A vehicle includes an engine and an electric machine coupled to a gearbox through a torque converter. The vehicle includes a controller programmed to command an engine torque and an electric machine torque to achieve a predetermined positive torque at the input of the torque converter when a driver demand torque at the torque converter input decreases to fall within a range between the predetermined positive torque and a predetermined negative torque.

An electronic control unit controls a motor so that a torque applied to an input shaft does not exceed an upper limit torque. The electronic control unit sets so as to restrict the upper limit torque from a first torque to a second torque smaller than the first torque, and then return the upper limit torque to the first torque more gradually when a first condition that a driver is assumed to have felt a decrease in driving force output to driving wheels is met before the upper limit torque is returned than when the first condition is not met.

A control apparatus (80; 122) for a hybrid vehicle (10; 100) provided with an engine (14; 102) and an electric motor (MG2; MG) which function as a drive power source, and an automatic transmission (20; 110) which is placed in a selected one of speed positions with engagement of selected at least one of coupling devices (CB), the control apparatus including: an input torque control portion (84) to control the electric motor for controlling an input torque (Ti) transmitted to the automatic transmission (20; 110) during a shifting action of the automatic transmission, on the basis of an output torque (Te) of the engine and a torque (Tcb) transmitted through the coupling devices, such that a value representing a rotating state of an input rotary member (30; 124) of the automatic transmission coincides with a target value. The input torque control portion (84) controls the input torque so as to be not smaller than a predetermined lower limit, when a running state of the hybrid vehicle (10; 110) is switched from a power-on state to a power-off state during a shift-down action of the automatic transmission in the power-on state.

A vehicle control apparatus includes: a transmission shifting control portion configured to implement a shifting action of a step-variable transmission, by controlling a releasing action of a releasing coupling device and an engaging action of an engaging coupling device; a torque control portion configured, during the shifting action of the step-variable transmission, to implement a feedback control to control an input torque inputted to the step-variable transmission, such that a value representing a state of a rotary motion of an input rotary member of the step-variable transmission coincides with a target value dependent on a degree of progress of the shifting action; and a backup control portion configured, when it is determined that the drive wheels are slipped, to inhibit the feedback control, and to compensate a transmitted torque to be transmitted through an initiative coupling device, such that the shifting action is facilitated by compensation of the transmitted torque.

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle provided with an engine and a motor/generator functioning as a drive power source, an automatic transmission which constitutes a part of a power transmitting path between the drive power source and drive wheels and in which a shifting action is performed by selective engagement of a plurality of coupling devices, and an electric storage device giving/receiving electric power to/from the motor/generator, the control apparatus comprising: a hybrid control portion configured to control an input torque to the automatic transmission by the motor/generator during a shifting action of the automatic transmission on the basis of an output torque of the engine and a transmitted torque of the coupling devices, such that a value representing a rotating state of an input rotary member of the automatic transmission coincides with a target value; a racing determining portion configured to determine whether a rotating speed of the engine is predicted to exceed a predetermined rotating speed when control is provided such that the value representing the rotating state of the input rotary member of the automatic transmission coincides with the target value during a power-on shift-down action of the automatic transmission; and an output limiting portion configured to limit the output torque of the engine to a predetermined torque or less if the rotating speed of the engine is predicted to exceed the predetermined rotating speed during the power-on shift-down action of the automatic transmission.

A control apparatus (80) for a vehicular drive system (12; 105) having a step-variable transmission portion (20; 110) which is shifted to a selected one of speed positions having respective speed ratio values, with engaging and releasing actions of coupling devices (B, C), and a drive power source portion (39; 103) operatively connected to an input shaft (30) of the step-variable transmission portion, the control apparatus being configured to implement a speed synchronizing control upon a shift-down action of the step-variable transmission portion in a coasting run of a vehicle (10; 100), wherein an input shaft speed of the step-variable transmission portion is raised with an input shaft torque transmitted from the drive power source portion to the input shaft, from a pre-shift-down synchronizing speed to a post-shift-down synchronizing speed. The control apparatus includes a torque control portion (86) configured to change the input shaft torque transmitted from the drive power source portion (39; 103) to the input shaft (30) during the speed synchronizing control, on the basis of a temperature of a lubricant in the step-variable transmission portion such that the input shaft torque is larger when the lubricant temperature is comparatively low than when the temperature is comparatively high.

The present disclosure provides a shift control method for a hybrid electric vehicle including: controlling a speed of a vehicle driving source; simultaneously controlling a release element and a connection element in a transmission based on a rotation acceleration of a transmission output shaft when shifting by a power-on down shift.

A control device for a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a transmission and an engine configured to input a torque into the transmission. The transmission has multiple transmission stages and includes a first engagement mechanism and a second engagement mechanism. The control device includes an ECU configured to: (a) control the second engagement mechanism when a second transmission stage is set such that the capacity of torque transmission of the second engagement mechanism is increased and a thrust for separating a first member and a second member of the first engagement mechanism from each other in an axial direction is generated; (b) calculate a decrement in an output torque of the transmission when the capacity of torque transmission of the second engagement mechanism is increased; and (c) increase a torque input into the transmission by the engine based on the decrement in the output torque by controlling the engine.

Systems and methods for operating a driveline of a hybrid vehicle are disclosed. In one example, an engine may enter or stay in one of two cylinder deactivation modes or enter or stay in a combustion mode in response to a request to downshift a transmission while a vehicle in which the engine resides is coasting.

A vehicle includes an engine and an electric machine coupled to a gearbox through a torque converter. The vehicle includes a controller programmed to command an engine torque and an electric machine torque to achieve a predetermined positive torque at the input of the torque converter when a driver demand torque at the torque converter input decreases to fall within a range between the predetermined positive torque and a predetermined negative torque.