A system and method in a building or vehicle for an actuator operation in response to a sensor according to a control logic, the system comprising a router or a gateway communicating with a device associated with the sensor and a device associated with the actuator over in-building or in-vehicle networks, and an external Internet-connected control server associated with the control logic implementing a PID closed linear control loop and communicating with the router over external network for controlling the in-building or in-vehicle phenomenon. The sensor may be a microphone or a camera, and the system may include voice or image processing as part of the control logic. A redundancy is used by using multiple sensors or actuators, or by using multiple data paths over the building or vehicle internal or external communication. The networks may be wired or wireless, and may be BAN, PAN, LAN, WAN, or home networks.

An avoidance modifier system may be configured to modify operation of a collision avoidance system associated with a machine. The avoidance modifier system may include at least one inclination sensor and a modifier system controller configured to be in communication with the collision avoidance system. The modifier system controller may be configured to receive an inclination signal from the inclination sensor and determine an inclination angle at which the machine is operating relative to level operation. The modifier system controller may be configured to determine an adjusted ground plane angle indicative of a virtual ground plane on which the machine is operating, and communicate with the collision avoidance system, such that the collision avoidance system does not activate a braking device of the machine in response to an object sensor generating an object signal indicative of detection of an object between an actual ground plane and the virtual ground plane.

Method and apparatus for maintaining a speed of a vehicle within a target speed range. A plurality of coasting profiles are generated for the vehicle, each having an initial speed and a starting point on a predicted vehicle path. Each coasting profile represents a predicted vehicle speed over a time and/or distance from the starting point and is generated based on a geometry of at least a portion of the predicted vehicle path. At least one of the coasting profiles that maintains the speed of the vehicle within the target speed range is identified. A prime mover of the vehicle is controlled to place the vehicle into a coasting mode in accordance with the at least one identified coasting profile. Alternatively, feedback is provided to a user to place the vehicle into a coasting mode, such that the vehicle will coast in accordance with the at least one identified coasting profile.

Method and apparatus for maintaining a speed of a vehicle within a target speed range. A plurality of coasting profiles are generated for the vehicle, each having an initial speed and a starting point on a predicted vehicle path. Each coasting profile represents a predicted vehicle speed over a time and/or distance from the starting point and is generated based on a geometry of at least a portion of the predicted vehicle path. At least one of the coasting profiles that maintains the speed of the vehicle within the target speed range is identified. A prime mover of the vehicle is controlled to place the vehicle into a coasting mode in accordance with the at least one identified coasting profile. Alternatively, feedback is provided to a user to place the vehicle into a coasting mode, such that the vehicle will coast in accordance with the at least one identified coasting profile.

A driving assist ECU acquires, based on an image, positions of at least two specific points of an object that are different in a lateral direction with respect to a vehicle traveling direction. The driving assist ECU also performs collision avoidance control for avoiding a collision with the object based on a movement track of the object obtained from a history of the positions of the specific points, and calculates, for each of the specific points, a movement direction of each of the specific points based on the history of the position of each of the specific points. The driving assist ECU then changes how to perform the collision avoidance control based on a difference between the movement directions at the respective specific points.

A driving assist ECU acquires, based on an image, positions of at least two specific points of an object that are different in a lateral direction with respect to a vehicle traveling direction. The driving assist ECU also performs collision avoidance control for avoiding a collision with the object based on a movement track of the object obtained from a history of the positions of the specific points, and calculates, for each of the specific points, a movement direction of each of the specific points based on the history of the position of each of the specific points. The driving assist ECU then changes how to perform the collision avoidance control based on a difference between the movement directions at the respective specific points.

The vehicle control device includes a speed calculation unit, a speed estimation unit, a motion feedback calculation unit, and a slip estimator. The speed calculation unit calculates a speed in a predetermined direction of a vehicle on the basis of a feature quantity. The speed estimation unit estimates a speed in the predetermined direction on the basis of a speed or acceleration detected by a motion detector. The motion feedback calculation unit performs feedback calculation in which a value obtained, through a proportional gain, from a deviation between a calculation speed calculated by the speed calculation unit and an estimation speed estimated by the speed estimation unit, is added to the feature quantity. The slip estimator compares the calculation speed with the estimation speed, and estimates that the vehicle is in a slip state in the predetermined direction, when the estimation speed exceeds the calculation speed.

The vehicle control device includes a speed calculation unit, a speed estimation unit, a motion feedback calculation unit, and a slip estimator. The speed calculation unit calculates a speed in a predetermined direction of a vehicle on the basis of a feature quantity. The speed estimation unit estimates a speed in the predetermined direction on the basis of a speed or acceleration detected by a motion detector. The motion feedback calculation unit performs feedback calculation in which a value obtained, through a proportional gain, from a deviation between a calculation speed calculated by the speed calculation unit and an estimation speed estimated by the speed estimation unit, is added to the feature quantity. The slip estimator compares the calculation speed with the estimation speed, and estimates that the vehicle is in a slip state in the predetermined direction, when the estimation speed exceeds the calculation speed.

There is achieved a traveling robot configured to travel by switching between leg driving and wheel driving while suppressing a decrease in velocity in switching between the leg driving and the wheel driving. The traveling robot includes a drive unit, a clutch configured to switch a transmission destination of a driving force from the drive unit, a leg and a wheel that are configured to be driven by the driving force from the drive unit, and a control unit. The control unit executes, in drive switching between leg driving and wheel driving, travel velocity control before the drive switching such that a travel velocity after the drive switching is substantially equal to a travel velocity before the drive switching. The control unit sets, in the drive switching between the leg driving and the wheel driving, a sliding movement state in which the wheel is caused to slide in a non-driven state. The control unit executes, in the drive switching, acceleration processing before the drive switching such that a travel velocity after the drive switching is substantially equal to a travel velocity before the drive switching.

There is achieved a traveling robot configured to travel by switching between leg driving and wheel driving while suppressing a decrease in velocity in switching between the leg driving and the wheel driving. The traveling robot includes a drive unit, a clutch configured to switch a transmission destination of a driving force from the drive unit, a leg and a wheel that are configured to be driven by the driving force from the drive unit, and a control unit. The control unit executes, in drive switching between leg driving and wheel driving, travel velocity control before the drive switching such that a travel velocity after the drive switching is substantially equal to a travel velocity before the drive switching. The control unit sets, in the drive switching between the leg driving and the wheel driving, a sliding movement state in which the wheel is caused to slide in a non-driven state. The control unit executes, in the drive switching, acceleration processing before the drive switching such that a travel velocity after the drive switching is substantially equal to a travel velocity before the drive switching.