A method of operating a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes: an engine; a throttle operator moveable by a driver; a throttle valve regulating airflow to the engine; a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connected to the engine; at least one ground engaging member including at least one of: a wheel and a track; a piston operatively connected to a driving pulley of the CVT for applying a piston force to the driving pulley when actuated and thereby changing an effective diameter of the driving pulley; and a control unit for controlling actuation of the piston and the piston force. The method includes: determining a driven pulley speed of a driven pulley of the CVT; detecting an uphill stand condition indicative of the vehicle being stopped on an uphill; responsive to the detection of the uphill stand condition, controlling the piston force based on the driven pulley speed.

An adaptive cruise control system for a vehicle, includes: a stop location determination system configured to determine a stop location where the vehicle will have to stop because of a possible event occurring ahead of the vehicle on a road where the latter is moving; a cross traffic location determination system configured to determine whether the determined stop location is a location where cross traffic can occur, called cross traffic location; and an adaptive control system configured to adapt at least one driving control of the vehicle, based on the determination that the determined stop location is a cross traffic location.

Methods and systems are provided for selectively inhibiting a stop-start controller of a vehicle based on a predicted anxiety of a driver of the vehicle on a road segment that includes one or more road attributes associated with increased levels of anxiety. In one example, selectively inhibiting a stop-start controller of a vehicle based on a predicted anxiety of a driver of the vehicle includes determining a driver classification for a driver operating the vehicle; predicting an anxiety level of the driver at an upcoming traffic condition, based on the driver classification; and selectively inhibiting an upcoming engine idle-stop event based on the predicted anxiety level of the driver.

A method of reducing cold start emissions in a series mode hybrid electric vehicle, including an internal combustion engine with an exhaust duct having a catalyst and a downstream oxygen sensor, an output of the combustion engine being connected to an electric generator with a power output of at least 10 kW that is connected to an electric motor which is coupled to a drive shaft of two or more wheels. The method includes detecting a cold start condition, injecting fuel into the engine such that combustion at a lambda value, λ, is achieved for which λ>1, running the engine at a speed of 1000 rpm or higher, determining if the efficiency of the catalyst reaches a first level, setting λ to about 1 after the predetermined efficiency level of the catalyst has been reached, and reducing the speed to working conditions when the catalyst efficiency reaches a second level.

An electronic control system controls operation of a vehicle system by selectably controlling the vehicle system using engine start-stop controls in response to one or more engine start-stop conditions being met, controlling the vehicle system using neutral-at-stop controls in response to one or more neutral-at-stop conditions being met, and controlling the vehicle system using cylinder deactivation controls in response to the one or more neutral-at-stop conditions not being met.

Systems and methods are disclosed herein for automatically controlling wheel lean in a work vehicle (e.g., a motor grader) comprising a front portion with an axle and a plurality of traction wheels configured to lean at a wheel-lean angle relative thereto. Based on output signals from one or more sensors mounted on the work vehicle, work conditions are detected comprising an actual wheel-lean angle of at least one wheel relative to the axle, an oscillation angle of the axle, and a slope of the terrain. In automatic control operations, wheel lean is automatically directed to a predetermined orientation (e.g., corresponding to a direction of gravity), based at least on detected work conditions. Wheel lean may further be automatically directed based on detected steering inputs for positioning of the traction wheels and a detected articulation angle for positioning of the front portion of the work vehicle relative to the rear portion.

The control device for the hybrid vehicle including: an engine; a first motor generator which generates electric power by power of the engine; a battery; and a second motor generator connected to driving wheels and driven by supplying electric power from at least one of the battery and the first motor generator. In the control device, a braking control, which drives the first motor generator as an electric motor by regenerative power obtained by operating the second motor generator as a generator at the time of braking of the hybrid vehicle, and in which the engine is utilized as a load of the first motor generator, is executed when a variable representing a charging state of the battery by a level of a value is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and use of a mechanical brake of the hybrid vehicle is restricted.

To start an engine while a clutch start cancel switch is ON and a clutch is connected, an electric parking brake ECU releases an electric parking brake regardless of the accelerator position or the clutch stroke, providing that a shift lever is in a drive position, and an engine ECU allows the engine to start after the electric parking brake is released by the electric parking brake ECU.

The present disclosure describes a method of forming an intermediate spacer structure between a gate structure and a source/drain (S/D) contact structure and removing a top portion of the intermediate spacer structure to form a recess. The intermediate spacer structure includes a first spacer layer, a second spacer layer, and a sacrificial spacer layer between the first spacer layer and the second spacer layer. The method further includes removing the sacrificial spacer layer to form an air gap between the first spacer layer and the second spacer layer and spinning a dielectric layer on the air gap, the first spacer layer, and the second spacer layer to fill in the recess and seal the air gap. The dielectric layer includes raw materials for a spin-on dielectric material.

A through the road (TTR) hybridization strategy is proposed to facilitate introduction of hybrid electric vehicle technology in a significant portion of current and expected trucking fleets. In some cases, the technologies can be retrofitted onto an existing vehicle (e.g., a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, etc.). In some cases, the technologies can be built into new vehicles. In some cases, one vehicle may be built or retrofitted to operate in tandem with another and provide the hybridization benefits contemplated herein. By supplementing motive forces delivered through a primary drivetrain and fuel-fed engine with supplemental torque delivered at one or more electrically-powered drive axles, improvements in overall fuel efficiency and performance may be delivered, typically without significant redesign of existing components and systems that have been proven in the trucking industry.