Abstract: A surrounding moving object detector includes a vehicle traveling information acquiring unit, a contact detection unit, a surrounding object information acquiring unit, a traveling course prediction processor, a contact possibility calculation processor, and a determination threshold changing processor. The traveling course prediction processor predicts a future traveling course of an vehicle based on vehicle traveling information acquired by the vehicle traveling information acquiring unit and predicts a future traveling course of a moving object present around the vehicle based on the surrounding object information acquired by the surrounding object information acquiring unit. The contact possibility calculation processor calculates a possibility of contact by comparing the future traveling course of the vehicle and the future traveling course of the moving object. The determination threshold changing processor changes a determination threshold based on the possibility of contact.

Abstract: A method for adapting driving behavior includes inspecting driving behavior of a motor vehicle (1) travelling consecutively with a road user (2). Consecutive travel is detected by at least one sensor of the motor vehicle (1). If the other road user (2) is not detected, the method uses traffic data to predict a position of the other road user (2). If the predicted position of the road user (2) reveals consecutive travel, the method inspects the driving behavior of the motor vehicle (1) as in the case of consecutive travel detected by the at least one sensor. The method adapts a driving behavior while using few sensors to provide a high level of road safety and/or a high level of driving comfort. Optionally, a human-machine interface may display or report back a virtual representation of the road user in the predicted position to the driver of the motor vehicle.

Abstract: A periphery monitoring apparatus includes: a display processing unit configured to display, on a display, a peripheral image representing a virtual gaze area including a virtual gaze point viewed from a virtual viewpoint in a virtual space in which a situation in a periphery of a vehicle is reflected, based on a captured image acquired by capturing an image of the periphery of the vehicle; and a change processing unit configured to change a viewpoint radius corresponding to a distance between the virtual gaze point and the virtual viewpoint and a viewing angle corresponding to a range of the virtual gaze area viewed from the virtual viewpoint in accordance with a change in a situation on a left side or a right side in a traveling direction of the vehicle.

Abstract: Control methods and systems including a smart vehicle, a smart mobile device including a processor, a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, and machine readable instructions stored in the memory that may cause a system to perform at least the following when executed by the processor: use the smart mobile device to automatically control functionality of smart features of the smart vehicle based on an applied control logic and environmental inputs and/or use the smart mobile device to automatically control a wireless routing selection between a local area network associated with the smart vehicle and a remote wide area network based on an application tool switch logic.

Abstract: A vehicle is configured to transport a passenger through autonomous travel. The vehicle includes an in-vehicle camera configured to image the passenger to generate an image, a camera controller configured to control the in-vehicle camera, and a passenger information detection unit configured to detect information about the passenger. The passenger information detection unit measures the number of passengers and the camera controller stops an operation of the in-vehicle camera in a case where the number of passengers is one.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for identifying hazard objects around a vehicle includes several steps carried out by computer hardware components. The method includes detecting an object in an environment of the vehicle; determining an orientation parameter of the object, which represents a difference between an orientation of the object and an orientation of the vehicle; determining, on the basis of the orientation parameter, whether the object satisfies at least one hazard condition; and identifying the object as a hazard object if the at least one hazard condition is satisfied.

Abstract: An electric powered vehicle may include a battery ECU housed in a battery pack and a vehicle ECU mounted on a vehicle body and communicably connected to the battery ECU. The vehicle ECU may be configured to transmit first and second identification data for detecting communication disruptions to the battery ECU. The battery ECU may be configured to: when the battery ECU receives both the first and the second identification data, determine that the battery ECU is communicably connected to the vehicle ECU and enable a predetermined mutual monitoring function for the vehicle ECU; and when the battery ECU receives the first identification data but does not receive the second identification data, determine that the battery ECU is communicably connected to another ECU other than the vehicle ECU and disable the mutual monitoring function for the vehicle ECU.

