A method comprises determining the distance between a first transceiver unit and a second transceiver unit, wherein the first transceiver unit is mounted on a vehicle and the second transceiver unit is mounted on a trailer connected to the vehicle. The method also includes determining at least one parameter relating to the trailer, taking into account the distance between the first transceiver unit and the second transceiver unit.

The disclosure relates to a method for estimating a maximum safe articulation angle (lim) to be used in reversing of a vehicle combination (1) comprising a towing vehicle (10) and at least one trailer (20), said method comprising: S1) providing a preset maximum safe articulation angle (lim) for the towing vehicle (10) or the vehicle combination (1), S2) receiving a signal being indicative of an articulation angle () of the vehicle combination (1) during forward driving of the vehicle combination (1), and S3) updating the maximum safe articulation angle (lim) when the articulation angle () of the vehicle combination (1) during forward driving is larger than the preset maximum safe articulation angle (lim). The disclosure also relates to a method for reversing a vehicle combination (10), to a control unit (11), to a towing vehicle (10), to a computer program and to a computer readable medium.

A reverse driving assistance system assists a driver in steering a towing vehicle having a trailer. The system has an operating element for specifying a target articulation angle, a sensor device for detecting the current articulation angle of the vehicle-trailer combination, a display unit at least for displaying the specified target articulation angle, and an electronic control unit connected to the aforementioned components. The control unit also has an evaluation unit for recognizing an implausible specification of the target articulation angle and a protection unit for restricting the reverse driving assistance functionality if an implausible target specification is recognized. An implausible specification of the target articulation angle can be recognized at least by detecting the frequency of the change in direction of the operating element within a predetermined time and by comparing the detected value with a defined threshold value. The reverse driving assistance functionality is restricted if an implausible target specification is detected as a result of this threshold value being exceeded.

Systems and methods for dynamic predictive control of autonomous vehicles are disclosed. In one aspect, an in-vehicle control system for a semi-truck includes one or more control mechanisms configured to control movement of the semi-truck and a processor. The system further includes computer-readable memory in communication with the processor and having stored thereon computer-executable instructions to cause the processor to receive a desired trajectory and a vehicle status of the semi-truck, determine a dynamic model of the semi-truck based on the desired trajectory and the vehicle status, determine at least one quadratic program (QP) problem based on the dynamic model, generate at least one control command for controlling the semi-truck by solving the at least one QP problem, and provide the at least one control command to the one or more control mechanisms.

A device for reversing an articulated vehicle combination that has at least two vehicle units interconnected via at least one articulated join includes an arrangement for recording and storing a plurality of global positions of a local position of the vehicle combination, at least one sensor, mounted on the vehicle combination, for recording data representing a plurality properties of the surroundings, and a control unit arranged to determine, based at least partly on a plurality of dimensions of the vehicle combination, a set of global positions recorded when the vehicle combination is moving forward, and a set of data representing properties of the surroundings recorded during the forward movement, vehicle control input data for control of the vehicle combination during a reverse movement of the vehicle combination.

A method for estimating an effective length of a first vehicle segment of a vehicle combination, the vehicle combination comprising a towing vehicle which is connected to the first vehicle segment via a first articulation joint and a perception sensor mounted on one of the towing vehicle and the first vehicle segment and arranged to obtain an image of the other one of the towing vehicle and the first vehicle segment; the method comprising identifying that the vehicle combination is provided in a first steady vehicle state, identifying that a turning and driving manoeuvre is initiated, identifying when the vehicle combination reaches a second steady vehicle state, determining a time period required for driving the vehicle combination from the first steady vehicle state to the second steady vehicle state, and estimating the effective length by use of the time period, the specific angular change, and the specific speed.

Systems and methods for causing a vehicle to avoid an adverse action are described. In one aspect, a sensor on first vehicle may determine the existence and location of lane markers or objects, and use that information to cause a second vehicle to avoid exiting its lane or colliding with an object. Data transmitted from a first vehicle to a second vehicle may be used to determine a path for the second vehicle, such that it avoids an adverse action. This data may include information used to determine a pose of the second vehicle, kinematics of the second vehicle, determine dimensions of the second vehicle, and potential adverse actions. This data may be transmitted while the vehicles are platooning.

The technology relates to determining whether a vehicle operating in an autonomous driving mode is experiencing an anomalous condition, for instance due to a loss of tire pressure, a mechanical failure, or a shift or loss of cargo. The actual current pose of the vehicle is compared to an expected pose of the vehicle, where the expected pose is based on a model of the vehicle. If a pose discrepancy is identified, the anomalous condition is determined from information associated with the pose discrepancy. The vehicle is then able to take corrective action based on the nature of the anomalous condition. The corrective action may include making a real-time driving change, modifying a planned route, alerting a remote operations center, or communicating with one or more other vehicles.

A trailer sway control system for a vehicle includes: a front left active suspension actuator; a front right active suspension actuator; a rear left active suspension actuator; a rear right active suspension actuator; an actuator control module configured to: based on a hitch angle between (a) a first longitudinal axis of a trailer hitched to the vehicle and (b) a second longitudinal axis of the vehicle, determine target vertical forces for the front left active suspension actuator, the front right active suspension actuator, the rear left active suspension actuator, and the rear right active suspension actuator, respectively; and selectively adjust the front left active suspension actuator, the front right active suspension actuator, the rear left active suspension actuator, and the rear right active suspension actuator based on the target vertical forces, respectively.

A system and method for estimating the length of a trailer attached to a vehicle includes a processor and a sensor mounted to the vehicle and in communication with the processor. The sensor is configured to sense at least one target on the trailer and provide information to the processor regarding the location of the at least one target. The processor is configured to determine an estimate of the wheel based length (laa.sub.1) of the trailer by utilizing a wheel angle () of the vehicle, a hitch point (zk) of the vehicle, the first hitch angle (.sub.1), a wheel base (lza) of the vehicle, a distance (lzk) between the hitch point (zk) and a front axle of vehicle, and a lane radius (rza). The processor is configured to determine the length of a trailer attached to the vehicle by utilizing the wheel based length (laa.sub.1) of the trailer.