A vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, a preceding vehicle information acquiring device for acquiring preceding vehicle information relating to a preceding vehicle, including a parameter relating to a distance between vehicles which becomes greater the wider the distance between a host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and an electronic control unit for controlling the internal combustion engine, in which, the electronic control unit is configured to initiate an idle reduction mode where the internal combustion engine is made to automatically stop when a preset engine stop condition stands and to continue the idle reduction mode if the preceding vehicle is decelerating or has stopped and to make the internal combustion engine automatically restart if the preceding vehicle is accelerating or is running at an equal speed when the parameter becomes a first predetermined value or more during the idle reduction mode.

A control system and method are described for controlling a vehicle stop-start system having a stop stage in which an engine of a host vehicle is automatically stopped and a start stage in which the host vehicle engine is automatically restarted after the stop stage. The control system includes an interface configured to receive an input signal including traffic condition information, wherein the input signal includes a vehicle-to-x communication signal or a sensor signal from a host vehicle sensor adaptable to monitor a traffic condition. The control system also includes a controller configured to generate a control signal operative to automatically initiate the start stage of the vehicle stop-start system based on a determination that the traffic condition information of the input signal indicates an impending change in a traffic condition.

A system for controlling an internal combustion engine start threshold in a parallel hybrid-electric vehicle. A predetermined conditions tracking module determines whether or not conditions of a plurality of predetermined conditions exist. Responsive to a determination that the conditions exist, a required power estimation module estimates a next acceleration required by the vehicle and a final power requirement for the next acceleration. A propulsion system control module determines if the estimated final power requirement is between a first amount of electric motor power available at a predetermined base engine start threshold and a second amount of electric motor power available at a predetermined elevated engine start threshold. If the estimated final power requirement is between the first and second amounts of power, operation of the vehicle is controlled so as to ensure that the engine start threshold is at the predetermined elevated threshold.

A driving environment is perceived based on sensor data obtained from a plurality of sensors mounted on an ADV. A first set of features is extracted from the sensor data representing the driving environment, where the first set of features include one or more obstacles moving relative to the ADV. A precaution notification is generated by applying a precautionary slowdown predictive model to the first set of features and a second set of features determined based on internal states of the ADV. In response to the precaution notification, a speed planning is performed to lower a speed limit of the ADV to a predetermined percentage of the speed limit. The ADV is controlled to drive autonomously according to the lowered speed limit to perform a precautionary slowdown.

Systems and methods are provided for controlling a transmission. An engine stop-start event may be allowed or denied based on one or more characteristics of the vehicle including the transmission.

Methods and systems are provided for selectively disabling a stop-start function of a vehicle based on a predicted anxiety of a driver of the vehicle upon merging into transverse traffic. In one example, selectively disabling the stop-start function of a vehicle based on a predicted anxiety of the driver of the vehicle includes, when approaching an intersection having a first traffic pattern, disabling a stop-start function responsive to an estimated merging acceleration for the intersection exceeding a threshold acceleration rate of the vehicle.

A cruise operation fuel efficiency improvement control method, the method may include detecting, by an engine control unit, a cruise Resume request during a coasting running state of a vehicle; controlling a NCC Cruise Control which performs a cruise torque control of the vehicle after performing a control of an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) which sets a vehicle speed to a cruise target speed followed by a control of a transmission control unit, when the coasting running is recognized as a Neutral Control Coasting (NCC); and controlling a SSC Cruise Control which performs the cruise torque control of the vehicle after performing the control of the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) which sets the vehicle speed to the cruise target speed followed by the control of the transmission control unit in a driving state of an engine, when the coasting running is recognized as a Start Stop Control (SSC).

A vehicle control apparatus includes: a clutch controller configured to switch an operation state of a clutch mechanism from a release state to an engagement state upon switching of a traveling mode from a motor traveling mode to an engine traveling mode; and a motor controller configured to control a traveling motor to suppress variation in torque upon starting of the engine. The clutch controller is configured to control the clutch mechanism to be brought into the engagement state at a first engaging speed when the engine is started on a condition that a revolution speed of the motor driving system is higher than a revolution threshold, and to control the clutch mechanism to be brought into the engagement state at a second engaging speed lower than the first engaging speed when the engine is started on a condition that the revolution speed is lower than the revolution threshold.

Techniques are provided for operating a vehicle in a first vehicle mode; operating at least one component of the vehicle in a first component mode; detecting a first change in operation of the vehicle from the first vehicle mode to a second vehicle mode different from the first vehicle mode; based on the detected the first change in the operation of the vehicle, predicting a second change in operation of the vehicle; in response to predicting the second change in operation of the vehicle, operating the at least one component in a second component mode different from the first component mode prior to the predicted second change in operation of the vehicle.

A method of controlling a mild hybrid electric vehicle may include determining whether a Smart Cruise Control (SCC) mode is set according to a signal input through a driver interface; determining whether an Start Stop Control (SSC) entrance condition is satisfied when the SCC mode is set; when the SSC entrance condition is determined by the control unit, to be satisfied to enter an SSC mode, interrupting a supply of fuel to an engine and turning off the engine; monitoring a distance in which the control unit determines whether a distance to a front vehicle is increased or decreased based on a front distance signal transmitted from a detecting unit electrically-connected to the control unit; and increasing or decreasing a vehicle speed by controlling the engine, a Mild Hybrid Starter Generator (MHSG), or an Electronic Stability Control (ESC) based on the monitoring of the distance.