A drive force control system configured to reduce a total energy consumption of a hybrid vehicle. The drive force control system calculates: an output power of the engine which can optimize a thermal efficiency given that the engine is operated at a best fuel point; and a required electric power to be supplied from a battery or to be generated by a control motor, which can adjust the drive power established by the output power of the engine to the required power. A power exchange between the control motor and the battery is interrupted if the required electric power to be supplied from the electric storage device or to be generated by the control motor is less than a first predetermined electric power.

A controller includes an engine controlling section and a motor-generator controlling section. The controller is configured to use the engine controlling section and the motor-generator controlling section to execute an intermittent stop control, a temperature increase control, an intermittent stop prohibition control, and a motoring control. The intermittent stop control automatically stops and restarts operation of an internal combustion engine. The temperature increase control increases the temperature of a filter in the exhaust passage to a temperature at which PM can be burned. The intermittent stop prohibition control prohibits stop of the operation of the internal combustion engine by the intermittent stop control until the temperature increase control is completed. The motoring control drives the output shaft of the internal combustion engine by the motor-generator, thereby forcibly rotating the internal combustion engine.

An HV-ECU performs processing including calculating requested system power, calculating requested engine power when an engine activation request has been issued, setting an operating point on a predetermined operating line, setting an upper limit value of magnitude of an amount of lowering in engine rotation speed to a first value when a vehicle is in a sport running state and when the previous operating point is within a forced induction range, setting the upper limit value to a second value when the vehicle is not in the sport running state or when the previous operating point is not within the forced induction range, correcting the operating point, and outputting an engine operation state command, a first MG torque command, and a second MG torque command.

A safety controller is configured to monitor at least one vehicle controller that is separate from the safety controller. The safety controller is operatively connected to monitor inputs and outputs of the vehicle controller. The safety controller includes a standard computing module with customized input and output modules. The safety controller is configured to override vehicle controller commands to items controlled by the vehicle controller. In one form, the vehicle controller handles level 1 functions and safety controller handles level 2 and 3 monitoring. In one particular example, the safety controller is at a minimum ISO 26262 ASIL C certified. The safety controller in one aspect uses an AUTomotive Open System ARchitecture (AUTOSAR).

During shift control of a transmission mechanism, a hybrid drive device computes the amount of change in input torque (deTr) acting on the transmission mechanism and an input torque change time (t15), and controls a motor so that motor torque is changed by the amount of change in input torque (deTr), when the motor can change the amount of change in input torque (deTr), and outputs, when the motor cannot change the amount of change in input torque (deTr), an engine torque signal (Tesig1) at an engine torque change time (t14) earlier than the input torque change time (t15) at which drive power of the motor is changed when the motor can change the amount of change in input torque (deTr).

An electronic control unit of a vehicle includes (a) a target operating point setting unit that calculates a request driving force requested for a vehicle, and set a target engine operating point through a slow change process for obtaining an engine output that slowly changes with respect to a request engine output implementing the request driving force, (b) a smoothing factor setting unit that changes a smoothing factor used for the slow change process according to an amount of change in a turbocharging pressure in the engine and sets the smoothing factor to a smaller value when the amount of change in the turbocharging pressure is smaller than when the amount of change in the turbocharging pressure is larger, and (c) a drive controller that controls the engine and the continuously variable transmission such that the engine operating point is the target engine operating point.

A vehicle includes a battery, an electric machine, an electrical outlet, and a controller. The electric machine is configured to charge the battery. The electrical outlet is configured to draw power from the battery to power an external device. The controller is programmed to adjust a rate at which the electric machine charges the battery based on a power consumption at the electrical outlet exceeding a threshold and a battery degradation value.

Methods and systems are provided for providing assistive action to a driver of a vehicle to increase a following distance between the vehicle and a target lead vehicle. In one example, providing assistive action includes, operating the vehicle manually behind a target lead vehicle on a road, including estimating a following distance between the vehicle and the target lead vehicle, and responsive to the following distance being less than a first threshold following distance, providing an assistive action by adjusting a mapping from a driver demand to a wheel torque of the vehicle to increase a perceived resistance of the vehicle to the driver demand as the following distance decreases.

A vehicle control apparatus based on a precise load level using a GPS includes: a load level calculator to determine a load level of a road based on GPS information; a load level controller that classifies the road into a plurality of regions based on the determined load level and differentially controls an engine power output for each of the regions; and a storage to store a map for the engine power output for each of the regions.

An ECU is configured to control an SOC control center of a battery and perform an engine torque suppression control. The engine torque suppression control is a control that suppresses output of an engine during a predetermined period of time after starting a system, and causes motor generators to output torque supplementing the suppressed output of the engine. When a deposition amount of PM on a filter exceeds a first specified amount, the ECU raises the SOC control center by controlling the motor generators before stopping the system as compared to when the deposition amount of PM is lower than a specified amount, and performs the engine torque suppression control at a next start after stopping the system.