A braking system having expanded functionality, which provides the driver of a vehicle the option to manually control the clamping force of the rear brakes as desired, while keeping existing braking system functionalities. The braking system includes a manual control device, such as a hand lever assembly, and the driver is able to move the hand lever to various positions. The position of the lever corresponds to an equivalent rear hydraulic brake clamping force request. A fully retracted lever corresponds to a complete release action of the rear hydraulic brakes, and a fully actuated lever corresponds to a complete clamping of the rear hydraulic brakes. Any position in between the fully retracted and fully actuated positions corresponds to a partial apply of the rear hydraulic brakes using a predefined ratio of force to lever position.

A method of managing the deceleration of a vehicle. The method comprises receiving a brake command and determining an actual rate of deceleration of the vehicle. The method further comprises monitoring the speed of the vehicle as the vehicle decelerates in response to the brake command. The method still further comprises modifying the amount of brake torque being applied to one or more wheels of the vehicle when the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined threshold, by first decreasing the amount of brake torque being applied and then subsequently increasing the amount of brake torque being applied to bring the vehicle to a standstill. A system for implementing the methodology is also provided.

A method for operating a speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises identifying a torque required to achieve a desired operating parameter of the vehicle. The method further assessing whether the required torque exceeds a predetermined torque limit, and when it does, determining if it is appropriate to increase the torque limit. When it is determined that it is appropriate to do so, the method further comprises increasing the predetermined torque limit. A speed control system of a vehicle comprising an electronic control unit configured to: determine a torque required to achieve a desired operating parameter of the vehicle, assess whether the required torque exceeds a predetermined torque limit; when the torque exceeds the torque limit, determine if it is appropriate to increase the torque limit; and when it is determined that it is appropriate to do so, increase the torque limit, is also provided.

A braking system for a vehicle, the braking system includes a brake provided in a wheel of the vehicle and configured to restrain rotation of the wheel, and a brake force control device configured to control a brake force of the brake. The brake force control device includes a road-surface condition acquisition portion configured to acquire a road-surface condition indicative of a condition of a road surface where the vehicle travels, and in a case where the road-surface condition acquisition portion acquires a plurality of conditions as the road-surface condition, the brake force control device controls the brake force in a mode different from respective controls on the brake force based on the conditions.

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a control system for a vehicle, the control system comprising at least one controller and being configured to: obtain image data relating to terrain to be traversed by the vehicle, and for each of a plurality of sub-regions of the image data: determine probability data relating to whether the respective sub-region relates to a path region or a non-path region of the terrain; and determine a cost for the vehicle to traverse a portion of the terrain to which the sub-region relates depending on the probability data meeting one or more path probability criteria indicating that the sub-region relates to the path region, one or more non-path probability criteria indicating that the sub-region relates to the non-path region or neither the path probability criteria nor the non-path probability criteria; and determining a vehicle path in dependence on the determined costs.

A front tire heating and cleaning system for a vehicle includes a brake system configured to selectively apply hydraulic braking pressure against front wheels and rear wheels of the vehicle, and a controller in signal communication with the brake system. The controller is configured to, upon receipt of a request, initiate a controlled front tire heating mode where the brake system is controlled to selectively apply hydraulic braking pressure against the rear wheels and not the front wheels, and rotate the front wheels to increase tire temperature for improved front wheel traction during off-road maneuvers.

A vehicle control system having a plurality of speed control systems, each operable to cause the vehicle to operate in accordance with a respective target speed. The system is operable wherein one of the plurality of speed control systems may be selected to control vehicle speed at a given moment in time, wherein when responsibility for speed control is transferred from a first one of the plurality of speed control systems to a second one of the speed control systems, the second one of the speed control systems is operable to set a value of target speed thereof to a value corresponding to that of the target speed of the first.

A brake fluid pressure control device for a includes a wheel speed acquisition device that acquires a wheel speed, a slippage amount calculation device that calculates a wheel slippage amount, and a bad road determination device that determines whether a road surface of travel is a bad road. The bad road determination device determines whether the road surface of travel is a bad road using a bad road determination threshold value, and a value that relates to wheel behavior that is calculated based at least upon the wheel speed. The bad road determination threshold value is modified according to the wheel slippage amount. The present invention can appropriately set a bad road determination threshold value that is in accordance with a slippage amount, which corresponds to braking power, and can improve bad road determination precision without depending on variation in change of wheel speed.

A brake fluid pressure control device for a vehicle includes a wheel speed acquisition device that acquires a wheel speed, an estimated vehicle body speed calculation device that calculates an estimated vehicle body speed on the basis of the wheel speed, and a bad road determination device that determines whether a road surface of travel is a bad road. The brake fluid pressure control device for a vehicle can provide hydraulic control of a brake fluid that is used in wheel brakes, and the bad road determination device determines whether the road surface of travel is a bad road on the basis of the deviation between the estimated vehicle body speed and the wheel speed. The present invention can detect phenomena particular to bad roads, and can more accurately perform bad road determination, and allows for the improvement of control such as ABS control.

A vehicle control system comprising a speed control system and a traction control (TC) system, the TC system being operable to cause a reduction in speed of one or more wheels when a speed of the one or more wheels exceeds a TC system intervention threshold value, the speed control system being operable in an active state in which the speed control system causes the vehicle to operate in accordance with a target speed value, wherein when the speed control system is in the active state, the TC system intervention threshold value is set to a value selected in dependence at least in part on the target speed value.