A method for operating a transportation vehicle having a control unit for electrically actuating an electromechanical coupling unit of a steering system of the transportation vehicle, wherein the control unit actuates the coupling unit according to a steering wheel characteristic curve which forms a ratio between a wheel lock angle of wheels of the transportation vehicle and a steering wheel rotational angle which is assumed by a steering wheel of the transportation vehicle, wherein a normal steering wheel characteristic curve is made available as a standard setting of the steering wheel characteristic curve in the control unit.

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls a driving mode of a self-driving vehicle (SDV). One or more processors compare a control processor competence level of an on-board SDV control processor in controlling the SDV to a human driver competence level of a human driver in controlling the SDV while the SDV encounters a current roadway condition which is a result of current weather conditions of the roadway on which the SDV is currently traveling. One or more processors then selectively assign control of the SDV to the SDV control processor or to the human driver while the SDV encounters the current roadway condition based on which of the control processor competence level and the human driver competence level is relatively higher to one another.

A powered ride-on vehicle having a frame supported by a first drive wheel, a second drive wheel and at least one non-driven support wheel. The vehicle has a first motor connected to the first drive wheel, a second motor connected to the second drive wheel, a steering wheel, a plurality of movement selectors, a dance selector, and one or more controllers operably electrically connected to the motors, the plurality of movement selectors, and the dance selector. The controllers operate to manipulate the motors to cause movements of the vehicle for a set period of time upon depression of one of the plurality of movement selectors independent of an angular location of the steering wheel. The controllers further operate to manipulate the motors to cycle through at least four different dances based on subsequent depression of the dance selector.

The techniques of this disclosure relate to a vehicle lateral-control system with adjustable parameters. The system includes a controller circuit that receives identity data from a driver-monitoring sensor indicating an identity of a driver of a vehicle. The controller circuit receives vehicle lateral-response data from vehicle sensors based on steering maneuvers performed as the vehicle operates under control of the driver. The controller circuit determines lateral-steering parameters of the vehicle based on the vehicle lateral-response data. The controller circuit adjusts lateral-control parameters of the vehicle based on the lateral-steering parameters. The controller circuit associates the adjusted lateral-control parameters of the vehicle with the identity of the driver. The controller circuit operates the vehicle according to the lateral-control parameters associated with the identity of the driver. The system can reproduce the driver's steering behavior while the vehicle is operated in an autonomous-driving mode.

A control apparatus according to the present disclosure is configured to perform a process of calculating a command torque that is given to a steering mechanism, an adjustment gain calculation process in which an adjustment gain for the command torque is calculated based on a steering torque, a process of calculating an adjusted command torque obtained by applying the adjustment gain to the command torque, and a process of controlling the steering mechanism in accordance with the adjusted command torque. It should be noted herein that the adjustment gain calculation process includes a process of calculating an adjusted steering torque having predetermined hysteresis characteristics with respect to changes in the steering torque, based on the steering torque, and a process of converting the adjusted steering torque into the adjustment gain.

A vehicle configured to operate in a normal steering mode and a differential steering mode is disclosed. The vehicle includes at least three wheels with the first and second wheels disposed on opposite sides of the vehicle. First and second motors, independently controllable by a motor control unit, drive the corresponding wheels. A steering shaft connects a steering mechanism for changing the angle of travel of at least one wheel to a steering wheel, when the vehicle operates in the normal steering mode. When the vehicle operates in a differential steering mode, a steering lock mechanism locks the at least one wheel in a fixed angle of travel, and a sensor senses the direction the steering wheel is turned. The motor controller causes the motor to rotate the first and second wheels at different rotational speeds to turn the vehicle the direction the steering wheel is turned.

Disclosed herein is a method and system for detecting, monitoring and/or controlling one or more of mobile services for a mobile communication device (also referred to herein as a Controllable Mobile Device or CMD), and in particular, when the device is being used and the vehicle, operated by the user of the device, is moving. In addition, one aspect of the invention generally relates to a method and system for modifying a user's driving behaviors, in particular to a system and method for modifying a user's unsafe driving behaviors, e.g., using one or more services of a controllable mobile device while driving, by providing a score to the user rating indicating that they are using a mobile device in a distracting way, or driving in a manner that indicates that they are distracted.

A vehicle control system includes a steering input member rotatably supported by a vehicle body of a vehicle, a primary capacitive sensor provided along an outer edge of a steering input member and configured to detect a position on the steering input member at which a contact is made by a vehicle operator, a rotational angle sensor configured to detect a rotational angle of the steering input member, and a control unit configured to control a steering unit of the vehicle according to a signal from the rotational angle sensor and a signal from the primary capacitive sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to operate in a first operation mode and a second operation mode, the steering unit being controlled according to the signal from the rotational angle sensor in the first operation mode, and according to the signal from the primary capacitive sensor in the second operation mode.

The present disclosure relates to a method for controlling a steering assist system of a vehicle. Based on a signal indicative of a road characteristics of a road segment, a flow of fluid supplied by a fluid pump is controlled to generate a steering assist force to a wheel of the vehicle.

A control apparatus of a vehicle including a steering operator is provided. The control apparatus includes an environment detection unit configured to detect a surrounding environment of the vehicle, a travel control unit configured to execute automatic steering control based on the surrounding environment, and an operation detection unit configured to detect a first operation and a second operation by a driver. The travel control unit can take a first state in which automatic steering control is not performed, a second state in which automatic steering control is performed on condition of the second operation, and a third state in which automatic steering control is performed without condition of the second operation. The travel control unit transitions from the third state to the first state on condition of the first operation.