A vehicle control device is configured to: execute fuel cut control for stopping fuel supply to an internal combustion engine; when a vehicle is in series traveling, perform control based on a traveling state of the vehicle such that a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine is a predetermined target rotation speed; and when the vehicle is in the series traveling and there is a deceleration request, execute the fuel cut control in accordance with a rotation speed difference between a rotation speed of the internal combustion engine and the target rotation speed.

Methods and systems are provided for coordinating engine and motor torque in a hybrid vehicle system. The systems and methods use an engine torque command to obtain a motor torque command, and adjust the engine torque command based on an estimate of a time delay between commanded and actual motor torque prior to the engine command being sent to an engine controller. In this way, crankshaft torque accuracy may be improved.

A method for controlling starting of a mild hybrid vehicle includes receiving a starting-request signal and in response, increasing a rotation speed of the engine by driving the MHSG by electricity supplied from a battery. Status data of the mild hybrid vehicle for controlling starting of the engine is monitored to obtain an engine rotation speed from the status data and determine an injection-starting rotation speed based on the status data. When the engine rotation speed is greater than the injection-starting rotation speed, fuel injection of the engine is started.

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.

A controller as a control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle determines whether or not to perform switching from a first traveling mode in which a hybrid vehicle is caused to travel using torque of a motor without using torque of an engine to a second traveling mode in which the hybrid vehicle is caused to travel using at least the torque of the engine. The controller, when determining that switching is to be performed from the first traveling mode to the second traveling mode, performs control to reduce output torque of the motor by a predetermined amount. After this control, the controller shifts a first clutch from a released state to an engaged state so that the torque of the motor is transmitted to the engine via the first clutch, and cranks the engine using the motor to start the engine.

Methods and systems are described for conserving energy used by an energy consuming device. In certain embodiments, an energy conservation system can be configured to deliver energy to the energy consuming device for a period, followed by a period where energy delivery is dampened and/or cut. By cycling the delivery of energy in this fashion, the energy conservation can achieve a pulsed efficiency.

Provided is a vehicle control system capable of controlling the behavior of a vehicle, in conformity to a tire longitudinal spring constant, to improve responsivity and linear feeling of the vehicle behavior with respect to a steering manipulation. The vehicle control system comprises a steering angle sensor (8) and a PCM (14). The PCM is configured to set, based on a detection value of the steering angle sensor, an additional deceleration to be added to a vehicle (1), and control the vehicle to generate the set additional deceleration in the vehicle, wherein the additional deceleration is set to be larger when a tire longitudinal spring constant (Kt) of each road wheel of the vehicle is relatively small than when it is not relatively small.

An engine control method of a hybrid electric vehicle is provided. The method includes detecting a state of charge (SOC) of a main battery of the hybrid electric vehicle and detecting whether a brake requires operation when the main battery is in a fully-charged state or a charging-limiting state. An engine fuel cut of the hybrid electric vehicle is executed when a request for the engine brake is generated and an engine is operated to maximize an engine load of the hybrid electric vehicle.

A brake/drive force control system includes: a requested acceleration calculating section; a powertrain control section calculating a minimum brake/drive force at the time of no fuel cut and a fuel-cut brake/drive force, generating larger one of a requested brake/drive force and the minimum brake/drive force when the requested brake/drive force is larger than the fuel-cut brake/drive force, and generating the fuel-cut brake/drive force when the requested brake/drive force is equal to or smaller than the fuel-cut brake/drive force; a brake control section generating a requested brake force; and a brake/drive force control section calculating the requested brake/drive force from requested acceleration, requesting the powertrain control section for the requested brake/drive force, acquiring the brake/drive force generated by a powertrain, and when the requested brake/drive force is smaller than the acquired brake/drive force, requesting the brake control section for a difference between the requested brake/drive force and the acquired brake/drive force.

A method can be used for controlling torque of a diesel hybrid vehicle. The method includes calculating energy consumptions of an engine for respective engine torques within an engine torque range and calculating energy consumptions of a battery for respective motor torques within a motor torque range. A plurality of total energy consumptions can be calculated based on the energy consumptions of the engine and the energy consumptions of the battery. The torque of the diesel hybrid vehicle can be controlled based on an engine torque and a motor torque that are relevant to the minimum of the plurality of total energy consumptions. The energy consumptions of the engine are calculated based on a lower heating value of fuel, fuel consumption rates, and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.