The present invention is a minimum size, maneuverable, comfortable, safe, and inexpensive compact vehicle, having a higher level of cornering/turning stability than the current state of the art. The inventive design may be applied to two-, three-, and four- (or more) wheeled vehicles. The invention may be utilized in the design of the main components of vehicles providing an increased stability during turning, even at high speeds, based on fixed and moveable chassis portions which swing in relation to one another and novel linking mechanisms connected with large and/or wide wheel portions.

An arrangement for improving manoeuvrability of a vehicle combination that includes a first vehicle unit, a second vehicle unit and a third vehicle unit interconnected by articulated joints, where the vehicle combination includes two driven axles and where each driven axle can be controlled independently, an arrangement for determining the articulation angel between the vehicle units, an arrangement for determining a steering wheel angle of the vehicle combination, an arrangement for determining the speed of the vehicle combination, an arrangement for determining the yaw rate of the vehicle units, and an arrangement for determining a delay value between the steering wheels of the vehicle combination and at least one articulated joint, where the arrangement is adapted to control a desired articulation angle of the articulated joints by coordinating the force ratio between the two driven axles by using the determined yaw rate of the vehicle units and the determined delay value.

A vehicle and a method of controlling turning thereof are provided. The turning control method of a vehicle includes calculating first compensation torque based on a lateral acceleration variation during turning, determining first compensated demanded torque by applying the first compensation torque to demanded torque, determining second compensation torque for preventing wheel slip of a driving wheel based on the first compensated demanded torque and an actual vehicle behavior, and determining second compensated demanded torque input to a driving source controller by applying the second compensation torque to the first compensated demanded torque.

A vehicle and a method of controlling turning thereof are provided. The turning control method of a vehicle includes calculating first compensation torque based on a lateral acceleration variation during turning, determining first compensated demanded torque by applying the first compensation torque to demanded torque, determining second compensation torque for preventing wheel slip of a driving wheel based on the first compensated demanded torque and an actual vehicle behavior, and determining second compensated demanded torque input to a driving source controller by applying the second compensation torque to the first compensated demanded torque.

An apparatus configured to control downforce is provided. The apparatus includes a piezoelectric bellow configured to generate airflow, a power controller configured to output a signal to actuate the piezoelectric bellow; and a controller configured to control the power controller based on vehicle dynamics information.

A modular system for an automotive vehicle configured to permit removal of a removable structural module from and reattachment to an automotive vehicle is described. The system includes a removable structural module comprising a body, a support structure configured to receive and support the removable structural module and to permit the removable structural module to be releasably attached to an automotive vehicle, a sensing arrangement configured to permit confirmation of secure attachment of the removable structural module to the automotive vehicle and configured to permit identification of a predetermined type of the removable structural module, and a computer configured to identify the predetermined type of the removable structural module from among multiple possible predetermined types of removable structural modules. The removable structural module comprises multiple connecting structures that permit the removable structural module to be releasably secured to the automotive vehicle.

Utilization of shared vehicles that are structurally and reversibly reconfigurable to suit requests for particular vehicle configurations is described. Vehicle use is monitored for plural vehicles shared among multiple users/uses. In response to a first request for a first particular configuration of a vehicle, a first vehicle is selected/provided in the first particular configuration having a predetermined first feature set, the first feature set being automatically set based on the first vehicle being placed in the first particular configuration. In response to a second use request for a second particular configuration of a vehicle different from the first particular configuration, the first vehicle is selected/provided in the second particular configuration having a predetermined second feature set, the second feature set being automatically set at the first vehicle based on the first vehicle being placed in the second particular configuration, the first feature set being different from the second feature set.

A drive control system for a front- and rear-wheel drive vehicle is provided. The drive control system is installed on the front- and rear-wheel drive vehicle, which is a two-wheeler equipped with a front wheel and a rear wheel both serving as driving wheels, one of which is a steered wheel. When the vehicle is banking, the drive control system performs control of decreasing target driving torque of the steered wheel according to an amount of accelerator operation during acceleration operation of a driver compared to when the vehicle is running upright.

An arrangement for improving maneuverability of a vehicle combination that includes a first vehicle unit, a second vehicle unit and a third vehicle unit interconnected by articulated joints, where the vehicle combination includes two driven axles and where each driven axle can be controlled independently, an arrangement for determining the articulation angel between the vehicle units, an arrangement for determining a steering wheel angle of the vehicle combination, an arrangement for determining the speed of the vehicle combination, an arrangement for determining the yaw rate of the vehicle units, and an arrangement for determining a delay value between the steering wheels of the vehicle combination and at least one articulated joint, where the arrangement is adapted to control a desired articulation angle of the articulated joints by coordinating the force ratio between the two driven axles by using the determined yaw rate of the vehicle units and the determined delay value.

A vehicle electronic stability control system which allows a vehicle to have improved movement performance and limit performance without causing a driver to feel uncomfortable, by actuating electronic stability control from a state where a lateral slip is relatively less likely to occur. The system prevents a skid of a vehicle. The system is provided with a stability determination module that obtains information indicating vehicle behavior from a sensor, and determines whether the vehicle is in an unstable or less stable state, on the basis of the information. The system is further provided with a braking/driving force control module which, when the stability determination module determines that the vehicle is in the unstable or less stable state, applies a braking force to one of the drive wheels, and simultaneously applies a driving force to the motor for the other drive wheel.