A method for operating a control device for the autonomous guidance of a motor vehicle, wherein a nominal speed is predetermined as a driving speed to be set by the control device and another vehicle driving in front more slowly than the nominal speed is detected by a detection device of the control device, wherein a speed difference of a driving speed of the other vehicle with respect to the nominal speed is greater than zero but smaller than a predetermined maximum value. In this case, an accumulator value is set to a starting value and a current speed value of the speed difference is detected and depending on the speed value, an advantage value is formed and the advantage value is added to the accumulator value. If the accumulator value meets a predetermined overtaking criterion, an overtaking signal is generated for allowing an overtaking maneuver.

Embodiments are disclosed for an example driver assistance system for a vehicle. The example driver assistance system includes a sensor module communicatively coupled to one or more sensors, a processor, and a storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to, responsive to detecting an entry condition, disengage control of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle, and engage autopilot of the vehicle upon detecting a leading vehicle in front of the vehicle. The instructions are further executable to follow the leading vehicle at a threshold separation until detecting an exit condition.

A motor vehicle includes a distance related speed control system, wherein if the motor vehicle is following a vehicle driving in front, a target distance from the vehicle driving in front chosen by the driver is generally set, and wherein for a distance-shortening turn signal effect time when a turn signal is set, a shortened target distance is set. The motor vehicle further has a lane departure warning system, wherein a warning that is generally activated if there is a risk of an unintentional lane departure is suppressed for a specified warning-suppressing turn signal effect time after the setting of the turn signal. The warning-suppressing turn signal effect time begins simultaneously with the distance-shortening turn signal effect time, wherein these two turn signal effect times are specified to have the same length.

A driving assistance device includes one or more processors configured to control operation of a host vehicle. The one or more processors are configured to perform first following control controlling acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle follows a first preceding vehicle running in front of the host vehicle in the same lane as the host vehicle, and perform second following control prohibiting the first following control while a lane change is being performed and controlling acceleration and deceleration of the host vehicle so that the host vehicle follows a second preceding vehicle running in front of the host vehicle in a destination lane, if the lane change of the host vehicle is started during the first following control.

When employing an adaptive cruise-with-braking (ACB) system to control host vehicle braking reaction distance, a plurality of trigger conditions (e.g., environmental parameters) are monitored. If one or more of the monitored parameters exceeds a predefined threshold, a trigger event is detected, and at least one of a braking reaction distance (BRD) and a following distance limit shape (FDLS) are adjusted. The BRD and FDLS adjustments may be predefined according to the type and/or magnitude of the trigger event. Trigger events may be weighted or prioritized such that higher priority trigger event types correspond to larger BRD reductions, etc. Monitored trigger conditions may include adverse weather, dangerous road terrain or topography, high traffic density, erratic forward vehicle behavior, and the like.

Autonomous driving system methods and devices which trigger vehicular actions based on the monitoring of one or more occupants of a vehicle are presented. The methods, and corresponding devices, may include identifying a plurality of features in a plurality of subsets of image data detailing the one or more occupants; tracking changes over time of the plurality of features over the plurality of subsets of image data; determining a state, from a plurality of states, of the one or more occupants based on the tracked changes; and triggering the vehicular action based on the determined state.

Embodiments are disclosed for an example driver assistance system for a vehicle. The example driver assistance system includes a sensor module communicatively coupled to one or more sensors, a processor, and a storage device storing instructions executable by the processor to, responsive to detecting an entry condition, disengage control of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle, and engage autopilot of the vehicle upon detecting a leading vehicle in front of the vehicle. The instructions are further executable to follow the leading vehicle at a threshold separation until detecting an exit condition.

The present disclosure relates to a computer implemented method for operating an autonomous vehicle based on sensor data representative of an area in a driving direction of and in the vicinity of the vehicle. The vehicle is equipped with a control unit adapted to determine if a plurality of detailed actions to be performed by the vehicle successfully may be used for fulfilling a desired general action plan for the vehicle. The present disclosure also relates to a corresponding control system and to a computer program product.

A computer-implemented method that, when executed by data processing hardware, causes the data processing hardware to perform operations comprising gathering sensor data from a sensor system of a host vehicle, evaluating sensor data, determining surrounding road conditions and behavior of a lead vehicle, receiving a first follow gap selected by the driver, calculating a second follow gap based on the surrounding road conditions and the behavior of the lead vehicle, adjusting host vehicle acceleration profile using the second follow gap while maintaining at least the first gap between the host vehicle and a lead vehicle, monitoring behavior of road actors in one or more adjacent lanes, and adjusting the second gap based on the behavior of the road actors in the one or more adjacent lanes.