Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.

Various residual braking torque indication devices, systems, and methods are described. The devices, systems, and methods can include a sensorized brake pad. An output signal of the sensorized brake pad can be processed to provide an indication of a residual braking torque. The residual braking torque indicator can be calibrated to reference data to provide an actual measurement of the residual braking torque.

An electric brake device includes: an electric brake being configured such that a shaft is moved forward by diving of an electric motor, and the forward movement of the shaft brings the electric brake into an acting state in which brake friction members are pushed against a brake rotary body so as to suppress rotation of a wheel; and a motor controller being configured to control the electric motor, wherein through a rotation speed control on the electric motor, after the shaft reaches a set position before the electric brake comes into the acting state, the motor controller controls a forward speed of the shaft to be smaller than that before the shaft reaches the set position.

Vehicles according to at least some embodiments of the disclosure include a sensor, and a computing device comprising at least one hardware processing unit. The computing device is programmed to perform operations comprising capturing an image with the sensor, identifying an object in the image, and in response to an accuracy of the identification meeting a first criterion, pre-loading a braking system of the autonomous vehicle. In some aspects, the computing device may predict that an object not currently within a path of the vehicle has a probability of entering the path of the vehicle that meets a second criterion. When the probability of entering the path meets the second criterion, some of the disclosed embodiments may pre-load the braking system.

Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a driver's slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The systems that may be modified include: visual devices, audio devices, tactile devices, antilock brake systems, automatic brake prefill systems, brake assist systems, auto cruise control systems, electronic stability control systems, collision warning systems, lane keep assist systems, blind spot indicator systems, electronic pretensioning systems and climate control systems.

A vehicle includes a brake system. The brake system includes a hydraulic brake line having a line pressure. The vehicle additionally includes a vacuum reservoir. The vacuum reservoir is selectively fluidly coupled to the hydraulic brake line. The vacuum reservoir is configured to, when fluidly coupled to the hydraulic brake line, reduce the line pressure during a drive cycle.

A vehicle includes a brake system. The brake system includes a hydraulic brake line having a line pressure. The vehicle additionally includes a vacuum reservoir. The vacuum reservoir is selectively fluidly coupled to the hydraulic brake line. The vacuum reservoir is configured to, when fluidly coupled to the hydraulic brake line, reduce the line pressure during a drive cycle.

Methods of assessing driver behavior include monitoring vehicle systems and driver monitoring systems to accommodate for a slow reaction time, attention lapse and/or alertness of a driver. When it is determined that a driver is drowsy, for example, the response system may modify the operation of one or more vehicle systems. The response system can modify the control of two or more systems simultaneously in response to driver behavior.

A brake booster includes an input element actuatable by a driver, an actuator for generating a support force, an output element that receives at least one of an input or support force and that applies an actuating force to a piston of a brake master cylinder, a force transmission unit having elastic properties and transmitting the input and/or support forces to the output element, and a preload unit acting on the force transmission unit to apply a force couple to the force transmission unit when the brake booster is in idle mode. A method for operating the brake booster includes generating a support force prior to a braking intent to be anticipated or immediately after detection of a braking intent, in a time span before or immediately after detection of an actuation of the input element.

A braking control apparatus includes a contact determiner and a collision brake processor. The contact determiner is configured to determine whether a collision determination on a contact of a vehicle is satisfied. The collision brake processor is configured to cause a brake device of the vehicle to generate a braking force to achieve a predetermined deceleration rate of the vehicle if the contact determination is satisfied. The collision brake processor is configured to, upon determining that the brake device is in a predetermined pre-contact braking state immediately before the contact determination is satisfied, set a deceleration rate of the vehicle after the contact determination is satisfied to a value larger than in a case where the collision brake processor does not determine that the brake device is in the predetermined pre-contact braking state.