Abstract: A control unit for a vehicle, which comprises an engine, a driving motor, an engaging/disengaging device, and a voltage raising device, includes a switching control unit and a voltage raising control unit controlling the voltage raising device. The switching control unit switches between a first driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by a driving force of the driving motor with the engaging/disengaging device released and a second driving mode in which the vehicle is driven by the driving force of the engine with the engaging/disengaging device engaged. In a case where a driving mode is switched from the first driving mode to the second driving mode, the switching control unit starts an engagement of the engaging/disengaging device and switches the driving mode to the second driving mode, after the voltage raising control unit starts the voltage raising control in the first driving mode.

Abstract: A method for obtaining data and communicating with a bicycle mounted cloud based activity monitor is provided. The method includes accepting into a server a plurality of sensor data and GPS location coordinates from a device attached to a bicycle, wherein the activity monitor communicates data to the cloud server via a wireless coupling. The method further includes writing information relating to sensor, GPS, and alarm functions from the cloud based server into the bike mounted activity tracker via a wireless link.

Abstract: A method is described for controlling an occupant protection arrangement which has at least two levels of protection for an occupant of a vehicle. The method has a step of selecting one of the at least two levels of protection of the occupant protection means as the level of protection to be used in the event of an impact of the vehicle using a yaw direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: A method for producing designs involves receiving a request to create a design on the surface of an extraterrestrial body, transmitting a control signal to a device on a vehicle on the extraterrestrial body, the control signal causing the device to create the design, and receiving an image signal providing an image of the design created on the surface. A device for producing the designs includes a surface altering tool configured to rearrange material on the surface. The tool may be provided as a configurable-tread rover wheel that includes a wheel hub having radially-extending channels, and tread elements supported in the channels that are selectively articulatable under the control of a control module to form a tread pattern corresponding to a design intended to be produced. The tread elements may be selectively extended or retracted by operation of an array of solenoids controlled by the control module.

Abstract: An apparatus and method of providing road guidance based on an augmented reality head-up display (HUD) are provided. The method includes creating, by a controller, a route toward a destination and operating the augmented reality HUD to display a virtual preceding vehicle driven along the route to show that the virtual preceding vehicle is driven in front of a traveling vehicle by a reference distance.

Abstract: The invention relates to a human/machine interface (3) that includes a control board (30) provided with at least one control (31, 32, 33) and/or at least one indicator and with at least one controller (36) for managing the operation of the control board (30) and the communications thereof with a vehicle multiplex network via at least one associated connector (37), characterized in that said interface also includes a multifunction screen (41) connected to the controller (36) of the control board so that said controller (36) can also manage the operation of the multifunction screen (41) and the communications thereof with the vehicle multiplex network via said associated connector (37).

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to fault management apparatus and method for an independently controlled steering system in a four wheel drive system. The apparatus includes: a steering system unit that is disposed at four wheels of a vehicle, controls steering of the wheels, and collects and transmits the state information of the wheels; and a control unit that controls the steering system unit in accordance with the state information transmitted from the steering system unit. According to the present disclosure, when there is a fault in one or more wheels of a four wheel drive vehicle, it is possible to stabilize the vehicle body by actively adjusting the steering angles of the wheels that normally work and the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the fault environment.

Abstract: Disclosed is a damping force control device for a vehicle that controls the damping coefficient of a damping force generation device on the basis of a final target control amount that is based on the target control amount for attitude control, which suppresses changes in the vehicle body attitude in at least the rolling direction, and the target control amount for riding comfort control, which increases riding comfort with regards to vehicle body vibrations in at least the rolling direction. The target control amount for riding comfort control is a control amount calculated as the total of a fixed basic control amount and a variable control amount.

Abstract: Disclosed is an obstacle determination device (1) including a driving assistance ECU (3) that determines collision with an obstacle detected by output of a radar (2) mounted on a vehicle and performs driving assistance for the vehicle. When a distance of a null-point zone divided by null points where the output of the radar (2) is low is represented as a distance between the null points, the driving assistance ECU (3) determines, in a distant zone that is away from a reference zone that is the null-point zone nearest to a host vehicle in a predetermined range, if the null-point zone of the distance between the null points shorter than the distance between the null points in the reference zone is detected by a predetermined number or more, that the host vehicle does not collide with the detected obstacle.

Abstract: A method is described for the automatic management of the energy autonomy of a vehicle, and includes receiving a signal for indicating a distance and/or a path to cover, and dividing the distance and/or the path into space intervals; calculating an allowable variation of energy capacity in a space interval based on energy capacity detected by the sensors and on variation laws of the energy capacity; determining limit conditions for the speed and/or acceleration of the vehicle, on the basis of a map, chosen among a plurality of maps of speed-acceleration-variation of energy capacity; generating a regulated instantaneous torque request on the basis of the speed and/or acceleration detected by the plurality of sensors, of the determined limit conditions for the speed and/or acceleration and of the instantaneous torque request generated by the first central control unit. An electronic system capable of implementing such a method is described.

