An apparatus comprises a plurality of sensors, a digital map. and a control unit. The plurality of sensors may be configured to detect information about an exterior environment of a vehicle. The digital map may be configured to provide information about roadways in a vicinity of the vehicle. The control unit (i) may comprise an interface configured to receive (a) sensor status signals, (b) sensor-based information, and (c) map-based information, and (ii) may be configured to (a) determine whether an operational situation exists that is unsafe for an advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) automation feature to be activated or remain active based on the sensor-based information, the map-based information, and the sensor status signals, and (b) generate an activation control signal to restrict activation of the ADAS automation feature when an unsafe operational situation exists.

A vehicle includes a manual like a POV mode that is set when a VP is turned on, a manual with VO mode in which the VP is under the control by an operator, and an autonomy with VO mode in which the VP is under the control by an ADS. A processor of a VCIB is configured 1) to receive an operator command for transition of the vehicle from the manual like a POV mode to the manual with VO mode from the ADS and 2) to provide an autonomy ready signal indicating that autonomous driving of the VP is ready to the ADS and receive an autonomy request for transition of the vehicle from the manual with VO mode to the autonomy with VO mode from the ADS.

A method is provided for autonomously operating a vehicle. The method includes receiving vehicle state and vehicle environment data; determining that a vehicle position is not in a position for autonomous mode based on vehicle state and vehicle environment data, wherein the position is associated with a center of one lane of a roadway; enabling a steering assistance torque for a lane-centering operation concurrently within a pre-determined period of time of engagement of the autonomous mode for a vehicular operation; blending the steering assistance torque for assisting in vehicle guidance with a torque applied by the operator for the lane-centering operation with the autonomous mode of vehicular operation engaged; and executing enablement of the autonomous vehicular operation mode with the vehicle positioned within the center of one lane of the roadway as the operator is transitioned from a hands-on to a hands-off control of the vehicle.

An autonomous driving control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a processor that demands a user of a vehicle to take a control authority of the vehicle during an autonomous driving control when a current driving condition is in a limit situation during the autonomous driving control, and starts a minimum risk maneuver to disable reactivation of the autonomous driving control when the control authority is not transferred to the user; and a storage to store a set of instructions to be executed by the processor and data for determination and performance by the processor. In particular, the processor automatically flashes an emergency light when the minimum risk maneuver is started, and controls automatic flashing of the emergency light to not be released by the user when the vehicle is not in a stopped state.

An autonomous driving control apparatus for a vehicle includes: a processor that determines whether a current driving condition of the vehicle is a limit situation during an autonomous driving control, performs a demand for control authority transition to a user during the autonomous driving control when the current driving condition is the limit situation, and starts a minimum risk maneuver to transmit a signal for disabling reactivation of the autonomous driving control when control authority is not transferred to the user; and a storage to store a set of instructions and driving condition data to be used by the processor. In particular, the processor demands for engagement of an electronic parking brake device when the vehicle is stopped after the minimum risk maneuver ends.

A drive mode switch control device acquires operation information. The drive mode switch control device switches a drive state among at least an autonomous drive state, a manual drive state, and a coordination drive state. The operation detection unit detects a first operation and a second operation based on the operation information when the drive state is not in the manual drive state. The second operation is the drive operation different from the first operation and input after the input of the first operation. The drive mode switch control device switches the drive state from the autonomous drive state to the coordination drive state based on a detection determination of the first operation. The drive mode switch control device switches the drive state from the coordination drive state to the manual drive state based on a detection determination of the first operation.

The present application discloses a driverless vehicle, a driverless vehicle control method and a driverless vehicle control apparatus. The vehicle includes: a steering wheel and a processor. A sensor is provided on the steering wheel. The processor is configured to switch a driving mode of the driverless vehicle to a manual driving mode in response to detecting a sensing signal outputted by the sensor, when the driverless vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode. This implementation achieves smooth switching of the driving mode.

A device and method for safety stoppage of an autonomous road vehicle having a localization system and sensors for monitoring the vehicle surroundings and motion, and a signal processing system for processing sensor signals enabling an autonomous drive mode. A processor continuously predicts where a drivable space exists, calculates and stores a safe trajectory to a stop within the drivable space, determines a current traffic situation, and determines any disturbances in sensor data, vehicle systems or components enabling the autonomous drive mode. If an incapacitating disturbance is determined, a request for a driver to take control is signaled and it is determined if the driver has assumed control. If not, the vehicle is controlled to follow the most recent safe trajectory to a stop in a safe stoppage maneuver during which, or after, one or more risk mitigation actions adapted to the determined current traffic situation are performed.

An operating method for a vehicle includes driving in a manual mode, in which a longitudinal movement and a lateral movement are controlled by a human driver, and driving in an autonomous mode, in which the longitudinal movement and the lateral movement are controlled by an automated system. In the method, driving in semi-autonomous mode is activated from the autonomous mode by the human driver either resuming the longitudinal movement, such that the automated system continues to control the lateral movement, or resuming the lateral movement, such that the automated system continues to control the longitudinal movement. In the semi-autonomous mode, one or more automatic stop operations brake the vehicle when the human driver does not quickly resume control of the lateral movement and the longitudinal movement, which continues to be controlled by the automated system.

A remote support system is configured to determine whether a vehicle collides with an object to be avoided when the vehicle gets into a remote control request situation, stop to send a remote control request when the remote support system determines that the vehicle does not collide with the object, generate a first speed plan for the vehicle to continue autonomous driving at a predicted collision position and a second speed plan for the vehicle to stop before reaching the predicted collision position when the remote support system determines that the vehicle collides with the object, and determine to send a remote control request based on the degree of deviation between these speed plans.