A tow assist apparatus includes a hardware processor to: detect, at a predetermined period, an angle of tilt of a towed vehicle to a towing vehicle towing the towed vehicle, the tilt arising when the towing vehicle moves backward; calculate angle change information representing a temporal change in the detected angle; and output an alarm when the angle change information exceeds a threshold.

A steering control device is configured to control a motor, the motor being a generation source of a driving force that is given to a steering mechanism of a vehicle. The steering control device includes a controller configured to compute a controlled variable depending on a steering state, the controlled variable being used in the control of the motor. The controller is configured to alter a control parameter for the controller, based on a command that is generated by a host control device depending on a purpose of an intervention in a steering control, the host control device being mounted on the vehicle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a steering control device and a steering control method that can reduce a driving burden imposed on a driver during low velocity driving. The present invention is provided with an arithmetic logic unit that changes a steering angle of a wheel 11 by driving a wheel steering actuator 7 based on a manipulated variable of a steering 3, and calculates a controlled variable of the wheel steering actuator 7. In turning the steering 3, the arithmetic logic unit controls the wheel steering actuator 7 based on a first gain at which a ratio of an actual steering angle of the wheel 11 changes with respect to a steering angle δ, and in returning the steering 3, the arithmetic logic unit controls the wheel steering actuator 7 based on a second gain that differs from the first gain.

A method for recognizing a parking space for a vehicle and a parking assistance system are disclosed. An obstacle is identified from successive image frames captured when the vehicle is moving and a first boundary for the obstacle is generated by a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) algorithm based on a position of the obstacle shown in each of the successive image frames. Distances between the moving vehicle and the obstacle are detected by ultrasonic sensors. A second boundary for the obstacle is generated by a distance modification module based on the distances between the vehicle and the obstacle. A periphery of the obstacle is defined by a periphery definition module. In view of the periphery of the obstacle, a parking space is thus recognized by a parking space recognition module. The parking process can be changed to a self-drive mode, and remotely controlled by a mobile device.

A power-steering system for a motor vehicle includes a steering wheel and an assistance motor controlled by a closed-loop regulation system, the regulation system determining a motor torque of the assistance motor as a function of a measured steering-wheel torque, using at least one “setpoint monitoring” arm calculating a component of the motor torque, referred to as “variant motor torque”, by subtracting a set steering-wheel torque from the RFe corresponding to the sum of the measured steering-wheel torque and the motor torque, wherein the variant motor torque is multiplied by a gain determined by a three-dimensional map as a function of a vehicle speed and the measured steering-wheel torque.

A method for determining a trailer characteristic includes disposing a camera at a rear portion of a vehicle so as to have a field of view rearward, providing a control having an image processor, and hitching a tongue of a trailer to a hitch ball of the vehicle. Location of a portion of the trailer relative to the camera is determined via processing of captured image data. Responsive to the determination of the location of the portion of the trailer relative to the camera, a subregion of the imaging array of the camera is determined that includes the determined portion of the trailer, and processing at the control is enhanced at the determined subregion during processing of subsequent frames of captured image data to determine location of the portion of the trailer relative to the vehicle centerline in the subsequent frames of captured image data.

The invention relates to a method for determining a parking position for a motor vehicle, wherein a perpendicular parking space is detected by means of a sensor system of the motor vehicle, and a parking space data set characterizing the perpendicular parking space is provided to a control unit of the motor vehicle, and the parking position is determined by the control unit by using the parking space data set, as well as by using an access parameter of the motor vehicle that characterizes a possible opening of at least one folding element of the motor vehicle. The invention provides that the parking position is established using an additional access parameter of an additional motor vehicle that is parked adjacent to the parking position. Moreover the invention relates to a driver assistance system and a motor vehicle.

In various embodiments, methods, systems, and vehicle apparatuses are provided. A method for estimating a Hitch Articulation Angle (HAA) using Ultra-Sonic Sensors (USSs) while ensuring quality detected echo signal performance using plausibility filtering, generating at least one set of USS data based on detecting a set of echo signals generated by a plurality of USSs configured about a vehicle coupled to a trailer; determining based on a set of USS data using a selected set of geometric equations in a plausibility filtering process for an arbitrary frontal shape of the trailer; and generating at least one comparison based on at least one set of USS data estimations to a kinematic model at low speeds for ensuring that results of the kinematic model to the HAA associated with the determined trailer shape is based on a pair of detected echo signals that are deemed to have a higher signal performance.

A method is proposed for maneuvering a vehicle. The vehicle has a steer-by-wire steering system having a steering handle and a steering gear actuator for changing a travel direction of the vehicle. In a manual driving operating state, a maneuvering process is detected based on a steering specification at the steering handle and a vehicle velocity. A target vehicle trajectory correlated with a driver intention for the maneuvering process is ascertained or predicted based on the steering specification at the steering handle and an environmental condition. An actual vehicle trajectory is progressively compared during the maneuvering process to the target vehicle trajectory. The actual vehicle trajectory is corrected in the event of a deviation from the target vehicle trajectory by means of a maneuvering assistance function and by an assisting intervention of the maneuvering assistance function in a lateral control of the vehicle.

Disclosed is a corner module apparatus for a vehicle. The corner module apparatus includes processors configured to receive a braking initiation manipulation input of a vehicle from a driver. The corner module apparatus also includes a controller configured to perform braking of the vehicle by independently controlling steering of four wheels of the vehicle based on a direction angle when the braking initiation manipulation input is received by the one or more processors in a state in which the vehicle is positioned on the slope. The direction angle is an angle between an inclined direction of a slope and a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.