Abstract: A user-heading determining system (10) for pedestrian use includes a multiple-axis accelerometer (110) having acceleration sensors; a device-heading sensor circuit (115) physically situated in a fixed relationship to the accelerometer (110); an electronic circuit (100) operable to generate signals representing components of acceleration sensed by the accelerometer (110) sensors, and to electronically process at least some part of the signals to produce an estimation of attitude of a user motion with respect to the accelerometer, and further to combine the attitude estimation (750, ?) with a device heading estimation (770, ?) responsive to the device-heading sensor circuit, to produce a user heading estimation (780); and an electronic display (190) responsive to the electronic circuit (100) to display information at least in part based on the user heading estimation. Other systems, circuits and processes are also disclosed.

Abstract: A method for determination of at least one reference value for controlling a vehicle's speed is described. The method may entail making a first prediction vpred—Tnew—ret and a second prediction vpred—Tnew—acc of a vehicle speed along a horizon, said first prediction based on an engine torque Tret which retards the vehicle as compared with a conventional cruise control, and said second prediction based on an engine torque Tacc which accelerates the vehicle as compared with a conventional cruise control; comparing said respective first prediction vpred—Tnew—ret and second prediction vpred—Tnew—acc of the vehicle speed with a lower limit value vmin and/or an upper limit value vmax which delineate a range within which the vehicle's speed should be; and determining at least one reference value based on at least one of said respective comparisons and said first prediction vpred—Tnew—ret and second prediction vpred—Tnew—acc of the vehicle speed along the horizon.

Abstract: A motor vehicle steering system includes a knob for rotationally manipulating a steering member and a knob reaction force actuator for giving a reaction force in response to the rotation of the knob. The knob has a knob center and is supported by the steering member in a manner rotatable about the knob center. Holding the knob and manipulating the steering member causes the knob to rotate (spin) about the knob center as the steering member rotates. The knob reaction force actuator then gives an appropriate reaction force in response to the rotation (spinning) of the knob.

Abstract: A self-propelled work apparatus includes a traveling unit, a work unit, and a user interface. The traveling unit moves in a self-propelled manner to a position near a user. The work unit performs predetermined work. The user interface adjusts a position of the traveling unit located near the user, in accordance with a motion of the user. The work unit starts the predetermined work when the user interface is activated in accordance with the user motion.

Abstract: An approaching vehicle detecting system that detects an approaching vehicle on the basis of sounds collected by a plurality of sound collectors mounted on a host vehicle determines whether a transverse moving direction of a sound source detected by the plurality of sound collectors is a direction approaching the host vehicle, determines whether a vertical position of the sound source detected using the plurality of sound collectors is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle, and detects that sound source as the approaching vehicle when it is determined that the transverse moving direction of the sound source is the direction approaching the host vehicle and the vertical position of the sound source is in the same plane as that of the host vehicle.

Abstract: In an electric steering device, a plurality of periodic disturbances (M(f1o), M(f2o), . . . M(fno)) can occur which are to be compensated, while additionally occurring, in particular non-periodic, disturbances (Mstoer) are not to be compensated. So as to enable simultaneous compensation of a plurality of such periodic disturbances based on a model (Gnom(s)) of the steering device, it is proposed to map the further disturbances Mstoer occurring in addition to the disturbances M(f1o), M(f2o), (Mfno) to be compensated, together with inaccuracies or modeling errors (?s) of the model (Gnom(s)) in the form of an unstructured disturbance (Mstoer).

Abstract: A steering control apparatus of a vehicle includes a steering unit having an input shaft, a turning unit having an output shaft, a clutch for connecting or disconnecting between the input shaft and the output shaft, and a control unit for controlling the turning unit based on an output from the steering unit. The control unit controls the rotation of the output shaft such that when the input shaft rotates, the clutch is caused to run idle. The clutch may be configured such that the clutch runs idle when the rotating speed of the output shaft is greater than or equal to the rotating speed of the input shaft and such that the clutch is connected when the rotating speed of the output shaft is less than that of the input shaft.

Abstract: A control device of a hybrid vehicle minimizes fuel consumption by an internal combustion engine while controlling, for a preset period that substantially corresponds to an update cycle of an instructed fuel consumption change rate, an electrical charge-discharge energy balance of a battery to have a predetermined value, (i) by setting, in a predetermined update cycle, the fuel consumption change rate based on travel pattern information and a target electrical charge-discharge balance and (ii) by setting an engine output power increase/decrease amount based on the instructed fuel consumption change rate and the target drive power.

Abstract: A method for determining a wet road surface condition for a vehicle driving on a road. An image exterior of the vehicle is captured by an image capture device at a first and second instance of time. Potential objects and feature objects are detected on a ground surface of the road of travel at the first instance of time and the second instance of time. A determination is made whether the ground surface includes a mirror effect reflective surface based on a triangulation technique utilizing the feature points in the captured images at the first instance of time and the second instance of time. A wet driving surface indicating signal is generated in response to the determination that the ground surface includes a mirror effect reflective surface.

Abstract: The invention relates to a plane tractor which grips the nose gear of a plane, including: a chassis; wheel modules connected to the chassis, each wheel module including at least one actuator for inducing a vertical movement of the module in relation to the chassis; a gripping platform for gripping the nose gear of a plane, the platform together with the chassis having freedom of movement substantially in circular translation; and a damping and actuating means connecting the platform and the chassis.