An automatic driving control device changes the degree of automation during an automatic control or the degree of change to the vehicle behavior during the automatic control, on the basis of the peripheral monitoring state of a driver, and on the basis of how easy it is to perform a switching operation for prioritizing manual control over automatic control. Thus, the automatic driving control device makes it possible to ensure the convenience of automatic control, by dynamically changing the degree of automation or the degree of change to the vehicle behavior, without uniformly stopping automatic control of steering and acceleration.

The disclosure relates to a method, a device and a motor vehicle for controlling at least one vehicle system of the motor vehicle during a drive, wherein each vehicle system is respectively adapted to perform a driving maneuver of the motor vehicle and for each vehicle system a control responsibility determines, in which proportion a driver and a driver assistance system of the motor vehicle each controls the vehicle system, the method comprising the steps of: providing an assignment specification with which a control responsibility is assigned for different driving situations in each case for each vehicle system; identifying an instantaneous driving situation while driving and determining the respectively assigned control responsibility in each vehicle system according to the assignment specification; receiving control instructions from the driver and from the driver assistance system for each vehicle system; and for each vehicle system, superposing control instructions from the driver and from the driver assistance system intended for said vehicle system in accordance with the control responsibility.

A friction clutch mechanism for a steering column of a vehicle is disclosed.

In one embodiment, a method of transitioning from autonomous driving (AD) to manual driving (MD) mode for an autonomous driving vehicle (ADV) is disclosed. The method includes determining whether AD-to-MD transition is allowed in a current location of the ADV. The method further includes determining whether a current driving scenario is safe for the AD-to-MD transition. The method further includes in response to determining that the AD-to-MD transition is allowed in the current location and the current driving scenario is safe for the AD-to-MD transition, enabling the AD-to-MD transition. The method further includes determining whether there is a request for the AD-to-MD transition. The method further includes in response to determining there is the request, computing a current vehicle motion trajectory of the ADV. The method further includes comparing the current vehicle motion trajectory with a motion trajectory derived from inputs of a driver of the ADV. The method further includes determining whether to confirm the AD-to-MD transition based on the comparison.

[Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-performance electric power steering apparatus that can smoothly switch a steering control mode with a simple structure and does not make a driver uncomfortable when the driver steers a handle in an automatic steering control. [Means for Solving the Problem] The present invention is the electric power steering apparatus that has a function, which switches between a manual steering control which drives a motor by the first motor current command value calculated based on at least a steering torque and an automatic steering control which drives the motor by the second motor current command value calculated at a steering angle control section so that an actual steering angle follows-up a target steering angle, comprising: a target steering angle correcting section that performs a calculation process for the steering torque depending on a steering state and vehicle speed and outputs a target steering angle correction value, and a correction outputting section that corrects the target steering angle by using the target steering angle correction value and inputs a corrected correction target steering angle into the steering angle control section.

If a vehicle controller makes a gripping request, a grip determination unit changes a determination level (voltage threshold) of a grip sensor that is positioned in a particular area of a disposed area where a steering wheel is disposed, in a manner that it becomes less easy to determine that the steering wheel is gripped and it becomes easier to determine that the steering wheel is not gripped, compared with a determination level (voltage threshold) of the grip sensor that is positioned in an area other than an area in a particular direction.

A number of illustrative variations may include a method or product for sensing driver intervention in an autonomous steering system.

A computer includes a processor and a memory, the memory storing instructions executable by the processor to detect an actual steering column torque and an actual steering wheel angle, predict a steering wheel torque with a state-estimation algorithm that outputs a plurality of vehicle states including the predicted steering wheel torque, adjust the plurality of vehicle states based on an algorithm noise that is based on a steering wheel angular speed to generate estimated vehicle states, output the estimated vehicle states including an estimated user-applied steering wheel torque, and transition from an autonomous mode to a manual mode when the estimated steering wheel torque exceeds a threshold. The state-estimation algorithm accepts input including the actual steering column torque and the actual steering wheel angle and outputs the plurality of vehicle states.

A vehicle steering system allowing for override of an automated steering mode, the system comprising: a vehicle steering mechanism; a movement module disposed on the vehicle steering mechanism, the sensor configured to detect movement of the vehicle steering mechanism of the vehicle steering system and generate a movement signal; a data transfer unit in wireless communication with the movement module and configured to receive and transmit the movement signal; and a steering control unit configured to allow for at least one of steering of the vehicle in a manual steering mode or an automated steering mode, the steering control unit in communication with the data transfer unit and configured to receive the movement signal and disable the automated vehicle steering mode upon receipt of the movement signal.

A method of control includes operating in autonomous mode and steering according to a tracking angle. The method also includes receiving a torque signal indicating a measured torque being applied to a steering control device and determining a difference between an expected torque and the measured torque, and based on a direction of the expected torque, the direction of the measured torque, and the difference between the two, switching from autonomous mode of operation to manual mode operation.