A vehicle control system which can ensure high reliability, real-time processing, and expandability with a simplified ECU configuration and a low cost by backing up an error through coordination in the entire system without increasing a degree of redundancy of individual controllers beyond the least necessary level. The vehicle control system comprises a sensor controller for taking in sensor signals indicating a status variable of a vehicle and an operation amount applied from a driver, a command controller for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller, and an actuator controller for receiving the control target value from the command controller and operating an actuator to control the vehicle, those three controller being interconnected via a network. The actuator controller includes a control target value generating unit for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller and received by the actuator controller via the network when the control target value generated by the command controller is abnormal, and controls the actuator in accordance with the control target value generated by the control target value generating unit.

Vehicle Control System

An information display apparatus for vehicles for securely providing the driver with only information corresponding to the running condition, the information display apparatus comprising an information processor for receiving information detected by various sensors and monitors and for detecting the running condition of the vehicle, memory containing information on respective running conditions for display and degree of information importance being, and a display unit for displaying information in a display area or in an amount according to the degree of importance. The memory of the information display apparatus is used to read information corresponding to the detected running condition and the degree of information importance. The display area of speed information is increased when the vehicle is running straight and the display area of information about conditions behind the vehicle is increased when the vehicle is traveling in reverse.

Information display apparatus for vehicles

The invention provides a system for analyzing and evaluating the performance and behavior of a driver of a vehicle, and for displaying the results of the analysis and evaluation. A vehicle sensor utility is used to monitor the state of the vehicle while being driven by the driver. A raw data stream from the vehicle sensor utility is input to a driving event handler that detects driving events in the raw data stream and outputs to a maneuver detector a driving event string. The maneuver detector is configured to recognize patterns of driving maneuvers. One or more ratings of the driver's driving performance are calculated based upon the driving maneuvers as executed by the driver. The ratings are displayed on a display.

System and method for displaying a driving profile

A vehicle includes a control system that is used to control a vehicle system. The control system determines a roll condition in response to a yaw rate sensor and a pitch rate sensor without having to use a roll rate sensor. A relative roll angle, relative pitch angle, global roll angle, and global pitch angle may also be determined. A safety system may be controlled in response to the roll condition, roll angle, or the pitch angles individually or in combination.

Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions

The present invention relates generally to electronic commerce, and more particularly to methods and systems for integrating electronic bill presentment and payment among billers, consumers, banks and other financial institutions, electronic payment facilitators, and web portals and other spaces able to support an interface for presentment and/or payment of bills.

Integrated systems for electronic bill presentment and payment

A vehicle turn control apparatus includes an electronic control unit, which computes a required control valve for yaw moment control in accordance with the operating condition and/or behavior of a vehicle, actuates a pump when a first predetermined value is reached by the required control valve, and starts operation control for hydraulic pressure control valves when a request for turn control is made after a second predetermined value is reached by the required control valve. Since the pump is already actuated at the start of the control, the turn control can be quickly started without a delay in response to the turn control request. A hydraulic pressure, generated by the pump and adjusted by the hydraulic pressure control valves, is supplied to wheel brakes during the turn control. Thereupon, braking force differences are caused between the wheels of the vehicle, whereby the yaw moment of the vehicle is controlled.

Turn control apparatus for a vehicle

An apparatus for estimating a vehicle maneuvering state and controlling a vehicle running characteristic includes a controller having a fuzzy estimating function and a neural network function. The controller carries out frequency analysis on vehicle driving parameters such as vehicle speed, steering angle, opening degree of an accelerator, and longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration of a vehicle, to thereby determine a mean value and variance of each parameter. It implements fuzzy inference based on a traveling time ratio, an average speed, and an average lateral acceleration, which are obtained from vehicle speed and/or steering angle, to thereby calculate road traffic condition parameters, including a city area degree, a jammed road degree, and a mountainous road degree. According to the neural network function, the controller further determines an output parameter, indicative of the vehicle maneuvering state, by subjecting the mean value and variance of the vehicle driving parameters and the weighted total sum of the road traffic condition parameters to nonlinear conversion. Then, it variably controls the operating characteristic of a vehicle-mounted apparatus such as a rear-wheel steering controlling unit in accordance with the output parameter, thereby variably controlling the vehicle running characteristic.

Method and apparatus for estimating a vehicle maneuvering state and method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle running characteristic

A turn control apparatus for a motor vehicle comprises an arithmetic operation section for acquiring a correction amount for the target slip ratio of a target wheel to be controlled based on the required yaw moment of the vehicle in a situation where an antiskid braking system (ABS) should be activated, a computing section for computing the target slip ratio upon reception of the correction amount from the arithmetic operation section, and a section for acquiring actuation modes and pulse widths for inlet and outlet valves for wheel brakes of the individual wheels, based on the target slip ratio when the ABS is in operation.

Turn control apparatus for a motor vehicle equipped with antiskid braking system

A cruise control device is provided with a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the actual vehicle speed, and an electronic controller for controlling the opening of the throttle valve based on the detected vehicle speed, to bring the vehicle speed close to a target vehicle speed. The electronic controller serves to obtain a vehicle speed deviation between the target vehicle speed set by a set switch and the actual vehicle speed, select one of a P control mode, a P/D control mode and a fuzzy control mode corresponding to the magnitude of the vehicle speed deviation, and control the opening of the throttle valve. In addition to these functions, the electronic controller may additionally have the function of estimating a change in the vehicle speed provided that the current opening of the throttle valve is maintained, to obtain a correction value for the vehicle speed so that a corrected vehicle speed corrected by the correction value is used to control the opening of the throttle valve. Further, in the case of a vehicle provided with an automatic transmission, a shift diagram applied to a cruise control mode may be prepared in addition to the shift diagram for the automatic transmission itself, so that the electronic controller may have the function of effecting a shifting of the gear ratios of the automatic transmission.

Cruise control device for motor vehicles

An anti-skid braking method is provided for controlling, on the basis of a slip ratio of a wheel and an acceleration of the wheel, braking force to be applied to the wheel. The anti-skid braking method comprises the following steps: where the slip ratio is found to fall outside an appropriate range during slip ratio computation, adding differences between a limit defining the appropriate range and the respective slip ratio values so computed; and when the integral of the differences is at least equal to a predetermined value and the acceleration of the wheel is detected to be low, enhancing the control of the braking force, the control being performed based on the wheel acceleration and the slip ratio, so that the slip ratio is brought back into the appropriate range. An anti-skid braking system suitable for use in practicing the anti-skid braking method is also described.

Yoshiaki Sano

Papers

Turn control apparatus for a vehicle

Method and apparatus for estimating a vehicle maneuvering state and method and apparatus for controlling a vehicle running characteristic

Turn control apparatus for a motor vehicle equipped with antiskid braking system

Cruise control device for motor vehicles

Anti-skid braking method and system