A vehicle system comprises an engine, a motor-generator and a controller. The engine has a combustion mode in which a part of an air-fuel mixture is combusted by spark ignition, and then the remaining air-fuel mixture is combusted by self-ignition. The controller sets a target additional deceleration based on a steering angle, when a steering wheel is turned, and sets an air-fuel ratio of the air-fuel mixture to either one of a first air-fuel ratio and a second air-fuel ratio which is on a lean side, based on an operating state, when the engine performs the combustion mode. The controller controls an ignition timing so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the first air-fuel ratio, and controls a regenerative electric power generation of the motor-generator so as to generate the target additional deceleration in the second air-fuel ratio.

Engine combustion mode-switching transitions are controlled through a coordination control of an electric machine and a multi-combustion mode engine coupled to each other with a hybrid propulsion system by following predetermined combustion mode-switching strategies and control algorithms.

A method to detect whether combustion is taking place in an internal combustion engine of a hybrid vehicle during operation of the hybrid vehicle, whereby a decoupler is provided between the internal combustion engine and an electric machine that serves to power the hybrid vehicle, comprising opening the decoupler between the internal combustion engine and the electric machine, receiving a speed signal when the decoupler is open, said signal indicating a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine when the decoupler is open, and determining, on the basis of the speed signal when the decoupler is open, whether combustion is taking place in the internal combustion engine. The present invention also relates to a control device to carry out the method according to the invention.

A system and method for power management of hybrid electric vehicles is provided. In some implementations, a plug-in series hybrid electric vehicle may include an engine, a motor/generator (MG), a traction motor, an energy storage device, and a controller. The controller is coupled to the engine and the MG to control operation of the engine and the MG such that a state-of-charge (SOC) of the energy storage device tracks a dynamic reference SOC profile during a trip and an average engine power (AEP) is maintained above a threshold. In some instances, maintaining AEP above a threshold supports emission control of the vehicle.

Provided is a control device for a vehicle, the vehicle including an internal combustion engine, a generator capable of being rotated by the internal combustion engine, a battery that stores power generated by rotation of the generator, and a motor that is supplied with power from the battery and outputs a driving force to a drive wheel, wherein, at a timing at which a requested output, which is requested when the internal combustion engine is operating with the internal combustion engine and the drive wheel not mechanically connected to each other and the internal combustion engine is performing a stoichiometric operation that operates in accordance with a theoretical air-to-fuel ratio, is equal to or greater than a threshold value, the control device starts to increase the number of rotations of the internal combustion engine to the number of rotations set in a rich operation where a ratio of a fuel of the internal combustion engine to oxygen is higher than the theoretical air-to-fuel ratio.

A hybrid vehicle may include: an engine including a plurality of cylinders for generating power required for driving the hybrid vehicle by combustion of fuel; a first motor starting the engine and selectively operating as a generator to generate electrical energy; a second motor generating power required for driving the hybrid vehicle; a clutch provided between the engine and the second motor; and a controller configured for synchronizing a velocity of the second motor and an engine velocity and for coupling the clutch, in a transition section in which the engine moves from a stop state to an optimal operation point area as an operation area of the engine, and gradually decreasing a torque of the second motor and gradually adjusting the number of combusted cylinders among the plurality of combustion chambers to gradually increase the engine torque.

A control device of a hybrid vehicle including an engine, an electric motor coupled to a power transmission path between the engine and drive wheels, and a clutch connecting/disconnecting a power transmission path between the engine and both the electric motor and the drive wheels, the control device performing detection of air-fuel ratio variation between cylinders of the engine, the control device changing an operation state of the clutch based on a request drive force of the vehicle, and the control device performing the detection of air-fuel ratio variation when the clutch is in an open state or a slip amount of the clutch is equal to or larger than a preset value.

Systems and methods for improving operation of a hybrid vehicle are presented. In one example, driveline oscillations are reduced during engine air-fuel ratio modulation. The driveline oscillations may be reduced via adjusting torque of a motor.

A powertrain control system for a motor vehicle having a transmission and an engine includes an axle torque controller that determines a desired engine torque and a desired speed ratio from a plurality of inputs, an engine controller that determines a commanded engine torque based on the desired engine torque, wherein the commanded engine torque is used to control the engine to produce an actual engine torque, a transmission controller that determines a commanded gear ratio based on the desired gear ratio, wherein the commanded gear ratio is used to control the transmission to produce an actual gear ratio, and an estimator that determines an actual axle torque of the motor vehicle from the actual engine torque and the actual gear ratio. The plurality of inputs includes a desired axle torque, the actual axle torque, a desired fuel rate, an actual fuel rate.

An audio system of a vehicle includes a mode module that sets a mode signal to a first mode when a vehicle speed is greater than a predetermined speed and a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle is less than a predetermined acceleration. The predetermined acceleration is less than zero and the predetermined speed is greater than zero. A sound control module, when the mode signal is in the first mode, selectively sets audio characteristics for a deceleration event of the vehicle based on randomization parameters. An audio driver module, based on the audio characteristics, applies power to speakers to output sound within a passenger cabin of the vehicle.