An integrated manipulation apparatus for autonomous vehicles and a control method are provided. When a driving mode is switched from an autonomous driving mode to a manual driving mode, a user manipulates the integrated manipulation apparatus, which is portable, to perform chassis functions, such as steering, speed change, acceleration, and braking of a vehicle, and to perform general functions, such as lamp on/off, honking, and turn indication, as needed. A steering dial switch and a speed change slide switch are different in manipulation manner from an acceleration button switch and a braking button switch.

An immobilizer arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a brake that can be electrically actuated by at least one motor. The motor is controlled by a brake control, and with an immobilizer control that serves for activating and deactivating the immobilizer of the motor vehicle. The immobilizer control is configured to receive an authorization for deactivating the immobilizer from a user identification device. With the brake serving as the immobilizer, at least one current path is provided for actuating the motor, which is coupled to the immobilizer control.

An immobilizer arrangement for a motor vehicle includes a brake that can be electrically actuated by at least one motor. The motor is controlled by a brake control, and with an immobilizer control that serves for activating and deactivating the immobilizer of the motor vehicle. The immobilizer control is configured to receive an authorization for deactivating the immobilizer from a user identification device. With the brake serving as the immobilizer, at least one current path is provided for actuating the motor, which is coupled to the immobilizer control.

A remotely actuated vehicle pedal depression apparatus includes a handheld unit operatively coupled to a distal unit. Manual compression of an actuator disposed on the handheld unit effectuates extension of an extendable member forwardly from an anterior member disposed on the distal unit. Distal unit may be positioned in a footwell of an automobile to effectuate depression of a targeted pedal while a user performs observational diagnostics on the automobile without the assistance of another person.

A method for controlling functions of a vehicle by a remote control unit is provided herein. Signals are transmitted wirelessly between the remote control unit and a station in the vehicle. A data transmission rate depends on a distance between the remote control unit and the station. The data transmission rate is specified. If the data transmission rate is below a defined limit value, the vehicle functions to be controlled are no longer performed or are performed to a restricted extent only and/or the remote control unit emits warning signals.

A method for controlling functions of a vehicle by a remote control unit is provided herein. Signals are transmitted wirelessly between the remote control unit and a station in the vehicle. A data transmission rate depends on a distance between the remote control unit and the station. The data transmission rate is specified. If the data transmission rate is below a defined limit value, the vehicle functions to be controlled are no longer performed or are performed to a restricted extent only and/or the remote control unit emits warning signals.

A brake booster for a braking system of a vehicle including: a valve body to which a booster force is transmittable, a reaction disk, and an output rod, situated on the reaction disk in such a way that the booster force is at least partially transmittable to the output rod via the reaction disk so that the output rod is displaceable in the braking direction, the output rod being pressable counter to the braking direction due to a counter force of a master brake cylinder of the braking system, and the valve body and/or the output rod being formed in such a way that a relative movement of the output rod, aligned counter to the braking direction with respect to the valve body, is limited by an impact of at least one first contact surface of the output rod on at least one second contact surface of the valve body.

There is provided a method to stop or slow down a vehicle in an emergency, the method involving a vehicle comprising an emergency stop system which is able to cause the vehicle to stop or slow down, said emergency stop system comprising at least one microphone for detecting sounds in the vicinity of the vehicle, and a sound analysis unit for analysing sound, the method involving the steps: a) the microphone of the emergency stop system receiving a sound and sending a signal representing the sound to the sound analysis unit, b) the sound analysis unit of the emergency stop system determining that the received sound is a predetermined sound or a predetermined sound pattern, and c) the emergency stop system causing the vehicle to stop or slow down.

An autonomous lawn mower is described. The autonomous lawn mower comprises a chassis supporting a podium. In some examples, the podium comprises an upper portion and a lower portion, where the upper portion may support one or more sensors, antennas and/or cameras that may be used to provide environmental information regarding the surroundings of the autonomous lawn mower. The upper portion may be detached from the lower portion such that the upper portion is calibrated prior to the upper portion being coupled to the lower portion.

A braking system and method utilizing a simplified estimate of a distance between two locations on the earth based on spherical geometry. A braking system utilizing the aforementioned simplified estimate does not require computationally intensive calculations and is more efficient and better equipped to handle real-time generation of distance estimates for braking needs and variable conditions. In the present invention, geodesics evaluations are not used; rather, a modified Haversine formula that simplifies computations is used, including a one-time computation of the cosine of latitude coordinate.