In a network of autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles, an alert may be triggered when one of the vehicles switches from autonomous to manual mode. The alert may be communicated to nearby autonomous vehicles so that drivers of those vehicles may become aware of a potentially unpredictable manual driver nearby. Drivers of autonomous vehicles who may have become disengaged (e.g., sleeping, reading, talking, etc.) during autonomous driving may become re-engaged upon noticing the alert. A re-engaged driver may choose to switch his/her own vehicle from autonomous to manual mode in order to appropriately react to an unpredictable nearby manual driver. In additional or alternative embodiments, the alert may be triggered or intensified when indications of impairment of a nearby driver or malfunction of a nearby vehicle are detected.

An automated driving enabled vehicle includes a travel controller, an automated driving indicator lamp, and a lamp controller. The automated driving indicator lamp is switched on perceptibly from outside the vehicle on the occasion of automated driving. The lamp controller acquires, during the execution of the automated driving, attribute information regarding a place being traveled by the vehicle. The lamp controller makes a lighting control of the automated driving indicator lamp during the execution of the automated driving, in accordance with the place being traveled by the vehicle executing the automated driving.

A vehicle control system includes: a travel control unit configured to switch a driving mode of a vehicle; a traveling state detecting unit configured to detect a traveling state of the vehicle; a generating unit configured to generate at least one turning line; an external environment recognizing device configured to detect a state of an external environment of the vehicle; a setting unit configured to set a traveling area in front of the vehicle in a traveling direction thereof; and a determining unit configured to determine whether the turning line is located in the traveling area. In a case where the determining unit determines that the turning line is not located in the traveling area while a manual driving mode is selected, the travel control unit switches the driving mode of the vehicle from the manual driving mode to an autonomous driving mode.

A vehicle is capable of disabling autonomous driving by identifying whether an intervention of a user has occurred during autonomous driving. The vehicle includes a steering wheel, a first sensor device configured to detect a steering torque of the steering wheel, a steering angle of the steering wheel, and a steering angular velocity of the steering wheel, and a second sensor device configured to detect a touch of a user applied to the steering wheel. When the vehicle travels in an emergency control state in which a deceleration/acceleration speed of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined first value during autonomous driving, if the touch of the user on the steering wheel is detected through the second sensor device, the emergency control state is disabled under certain conditions, and if the steering torque is greater than or equal to a predetermined torque value, autonomous driving is disabled.

In a method and control device for providing feedback to a vehicle occupant, a signal corresponding to current and/or upcoming movements of the vehicle is obtained when the vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode. The obtained signal is provided to a control device located within the cabin of the vehicle. The control device is moved corresponding to the provided signal. In an embodiment, an input of the occupant for an autonomous driving unit of the vehicle via the control device is received and a signal corresponding to the received input is submitted to the autonomous driving unit. The input may correspond to a maneuver request and/or to a selection of one of several autonomous driving-modes.

An HCU is to be used in a vehicle including an autonomous driving operation, and includes a function of a presentation control device that controls presentation of information to a driver of the vehicle. The presentation control device determines interruption of a second task other than driving permitted to the driver in an autonomous traveling period where the vehicle travels by the autonomous driving operation. Based on the interruption determination of the second task, the HCU changes a provision method of content provided in association with the second task in the autonomous traveling period.

An HMI control device includes an automation level acquisition portion and a display control unit. The automation level acquisition portion acquires an autonomous driving level determined by a driving control device. The display control portion controls an image display operation of an HMI device according to the autonomous driving level acquired by the automation level acquisition portion. When terminating a high autonomous driving level as the autonomous driving level, the display control portion controls the HMI device to provide an action instruction display that instructs the driver to take a low-level associated state so as to handle a low autonomous driving level. The low autonomous driving level is the autonomous driving level under which an in-vehicle system including the driving control device is prohibited from performing at least one of a lateral motion control realized by performing steering and a longitudinal motion control realized by performing acceleration/deceleration.

The present teaching relates to method, system, and medium, for switching a mode of a vehicle. Real-time data related to the vehicle are received, which include intrinsic/extrinsic capability parameters, based on which a set of tasks to switch from a current mode to a different mode is determined. A first duration of time required for the switch is determined based on a first risk evaluated with respect to the current mode and the real-time data. A task duration time needed by a driver to complete the task is estimated for each of the set of tasks. A second risk for the switching is estimated based on the required first duration of time and a total task duration times needed to complete the set of tasks. The switch is carried out when the second risk satisfying a criterion.

A vehicle control device includes a memory configured to store a first target speed applied under a specific traveling situation and a second target speed that is equal to or less than the first target speed and applied to a traveling situation other than the specific traveling situation, and a processor configured to determine whether or not a traveling situation of the vehicle corresponds to the specific traveling situation, control a traveling speed of the vehicle in accordance with the first target speed when a traveling situation of the vehicle corresponds to the specific traveling situation, and control a traveling speed of the vehicle in accordance with the second target speed when a traveling situation of the vehicle differs from the specific traveling situation.

A hybrid vehicle includes an electric motor, a power storage device, an engine, and a controller. The controller executes switching control for switching control modes. The controller adds, to a first traveling distance, a traveling distance that is obtained when a state in which the engine is not operating and a power storage amount of the power storage device is higher than a threshold continues, and adds, to a second traveling distance, a traveling distance that is obtained when a state in which the engine is not operating and a charge depleting mode is selected continues.