A method detects a risk of collision between a motor vehicle and a secondary object located in traffic lanes adjacent to the main traffic lane of the vehicle, in the event of a lane change by the vehicle, which involves detecting objects in a predetermined danger zone, and estimating a time-to-collision between the vehicle and a detected object. Detecting objects in a danger zone involves: calculating the actual distance between the vehicle and each object detected by the radar, the actual distance corresponding to the length of an arc between two points; determining a danger zone as a function of lines of the main traffic lane and a width of the main traffic line; and checking, for each object detected by the radar, whether its coordinates are inside the predetermined danger zone.

A method detects a risk of collision between a motor vehicle and a secondary object located in traffic lanes adjacent to the main traffic lane of the vehicle, in the event of a lane change by the vehicle, which involves detecting objects in a predetermined danger zone, and estimating a time-to-collision between the vehicle and a detected object. Detecting objects in a danger zone involves: calculating the actual distance between the vehicle and each object detected by the radar, the actual distance corresponding to the length of an arc between two points; determining a danger zone as a function of lines of the main traffic lane and a width of the main traffic line; and checking, for each object detected by the radar, whether its coordinates are inside the predetermined danger zone.

A vehicle system includes a warning device and at least one electronic control unit. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to present a light stimulus to a driver, and determine whether the driver is facing forward, determine whether the driver holds a steering wheel, and cause the warning device to perform a first warning when it is determined that the driver is not facing forward while the light stimulus is being presented. The first warning is either the vibration or the sound. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to perform a second warning when it is determined that the driver does not hold the steering wheel before a predetermined time elapses after the first warning is started. The second warning includes the vibration and the sound.

A vehicle system includes a warning device and at least one electronic control unit. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to present a light stimulus to a driver, and determine whether the driver is facing forward, determine whether the driver holds a steering wheel, and cause the warning device to perform a first warning when it is determined that the driver is not facing forward while the light stimulus is being presented. The first warning is either the vibration or the sound. The at least one electronic control unit is configured to perform a second warning when it is determined that the driver does not hold the steering wheel before a predetermined time elapses after the first warning is started. The second warning includes the vibration and the sound.

A moving body control apparatus includes a travel control section that controls travel of a moving body based on vicinity information, and a lane change control section that performs a lane change of the moving body from a first lane to a second lane, if the lane change of the moving body from the first lane to the second lane is approved. The travel control section performs first acceleration/deceleration control to accelerate or decelerate the moving body according to a velocity of another moving body travelling in the second lane, if the lane change of the moving body from the first lane to the second lane is denied.

A moving body control apparatus includes a travel control section that controls travel of a moving body based on vicinity information, and a lane change control section that performs a lane change of the moving body from a first lane to a second lane, if the lane change of the moving body from the first lane to the second lane is approved. The travel control section performs first acceleration/deceleration control to accelerate or decelerate the moving body according to a velocity of another moving body travelling in the second lane, if the lane change of the moving body from the first lane to the second lane is denied.

System, methods, and other embodiments described herein relate to improving automated driving by testing for inputs during driving. In one embodiment, a method includes testing an input from a driver in a manual driving mode of a vehicle. The method also includes adapting a fixed time interval on a condition that a test result of the input satisfies criteria used to validate driver inputs. The method also includes monitoring, via an input system of the vehicle, for driver feedback according to the fixed time interval in an automated driving mode.

System for automatically recognising anomalous situations along roads travelled by motor-vehicles for intelligent motor-vehicle driving speed control along roads.

The motor-vehicles are configured to transmit data allowing anomalous situations to be recognised along roads travelled by the motor-vehicles.

The system comprises data processing resources configured to:

receive and process data transmitted by the motor-vehicles to recognise anomalous situations along the roads travelled by the motor-vehicles based on a recognition algorithm,

when anomalous situations are recognised along roads travelled by the motor-vehicles, generate associated alert events and compute reference driving speeds along the roads recognised to be affected by anomalous situations, and

transmit data representative of the alert events and of the reference driving speeds along the roads recognised to be affected by anomalous situations.

The motor-vehicles are further configured to:

receive data representative of alert events and reference driving speeds, and

use the received data to implement one or both of the following actions: inform the drivers of motor-vehicles, through automotive user interfaces of motor-vehicles of the anomalous situations recognised along roads travelled by motor-vehicles, and cause current driving speeds of the motor-vehicles to be adjusted to the reference driving speeds along roads recognised to be affected by anomalous situations.

An operating device includes a first operating element with which a user can select one or numerous main functions of a vehicle and that can rotate about an axis of rotation and has at least one predefined fixed rotational position. A second operating element with which a user can adjust subfunctions of the main function can rotate about the axis of rotation and also comprises an actuator unit that comprises a magnetorheological medium configured to exert a retaining force on the second operating element based on a viscosity of the magnetorheological medium. The actuator unit is configured to set the viscosity on the basis of the main function selected with the first operating element, and on the basis of a rotational position of the second operating element.

An operating device includes a first operating element with which a user can select one or numerous main functions of a vehicle and that can rotate about an axis of rotation and has at least one predefined fixed rotational position. A second operating element with which a user can adjust subfunctions of the main function can rotate about the axis of rotation and also comprises an actuator unit that comprises a magnetorheological medium configured to exert a retaining force on the second operating element based on a viscosity of the magnetorheological medium. The actuator unit is configured to set the viscosity on the basis of the main function selected with the first operating element, and on the basis of a rotational position of the second operating element.