An estimated time-to-collision (TTC) calculation apparatus includes a distance acquisition unit, relative velocity acquisition unit, relative acceleration acquisition unit, and estimated TTC calculation unit. The distance acquisition unit acquires a distance X between the own vehicle and an object. The relative velocity acquisition unit acquires a relative velocity V of the object with respect to the own vehicle. The relative acceleration acquisition unit acquires a relative acceleration of the object with respect to the own vehicle. The estimated TTC calculation unit calculates an estimated TTC t until the own vehicle collides with the object. In this apparatus and method, the estimated TTC calculation unit calculates t, based on the distance X and the relative velocity V, when the own vehicle is accelerating, and when the own vehicle is decelerating, calculates t based on the distance X, the relative velocity V, and the relative acceleration .

A computer-implemented method may include operating, by a processor device of a computer system, a vehicle at a predetermined speed. The method may further include receiving, from a sensor device, a sensor signal indicating an abnormal condition. The method may further include receiving, from a sensor device, a sensor signal indicating an abnormal condition. The method may further include, based on the sensor signal, determining, by the processor device, an operation risk. The method may further include, in response to determining the operation risk, activating, by the processor device, an alarm. The method may further include, in response to determining the operation risk, maintaining, by the processor device, operation of the vehicle at the predetermined speed.

A method for operating a motor vehicle having a braking device for braking the motor vehicle, including the steps: forecasting an anticipated time period until a reduction in speed or braking of the motor vehicle, triggered by a driver assistance system or by the driver of the motor vehicle, depending on vehicle data relating to the motor vehicle and/or environmental data relating to the motor vehicle environment, and triggering a respective function of the braking device when a triggering condition assigned to the respective function is satisfied, wherein a respective triggering condition is satisfied or can be satisfied only when the anticipated time period falls below the limiting time value assigned to the respective function, wherein at least two of the functions are assigned limiting time values that differ from each other.

A vehicle speed management apparatus acquires scene information about a driving scene of a host vehicle, estimates the driving scene based on the scene information acquired, acquires behavior information about a driving behavior of a user, determines a driving risk of the host vehicle driven by the user, based on the driving scene estimated and on the behavior information acquired, and controls a presentation of assist information by an information presentation unit in order to prompt the user to address the driving risk. When the driving scene estimated represents an independent traveling state of the host vehicle, the assist information to be presented by the information presentation unit is selected based on a magnitude of the driving risk determined before an operation by an emergency control unit.

Example embodiments relate to implementing electromechanical drive systems and auxiliary braking systems on freight cars and other railway vehicles. Such motive systems can include electric motors and power sources that can be installed on new or existing non-locomotive railway vehicles to supplement and/or replace energy typically generated by one or more locomotives in the trainset. Some motive systems further include regenerative braking systems that can supplement existing braking systems and enable energy to be captured and stored locally at batteries onboard the railway vehicle for subsequent use by the drivetrain. A computing system may use sensor data from onboard sensors, route data, weather data, and/or other sources of information to determine and execute control strategies that leverage the drive system and auxiliary braking in ways that reduces the power required by locomotives and/or the stress impacting couplers between railway vehicles within the train.

A cruise control apparatus, mounted to a vehicle, controls traveling of the own vehicle, based on a predicted course, which is a future course of the own vehicle. The cruise control apparatus includes a preceding vehicle position storage unit, a course prediction computation unit, and a cancellation determination section. The preceding vehicle position storage unit chronologically stores a preceding vehicle position, which is a position of a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle. The predicted course computation unit calculates a predicted course, based on the trajectory of the preceding vehicle position. The cancellation determination section cancels the preceding vehicle position stored in the preceding vehicle position storage unit when it has been determined that either the own vehicle or the preceding vehicle is in a situation where the own vehicle or the preceding vehicle is likely to depart from the current course.

Provided is a control system for use in an own motor vehicle adapted to: detect a first other motor vehicle participating in traffic in front of the own motor vehicle and a second other motor vehicle in the rear of the own motor vehicle using at least one surroundings sensor; determine a current driving situation of the own motor vehicle with respect to the current driving situation of the first and second other motor vehicles based on the movements of the first and/or second other motor vehicles and the own motor vehicle; repeatedly determine a measure of a brake requirement in the form of, for example, a time until the beginning of a deceleration; and, provided that a necessity measure exceeds a predetermined threshold, trigger a deceleration of the own vehicle at a point in time which lies before the determined time until the beginning of a deceleration.

A radar device for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves is mounted in a vehicle as an object detection means for detecting an object. A cruise control apparatus includes a trajectory calculation means for calculating a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of an own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the radar device, a route prediction means for calculating a predicted route of the vehicle on the basis of the moving locus of the preceding vehicle calculated by the trajectory calculation means, an axial deviation detection means for detecting the axial deviation of the radar device, and an invalidation processing means for invalidating the predicted route calculated by the route prediction means when it is detected that the axial deviation detection means has detected axial deviation of the radar device.

An autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle is provided that is capable of braking itself without a driver depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle has a powertrain that includes an engine, a transmission, and a motor with a connected battery to provide regenerative braking capabilities. Friction brakes are provided to apply when necessary, such as when the battery has a high state of charge and further regenerative braking would overcharge the battery. The braking may be activated in response to a sensor detecting a distance to an object in front of the vehicle. A vehicle controller is programmed to automatically control amounts of regenerative braking and friction braking during a braking event based on a comparison between a regenerative torque limit of the powertrain and a desired brake torque over the brake event to safely brake the vehicle during the brake event.

A vehicle group control device includes: a first vehicle-to-vehicle distance estimation unit configured to estimate a first vehicle-to-vehicle distance which is a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle; a second vehicle-to-vehicle distance recognition unit configured to recognize a second vehicle-to-vehicle distance which is a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between a reference interruption vehicle and the first vehicle; and the number of interruption vehicles estimation unit configured to estimate the number of interruption vehicles between the first vehicle and the second vehicle based on the first vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the second vehicle-to-vehicle distance.