The invention relates to a method for predicting maintenance/replacement period for a component of a vehicle, the vehicle comprising a power-assisted steering system including a steering actuator (14) configured to assist in steering the vehicle at least as compensation for angular deviations of the road wheels (16) caused by road disturbances. The method comprises acquiring over time steering output data indicative of a magnitude and/or frequency of assisted steering as compensation for angular deviations of the road wheels (16) caused by road disturbances, comparing the acquired steering output data with stored component wear data, the stored component wear data being indicative of when maintenance/replacement of the component is due based on wear caused by road disturbances, and determining, based on the comparison of the acquired steering output data and the stored component wear data, whether or not maintenance/replacement of the component is due. The invention also relates to a system (10).

A method for controlling switching of steering control rights of an autonomous vehicle, may include: when switching of the steering control rights from an automated driving mode to a manual driving mode is requested, performing a control to synchronize a steering angle of a steering wheel and a steering angle of a road wheel; when a hands-on state in which the steering wheel is gripped is detected in the synchronization process, detecting an error value between the steering angle of the steering wheel and the steering angle of the road wheel; and when the error value is less than a preset value, performing a control to switch the mode of the autonomous vehicle to the manual driving mode.

A method for controlling an actuator. The method includes generating, in response to receiving a torque command signal from a first controller, an actuator control signal. The method also includes selectively controlling the actuator based on the actuator control signal. The method also includes, in response to identifying a fault associated with the first controller: generating, responsive to a determination that a partition associated with a second controller includes a fallback indicator, a fallback actuator control signal; and selectively controlling the actuator based on the fallback actuator control signal.

A control method of a vehicle includes determining a look-ahead time, calculating a predicted passage position by using specific vehicle information having at least a position of a wheel at the current time point, velocity of the vehicle, and the proceeding direction of the vehicle, acquiring a road surface displacement-associated value at the predicted passage position, calculating a final target control force based on the road surface displacement-associated value at the predicted passage position, and controlling a control force generator based on the final target control force.

The present embodiments relate to a vehicle control device and method, and a vehicle system. The vehicle control device may include a determinator determining a road surface condition based on vehicle driving information and determining whether to brake a vehicle based on a result of determining the road surface condition and a vehicle controller controlling a braking device according to a result of determining whether to brake the vehicle by the determinator and controlling a steering device based on control of the braking device.

A tight turn wheel locking system may include a steering end stop sensor to output signals indicating that steered front wheels of a vehicle are in an end stop state towards a short turn side, an end stop steering wheel input sensor to output signals indicating end stop operator input to the steering wheel while the steered front wheels are in the end stop state, and a controller configured to automatically enter a tight turn mode in response to the end stop operator input satisfying a predetermined threshold. The controller, in the tight turn mode, outputs tight turn control signals that cause a vehicle braking system of the vehicle to lock a rear wheel of the vehicle corresponding to the short turn side.

An autonomous vehicle and a system and method of operating the autonomous vehicle. The system includes a processor. A driver-applied steering torque is received at the autonomous vehicle while the autonomous vehicle is following an initial target path via a path tracking program. The processor receives the driver-applied steering torque and allows a driver to adjust a path of the autonomous vehicle from the initial target path to a final target path determined through the driver-applied steering torque.

An autonomous vehicle and a system and method for operating the autonomous vehicle. The system includes a sensor and a processor. A disturbance force or yaw moment is received on the autonomous vehicle. The sensor measures a position of the autonomous vehicle within a lane of a road with respect to road boundaries and lane markings. The processor is configured to resist an effect of a disturbance force or yaw moment received on the autonomous vehicle. The processor minimizes a tracking error between a path of the autonomous vehicle and an initial track lane, wherein resisting the effect creates an inflection point in the path of the autonomous vehicle, establishes a final track lane at a closer of a lateral position of the inflection point and a lane center to the initial track lane, and tracks the path to the final track lane.

Automatic disengagement of an autonomous driving mode may include receiving, from a steering torque sensor, torque sensor data indicating an amount of torque applied to a steering system of the autonomous vehicle; determining a predicted torque based on one or more motion attributes of the steering system of the autonomous vehicle; determining a differential between the predicted torque and the amount of torque; and determining, based on the differential, whether to disengage an autonomous driving mode of the autonomous vehicle.

An autonomous driving control device is capable of starting an autonomous driving control without an operation of a driver and reducing a possibility that the driver can not start manual driving. An autonomous driving control is switched to manual driving when a determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a first threshold, before a predetermined time elapses since the autonomous driving control is automatically started. An autonomous driving control is switched to a manual driving when the determination section determines that the amount of operation by the driver is equal to or greater than a second threshold that is greater than the first threshold, after the predetermined time elapses.