A vehicular control system includes a forward-viewing camera, a forward-sensing sensor and an in-cabin-sensing sensor. With the system controlling driving of the vehicle, the system determines a triggering event that triggers handing over driving of the vehicle to a driver of the vehicle before the vehicle encounters an event point associated with the triggering event. The vehicular control system (i) determines a total action time available before the vehicle encounters the event point, (ii) estimates a driver takeover time for the driver to take over control of the vehicle and (iii) estimates a handling time for the driver to control the vehicle to avoid encountering the event point. Responsive to the vehicular control system determining that the estimated driver takeover time is less than the difference between the determined total action time and the estimated handling time, control of the vehicle is handed over to the driver of the vehicle.

A vehicle including at least one movable member whose position is modifiable by an occupant, a driving assist system capable of executing driving assist control that is interruptible when an interrupt condition has been satisfied, and a processor. The processor is configured to control an alarm device so as to issue a warning to a driver when determined that a prescribed positional condition has been satisfied based on a reference position and a position of each of the movable members when the driving assist control is being executed.

This disclosure relates to a system and method for transitioning vehicle control between autonomous operation and manual operation. The system includes sensors configured to generate output signals conveying information related to the vehicle and its operation. During autonomous vehicle operation, the system gauges the level of responsiveness of a vehicle operator through challenges and corresponding responses. The system determines when to present a challenge to the vehicle operator based on internal and external factors. If necessary, the system will transition from an autonomous operation mode to a manual operation mode.

Techniques are described for transitioning control of a steering system from an autonomous mode in a vehicle to a driver-controlled mode where the driver can control the steering wheel of the steering system. A method includes receiving values that describe an amount of torque and a direction of torque in response to a torque applied to a steering wheel of a steering system operated in an autonomous mode, determining that the values are either greater than or equal to a threshold value or are less than or equal to a negative of the threshold value, determining that the values are measured over a period of time greater than or equal to a pre-determined amount of time, and transitioning the steering system from being operated in the autonomous mode to being operated in a driver-controlled mode in which the steering system is under manual control.

A system and method for indicating the drive state of an autonomous vehicle. The system includes a human machine interface and an electronic controller electrically coupled to the human machine interface and which is configured to display a drive state indicator. The drive state indicator includes a mode indicator based on a current operating mode for the autonomous vehicle, a duration indicator based on a duration for the current operating mode and a descriptor based on the duration. The electronic controller is further configured to update the duration indicator and the descriptor based on a remainder of the duration. In an alternative embodiment, the electronic controller is further configured to determine whether a second operating mode is available and display a second mode indicator based on the second operating mode when a second operating mode is available.

A travel controller performs driving control of a vehicle at an autonomous driving level that is a first autonomous driving level in which a driver of the vehicle is not obligated to watch or a second autonomous driving level in which the driver is obligated to watch; notifies, for a predetermined period, the driver of a request for driving the vehicle or taking a driving posture allowing for the driving, when the autonomous driving level of the driving control changes from the first autonomous driving level to the second autonomous driving level; and determines an attention level of the driver, based on an output of a sensor provided for the vehicle. The attention level is a level of attention to driving. The travel controller further modifies the predetermined period so as to be shorter when the determined attention level is high than when the attention level is low.

This disclosure relates to a system and method for transitioning vehicle control between autonomous operation and manual operation. The system includes sensors configured to generate output signals conveying information related to the vehicle and its operation. During autonomous vehicle operation, the system gauges the level of responsiveness of a vehicle operator through challenges and corresponding responses. The system determines when to present a challenge to the vehicle operator based on internal and external factors. If necessary, the system will transition from an autonomous operation mode to a manual operation mode.

A content information acquiring unit acquires content information including a watching-or-listening time period of content that an occupant of a vehicle desires to watch or listen to. A position information acquiring unit acquires position information of the vehicle. A road information acquiring unit acquires road information including information regarding an autonomous driving section and a manual driving section. A route setting unit sets a route in which the vehicle travels through the autonomous driving section in the watching-or-listening time period of the content on the basis of the content information, the position information, and the road information. A notification unit notifies the occupant of the vehicle of the route set by the route setting unit.

An MRM planning system for supporting planning of a minimal risk maneuver, MRM, of an Automated Driving System. The system determines a remaining distance to an upcoming operational design domain, ODD, exit at which an ODD defined for the autonomous driving mode is planned to end. The system further assesses, when the remaining distance is shorter than a predeterminable distance, data associated with a stretch of road leading up to the ODD exit. The system identifies based on the assessment of the data, a favourable region along the stretch of road for potentially bringing the vehicle to a stop deemed safe subsequent a potential MRM being triggered. The system determines a timing at which to initiate an autonomous driving mode DDT termination procedure at which to provide a handover request prompting an occupant of the vehicle to take over the DDT.

A method for providing assistance to a driver of a vehicle, the vehicle including a driver assistance system that enables at least temporary autonomous driving, and that, after the termination of the autonomous driving, requests the driver to take over at least the lateral guidance of the vehicle via a signal. It is further provided that the steering of the vehicle is stiffened for a specified time span after the request to take over the lateral guidance. A computer program and a device that are set up to carry out the method, are also described.