This travel control device includes: a road determining unit which determines whether a road including a downward slope along which a vehicle is traveling includes a first curved road and a second curved road; and a travel control unit which, if the road determining unit has determined that the road contains the first curved road and the second curved road, causes the vehicle, when being caused to travel in such a way as to maintain a target speed, to decelerate at a curved road entry side of the first curved road and to coast from a curved road exit side of the first curved road, such that the vehicle can pass through the first curved road.

A brake control system has an electronic control unit such that, when the motor vehicle is at a standstill, an automatic parking brake function can be activated by the control unit. In the presence of an activation condition for the parking brake function, the brake pressure required for this purpose can be determined at least in a manner dependent on the longitudinal inclination and in a manner dependent on an estimated normal force distribution of all of the wheels and/or an estimated capability of all of the wheels to transmit braking and/or drive torque to the underlying surface. Here, the brake pressure can be predefined to be higher the more wheels have a reduced normal force.

A vehicle disturbance detection apparatus includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit determines whether a disturbance occurs in a vehicle based on detection signals from a sensor device. The disturbance is a lateral external force that causes the vehicle to veer in a direction different from a direction expected by a driver. The electronic control unit determines that the disturbance occurs in the vehicle when a disturbance determination condition is established in a relationship between a calculated yaw rate and an actual yaw rate. The disturbance determination condition includes a cant traveling exclusion condition that is not established when the vehicle veers by traveling along a cant road but is established when the vehicle veers by receiving a crosswind.

A vehicle sideslip estimation system includes sensors mounted on a vehicle and a kinematic model receiving signals from the sensors to estimate a lateral velocity of the vehicle. A compensated acceleration calculator calculates a compensated lateral acceleration as a measure of conditions that result in a deviation of a measured lateral acceleration. A lateral acceleration calculator determines, based on the compensated lateral acceleration and the measured lateral acceleration, if a lateral acceleration error is larger than a predefined threshold. A filter corrects the estimated lateral velocity of the vehicle when the lateral acceleration error is larger than the predefined threshold. A velocity output register registers the estimated lateral velocity of the vehicle when the lateral acceleration error is smaller than the predefined threshold, and a sideslip calculator calculates a sideslip angle of the vehicle in real time from the registered lateral velocity of the vehicle and a vehicle longitudinal velocity.

An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system for a vehicle is disclosed. An electronic control unit (ECU) is programmed to reduce vehicle lateral skidding by reducing differences between an intended vehicle direction and/or yaw rate and an actual vehicle direction and/or yaw rate by applying modifications to operation of the vehicle brakes and/or throttle. The ESC system receives inputs from wheel speed sensors, a steering wheel position sensor, a yaw rate sensor and a lateral acceleration sensor. The ESC system also receives input that indicates at least a property of the road upon which the vehicle is located, wherein the road upon which the vehicle is located is determined from a positioning system that uses a map database and the property is determined from the map database. The ESC system incorporates the road property information in determining when and/or how to modify operation of the vehicle to reduce vehicle skidding.

A vehicle disturbance handling system to handle a disturbance that is an external force that acts on a vehicle and causes deflection of the vehicle, including: a disturbance detecting portion configured to determine an occurrence of the disturbance and to estimate a degree of influence of the disturbance; and a disturbance handling portion configured to handle the disturbance based on the estimated degree, wherein, when it is determined that the disturbance is occurring, the handling portion controls a brake device and a steering device of the vehicle to handle the disturbance, and wherein the handling portion is configured to determine a disturbance-handling braking force, which is a braking force that should be applied to the vehicle by the brake device to reduce the influence of the disturbance, and to gradually decrease the disturbance-handling braking force with a lapse of time from a time point of the occurrence of the disturbance.

This travel control device includes: a road determining unit which determines whether a road including a downward slope along which a vehicle is traveling includes a first curved road and a second curved road; and a travel control unit which, if the road determining unit has determined that the road contains the first curved road and the second curved road, causes the vehicle, when being caused to travel in such a way as to maintain a target speed, to decelerate at a curved road entry side of the first curved road and to coast from a curved road exit side of the first curved road, such that the vehicle can pass through the first curved road.

A vehicle disturbance detection apparatus includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit determines whether a disturbance occurs in a vehicle based on detection signals from a sensor device. The disturbance is a lateral external force that causes the vehicle to veer in a direction different from a direction expected by a driver. The electronic control unit determines that the disturbance occurs in the vehicle when a disturbance determination condition is established in a relationship between a calculated yaw rate and an actual yaw rate. The disturbance determination condition includes a cant traveling exclusion condition that is not established when the vehicle veers by traveling along a cant road but is established when the vehicle veers by receiving a crosswind.

A vehicle behavior stabilization system includes a yaw moment applying device configured to apply a yaw moment to the vehicle, a vehicle behavior stabilization control unit configured to selectively control the yaw moment applying device in such a way to stabilize a vehicle behavior according to a computed rear wheel slip angle in relation to a start threshold value and an end threshold value, and a threshold value correcting unit configured to correct the start threshold value and the end threshold value according to a change rate of the computed rear wheel slip angle and/or a change rate of a computed vehicle body slip angle.

An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system for a vehicle is disclosed. An electronic control unit (ECU) is programmed to reduce vehicle lateral skidding by reducing differences between an intended vehicle direction and/or yaw rate and an actual vehicle direction and/or yaw rate by applying modifications to operation of the vehicle brakes and/or throttle. The ESC system receives inputs from wheel speed sensors, a steering wheel position sensor, a yaw rate sensor and a lateral acceleration sensor. The ESC system also receives input that indicates at least a property of the road upon which the vehicle is located, wherein the road upon which the vehicle is located is determined from a positioning system that uses a map database and the property is determined from the map database. The ESC system incorporates the road property information in determining when and/or how to modify operation of the vehicle to reduce vehicle skidding.