The present invention relates to a power control method and apparatus for considering transient characteristics of a hybrid vehicle, and more particularly to a power control method and apparatus for maximizing performance in an actual operating environment of a hybrid vehicle by reducing fuel power supply transients.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for effectively solving an optimal power control problem without a fuel source transient model to reduce fuel source transients and maximize the performance of a hybrid vehicle in an actual operating environment.

Disclosed is a method for controlling a hybrid vehicle power train, including a thermal drive chain and an electric drive chain, the electric drive chain including a traction battery, a voltage modulator, an inverter, first and second electrical machines. The voltage modulator is designed to modulate a supply voltage of an electric current from the traction battery to the first and second electrical machines. The method includes: a step of analytically calculating an optimal supply voltage using a mathematical expression that corresponds to the resolution of an equation expressed as $\frac{?P_{bat}}{?U_e}=0,$
where U.sub.e is the supply voltage, P.sub.bat is the electrical power supplied by the traction battery, and where the electrical power supplied by the traction battery is expressed as a quadratic function of the supply voltage; and a step of controlling the voltage modulator in such a way that it outputs the optimal supply voltage.

A method for adaptive estimation of a road surface adhesion coefficient for a vehicle with complex excitation conditions taken into consideration comprises the following steps: 1) designing an estimator according to a single-wheel dynamics model of a vehicle, and estimating a longitudinal tire force and a road surface peak adhesion coefficient under longitudinal excitation; 2) designing an estimator according to a two-degree-of-freedom kinematic model of the vehicle, and estimating a tire aligning moment and a road surface peak adhesion coefficient under excitation of a lateral force; and 3) determining an excitation condition met by the vehicle according to a vehicle state parameter, performing fuzzy inference to obtain limits achievable by current longitudinal and lateral tire forces, and designing a fusion observer to fuse estimation results. The method achieves favorable robustness, improves real-time capability, and can be performed quickly and accurately.

The present disclosure relates to a method and arrangement for estimating a friction coefficient (.sub.i) between tires of a wheeled two-axis two-track road vehicle and the ground. If the longitudinal velocity .sub.x of the vehicle is above a first threshold .sub.xthres and the wheel angle .sub.f and/or the yaw rate .sub.z are/is below a second threshold .sub.thres/.sub.zthres, a positive torque is applied to both wheels on a first axle and an and opposite, negative torque, to both wheels on a second axle while following driver requested longitudinal vehicle acceleration (a.sub.x). Wheel speeds .sub.i are measured and tire forces (f.sub.i) estimated. The friction coefficient (.sub.i) between the tires and the ground are estimated from the measured wheel speeds .sub.i and the estimated tire forces (f.sub.i). The estimated friction coefficient (.sub.i) is made available to other vehicle systems.

The disclosure includes embodiments for modifying a performance of a vehicle component whose performance is affected by a vehicle fluid that is contaminated by water. A method according to some embodiments includes recording sensor data describing refractometry measurements for the vehicle fluid. The method includes determining contamination data that describes an amount of water present in the vehicle fluid. The method includes analyzing the contamination data to determine parameter data describing modifications for a set of parameters for an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS system) that control the operation of the ADAS system, wherein the parameter data is operable to update the set of parameters and thereby modify the operation of the ADAS system to compensate for the amount of water present in the vehicle fluid so that vehicle component performs as though the vehicle fluid is substantially not contaminated by water.

Based on a steering control input, a measured value of the steering control attribute and a measured value of the traction control attribute received by a steering application, determining: a first setpoint value of the steering control attribute; a target steering angle of the steered wheel of the vehicle. Based on receiving, by a traction application executing on the vehicle control module of the vehicle: a traction speed control input to control the traction wheel of the vehicle, and the target steering angle, from the steering application, determining, by the traction application: a second setpoint value of the traction control attribute.

A distributed system for monitoring and control of a vehicle having a plurality of physical systems, and a plurality of subsystems includes a supervisory controller with a first computer readable storage media for monitoring and storing a plurality of operational parameters. The supervisory controller communicates with a server a communications networks. A first method includes storing historical data in a database; simulating the physical system within the vehicle using a functional model; and continuously improving the model. Specific implementations of the first method include the physical system being a hydraulic system, an internal combustion engine, and a battery module. A second method includes storing historical data in a database; estimating a transfer function characterizing the behavior of a physical system; and diagnosing a subsystem as having a failure or a degradation. A third method includes monitoring operation actions related to safety, productivity, and efficiency. A fifth method includes operator training.

A distributed system for monitoring and control of a vehicle includes a supervisory controller with a first computer readable storage media for monitoring and storing a plurality of operational parameters regarding a physical system of the vehicle. The supervisory controller communicates with a server via two different communications networks. Method steps are provided for characterizing and predicting functional details of a system state of the physical system using the model parameters and at least one operational parameter of the physical system, and for using values obtained by the server regarding a plurality of different vehicles in order to improve the monitoring and control of the vehicle. A method is also provided to determine and report any operational parameters miss a corresponding performance target. A method is also provided for changing the storage or transmission of operational parameters based on their relative importance.

A method and system for controlling a vehicle that includes a first propulsion system with a first torque generator and coupled to a first drive member, a second propulsion system with a second torque generator and coupled to a second drive member. The method includes measuring a speed of the first drive member, estimating a speed of the first drive member using a model of the first propulsion system that includes a modeled first rotational inertia and a modeled first translational inertia that are rigidly connected to each other and a model of a first coupling between the modeled first propulsion system and a model of the second propulsion system, and comparing the measured speed of the first drive member to the estimated speed of the first drive member.

A method and system for controlling a vehicle that includes a first propulsion system with a first torque generator and coupled to a first drive member, a second propulsion system with a second torque generator and coupled to a second drive member. The method includes measuring a speed of the first drive member, estimating a speed of the first drive member using a model of the first propulsion system that includes a modeled first rotational inertia and a modeled first translational inertia that are rigidly connected to each other and a model of a first coupling between the modeled first propulsion system and a model of the second propulsion system, and comparing the measured speed of the first drive member to the estimated speed of the first drive member.