Aspects of the invention relate generally to autonomous vehicles. Specifically, the features described may be used alone or in combination in order to improve the safety, use, driver experience, and performance of these vehicles.

System and method for predicting behaviors of detected objects

An electronic smoking article comprising an aerosol generator and a mechanical aerosol converter insert having the capacity to improve characteristics of aerosol produced by the aerosol generator, including sensory attributes.

Electronic smoking article

An air-fuel ratio control system for an internal combustion engine includes a LAF sensor and an O2 sensor arranged in an exhaust pipe at respective locations upstream and downstream of a catalytic converter. A desired air-fuel ratio coefficient used in calculating an amount of fuel supplied to the engine is calculated based on operating conditions of the engine, and corrected based on output from the O2 sensor. The air-fuel ratio of a mixture supplied to the engine is feedback-controlled to a stoichiometric air-fuel ratio based on the corrected desired air-fuel ratio coefficient. When the output from the O2 sensor falls within a predetermined range, the desired air-fuel ratio coefficient is not corrected, but held at an immediately preceding value thereof.

Air-fuel ratio control system for internal combustion engines

Described herein are devices, systems, and methods for managing the power consumption of an automotive vehicle, and thereby for optimizing the power consumption of the vehicle. The devices and systems for managing the power consumption of the vehicle typically include power management logic that can calculate an applied power for the vehicle engine based on information provided from the external environment of the vehicle, the operational status of the vehicle, one or more command inputs from a driver, and one or more operational parameters of the vehicle.

Power management systems and devices

A hybrid vehicle includes a control apparatus having an engine controller and a motor controller A first battery and a second battery which has higher voltage than the first battery are provided An electric power generator which is driven by the engine is provided for charging the first battery The second battery and the electric motor are connected through the motor controller, and the first battery or the electric power generator is connected to the motor controller and the engine controller In addition, the first battery or the electric power generator is connected to the engine controller for maintaining a power supply for operation maintenance of the engine controller The second battery and the electric motor are connected through the motor controller The second battery or the electric motor is connected to the motor controller through a DC/DC converter As a result, even if the high voltage line including the electric motor in the control apparatus for the hybrid vehicle has failed, this system can drive the vehicle

Control apparatus for hybrid vehicle

An engine automatic start stop control apparatus controls an engine of a vehicle to be automatically stopped or started in response to driving conditions of a vehicle. Particularly, the apparatus is applied to the vehicle that performs idle stop control for reduction of discharge gas. Herein, the apparatus controls the engine to restart based upon determination for restarting the engine under an engine stop mode. Namely, the apparatus controls the engine to restart if a driver depresses a clutch pedal or if a driver does not depress a brake pedal during an engine stall in which engine speed becomes zero. Thus, it is possible to restart the engine by prescribed operations even if the driver mistakenly recognizes that the engine is stopped by automatic stop control although the engine actually stalls due to an error operation of the driver so that the engine speed becomes zero. This improves drivability for the driver who handles the vehicle, particularly a hybrid vehicle which is capable of independently running by using an electric motor only.

Engine automatic start stop control apparatus

The control system of the present invention is provided for a hybrid vehicle with an engine and a motor, which are power sources, and a power storage unit for storing energy generated by the output from the engine and regenerative energy produced by regeneration of the motor when the vehicle decelerates. Based on monitoring the state of charge of the power storage unit, when the stored energy is discharged so that the remaining charge is decreased from an initial state of charge, which was detected when the vehicle started running, by a predetermined amount, the function of the motor is switched from the discharging of the power storage unit to the charging of the power storage unit.

Control system for hybrid vehicle

A control device for a hybrid vehicle having an engine and a motor as driving sources for the vehicle, and when decelerating, the control device stops the fuel supply to the engine and generates energy by regenerative braking. The engine is a cylinder pause-type engine which is capable of switching between the all-cylinder driving state in which all of cylinders are operating, and a cylinder paused driving state in which all of the cylinders are paused, and the control device of the hybrid vehicle comprises a cylinder pause state determination device for determining whether the engine is in the all cylinder driving state or in a cylinder paused driving state and a regeneration amount supplementing device for supplementing the regeneration energy by the motor by use of the increment of the regeneration energy obtained during the cylinder pausing operation than that obtained during all cylinder driving state.

Controller of hybrid vehicle

A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle having a dynamotor which operates as a motor for assisting the output of an internal combustion engine and which operates as a generator for regenerating the running energy of the vehicle. The control apparatus, in accordance with operating conditions of the vehicle, controls an assist operation for supplying electric power from a storage device to the dynamotor and a regenerative operation for charging the storage device by the generated power of the dynamotor, and determines an acceleration mode for performing an assist operation or a cruising mode for selectively performing the assist operation and a regenerative operation, in accordance with an engine rotational speed and a throttle valve opening degree, or a vehicle speed of the vehicle and the throttle valve opening degree.

Control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle

The engine control system for a hybrid vehicle, according to the present invention, having an internal combustion engine and an electric motor as driving force sources, comprises: a clutch, provided between the engine and a transmission system, for disabling and enabling driving force transmission between the engine and the transmission system; clutch disengagement detector for detecting engagement/disengagement of the clutch; engine speed detector for detecting an engine speed; and fuel cutter for permitting stopping and restarting of the engine in accordance with at least a result of detection by the clutch disengagement detector among predetermined drive conditions, and cutting fuel supply to the engine when the vehicle decelerates, a fuel-supply restart engine speed at which fuel supply is resumed being set in the fuel cutter. Stopping the engine is accomplished by cutting fuel supply by the fuel cutter, and once the engine stop is initiated, even when the engine speed reaches the fuel-supply restart engine speed, fuel supply cut by the fuel cutter is maintained, and when the engine speed detected by the engine speed detector at a time of disengagement of the clutch is detected by the clutch disengagement detector is equal to or lower than a predetermined engine speed, fuel supply cut by the fuel cutter is maintained whereas when the detected engine speed is higher than the predetermined engine speed, fuel supply is restarted.

Atsushi Matsubara

Papers

Engine automatic start stop control apparatus

Control system for hybrid vehicle

Controller of hybrid vehicle

Control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle

Engine control system for hybrid vehicle