A controller adjust a clutch actuator position is response to movement of a clutch pedal. During an engagement or a disengagement, the controller monitors sensor signals to determine the actuator position corresponding to the touch point. The sensors may directly indicate clutch torque or may respond indirectly. A Giant Magneto Resistive (GMR) sensor provides a precise shaft rotational position signal which can be twice numerically differentiated to yield an accurate and stable acceleration signal. The controller updates the touch point based on a change in the sensed acceleration or torque. The controller then adjusts the relationship of actuator pedal position to clutch pedal position, making mechanical wear adjustment unnecessary.

A vehicle control method including: setting a target acceleration based on a distance to a preceding vehicle or an obstacle and accelerating an own vehicle based on the target acceleration without relying on a driver's operation. Then, the vehicle control method including: calculating an acceleration limit which is an acceleration at which a relative distance to the preceding vehicle or the obstacle at a time when a preset acceleration limiting time has passed from a start of the acceleration is equal to or longer than a reference relative distance and a relative vehicle speed to the preceding vehicle or the obstacle at the time when the preset acceleration limiting time has passed from the start of the acceleration is equal to or lower than a reference relative vehicle speed, and accelerating the own vehicle at the acceleration limit when the target acceleration exceeds the acceleration limit.

An apparatus includes a position circuit structured to monitor a position of an accelerator of a vehicle and a speed circuit structured to monitor a speed of the vehicle. The position corresponds with an associated response of a prime mover of the vehicle. The associated response includes at least one of a torque output and a power output of the prime mover. The apparatus further includes a response management circuit structured to receive an indication regarding the position of the accelerator and the speed of the vehicle; determine that the indication satisfies a remapping condition, the remapping condition including at least one of a creep condition, an obstacle condition, a deceleration condition, and a reverse condition; and dynamically remap the associated response of the prime mover of the vehicle based on the position of the accelerator in response to the indication satisfying the remapping condition.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided that includes a body, a drive system, and a control system for controlling the adaptive cruise control functionality for the vehicle. The drive system is disposed within the body, and has adaptive cruise control functionality. The control system includes: one or more sensors disposed onboard the vehicle and configured to obtain sensor data for monitoring a driver of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped during adaptive cruise control operation while a target vehicle in front of the vehicle has stopped; and a processor coupled to the one or more sensors and configured to provide instructions for automatically resuming movement of the vehicle, when the target vehicle resumes movement, based on the monitoring of the driver of the vehicle.

One general aspect includes a system to commence host vehicle movement upon being stopped behind a target vehicle, the system includes a memory configured to include one or more executable instructions and a processor configured to execute the executable instructions, where the executable instructions enable the processor to: detect the target vehicle as being stopped along a route; cause the host vehicle to stop at a first distance from the target vehicle; detect a transition of one or more brake lights of the target vehicle from an ON state to an OFF state; and after the one or more brake lights are detected to transition from the ON state to the OFF state, cause the host vehicle to move at a slow speed in the direction of the target vehicle.

When a driver is in an abnormal state, a vehicle control device executes a stop control of applying a braking force to a vehicle to stop the vehicle and a stop holding control of holding the vehicle in a stopped state after stopping the vehicle with the stop control. The control device is configured to prohibit the stop holding control from being released, when a first condition that is satisfied when an operation amount of an accelerator operator is larger than a predetermined threshold value is satisfied, while the stop holding control is being executed.

The disclosure describes various embodiments for detecting an unexpected control state of an autonomous driving system. According to an embodiment, an exemplary method of detecting an unexpected control state of an autonomous driving system include the operations of generating environmental data of a vehicle; determining, by the autonomous driving system, a first control state based on the environmental data of the vehicle; determining, by a reference model, a second control state based on the environmental data, wherein the reference model defines at least one scenario each corresponding to a plurality of expected control states and a state switching condition, and in each of the expected control states corresponding to the scenario, an action of the vehicle in the scenario obeys a traffic rule; and determining the unexpected control state of the autonomous driving system by comparing the first control state with the second control state.

The invention relates to a method for carrying out a starting operation of a motor vehicle having a gear train that includes a dual clutch transmission with a first clutch that carries the odd-numbered gears, and a second clutch that carries the even-numbered gears, wherein the second clutch of the dual clutch transmission is used, at least in part, for preloading the gear train.

A method to control a road vehicle for the execution of a standing start; the control method comprises the steps of: engaging a gear in a transmission while a corresponding clutch is open; progressively closing the clutch causing the clutch to transmit a torque that causes the rotation of at least a pair of drive wheels; determining a target slip of the drive wheels; cyclically determining a real slip of the of the drive wheels; and continuously modulating the torque transmitted by the clutch during the closing of the clutch based of a difference between the target slip of the drive wheels and the real slip of the of the drive wheels.

A launch control technique for a vehicle having a torque generating system comprises displaying, via a user interface, information relating to a set of launch torque curves, each launch torque curve defining how the torque generating system is to generate drive torque during a period, receiving, via the user interface, a driver-selection of one of the set of launch torque curves to obtain a driver-selected launch torque curve, detecting a set of launch conditions comprising one or more vehicle operating conditions indicative of a launch of the vehicle, detecting a launch request in response to an accelerator pedal of the vehicle being depressed to an accelerator pedal position threshold, and finally controlling the launch of the vehicle by performing open-loop control of the drive torque generated by the torque generating system according to the driver-selected launch torque curve and irrespective of wheel slip of the vehicle.