A method for controlling autonomous driving in an autonomous vehicle includes: determining whether a human driver is in a forward gaze state under an autonomous driving mode, setting a first steering wheel torque threshold and a first torque holding time, based on a result of determining whether the human driver is in the forward gaze state, determining whether human driver intervention has occurred, based on the first steering wheel torque threshold and the first torque holding time, and switching the autonomous driving mode to a manual driving mode when the human driver intervention has occurred.

A vehicle includes a steering device, a torque sensor, and an electronic control unit. The steering device includes a rack shaft, a steering shaft, and a turning actuator including an electric motor connected to the rack shaft or the steering shaft via a motion conversion mechanism. The torque sensor is configured to detect a steering torque by a driver, the torque sensor being attached to the steering shaft. The electronic control unit is configured to switch from turning of the wheels by an automatic steering control to turning of the wheels based on at least a steering operation by the driver in a case where a torque detected by the torque sensor exceeds a torque threshold value during execution of the automatic steering control of the wheels. The torque threshold value is changed in accordance with a temperature of the motion conversion mechanism.

A control apparatus according to the present disclosure is configured to perform a process of calculating a command torque that is given to a steering mechanism, an adjustment gain calculation process in which an adjustment gain for the command torque is calculated based on a steering torque, a process of calculating an adjusted command torque obtained by applying the adjustment gain to the command torque, and a process of controlling the steering mechanism in accordance with the adjusted command torque. It should be noted herein that the adjustment gain calculation process includes a process of calculating an adjusted steering torque having predetermined hysteresis characteristics with respect to changes in the steering torque, based on the steering torque, and a process of converting the adjusted steering torque into the adjustment gain.

A vehicle control system includes a steering input member rotatably supported by a vehicle body of a vehicle, a primary capacitive sensor provided along an outer edge of a steering input member and configured to detect a position on the steering input member at which a contact is made by a vehicle operator, a rotational angle sensor configured to detect a rotational angle of the steering input member, and a control unit configured to control a steering unit of the vehicle according to a signal from the rotational angle sensor and a signal from the primary capacitive sensor, wherein the control unit is configured to operate in a first operation mode and a second operation mode, the steering unit being controlled according to the signal from the rotational angle sensor in the first operation mode, and according to the signal from the primary capacitive sensor in the second operation mode.

A travel control method for a vehicle is provided, which includes autonomous steering control for autonomously controlling the steering of the vehicle. The travel control method includes: setting a plurality of cancellation thresholds corresponding to respective travel scenes, the cancellation thresholds being used for canceling the autonomous steering control and transitioning to the driver's manual operation; detecting a travel scene of the vehicle during execution of the autonomous steering control; extracting a cancellation threshold corresponding to the detected travel scene from among the plurality of set cancellation thresholds; and determining, based on the extracted cancellation threshold, whether or not to cancel the autonomous steering control and transition to the driver's manual operation.

A control apparatus of a vehicle including a steering operator is provided. The control apparatus includes an environment detection unit configured to detect a surrounding environment of the vehicle, a travel control unit configured to execute automatic steering control based on the surrounding environment, and an operation detection unit configured to detect a first operation and a second operation by a driver. The travel control unit can take a first state in which automatic steering control is not performed, a second state in which automatic steering control is performed on condition of the second operation, and a third state in which automatic steering control is performed without condition of the second operation. The travel control unit transitions from the third state to the first state on condition of the first operation.

The autonomous LC control is started in response to receiving a start instruction of autonomous lane change. When the driver performs a steering intervention in a same direction as a direction of steering requested by the autonomous LC control, and establishment of a stop condition of lane change is not recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, the autonomous driving control is continued. When the steering intervention in the same direction is performed, and establishment of the stop condition is recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, termination of the autonomous driving control is announced.

A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls a driving mode of a self-driving vehicle (SDV). One or more processors compare a control processor competence level of an on-board SDV control processor in controlling the SDV to a human driver competence level of a human driver in controlling the SDV while the SDV encounters a current roadway condition which is a result of current weather conditions of the roadway on which the SDV is currently traveling. One or more processors then selectively assign control of the SDV to the SDV control processor or to the human driver while the SDV encounters the current roadway condition based on which of the control processor competence level and the human driver competence level is relatively higher to one another.

A method is for operating a vehicle. The vehicle includes a steering system with at least one steering handle and at least one steering sensor operatively connected to the steering handle and configured to at least detect a driver intervention in an automated drive operating mode. In at least one faulty operating state, in which the vehicle is in the automated drive operating mode and a malfunction and/or a disturbance of the steering sensor is ascertained and/or a steering sensor signal of the steering sensor is ascertained, the steering sensor signal correlating in particular to the driver intervention, an interruption process is initiated in order to discontinue the automated drive operating mode. During the interruption process, at least one wheel steering angle characteristic variable of at least one vehicle wheel of the vehicle is ascertained and taken into consideration while discontinuing the automated drive operating mode.

The autonomous LC control is started in response to receiving a start instruction of autonomous lane change. When the driver performs a steering intervention in a same direction as a direction of steering requested by the autonomous LC control, and establishment of a stop condition of lane change is not recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, the autonomous driving control is continued. When the steering intervention in the same direction is performed, and establishment of the stop condition is recognized, during execution of the autonomous LC control, termination of the autonomous driving control is announced.