Abstract: A mobile body such as an automobile is controlled to move substantially along a target path by a control system. The control system determines a target point on the target path, a control quantity such as a yaw rate to reach the target point to cause the mobile body to reach the target point from an optional position, the direction in which the mobile body moves at the target point based on the control quantity to reach the target point, the angular difference between the direction and the target path at the target point as a target point angular difference, and a target control quantity such as a target yaw rate for the mobile body by correcting the control quantity to reach the target point based on the target point angular difference. The mobile body is controlled based on the target control quantity.

Abstract: Disclosed is an automatic travelling apparatus which is capable of taking an image of an area ahead of a vehicle in its running direction by an image pick-up device fixed to the vehicle; determining, by processing the taken image, a permissible travel path in a X-Y coordinates having the Y-Axis corresponding to the axis of the vehicle's running direction; setting a target course in the determined permissible travel path; estimating a steering amount necessary for permitting the vehicle to follow the target course on the basis of the detected running condition of the vehicle; and steering the vehicle to follow the target course with reference to the steering amount; and also is capable of determining a side-slip angle of the vehicle and turning any one of patterns--image, permissible travel path and the target course--by the determined side-slip angle to coincide the actual running direction of the vehicle with the direction of the Y-axis.

Abstract: An automatic travelling apparatus which permits: determination of a permissible travelling area on the basis of images taken by an image pickup device or video camera, showing the sight of the area appearing ahead of the vehicle; steering control of the vehicle to go into a target course in the permissible travelling area; and selection of a predetermined way of a selected crossing or branch in the target course.For the image pickup device or video camera taking images of the area extending ahead of the vehicle for determining a permissible travelling area, a wide-angle camera, a telescopic range camera and an ordinary camera are selectively used to meet particular situations for example, taking pictures of a crossing, zigzag way or straight long way. This selective use of cameras of different characteristics permits correct identification of particular roads with those stored in the map storage.

Abstract: An automatic travelling apparatus which is capable of finding out a permissible travelling area from images taken by an image pick-up device to set a target course in the permissible travelling area; determining a steering amount appropriate for the purpose of permitting the vehicle to put itself on the target course, in consideration of the instantaneous travelling condition of the vehicle; and performing the exact steering control in terms of the steering amount. The exact travelling attained by the automatic travelling apparatus according to the present invention is attributable to a two-step determination in which first, a target course is set in a permissible area, and a tentative course is set appropriate for the purpose of permitting the vehicle to put itself on the target course.

Abstract: A device for switching vehicle characteristics which includes means for setting information concerning a road, such as a highway, in the running path of the vehicle, means for detecting the fact that the vechicle comes to a designated road portion in the running path and for producing output information concerning said predetermined road portion and means for effecting switching of the vehicle characteristics in response to the output information concerning the road.

Abstract: The method of the present invention improves the damping property of the yaw motion of the vehicle by feeding back a detected yaw rate value in a dynamic sense for compensating the front wheel steer angle so as to increase the damping coefficient of the yaw motion of the vehicle. By controlling the front wheel steer angle by accounting for not only the proportional term of the steering wheel input angle but also the derivative term which is proportional to the steering wheel input angular speed, in the feed-forward control of the front wheel steer angle in relation with the steering operation by the driver, and by appropriately varying the control parameters of the yaw rate feed-back and the steering wheel input feed-forward, the yaw response of the vehicle can be made proportional to the steering wheel input, and the response delay in the yaw rate against the steering wheel input can be reduced to substantially zero.