An apparatus for controlling to enable an autonomous system in a vehicle is provided. The apparatus includes a sensor, an input device configured to receive an input from a driver of the vehicle, an output device configured to output a notification in the vehicle, and a control circuit configured to be electrically connected with the sensor, the input device, and the output device. The control circuit is configured to activate an autonomous control in response to an input of the driver to the input device, detect a critical situation of the vehicle using the sensor, output a notification to transfer a control authority using the output device in response to the detected critical situation, and automatically reactivate the autonomous control when the critical situation is solved after temporarily releasing the autonomous control, when the critical situation corresponds to a critical situation of a specified type.

A vehicle traveling control apparatus includes a detector that detects an accelerator operation amount by a driver, a determiner that determines, based on a driving condition, whether a driving mode is currently a first mode in which a vehicle is caused to travel autonomously along a target travel path or a second mode in which the driver performs driving operation, a calculator that calculates a continuation time of the first mode when the driving mode is the first mode, a first setting unit that variably sets a characteristic of a target acceleration for the detected accelerator operation amount based on the calculated continuation time, and a second setting unit that, when the driving mode has transitioned from the first mode to the second mode, sets the target acceleration for the detected accelerator operation amount by referring to the set characteristic of the target acceleration for the accelerator operation amount.

An autonomous driving controller includes: a processor to collect driving data when a vehicle is traveling and calculate a steering override reference value, which is a criterion of determining an override mode, based on the collected driving data; and a storage to store the collected driving data and a set of instructions executed by the processor to calculate the steering override reference value. In particular, the processor controls autonomous driving by varying the steering override reference value based on the collected driving data or information regarding a driver of the vehicle.

A vehicle control device comprises a processor configured to determine a target merge location where the vehicle is to make a lane change from a merging lane to a main lane, in a merge zone on a scheduled route where the merging lane merges with the main lane, as a location that is before the location at the minimum distance to the end point of the merging lane allowing the driver to whom control of the vehicle has been handed over to operate the vehicle for the lane change, and when the vehicle has not completed the lane change upon reaching the target merge location, give the driver a first notification notifying that control of the vehicle will be switched from automatic control to manual control, by using a notifying unit that notifies the driver of information, or by using a vehicle controlling device that controls operation of the vehicle to perform a predetermined operation of the vehicle.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to: perform a follow-up steering control for changing a steering angle of a vehicle in such a manner that the vehicle travels along a target traveling line determined based on a preceding vehicle trajectory, which is a travel trajectory of a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle; and when a first distance condition and a manual steering condition are both satisfied while the follow-up steering control is being performed, stop the follow-up steering control, the first distance condition being a condition satisfied when a deviation distance in a road-width direction between the preceding vehicle trajectory and the vehicle is equal to or longer than a predetermined first threshold, and the manual steering condition being a condition satisfied when a driver operates a steering wheel to change a position in the road-width direction.

A computer-implemented method for determining an estimate of the capability of a vehicle driver to take over control of a vehicle, wherein the method comprises: determining at least one estimation parameter, the at least one estimation parameter representing an influencing factor for the capability of the vehicle driver to take over control of the vehicle; and determining an estimate on the basis of the at least one estimation parameter by means of a predefined estimation rule, the estimate representing the capability of the vehicle driver to take over control of the vehicle.

A vehicle position sensing system includes: a position information acquiring section that acquires position information of a vehicle; a storage section that stores first region information, which expresses automatic driving regions where automatic driving of the vehicle is possible and remote driving regions where remote operation driving of the vehicle is possible, and second region information that expresses manual driving regions where only manual driving of the vehicle is permitted; a head up display that can be viewed by a driver of the vehicle; and a control section that, on the basis of the position information of the vehicle, the first region information and the second region information, causes the head up display to display relative positional relationships among the vehicle, the automatic driving regions, the remote driving regions and the manual driving regions.

A method for controlling a vehicle controllable in a highly/fully automated manner. The method includes: ascertaining a malfunction of a vehicle control unit of the vehicle, the vehicle control unit being designed for a highly automated and/or fully automated control of the vehicle; switching from the vehicle control unit to an emergency control unit, the emergency control unit being based on a driver assistance system and designed for maximally a conditionally automatic control of the vehicle, and the emergency control unit being configured to effectuate a control of the vehicle in the event of a malfunction of the vehicle control unit; executing the emergency control of the vehicle; and controlling the vehicle with the aid of the emergency control unit based on surroundings sensor data of the vehicle.

An automatic control mode system for heavy machinery and a method for controlling heavy machinery for an automatic control mode is disclosed. The method may include: monitoring one or more conditions of one or more systems of the heavy machinery for the automatic control mode; determining whether at least one of the one or more conditions is met; and disabling the automatic control mode if at least one of the one or more conditions are met.

A vehicle guidance system detects when a driver of the vehicle manually intervenes in the longitudinal and/or transverse guidance of the vehicle while the vehicle is being operated in an automated driving mode. The vehicle guidance system outputs an indication to the driver via a user interface of the vehicle prompting the driver to take over the longitudinal and/or transverse guidance of the vehicle. The vehicle guidance system also continues to provide the longitudinal and/or lateral guidance of the vehicle in at least a partially automated manner for a takeover period of time and/or for a takeover distance.