An apparatus for guiding an autonomous vehicle towards a docking station including an autonomous vehicle with a camera-based sensing system, a drive system for driving the autonomous vehicle, and a control system for controlling the drive system. The apparatus includes a docking station including a first fiducial marker and a second fiducial marker, wherein the second fiducial marker is positioned on the docking station to define a predetermined relative spacing with the first fiducial marker, wherein the control system is operable to receive an image provided by the camera-based sensing system, the image including a representation of the first and second fiducial markers, and to control the drive system so as to guide the autonomous vehicle towards the base station based on a difference between the representation of the first and second fiducial markers in the received image and the predetermined relative spacing between the first and second fiducial markers.

A method for operating an electrically operated or also electrically operable motor vehicle provided with a rechargeable electric energy storage device associated with the drive motor of the motor vehicle. A target charging state is determined for the energy storage device and an operating strategy is determined for a route that is calculated, entered or predicted for the next trip, by which recuperative deceleration is enabled with a specifiable minimum amount for deceleration processes occurring along the route. A total mass of the motor vehicle, including optionally a trailer connected to the motor vehicle, deviating from an input normal value and an air resistance of the motor vehicle deviating from a predetermined normal value are taken into account.

An electronic control unit is configured to select one of a series mode, a series-parallel mode and a parallel mode as a running mode. A load level of a hybrid vehicle is set to a value that is high in the order of a load level at which the parallel mode is selected, a load level at which the series-parallel mode is selected, and a load level at which the series mode is selected. That is, the electronic control unit selects the series-parallel mode in an intermediate load region, selects the series mode in a low load region, and selects the parallel mode in a high load region.

An autonomous ground treatment appliance, in particular a robotic lawnmower, includes a housing, a running gear, a control unit, at least one wheel unit, and a sensor unit. The control unit is configured to control the autonomous ground treatment appliance. The at least one wheel unit is mounted on the housing so as to be at least partially movable relative to the housing. The sensor unit is configured to ascertain a position of the wheel unit relative to the housing.

An autonomous ground treatment appliance, in particular a robotic lawnmower, includes a housing, a running gear, a control unit, at least one wheel unit, and a sensor unit. The control unit is configured to control the autonomous ground treatment appliance. The at least one wheel unit is mounted on the housing so as to be at least partially movable relative to the housing. The sensor unit is configured to ascertain a position of the wheel unit relative to the housing.

The invention relates to a method for jointly controlling asynchronous machines (2; 3) of a motor vehicle (1) having a first asynchronous machine (2) and a second asynchronous machine (3) for driving the motor vehicle (1); an inverter (4), which is designed to supply the first asynchronous machine (2) and the second asynchronous machine (3) with a common stator voltage (5) at a common stator frequency (6). The method comprises the steps of determining a specified setpoint drive torque (11) of the motor vehicle (1) for a current driving situation of the motor vehicle (1); sensing a first rotational speed (7a) of the first asynchronous machine (2) and a second rotational speed (7b) of the second asynchronous machine (3); determining a common operating strategy of the first asynchronous machine (2) and of the second asynchronous machine (3) according to the specified setpoint torque (11) while taking into account the sensed rotational speeds (7a; 7b); and controlling the stator voltage (5) and the stator frequency (6) in order to set the drive torques (9a; 9b) of the asynchronous machines (2; 3) according to the operating strategy.

A method and a system are described for controlling power dissipation in an electric drive system for a hybrid electrical vehicle including determining the stator current of an electrical machine providing a maximum achievable power dissipation in the electrical drive system and determining a maximum available braking torque of an electrical machine.

In an electric vehicle, a power supplier includes a software type condenser charging circuit and a hardware type condenser charging circuit. The software capacitor charging circuit operates when a controller controls the software type condenser charging circuit while monitoring a voltage between opposite ends at an initial charging stage. The hardware type condenser charging circuit is operated when the controller controls the hardware type condenser charging circuit without monitoring the voltage between the opposite ends of the DC-link condenser or by direct switching manipulation of a user.

A control device for performing start assist control for an internal combustion engine includes: a first start assist processing unit that executes a first start assist process that brings a first engagement device into slip engagement at a first engagement pressure while increasing a torque generated by a rotating electrical machine; and a second start assist processing unit that increases, when the first start assist process fails to start the internal combustion engine, an engagement pressure of the first engagement device to a second engagement pressure higher than the first engagement pressure while increasing the torque generated by the rotating electrical machine. The second start assist processing unit determines the second engagement pressure on the basis of a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine in the first start assist process.

A control device for performing start assist control for an internal combustion engine includes: a first start assist processing unit that executes a first start assist process that brings a first engagement device into slip engagement at a first engagement pressure while increasing a torque generated by a rotating electrical machine; and a second start assist processing unit that increases, when the first start assist process fails to start the internal combustion engine, an engagement pressure of the first engagement device to a second engagement pressure higher than the first engagement pressure while increasing the torque generated by the rotating electrical machine. The second start assist processing unit determines the second engagement pressure on the basis of a rotational speed of the internal combustion engine in the first start assist process.