Abstract: A system with road surface recognition includes: a signal detection unit configured to detect a vertical location signal of a preceding vehicle using a frontward-direction sensing sensor mounted in a host vehicle; a distance computation unit configured to compute a distance in a longitudinal direction between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle, and a distance traveled by the host vehicle, in response to the vertical location signal being at or above a setting value; and an obstacle detection unit configured to detect a speeding prevention obstacle located on a road surface, based on a value of a difference between the distance traveled by the host vehicle and the distance in the longitudinal direction between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus determines that a control start condition is satisfied when there is an object in an area of a moving route of the own vehicle and determine that a control forbidding condition is satisfied when there is an oncoming vehicle which satisfies a predetermined moving condition that the oncoming vehicle moves in an oncoming lane next to a moving lane of the own vehicle and approaches the own vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus determines that the control forbidding condition is not satisfied when a forbidding cancelling condition is satisfied, the forbidding cancelling condition being satisfied when a first me elapses since determining that the oncoming vehicle satisfying the predetermined moving condition disappears after determining that the control forbidding condition is satisfied and executes the steering control when the control start condition is satisfied, and the control forbidding condition is not satisfied.

Abstract: A vehicle control device includes: an on-vehicle-user-number recognizing unit that performs recognition of an on-vehicle-user-number, and stores the on-vehicle-user-number in a storage unit, the on-vehicle-user-number being a number of users who have got on a vehicle; an off-vehicle-user-number recognizing unit that recognizes an off-vehicle-user-number, the off-vehicle-user-number being a number of the users who have got off the vehicle after the recognition of the on-vehicle-user-number by the on-vehicle-user-number recognizing unit; and a power door control unit that causes at least one power door to perform closing operation when the on-vehicle-user-number stored in the storage unit equals the off-vehicle-user-number recognized by the off-vehicle-user-number recognizing unit, the at least one power door being a power door that the user has used at a time of getting off the vehicle.

Abstract: A vehicle traveling controller according to the present disclosure performs automatic steering so that a vehicle travels along a target path. The vehicle traveling controller allows a driver to intervene in steering. When the driver intervenes in steering and thereby a traveling position of the vehicle deviates outside from a threshold line set apart from the target path in a lane width direction, the vehicle traveling controller increases a steering reaction force acting on steering operation by the driver.

Abstract: Embodiments are disclosed that include systems and methods performed by a processor of a designated platoon vehicle, including establishing an out-of-band vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication link with a target vehicle in response to determining a change in the quantity of vehicles included in the platoon is approved, wherein the out-of-band V2V communication link extends laterally more than a first V2V communication link with an initially-adjacent platoon vehicle, expanding the first V2V communication link for maintaining communications with the initially-adjacent platoon vehicle while changing a relative positioning between the designated platoon vehicle and the initially-adjacent platoon vehicle, establishing a second V2V communication link with the target vehicle, and ending the out-of-band V2V communication link in response to the target vehicle taking the place of the initially-adjacent platoon vehicle immediately adjacent to and either in front of or behind the designated platoon vehicle.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method includes identifying, by an image detection tool, a tank within an image of a railway environment and identifying, by the image detection tool, a railroad track within the image of the railway environment. The method also includes determining, by the image detection tool, a distance between the tank and the railroad track and comparing, by the image detection tool, the distance between the tank and the railroad track to a predetermined threshold distance. The method further includes determining, by the image detection tool, that the tank presents a hazard to the railway environment in response to comparing the distance between the tank and the railroad track to the predetermined threshold distance.

Abstract: A convoy travel system includes a plurality of vehicles and is configured such that the plurality of vehicles form a convoy and travel. The plurality of vehicles include a preceding vehicle and following vehicles configured so as to follow the preceding vehicle by means of automatic driving. The preceding vehicle is equipped with a steering information acquisition unit configured so as to acquire steering information pertaining to steering of the preceding vehicle, and a transmission unit configured so as to transmit the steering information to the following vehicles. The following vehicles are equipped with a reception unit configured so as to receive the steering information, and an automatic driving control unit configured so as to begin a steering angle control for avoiding a collision with an obstruction when the steering information indicates the execution of emergency steering for avoiding a collision with the obstruction.

