A method for determining road surface conditions in a system with at least one vehicle and a data processing device. The vehicle exchanges data with the data processing device wirelessly. The vehicle has at least one sensor for determining measured values describing a road surface friction coefficient, and a computing unit. The data processing device includes a database, containing a road map having a plurality of route sections. The method includes determining measured values for a route section by the sensor, determining a first friction coefficient for the route section by the vehicle's computing unit, sending a data record, containing measured values and/or the first determined friction coefficient and a piece of information identifying the route section, to the data processing device, determining an average friction coefficient for the route section, sending the average friction coefficient determined for the route section to the vehicle, and determining the road surface condition.

The present disclosure discloses a control method and device for automated guided vehicle, and automated guided vehicle. By utilizing the coupling relation between the turntable and the chassis, a disturbance to the chassis electromechanical control subsystem is compensated by using a feedback signal in the turntable electromechanical control subsystem, or a disturbance to the turntable electromechanical control subsystem is compensated by using a feedback signal in the chassis electromechanical control subsystem, so that high-precision movement control of the turntable and the chassis is realized.

A method for operating a speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises detecting an occurrence of a slip event, of a step encounter event, or of both events at a leading wheel of the vehicle. The method also comprises predicting that the occurrence of the detected event(s) will occur at a following wheel of the vehicle. The method yet further comprises automatically controlling vehicle speed, vehicle acceleration, or both vehicle speed and acceleration in response to the detection, the prediction, or both the detection and prediction. A speed control system comprising an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to perform the above-described methodology is also provided.

A vehicle includes a transmission, friction brakes, and a controller. The transmission has a clutch that is configured to transfer torque from an input of the transmission to a drive wheel. The controller is programmed to, in response to application of the friction brakes resulting in a stationary position of the vehicle, disengage the clutch to establish a neutral condition of the transmission. The controller is also programmed to, in response to a command to launch the vehicle while the transmission is in the neutral condition, engage the clutch. The controller is further programmed to, in response to an estimated wheel torque exceeding a rollback threshold during the clutch engagement, release the friction brakes. The wheel torque is based on an estimated clutch torque which is based on a clutch pressure and a transmission input torque.

A motor vehicle includes a control device that controls such that a first drive machine propels, while a second drive machine operates as a generator, and a load point of the first drive machine is increased by an amount that is bounded by a first limit value chosen such that, when a driving torque of the first drive machine is reduced to zero, while the amount is set at the first limit value and at a same time a motor slip control of the motor vehicle is not active, a destabilization of the motor vehicle occurs in a first test driving situation and no destabilization of the motor vehicle occurs in a second test driving situation, wherein a coefficient of friction of a static friction between tires of the motor vehicle and a roadway is between 0.4 and 0.9, or and the coefficient of friction is between 0.9 and 1.1.

Upon detecting an accumulation of snow on a driving surface, a driving path from a first location to a second location is identified. A vehicle is operated from the first location to the second location and then to a third location that is identical to or proximate to the first location.

A vehicle body speed estimation device and a vehicle body speed estimation method are provided for estimating a vehicle body speed of a four-wheel drive vehicle from a wheel speed of each wheel of the four-wheel drive vehicle. In the vehicle body speed estimation device and a vehicle body speed estimation method, a controller determines whether a deviation of at least two of the wheel speeds among the wheel speeds is within a first prescribed range. The controller switches a method for selecting the wheel speed used for estimating the vehicle body speed between a first method and a second method when a sign of a drive torque that is applied to each of the wheels is reversed and the deviation of at least two of the wheel speeds among the wheel speeds is within the first prescribed range.

Systems and methods for operating an internal combustion engine that is coupled to a power split transmission are described. In one example, the internal combustion engine is operated in a speed control mode or a torque control mode in response to a braking torque and a transmission shift command. Operating the engine in the torque control mode may allow the engine to charge a battery while a neutral transmission state is selected.

An apparatus and a method for estimating a road surface friction coefficient relate to an apparatus of estimating a road surface friction coefficient including an additional power control module that arbitrarily adds a braking force, which causes a wheel speed difference, to an axle of the vehicle to which the braking force is applied, and together adds a driving force that cancels the braking force to an axle of the vehicle to which the driving force is applied, when it is determined that a driving state of the vehicle is an inertial driving state, and a road surface friction coefficient estimation module that estimates the road surface friction coefficient by the wheel speed difference caused by a newly added braking force.

A device for a towing vehicle that includes: a drive unit that independently drives each of left and right wheels of a towing vehicle that tows a towed vehicle; an acceleration detection unit that detects an acceleration of the towing vehicle; a drive force detection unit that detects a drive force of the towing vehicle; a mass estimation unit that estimates a mass of the towed vehicle using respective detection results generated by the acceleration detection unit and the drive force detection unit at a time of acceleration of the towing vehicle in a towing state; and a control unit that controls a drive force of the left and right wheels of the towing vehicle in consideration of an influence of the mass of the towed vehicle estimated by the mass estimation unit at a time of turning of the towing vehicle in the towing state.