An energy management system for a towed vehicle includes an energy harvesting system for harvesting electrical energy from the energy of the towed vehicle, an energy storage system for storing the harvested electrical energy, and a computer controller for controlling the release of the stored electrical energy to one or more components of the towed vehicle for operating the towed vehicle.

A method for controlling a vehicle includes: receiving, by a controller, route data, wherein the route data is continuously updated while the vehicle is moving, and the vehicle includes a plurality of vehicle operating modes; receiving, by the controller, feature data, wherein the feature data is information about a plurality of features needed for each of the plurality of vehicle operating modes; determining, by the controller, a plurality of ranges for each of the plurality of vehicle operating modes, wherein each of the plurality of ranges is a function of the route data and the feature data for each of the plurality of vehicle operating modes; and commanding, by the controller, a user interface to display a list of range-mode combinations, wherein the list of range-mode combinations includes the plurality of ranges for each of the plurality of vehicle operating modes.

A vehicle control method for executing a sailing stop control when a drive source stop condition is established while a vehicle is traveling. The sailing stop control stops a drive source of the vehicle and releases an engaging element provided between the drive source and a drive wheel such that the vehicle travels under inertia. The vehicle control method acquires information on a road on which the vehicle will travel, and then determines whether there is a section on a route where the sailing stop control can be executed based on the information. Upon determining a section exist capable of the sailing stop control, the vehicle control method estimates a power shortage amount, which is a shortage amount of power during sailing stop control, based on the information, and charges a battery with power required to cover the power shortage amount prior to starting the sailing stop control.

A vehicle control system is provided to maintain an SOC level of the battery during autonomous operation of the vehicle. The control system is applied to a vehicle that can be operated autonomously by controlling an engine, a motor, a steering system, a brake system etc. autonomously by a controller, and the vehicle is allowed to coast by manipulating a clutch. During autonomous operation of the vehicle, a first coasting mode in which the engine is stopped and the clutch is disengaged is selected if the SOC level is higher than a threshold level, and a second coasting mode in which the engine is activated and the clutch is disengaged is selected if the SOC level is lower than the threshold level.

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a controller for a driverless vehicle, and a driverless vehicle. The controller includes a security micro control unit and a processor module. The processor module is coupled to the security micro control unit. The security micro control unit is configured to monitor a running state of the processor module.

Methods and systems for autonomous vehicle recharging or refueling are disclosed. Autonomous vehicles may be automatically refueled by routing the vehicles to available fueling stations when not in operation, according to methods described herein. A fuel level within a tank of an autonomous vehicle may be monitored until it reaches a refueling threshold, at which point an on-board computer may generate a predicted use profile for the vehicle. Based upon the predicted use profile, a time and location for the vehicle to refuel the vehicle may be determined. In some embodiments, the vehicle may be controlled to automatically travel to a fueling station, refill a fuel tank, and return to its starting location in order to refuel when not in use.

The present invention appropriately switches from autonomous driving to manual driving. A vehicle control device according to the present invention switches between autonomous driving and manual driving of a vehicle, and includes a first step of obtaining traveling route candidates of the vehicle, a second step of acquiring information that is at least one of information on an operation performed by a user at switching from the autonomous driving to the manual driving and biometric information on the user, and a third step of selecting a traveling route of the vehicle based on the information acquired in the second step.

An image captured by a far-infrared camera is analyzed to analyze a distribution of a road-surface temperature, and a course of a highest road-surface temperature is determined to be a traveling route. Further, automatic driving along the course of the highest road-surface temperature is performed. Furthermore, a state of the distribution of a road-surface temperature, and a direction of the course of the highest road-surface temperature are displayed on a display section, so that a user (a driver) recognizes them. For example, a state analyzer detects a candidate course travelable for a vehicle, the state analyzer detecting a plurality of the candidate courses, calculates an average value of a road-surface temperature of each of the plurality of the candidate courses, and determines the candidate course having a largest average value of a road-surface temperature to be a traveling route.

An energy management system for an electric autonomous vehicle comprises a battery and a controller comprising a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The system comprises a pre-allocation input mechanism transmitting an input signal to the processor relating to a travel destination for the vehicle. The system comprises a navigation module receiving a wireless signal from a satellite network relating to a current location of the vehicle. The system comprises an autonomous input mechanism powered by the battery and transmitting an autonomous signal to the processor relating to dynamic conditions for autonomous operation of the vehicle. The processor determines a route between the current location and the travel destination, performs autonomous operation of the vehicle along the route, and selectively powers or tunes the usage of the at least one autonomous input mechanism with the battery during autonomous operation of the vehicle.

A method and a device for specifying an operating strategy profile for the operation of a motor vehicle, and a method and a central database device for specifying a global geo-referenced operating strategy profile with regard to a driving route are provided. The following steps are executed: transmitting driving route data that characterize a scheduled driving route for an upcoming journey of the vehicle to a central database device; receiving operating strategy data from the central database device, which data characterize a proposed geo-referenced global operating strategy profile defined with respect to the driving route for the operation of the vehicle during its journey on the driving route; sensor-based acquisition of operating data that characterize an operating status and/or a driving situation of the vehicle during its journey on the driving route, and determining a local operating strategy profile for the operation of the vehicle during its continued journey on the driving route on the basis of the acquired operating data; specification of an operating strategy profile to be applied for the operation of the vehicle on the basis of the global operating strategy profile and the local operating strategy profile; and application of the specified operating strategy profile for the operation of the vehicle on the driving route.