A steering holding determination device determines a steering holding state in which a driver of a vehicle holds a steering wheel of the vehicle in a steerable manner. The device includes a torque recognition unit that recognizes a steering torque based on a detection result of a torque sensor, a contact state recognition unit that recognizes a contact state or a non-contact state, a threshold value setting unit that sets a threshold value used for the steering holding state determination, based on a recognition result of the contact state recognition unit, and a steering holding determination unit that determines that the driver is in the steering holding state, when the steering torque is equal to or greater than the threshold value. When the non-contact state is recognized, the threshold value setting unit sets the threshold value to a larger value compared to a case when the contact state is recognized.

A lane deviation prevention control device for a vehicle includes a target steering torque calculator, a friction torque estimator, and a friction compensation rate variable controller. The target steering torque calculator calculates target steering torque to be applied to a steering system of an own vehicle in a lane deviation prevention control. The friction torque estimator estimates friction torque of the steering system. The friction compensation rate variable controller performs, on the basis of steering torque produced by a driver's steering operation and on the basis of a traveling state of the own vehicle, a variable control of an addition rate at which the friction torque is added to the target steering torque to compensate friction of the steering system.

A representation of a first set of weights associated with a vehicle prior to a drive are received, the vehicle including a plurality of axles, a plurality of wheels attached to the plurality of axles, and a load. A warning is caused to be output in response to at least one weight from the first set of weights being outside a predetermined range. Longitudinal and lateral dynamics associated with the vehicle during the drive are determined. A second set of weights associated with at least one axle from the plurality of axles during the drive are determined. A determination is made if at least one remedial action should be performed based on the longitudinal dynamics, the lateral dynamics, and the second set of weights. In response to determining that the at least one remedial action should be performed, the at least one remedial action is caused to be performed.

Provided is a travel control device for a vehicle such that comfortable and safe control for the vehicle is possible without disturbing the driver. The travel control device for the vehicle is provided with a control command computation unit for calculating a steering assist amount for assisting the steering of the vehicle and an acceleration command value for controlling braking and driving forces of the vehicle. The control command computation unit calculates an estimated lateral position of the vehicle at a gaze distance ahead of the vehicle; calculates a lateral displacement amount of the vehicle at the estimated lateral position from a target traveling path and a lateral displacement speed; calculates a steering assist amount on the basis of the lateral displacement amount and the lateral displacement speed; calculates a lateral acceleration and lateral jerk generated by the vehicle according to the steering assist amount; and calculates an acceleration command value based on the lateral acceleration and the lateral jerk.

Provided is a travel evaluation method of making an evaluation related to travel of a vehicle capable of traveling in a leaning position, the method including: obtaining a tire force which is an external force exerted on a wheel of the vehicle from a ground surface; and deriving an evaluation index related to travel of the vehicle. The evaluation index includes a positive evaluation index as a rating of a positive evaluation related to travel of the vehicle. In deriving the evaluation index, the positive evaluation index is set higher as the tire force increases, and the evaluation index is corrected based on an influential parameter other than the tire force.

Provided is a method of generating a pseudo-emotion of a vehicle including a wheel, the method including: obtaining a tire force which is an external force exerted on the wheel from a ground surface; deriving an emotion evaluation index as a rating of a pseudo-emotion; and generating the pseudo-emotion based on the derived emotion evaluation index. The emotion evaluation index includes a positive evaluation index as a rating of a positive emotion. The positive evaluation index is derived based on the tire force in such a manner that the larger the tire force is, the higher the positive evaluation index is.

A travel control apparatus for a vehicle includes a travel environment information acquisition unit, a travel information detection unit, and a control unit. The acquisition unit acquires travel environment information of the vehicle, which is on a traveling environment of the vehicle. The detection unit detects travel information of the vehicle. The control unit performs self-driving control, on the basis the information. The control unit detects a relative distance between an oncoming vehicle and the vehicle, and performs turn control to cause the vehicle to make a turn while crossing ahead of the oncoming vehicle, in a case where the relative distance is not smaller than a preset threshold value. When the vehicle makes the turn, in a case where a traction control for preventing tire slippage by decreasing a drive torque is operated, the control unit increasingly corrects the preset threshold value in accordance with at least a tire grip state.

A steering device includes a steering wheel, a torsion bar, a spiral cable, a torque sensor, and an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit is configured to compute a rotational angle of the steering wheel. The electronic control unit is configured to compute, as driver torque, a value that includes a sum obtained by adding torsion bar torque, a steering wheel inertial torque compensation value and a spiral cable torque compensation value. The steering wheel inertial torque compensation value is the product of a steering wheel inertial moment and a second-order differential value of the rotational angle of the steering wheel. The spiral cable torque is torque that acts on the steering wheel because of the spiral cable.

A vehicle drive assistance system is provided, which includes a control unit configured to perform a drive assistance control based on a balance state between a driver's required driving ability required for driving a vehicle based on a traffic environment around the vehicle and drive assistance which is provided to the driver by the vehicle, and a driver's current driving ability. The control unit includes a processor configured to execute a balance determining module to determine the balance state between the required driving ability and the current driving ability based on a physical quantity related to a driving operation by the driver.

A four wheel steering vehicle (1), in which front wheels (2f) and rear wheels (2r) can be steered in response to a steering input from a steering wheel (11), includes a rear wheel steering control unit (50) that variably controls a rear wheel steering device such that the rear wheels are steered in a prescribed relation to a steered angle of the front wheels. When the steering input is determined while the front wheel brake and the rear wheel brake are engaged, the rear wheel steering control unit disengages the rear wheel brake and steers the rear wheels. When the fore and aft inclination angle detected by an inclination sensor (40) provided on the vehicle is greater than a threshold value, the rear wheel steering control unit prohibits a steering of the rear wheels and keeps the rear wheel brake engaged even if the steering input is determined.