Disclosed herein are an apparatus for detecting a road surface state in motor-driven power steering (MDPS) and a method for controlling the apparatus. The apparatus may include a column torque sensor to detect column torque applied to a steering column and to output a column torque signal; a steering angle sensor to detect a steering angular velocity of a steering wheel; a vehicle speed sensor to detect a driving speed of a vehicle; and a road surface determiner to determine a road surface state based on a boost gain, which is calculated based on the driving speed and the column torque, and on a phase offset between the column torque and the steering angular velocity and to output a road surface determination signal.

There is provided a vehicle behavior control device capable of improving responsivity of a vehicle behavior and a linear feeling with respect to a steering wheel operation without causing a driver to experience a strong feeling of intervention of the control and, at the same time, capable of controlling behavior of a vehicle in such a manner as to also improve stability of the vehicle attitude and riding comfort. In a vehicle behavior control device applied to a vehicle having steerable front road wheels, the vehicle behavior control device includes a PCM which acquires a steering speed of the vehicle, and generates a deceleration jerk which is a rearward jerk in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the steering speed becomes equal to or greater than a given threshold T.sub.S1 which is greater than zero.

A vehicle control system includes a central ECU configured to calculate target outputs of actuators, and relay devices each disposed in a communication path between the central ECU and a corresponding actuator among the actuators. The relay devices include a specific relay device capable of communicating with a specific actuator related to driving control, braking control, or steering control of a vehicle. The specific relay device among the relay devices includes a specific abnormality diagnosis unit configured to diagnose an abnormality in the specific relay device, and a backup calculation unit capable of calculating a control amount of the specific actuator coupled to the specific relay device. A relay device other than the specific relay device among the relay devices does not have a self-diagnosis function.

A vehicle control device comprises: a downshift control part (51) configured, upon issuance of a downshift request for downshifting an automatic transmission (200), to execute a downshift control of downshifting the automatic transmission (200) and driving an engine torque regulating mechanism to increase an output torque of an engine (10); a vehicle attitude control part (53) configured, upon satisfaction of a condition that the vehicle is traveling and a steering angle-related value pertaining to a steering angle of a steering device increases, to execute a vehicle attitude control of reducing the output torque of the engine (10) to generate deceleration of the vehicle so as to control vehicle attitude; and a downshift suppression part (55) configured, when the vehicle attitude control is executed, to suppress the execution of the downshift control.

A vehicle behavior control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with a steering apparatus comprises: a PCM operable to acquire a steering speed in the steering apparatus, and, when the steering speed becomes equal to or greater than a given threshold (T.sub.S1) which is greater than 0, to reduce a driving force for the vehicle according to the steering speed, wherein the steering apparatus comprises a steering shaft coupled to the steering wheel and rotatable together with the steering wheel, wherein the steering shaft has a torsion bar whose torsional rigidity about a rotational axis of the steering shaft is less than a remaining portion of the steering shaft. The steering speed acquisition section is configured to acquire the steering speed of the steering apparatus at a position on the side of the front road wheels with respect to the low rigidity portion.

There is provided a vehicle behavior control device capable of improving responsivity of a vehicle behavior and a linear feeling with respect to a steering wheel operation without causing a driver to experience a strong feeling of intervention of the control, and capable of controlling behavior in such a manner as to improve stability of the vehicle attitude and riding comfort. The device includes a PCM which acquires a steering speed relating to a jerk in a width direction of the vehicle, sets a torque reduction flag, indicative of whether or not a condition for allowing reduction of an output torque of an engine is satisfied, based on the steering speed, and starts to reduce a torque when the torque reduction flag is set to True indicative of a state in which the condition for allowing reduction of the torque is satisfied.

A computer that includes a processor and memory. The memory may store instructions executable by the processor. The instructions may include: following a driver-initiated trigger to deactivate a driver assist mode, to reactivate the mode when, for a dwelling period, each of a plurality of conditions equal respectively predetermined value.

A method for operating a speed control system of a vehicle is provided. The method comprises receiving one or more electrical signals representative of vehicle-related information. The method further comprises determining, based on the signals representative of vehicle-related information, whether one or more predetermined conditions are met. The method still further comprises automatically determining a baseline set-speed for the speed control system when it is determined that at least certain of the one or more predetermined conditions are met. The method yet still further comprises adjusting the baseline set-speed to determine an instantaneous set-speed of the speed control system based on a signal indicative of a desired comfort level. A speed control system comprising an electronic control unit configured to perform the above-described methodology is also provided.

A driving assistance apparatus determines, based on an instantaneous indicator which is an instantaneous value of a parameter regarding steering of the own vehicle, whether a driver has started a collision avoidance operation for avoiding a collision between a target and the own vehicle. When it is determined that the collision avoidance operation has been started, a support start timing for starting driving assistance for avoiding the collision or reducing collision damage is set to be a timing later than when the collision avoidance operation has not been started. The support start timing during a collision avoidance time period which is a time period until a predetermined set time has elapsed after it is determined that the collision avoidance operation has been started is set based on a time-dependent indicator for steering indicated by the instantaneous indicator at timings during the collision avoidance time period.

A moving body system includes an imaging device attachable to a moving body, a visual line direction changing mechanism configured to change a visual line direction of the imaging device and a control unit configured to change the visual line direction of the imaging device in accordance with changing of a movement direction of the moving body.