A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes an engine that combusts fuel to generate power. A drive motor assists the engine power and selectively operates as a generator to generate electrical energy. A clutch is disposed between the engine and drive motor. A battery supplies electrical energy to the drive motor or is charged by the generated electrical energy. A DC converter transforms a DC from the battery. An electric supercharger supplies supercharged air to the engine. A controller determines an optimal air amount to maximize system efficiency based on a drive motor limited output value determined by a battery SOC, and determines an output drive motor power output and an output engine power output based on the optimal air amount when an atmospheric pressure is less than a predetermined pressure, intake temperature is greater than a predetermined temperature and the SOC is less than a predetermined value.

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 truck, a tractor unit, a trailer, a tractor-trailer configuration, at a tandem, 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.

A vehicle control apparatus, configured to control a vehicle, includes an engine that is configured to drive wheels via a power transmission device. The vehicle control apparatus includes a towing state detector and an engine controller. The towing state detector is configured to detect whether the vehicle is in a towing state. The engine controller is configured to stop the engine in a case where a predetermined engine stopping condition is satisfied during traveling of the vehicle. The engine controller is configured to vary, in a case where the towing state detector detects that the vehicle is in the towing state, the predetermined engine stopping condition to reduce an operational range in which the engine is to be stopped compared with an operational range in a case where the towing state detector does not detect that the vehicle is in the towing state.

A control system of a hybrid vehicle, in which a driving power source for travel includes an engine that is started by cranking, a motor that can control a torque, and a clutch that is coupled with the motor and in which a transmission torque capacity continuously changes depending on a change of a control amount is configured to estimate a torque of the clutch based on the torque that the motor outputs, and change rates of the rotational speed of the motor and the clutch caused by changing the control amount, when the torque that the motor outputs is transmitted by the clutch that is in a slip state by changing the control amount.

A wheel suspension system and a method for controlling the system. The wheel suspension system includes a first axle provided with wheels and a second axle provided with wheels. The first axle is connected to a first driveshaft portion via a first differential 6a and the second axle is connected to a second driveshaft portion via a second differential 6b. The system further includes angular speed sensors designed to detect the rotational speed of the axles, and/or the rotational speed of the respective wheels. The angular speed sensors are connected to an electronic control unit (ECU) which is designed to calculate a difference between the angular speed of the first and second axles, and/or a difference between the angular speed of the respective wheels by the use of input data from the angular speed sensors. The speed difference can be used as an indication of different wheel radius of the wheels. The system includes a coupling, e.g. a dog clutch arrangement, arranged in the driveshaft and positioned between the first and second drive shaft portions for changing the first and second drive shaft portions between being drivingly connected and disconnected.

An electronic control unit of a hybrid vehicle is configured to determine whether or not parking operation of the hybrid vehicle is being performed. The electronic control unit is configured to control the engine and the rotary electric machine such that starting the engine when the parking operation of the hybrid vehicle is being performed is harder than starting the engine when the parking operation of the hybrid vehicle is not being performed.

A powertrain assembly has multiple torque actuators. The assembly includes a first controller configured to control a first torque actuator and a second controller configured to control a second torque actuator. The first controller is configured to receive a signal from an input sensor and convert the signal into a torque demand. The second controller is configured to receive the torque demand from the first controller and determine respective optimal torque allocations for the first and second torque actuators based on the torque demand and a plurality of optimization factors. The first controller includes a processor and tangible, non-transitory memory on which is recorded instructions for executing a method of controlling the multiple torque actuators across the at least two controllers via a dynamic look-up table. The dynamic look-up table is populated by a plurality of stored torque production allocation values based on a respective plurality of torque requests.

A vehicle includes an engine, and a transmission including a torque converter having an impeller. The vehicle further includes an electric machine configured to provide drive torque to the impeller. The impeller is selectively coupled to the engine via a clutch. At least one vehicle controller is configured to, in response to the engine being OFF, the transmission being in DRIVE, a vehicle speed being zero and a brake pedal being released beyond a threshold position, command the electric machine to provide a torque to the impeller. The torque is a predetermined feedforward torque adjusted by a feedback torque that is based on a difference between measured and calculated speeds. The speeds may be the speeds of the electric machine.

A hybrid-electric vehicle includes a power system, a controller, a driver seat, a passenger seat, a back seat, and sensors. The controller is in communication with the sensors and the power system. The seats are coupled, directly or indirectly, to the power system. The sensors are configured to detect occupancy of the driver, passenger, and back seats. The controller is programmed to receive occupancy data from the sensors, determine an occupancy status based on the occupancy data, set an operating parameter for the power system based on the occupancy status, and control the power system in accordance with the parameter.

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.