Systems and methods are provided for generating data indicative of a friction associated with a driving surface, and for using the friction data in association with one or more vehicles. In one example, a computing system can detect a stop associated with a vehicle and initiate a steering action of the vehicle during the stop. The steering action is associated with movement of at least one tire of the vehicle relative to a driving surface. The computing system can obtain operational data associated with the steering action during the stop of the vehicle. The computing system can determine a friction associated with the driving surface based at least in part on the operational data associated with the steering action. The computing system can generate data indicative of the friction associated with the driving surface.

Systems and methods are provided for influential control over a driver's operation of a vehicle's steering wheel. Upon issuing an autonomous control signal to control motive operation of the vehicle, an autonomous control system of the vehicle may reinforce or influence the application of the autonomous control signal by inducing or cuing to induce the driver's hand(s) to turn the vehicle's steering wheel in a particular direction or by a particular amount/with a particular level of torque.

An apparatus and method for controlling motor driven power steering system, the apparatus including: a column torque sensor detecting column torque applied to a steering column of a vehicle; an MDPS logic unit deciding a first command current based on the column torque and vehicle speed; a steering angle position control unit outputting a second command current for driving an MDPS motor in an autonomous driving mode, based on a command steering angle and a current steering angle inputted from an autonomous driving system and a steering angle sensor, respectivley; a driver steering intervention determination unit monitoring the column torque of the column torque sensor in an autonomous driving mode, and determining whether a driver has intervened in steering; and an output control unit deciding a final command current by applying the weight decided by the driver steering intervention determination unit to the first and second command currents.

A steering control device 10 is equipped with: a first specification unit 121 for specifying an expected travel position where a vehicle is expected to travel in the traffic lane in which the vehicle is travelling; a second specification unit 122 for specifying information about the weight of the vehicle; an adjustment unit 123 for adjusting the expected travel position in the vehicle-widthwise direction on the basis of the expected travel position of the vehicle and the weight information; and a steering control unit 124 for controlling steering on the basis of the adjusted expected travel position.

Aspects of the disclosure relate to a vehicle having an autonomous driving mode and a manual driving mode. The vehicle may include a steering system having one or more processors configured to control the orientation of the one or more wheels based on control commands. The vehicle may also include an autonomous driving control system configured to control the vehicle in an autonomous driving mode by generating the control commands and to send the control commands to the steering system. In addition, the steering system may thermally derate the steering system based on first temperature information for the steering system when the vehicle is operating in a manual drive mode, and the autonomous driving control system may thermally derate the steering system based on second temperature information for the steering system when the vehicle is operating in the autonomous driving mode.

A vehicle control apparatus according to the present invention outputs a signal regarding a target braking/driving force for guiding a vehicle in a target traveling direction to a braking/driving controller. The signal regarding the target braking/driving force is acquired based on information regarding a running route of the vehicle and a physical amount regarding a motion state of the vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus outputs a signal regarding a steering correction torque for correcting a steering torque according to a behavior of the vehicle to a steering force controller. The signal regarding the steering correction torque is acquired based on a vehicle-body slip angle of the vehicle and the target braking/driving force.

An autonomous driving system configured to perform an autonomous driving of a vehicle includes a lane change determination unit configured to determine a necessity of an operation intervention for a lane change of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle during the autonomous driving, a lane change request unit configured to request the driver to perform the operation intervention for the lane change of the vehicle when the lane change determination unit determines that it is necessary to perform the operation intervention for the lane change of the vehicle by the driver, and a mode switching unit configured to switch a steering torque mode for a lane keep control in the autonomous driving from a normal steering torque mode to a weak steering torque mode when the driver is requested to perform the operation intervention for the lane change of the vehicle.

Methods and systems for operating axles of a vehicle are provided. In one example, a propulsion source of a first axle is operated in a torque control mode at a first torque and a propulsion source of a second axle is operated in a torque control mode at a second torque. Torque of the propulsion sources may be adjusted as a function of steering angle.

Systems and methods are provided for generating data indicative of a friction associated with a driving surface, and for using the friction data in association with one or more vehicles. In one example, a computing system can detect a stop associated with a vehicle and initiate a steering action of the vehicle during the stop. The steering action is associated with movement of at least one tire of the vehicle relative to a driving surface. The computing system can obtain operational data associated with the steering action during the stop of the vehicle. The computing system can determine a friction associated with the driving surface based at least in part on the operational data associated with the steering action. The computing system can generate data indicative of the friction associated with the driving surface.

A system includes an acquisition unit that acquires an operation amount or a duration count, and a switching unit that switches a driving state. The switching unit switches the driving state to the cooperative driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than an intervention threshold and less than a start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than a first threshold and less than a second threshold during the autonomous driving state, switches the driving state to the autonomous driving state when the operation amount is less than the intervention threshold or the duration count is less than the first threshold during the cooperative driving state, and switches the driving state to the manual driving state when the operation amount is equal to or greater than the start threshold or the duration count is equal to or greater than the second threshold.