Controlling an actual slip of at least one driven axle of a motor vehicle with at least one axle having at least one wheel and a one drive unit for providing a drive torque for the axle and for the wheel can be carried out by a control device for controlling the drive unit. The control device can be configured for establishing a first actual speed of the motor vehicle; establishing a second actual speed of the at least one wheel; calculating a target speed of the at least one wheel for the established first actual speed taking into account parameters; determining an actual slip of the at least one wheel with respect to a substrate on which the motor vehicle is being moved; when the actual slip exceeds a defined first limit slip, generating a limit torque by which the drive torque produced by the drive unit is adjusted.

This invention involves the effect of multiple rules of the road at different elevation profiles on the speed constraints and therefore the overall fuel efficiency. A vehicle designed to optimize fuel consumption that is comprised of the rules of the road that determine maximum speed, minimum speed, stop signs, streetlights, and/or changes in other rules that determine the allowable speeds of the road, a localization mechanism, and an optimization engine to optimize the fuel economy by selecting a speed profile within that maintains the vehicle within the assigned range of speeds and minimizes fuel consumption. A wide variety of methods that typically are used to optimize the fuel efficiency of human drivers operating standard vehicles can also be applied towards autonomous vehicles driving at different speed constraints and with different changes in the elevation.

This invention involves the effect of multiple rules of the road at different elevation profiles on the speed constraints and therefore the overall fuel efficiency. A vehicle designed to optimize fuel consumption that is comprised of the rules of the road that determine maximum speed, minimum speed, stop signs, streetlights, and/or changes in other rules that determine the allowable speeds of the road, a localization mechanism, and an optimization engine to optimize the fuel economy by selecting a speed profile within that maintains the vehicle within the assigned range of speeds and minimizes fuel consumption. A wide variety of methods that typically are used to optimize the fuel efficiency of human drivers operating standard vehicles can also be applied towards autonomous vehicles driving at different speed constraints and with different changes in the elevation.

An apparatus includes at least one camera configured to capture an image of a traffic lane in front of a vehicle. The apparatus also includes a path tracking controller configured to detect lane boundaries and a path curvature for the traffic lane from the image, determine a lateral offset of the vehicle from a reference path for the traffic lane and a heading offset for the vehicle from the path curvature, determine a yaw rate maintaining the vehicle within the traffic lane using a kinematics control, determine a steering angle maintaining the vehicle within the traffic lane using a dynamics control and the yaw rate determined by the kinematics control, and activate a steering control based on the determined steering angle.

An apparatus includes at least one camera configured to capture an image of a traffic lane in front of a vehicle. The apparatus also includes a path tracking controller configured to detect lane boundaries and a path curvature for the traffic lane from the image, determine a lateral offset of the vehicle from a reference path for the traffic lane and a heading offset for the vehicle from the path curvature, determine a yaw rate maintaining the vehicle within the traffic lane using a kinematics control, determine a steering angle maintaining the vehicle within the traffic lane using a dynamics control and the yaw rate determined by the kinematics control, and activate a steering control based on the determined steering angle.

A fault diagnosis method and a fault diagnosis apparatus for a vehicle speed measurement apparatus. The method includes: obtaining a first vehicle speed measured by the speed measurement apparatus; obtaining reference information of a static reference object at N moments, where N is an integer greater than 1, and the reference information includes information about a location relationship of the static reference object relative to a vehicle in which the speed measurement apparatus is located at each of the N moments; calculating a second vehicle speed based on the reference information; and determining, based on the first vehicle speed and the second vehicle speed, whether the speed measurement apparatus is faulty.

A fault diagnosis method and a fault diagnosis apparatus for a vehicle speed measurement apparatus. The method includes: obtaining a first vehicle speed measured by the speed measurement apparatus; obtaining reference information of a static reference object at N moments, where N is an integer greater than 1, and the reference information includes information about a location relationship of the static reference object relative to a vehicle in which the speed measurement apparatus is located at each of the N moments; calculating a second vehicle speed based on the reference information; and determining, based on the first vehicle speed and the second vehicle speed, whether the speed measurement apparatus is faulty.

A method for performing an at least partially automatic vehicle function of a vehicle depending on a travel route to be assessed by means of a driver assistance system is disclosed. The method comprises providing a plurality of clusters from route data with respect to at least one known travel route, wherein the clusters group the route data sectionwise according to predefined geometric parameters. The method comprises providing recorded course data that indicate a course of the travel route to be assessed and applying the clusters to the course data in order to divide the travel route to be assessed into route sections corresponding to the clusters. The method comprises determining at least one uncertainty quantity which is characteristic of an uncertainty with respect to the assignment made and determining a control quantity as a function of the uncertainty quantity and providing the control quantity for performing the vehicle function.

A method for performing an at least partially automatic vehicle function of a vehicle depending on a travel route to be assessed by means of a driver assistance system is disclosed. The method comprises providing a plurality of clusters from route data with respect to at least one known travel route, wherein the clusters group the route data sectionwise according to predefined geometric parameters. The method comprises providing recorded course data that indicate a course of the travel route to be assessed and applying the clusters to the course data in order to divide the travel route to be assessed into route sections corresponding to the clusters. The method comprises determining at least one uncertainty quantity which is characteristic of an uncertainty with respect to the assignment made and determining a control quantity as a function of the uncertainty quantity and providing the control quantity for performing the vehicle function.

Provided are methods, systems, and computer program products for vehicle dynamics classification for collision and loss of control detection. Some methods described also include obtaining sensor data associated with dynamics of a vehicle, wherein the dynamics characterize motion of the vehicle and the vehicle is associated with a dynamics event classification. The methods include obtaining predicted dynamics, wherein the predicted dynamics are based on control signals and feedback on control signals from a previous time instance. Additionally, the methods include determining the dynamics event classification of the vehicle based on the dynamics and the predicted dynamics and controlling operation of the vehicle according to the dynamics event classification.