A control system and method for a hybrid vehicle involve controlling a hybrid powertrain comprising an engine and a transmission having one or more electric motors and not comprising a decoupling mechanism therebetween, detecting an operating condition where the transmission is in neutral and the vehicle is moving at a speed less than a low speed threshold, and in response to detecting the operating condition: determining a desired propulsive torque of the powertrain, determining an actual propulsive torque at the driveline, calculating a torque difference between the actual and desired propulsive torques over a period, comparing the calculated torque difference to a first movement threshold, and when the calculated torque difference exceeds the first movement threshold, applying an electric parking brake (EPB) of the vehicle.

A method and a system for a vehicle comprising: one or more power sources including at least one electrical machine; and a drivetrain for transferring torque between the one or more power sources and at least one drive wheel of the vehicle. The method comprises: controlling, when no positive drive torque (T.sub.drive) is transferred from the drivetrain to the at least one drive wheel, the at least one electrical machine to provide a backlash torque (T.sub.backlash) to the drivetrain, the backlash torque (T.sub.backlash) having a controlled value for turning the drivetrain if there is a backlash present in the drivetrain.

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 controls the shift actuator with actuating and opposing pulses, and 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 for dynamically determining a mass of a vehicle including a propulsion system coupled to a drive wheel is described, and includes monitoring vehicle operating conditions, executing an event-based estimation method based upon the vehicle operating conditions to determine a first vehicle mass state, and executing a recursive estimation method based upon the vehicle operating conditions to determine a second vehicle mass state. A final vehicle mass is determined based upon the first and second vehicle mass states.

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 estimates a torque of a heat engine in a vehicle hybrid transmission including at least a heat engine and an electric machine together or separately supplying a heat engine torque and heat engine torque intended for wheels of the vehicle. The method uses a measurement of a speed of the heat engine, a value of the heat engine torque reference, and a value of the electric machine torque. The method also sums an estimate of a total torque supplied by the transmission to the wheels and of an estimate of an equivalent resistive torque of the transmission to determine the estimated heat engine torque.

A powertrain system for a vehicle is described, and includes an internal combustion engine that is selectively coupled to a driveline. The engine is configured to operate in a coasting mode, wherein the coasting mode includes operating the powertrain system with the engine in an OFF state and decoupled from the driveline. Devices are configured to monitor an output torque request, vehicle speed, and vehicle operating conditions. An executable instruction set monitors the vehicle speed and the output torque request. The engine is controlled to operate in the coasting mode when the output torque request is within the predetermined torque region and the vehicle speed is greater than a minimum speed threshold. The engine is controlled to discontinue operating in the coasting mode in response to the output torque request being outside the torque region of the vehicle speed being less than a minimum speed threshold.

A motor vehicle includes at least two drive motors, an automatic gearbox, and an electronic control unit, which, during a gear ratio adjustment between an engagement and a loading of a shift element, causes the shift element to be loaded with a predefined torque gradient at a first point in time at which at least one tooth-to-tooth position exists, up to a second point in time, cause the predefined torque to be limited to a maximum permissible torque during a predefined waiting period from the second point in time up to a third point in time, and cause the shift element to be further loaded with the previously predefined torque gradient after the waiting period or when the engaged state is detected.

There is provided a hybrid-vehicle controller that can calculate MG demand torque with which fuel consumption in an engine can efficiently be decreased by increasing the MG's power-running torque. In the hybrid-vehicle controller, from a plurality of MG torque candidate values, there are selected the MG torque candidate values that make a 0 MG-torque-reference total supply power variation amount become the same as or smaller than a power-running-side variation amount upper limit value; then, there is selected, as a power-running-side final MG torque candidate value, the MG torque candidate value that makes an absolute value of the relative supply power variation amount ratio become maximum, among the selected MG torque candidate values.

A control apparatus for a vehicle having an electric motor, and a step-variable transmission selectively placed in a speed position with engagement of a coupling device, wherein the vehicle runs rearward with a reverse drive torque of the electric motor generated in a forward-drive low-speed position of the transmission, is provided. The control apparatus includes: a first shift control portion temporarily increasing an input torque of the transmission to raise its input speed toward a synchronizing speed in the low-speed position, and commands an engaging-side coupling device to be brought into its engaged state after the input speed has been raised to a predetermined value; and a second shift control portion increasing an engaging force of the engaging-side coupling device to bring the engaging-side coupling device into the engaged state.