Abstract: A vehicle control apparatus determines that a control start condition is satisfied when there is an object in an area of a moving route of the own vehicle and determine that a control forbidding condition is satisfied when there is an oncoming vehicle which satisfies a predetermined moving condition that the oncoming vehicle moves in an oncoming lane next to a moving lane of the own vehicle and approaches the own vehicle. The vehicle control apparatus determines that the control forbidding condition is not satisfied when a forbidding cancelling condition is satisfied, the forbidding cancelling condition being satisfied when a first me elapses since determining that the oncoming vehicle satisfying the predetermined moving condition disappears after determining that the control forbidding condition is satisfied and executes the steering control when the control start condition is satisfied, and the control forbidding condition is not satisfied.

Abstract: Systems and methods for protecting a vehicle at an intersection are disclosed herein. One embodiment detects that the vehicle is stopped at the intersection at one of a first position and a second position; detects that a driver of the vehicle is pressing on an accelerator pedal of the vehicle; delays acceleration of the vehicle automatically by a first predetermined period, when the vehicle has been detected at the first position; and delays acceleration of the vehicle automatically by a second predetermined period, when the vehicle has been detected at the second position. Delaying acceleration of the vehicle automatically prevents the vehicle from being struck by a cross-traffic vehicle that has proceeded through the intersection against a first traffic signal in a red-light state.

Abstract: A system with control of vehicle driving through a roundabout includes: a position recognizer configured to recognize that a host vehicle is traveling around the roundabout; a front sensor disposed at a front of the host vehicle and configured to sense a vehicle that possibly enters the roundabout while the host vehicle is traveling around the roundabout; a rear sensor disposed at a rear of the host vehicle and configured to recognize a vehicle following the host vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling around the roundabout; a controller configured to calculate a possible entry time of the vehicle that possibly enters the roundabout, using information sensed by the rear sensor; and a communicator configured to provide the calculated possible entry time to the vehicle that possibly enters the roundabout.

Abstract: A path is defined to be followed by a vehicle in an environment represented by a graph of nodes connected by edges. Each node represents the vehicle's position. Each edge between two nodes indicates a transition cost between the two nodes. An instance of the graph, which is represented by a start node, a destination node and mandatory nodes through which the vehicle must pass, is obtained. An initial order of travel through the mandatory nodes is obtained by applying a procedure, using a graph convolutional neural network, adapted to the graph, to the instance. A procedure of local optimisation of the mandatory nodes is executed in order to obtain an optimised order. A path for the instance is defined to be resolved: from the optimised order and for each pair of nodes of the instance to be resolved, from a shortest path between the nodes of the pair.

Abstract: A disclosed controller is configured with logic that, when executed, performs actions to extend landing gear of a maglev vehicle. The actions include receiving a height control target value and transitioning between a standby control state and an active control state. The controller maintains the landing gear in a fixed position when the controller is in the standby control state, and the controller controls extension and retraction of the landing gear according to the height control target value when the controller is in the active control state.

Abstract: Systems and methods to manage and document user access to a set of vehicles in a vehicle dealership or fleet setting are provided. In one aspect, a dongle device is uniquely installed in each vehicle. The dongle communicates with a vehicle's controller to allow vehicle access. A user interacts with the dongle through a portable electronic device. The dongle is uniquely and permanently coded, by way of the VIN for example, to a particular vehicle. The user communicates at least some of the VIN to the dongle to request vehicle access. Vehicle access and other data associated with accessed vehicles are recorded as subject to terms and conditions established and maintained through a central database. Vehicle access data, such as vehicle access timings, allow a dealership to assess business operational data, such as salesperson vehicle access tempo and breadth, and buyer interest in vehicles or groups of vehicles.