torque related values are not converted to control parameters indicative of positions associated with an accelerator pedal located in the vehicle; receiving an indication that indicates that the accelerator pedal is depressed from an undepressed position; and causing, in response to the receiving the indication, the vehicle to not perform additional autonomous driving related operations.

Aspects of the present invention relate to a method and to a control system for a vehicle, the method comprising: receiving a torque request for an internal combustion engine configured to mechanically couple to a first axle of the vehicle; determining a shortfall relative to the torque request, dependent on torque providable by the engine; and providing an output to control an electric machine to provide a compensation torque configured to compensate for the shortfall, wherein the electric machine is mechanically coupled to a second axle of the vehicle.

A vehicle includes a powertrain having an electric machine configured to power driven wheels, an accelerator pedal, and friction brakes. A vehicle controller is programmed to, with the vehicle being in a one-pedal driving mode: in response to a braking torque capacity of the powertrain exceeding a target braking torque that is based on a position of the accelerator pedal, command a torque, that is equal to the target braking torque, from the powertrain such that the vehicle is slowed using the powertrain without application of the friction brakes, and, in response to the braking torque capacity of the powertrain being less than the target braking torque, command torques from the powertrain and the friction brakes such that the target braking torque is satisfied and the vehicle is slowed using the powertrain and the friction brakes.

A misfire determination period is set to a predetermined range of a crank angle. A CPU performs: a calculation process of calculating an average value of a torque of an output shaft of an internal combustion engine in the misfire determination period; a misfire determining process of determining that a misfire has occurred when the calculated average value is less than a prescribed threshold value; and a process of setting the whole misfire determination period to a period in a positive torque range which is a range of a crank angle at which the torque of the output shaft is equal to or greater than zero at the time of normal combustion in which a misfire does not occur.