A driver support device includes: a drive device configured to change a steering angle being an angle of a steered wheel of a vehicle by applying torque to a steering shaft coupled to a steering wheel of the vehicle; and a control unit. The control unit executes lane departure avoidance control controlling the drive device to change the steering angle to avoid departure of the vehicle from a traveling lane when a start condition is satisfied, and is configured to execute the lane departure avoidance control such that, when a holding position of the steering wheel by a driver does not meet a predetermined specific condition upon satisfaction of the start condition, a magnitude of a steering angular velocity being an amount of change in the steering angle per unit time is smaller than the magnitude when the holding position meets the specific condition upon satisfaction of the start condition.

A device for determining hands off of a driver includes a torque sensor for sensing a torque caused by turning of a steering wheel and generating a torque signal, a first frequency filter and a second frequency filter for filtering the torque signal, a representative value generating device for generating a first representative value based on a frequency component of a first filtered signal output by the first frequency filter, and generating a second representative value based on a frequency component of a second filtered signal output by the second frequency filter, and a control module that determines the hands off of the driver based on a ratio of the first representative value and the second representative value.

Driver attention and hand placement systems and methods are disclosed herein. An example method includes providing warning messages to a driver of a vehicle based on steering wheel input or hand-wheel contact by the driver. The warning messages are provided according to a first scheme when the steering wheel input is above a threshold value and according to a second scheme when the steering wheel input is below a threshold value and images obtained by a camera in the vehicle indicate that at least one hand of the driver is on the steering wheel.

A vehicle behavior control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with a steering apparatus comprises: a PCM operable to acquire a steering speed in the steering apparatus, and, when the steering speed becomes equal to or greater than a given threshold (T.sub.S1) which is greater than 0, to reduce a driving force for the vehicle according to the steering speed, wherein the steering apparatus comprises a steering shaft coupled to the steering wheel and rotatable together with the steering wheel, wherein the steering shaft has a torsion bar whose torsional rigidity about a rotational axis of the steering shaft is less than a remaining portion of the steering shaft. The steering speed acquisition section is configured to acquire the steering speed of the steering apparatus at a position on the side of the front road wheels with respect to the low rigidity portion.

A method for controlling switching of steering control rights of an autonomous vehicle, may include: performing a control to synchronize a steering angle of a steering wheel and a steering angle of a road wheel, when switching of the steering control rights from an automated driving mode to a manual driving mode is requested. The method further includes: detecting an error value between the steering angle of the steering wheel and the steering angle of the road wheel, when a hands-on state in which the steering wheel is gripped is detected in the synchronization process. In addition, the method further includes: performing a control to switch the mode of the autonomous vehicle to the manual driving mode, when the error value is less than a preset value.

A lane departure avoidance device includes a control unit that executes a lane departure prevention control by at least one of automatically turning a turning wheel and issuing an alarm, when it is determined that there is a possibility that a vehicle crosses a lane border and a driver has no intention of performing a lane departure, and that suspends executing the lane departure prevention control, when it is determined that there is a possibility that the vehicle crosses the lane border and the driver intentions to perform the lane departure. The control unit continues to suspend executing the lane departure prevention control, when it is determined that there is another lane border on a side that the vehicle approaches and that a distance from the vehicle to the other lane border is a reference distance or more, in a situation where executing the lane departure prevention control is suspended.

A system for control of a steering system of a vehicle. The system including an actuator for applying a force or a torque to the steering system. A force or torque can be superimposed on a force or torque originating from the wheels. The system includes a detection unit disposed on the vehicle and configured for anticipatorily detecting at least one surface condition of a surface section located ahead of the vehicle in the direction of vehicle travel and subsequently driven on by the vehicle. The system including a data processing unit disposed on the vehicle and connected to and communicating with the detection unit. The data processing unit configured for generating control signals for controlling an actuator of the steering system based on the detected surface condition.

A method for operating a driver assistance function to support a lateral control of a vehicle is provided. A permissible range for a steering torque component which the driver assistance function is able to exert on the steering of the vehicle is predefined. The permissible range is specified by upper and lower limits. The upper and lower limits of the permissible range be adapted as a function of a current vehicle state. The vehicle state is given relative to a lane center, for example, by the position, the velocity, the acceleration and the sudden motion, by the respective component of this variable in the lateral direction. An adjustable range of the driver feedback is determined based on the vehicle state and the lateral acceleration. From this and the consideration of a disturbance compensation, the permissible range of the steering torque component of the assistance function is ascertained.

Disclosed is a driver assistance system including a camera installed in a vehicle, the camera having a field of view around the vehicle and obtaining an image data; and a controller configured to process the image data. The controller performs a lane keeping assistance control for providing an auxiliary steering torque to a steering actuator to maintain a driving lane of a vehicle. The controller changes at least one of a vehicle speed and the auxiliary steering torque depending on a payload of the vehicle during the lane keeping assistance control.

Disclosed are devices, systems and methods related to direct and indirect methods for detecting wind speed and direction during driving. An example method may include estimating, by a processor of a vehicle controller, a speed and a direction of wind movement near the vehicle based on a first sensor output from a wind sensor, or a second sensor output from a non-wind sensor, or a combination of the first sensor output and the second sensor output, wherein a primary purpose of the wind sensor is wind detection, and a primary purpose of the non-wind sensor is different from wind detection, and generating a control output indicative of a vehicle disturbance force resulting from the wind based on the estimated speed and direction of the wind movement.