Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having one or more autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. According to certain aspects, the operating status of the features, the identity of a vehicle operator, risk levels for operation of the vehicle by the vehicle operator, or damage to the vehicle may be determined based upon sensor or other data. According to further aspects, decisions regarding transferring control between the features and the vehicle operator may be made based upon sensor data and information regarding the vehicle operator. Additional aspects may recommend or install updates to the autonomous operation features based upon determined risk levels. Some aspects may include monitoring transportation infrastructure and communicating information about the infrastructure to vehicles.

According to certain aspects, a computer-implemented method for operating an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle may be provided. With the customer's permission, an identity of a vehicle operator may be identified and a vehicle operator profile may be retrieved. Operating data regarding autonomous operation features operating the vehicle may be received from vehicle-mounted sensors. When a request to disable an autonomous feature is received, a risk level for the autonomous feature is determined and compared with a driver behavior setting for the autonomous feature stored in the vehicle operator profile. Based upon the risk level comparison, the autonomous vehicle retains control of vehicle or the autonomous feature is disengaged depending upon which is the safer driverthe autonomous vehicle or the vehicle human occupant. As a result, unsafe disengagement of self-driving functionality for autonomous vehicles may be alleviated. Insurance discounts may be provided for autonomous vehicles having this safety functionality.

Methods and systems for monitoring use, determining risk, and pricing insurance policies for a vehicle having autonomous or semi-autonomous operation features are provided. In certain aspects, with the customer's permission, a computer-implemented method for updating an autonomous operation feature may be provided. An indication of a software update associated with the autonomous operation feature may be received, and several autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles having the feature may be identified. The update may be installed within the several vehicles, such as via wireless communication. Also, a change in a risk level associated with the update to the autonomous operation feature may be determined, and an insurance discount may be determined or adjusted. As a result, an insurance discount may be provided to risk averse customers that affirmatively share their vehicle data with an insurance provider, and promptly and remotely receive new versions of software that operate autonomous vehicle safety features.

An apparatus for controlling driving of a vehicle includes a communicator that receives autonomous driving data of another vehicle, a sensor that obtains surrounding environment information and manual driving data of a subject vehicle, and a controller that obtains autonomous driving data of the subject vehicle based on the surrounding environment information and determines whether to switch to autonomous driving of the subject vehicle based on the autonomous driving data and manual driving data of the subject vehicle and the autonomous driving data of the another vehicle.

The driving force ECU calculates a restricted driving force for a driving force restricting control, by using a Proportional-Integral-Differential control formula which utilizes a difference between a target acceleration varied depending on a vehicle speed and an actual acceleration of the vehicle. The driving force ECU adjusts (changes) a proportion gain K1 of the Proportional-Integral-Differential control formula based on an inclination angle of a road in such a manner that a value of the proportion gain K1 used when the inclination inclination angle is relatively large is smaller than a value of the proportion gain K1 used when the inclination inclination angle is relatively small. The driving force ECU performs a driving force restricting control by selecting, as a target driving force used for the driving force restricting control, a pedal required driving force or the restricted driving force, whichever is smaller.

An override conciliating portion executes processing to conciliate an override request during an execution of automated driving control (i.e., override conciliation processing). In the override conciliation processing, it is determined whether or not there is the override request (step S20). If the determination result of the step S20 is positive, it is determined whether or not a second automated driving mode is selected as an operation mode (step S21). If the determination result of the step S21 is negative, acceptance processing of the override request is executed (step S22). If the determination result of the step S21 is positive, invalidation processing of the override request is executed (step S23).

A vehicle system includes a seat on which an occupant of a vehicle is seated, a first operation reception unit and a second operation reception unit configured to be operated by the occupant, and a seat drive unit configured to change a position of the seat on the basis of an operation received by the first operation reception unit, and return the position of the seat to a position before being changed by the first operation reception unit when an operation is received by the second operation reception unit, and the second operation reception unit is provided at a rearward position relative to a place corresponding to a central portion in a travel direction of a seating portion of the seat in a side member provided in a side portion of the seat.

In a vehicle control system (1) configured for autonomous driving, a control unit (15) invokes an autonomous stopping mode when an intervention detection unit (10, 11, 13, 33) has failed to detect an acceptance of a driving intervention request by the driver when the driving intervention request is notified by a notification interface (31, 32), and the control unit restricts a functionality of the autonomous driving after the autonomous stopping mode has been invoked due to a driver's failure.

A system and method for interfacing an autonomous or remote control drive-by-wire controller with a vehicle's control modules. Vehicle functions including steering, braking, starting, etc. are controllable by wire via a control network. A CAN architecture is used as an interface between the remote/autonomous controller and the vehicle's control modules. A CAN module interface provides communication between a vehicle control system and a supervisory, remote, autonomous, or drive-by-wire controller. The interface permits the supervisory control to control vehicle operation within pre-determined bounds and using control algorithms.

A vehicle driving control system has an automatic driving mode that enables traveling without a driver's operation. The vehicle driving control system includes a driver monitor that monitors a driver in a vehicle compartment, and detects a driver state, a driver state determining unit that determines, based on the driver state, whether the driver is in a state capable of driving normally, a retreat mode controller that controls a retreat mode that causes an own vehicle to travel for retreat to a place where the own vehicle can safely stop when it is determined, during traveling under the automatic driving mode, that the driver is not in the state capable of driving normally, and a retreat mode canceler that cancels the retreat mode when it is determined, during the travel for retreat, that the driver has returned to the state capable of driving normally.