A method for controlling a vehicle includes automatically controlling vehicle brakes to decelerate the vehicle at a braking deceleration rate in response to an anticipated stop at a traffic signal and an adaptive cruise control system being active. The method further includes, in response to the vehicle decelerating to an intermediate speed, releasing the vehicle brakes. The intermediate speed is determined such that, at the intermediate speed, a coasting distance to a full stop is approximately equal to a distance to the traffic signal.

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.

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 system may selectively displace human driver control of a host vehicle. The system may receive an image representative of an environment of the host vehicle and detect an obstacle in the environment of the host vehicle based on analysis of the image. The system may monitor a driver input to a throttle, brake, and/or steering control associated with the host vehicle. The system may determine whether the driver input would result in the host vehicle navigating within a proximity buffer relative to the obstacle. If the driver input would not result in the host vehicle navigating within the proximity buffer, the system may allow the driver input to cause a corresponding change in one or more host vehicle motion control systems. If the driver input would result in the host vehicle navigating within the proximity buffer, the system may prevent the driver input from causing the corresponding change.

A brake controller of a machine can be configured to determine brake power associated with braking operations, such as operations to slow the machine or maintain a speed of the machine. The brake controller can allocate the brake power among systems such as a battery system, a resistive grid, auxiliary systems, a mechanical brake system, and/or other systems, based on a defined priority order of the systems. For example, the brake controller can prioritize using a regenerative brake system to charge a battery system during a braking operation up to a currently-available capacity of the battery system, and allocating any remaining brake power to a lower-priority system. The mechanical brake system can be the lowest-priority system, such that use of the mechanical brake system can be avoided unless an amount of brake power exceeds capacities of higher-priority systems to consume the brake power.

A braking device for a motor vehicle has a setpoint controlled deceleration device, which, upon receipt of a braking request input by a driver or an assistance system, for example, on the basis of a difference between a setpoint value and an actual value, drives a brake of the vehicle to generate a setpoint controlled braking torque for a deceleration of the motor vehicle. In addition, the braking device has a braking preparation control, which, upon receipt of a braking preparation signal, drives the brake independently of the setpoint value to produce at least one braking pressure for generating a preparation braking torque for a pre-deceleration of the motor vehicle. The braking preparation signal is generated as soon as a driving situation is ascertained where a braking request input by a driver or an assistance system is very likely imminent.

A cruise control system for a vehicle includes a controller configured to maintain a speed of the vehicle about a setpoint, and in response to predicted brake capacity falling below a threshold based on predicted brake fade, reduce the setpoint and downshift a transmission of the vehicle to increase negative torque to reduce brake fade. Also, a powertrain of a vehicle includes an engine, an automatic transmission coupled with the engine, and a controller. The controller is configured to maintain a speed of the vehicle about a setpoint, and in response to a predicted brake capacity falling below a threshold based on predicted brake fade, reduce the setpoint and downshift the transmission to increase a negative torque.

In a method for assisting a driver of a motor vehicle in a driving maneuver, the surroundings of the vehicle are recorded, and it is checked whether at least one object is located in the surroundings of the vehicle, and it is ascertained subsequently whether the vehicle is approaching the object, and a warning to the driver is output if the vehicle approaches the object up to a critical distance. The driver is warned by a warning jerk, and after the warning jerk has taken place, the speed of the vehicle is automatically reduced.

A work vehicle control system controls a work vehicle having a braking device. The work vehicle control system includes a location information generating unit that obtains and outputs a location of the work vehicle, and a control unit that controls the braking device based on location information of the work vehicle obtained from the location information generating unit. The control unit determines braking force that controls the braking device based on first accuracy that is accuracy of the location information of the work vehicle obtained from the location information generating unit.

A method of controlling the braking of a vehicle descending a slope. The method includes receiving one or more electrical signals each indicative of a value of a respective vehicle-related parameter. The method further includes detecting that the vehicle is descending a slope based on the value(s) of one or more of the vehicle-related parameters. The method still further includes automatically modifying an amount of brake torque being applied to at least certain of the wheels of the vehicle in response to the detection of the vehicle descending a slope by increasing the amount of brake torque being applied to one or more trailing wheels of the vehicle, and decreasing the amount of brake torque being applied to one or more leading wheels of the vehicle.