Travel control method and travel control apparatus

• US 10,464,560 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2017
• Issued: 11/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sato, Ko, Kobayashi, Masahiro, Taira, Yasuhisa, Fukata, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Li, Ce Li
• Application Number:
  US16/316,982
• Publication Number:
  US 20190241182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 875 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/00 Arrangements or fittings on vehicles for protecting or preventing injuries to occupants or pedestrians in case of accidents or other traffic risks safety belts or body harnesses in vehicles B60R22/00; devices, apparatus or methods for life-saving in general A62B; safety devices for propulsion unit control specially adapted for, or arranged in, vehicles B60K28/00; seats constructed to protect the occupant from the effect of abnormal g-forces, e.g. crash or safety seats, B60N2/42; energy-absorbing arrangements for hand wheels for steering vehicles B62D1/11; energy-absorbing arrangements for vehicle steering columns B62D1/19; harnessing in aircraft B64D25/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/081 using distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/04 Traffic conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/026 combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/588 Recognition of the road, e.g. of lane markings; Recognition of the vehicle driving pattern in relation to the road
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

A travel control apparatus includes: a recognition processing section that recognizes a lane line of a traffic lane in which a host vehicle is traveling; a vehicle control section that performs lane keeping control such that a lateral position of the host vehicle is at a predetermined position with respect to the lane line; a radar that detects a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle; and a cancelling section that, when the recognition processing section does not detect the lane line, cancels the lane keeping control when a predetermined time has passed after the lane line is no longer detected. The predetermined time is shorter when a following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is longer than a predetermined value than when the following distance is shorter than or equal to the predetermined value.

Claims

1. A travel control method comprising:

recognizing a lane line of a traffic lane in which a host vehicle is traveling;

performing lane keeping control such that a lateral position of the host vehicle is at a predetermined position with respect to the lane line;

detecting a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in the traffic lane during the lane keeping control; and

when the lane line is not detected, canceling the lane keeping control when a predetermined time has passed after the lane line is no longer detected, wherein

the predetermined time is shorter when a following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is longer than a predetermined value than when the following distance is shorter than or equal to the predetermined value.

2. The travel control method according to claim 1, wherein

vehicle speed of the host vehicle is measured,

when the vehicle speed is higher than a predetermined vehicle speed, the following distance is estimated to be longer than the predetermined value, and

when the vehicle speed is lower than or equal to the predetermined vehicle speed, the following distance is estimated to be shorter than or equal to the predetermined value.

3. A travel control apparatus comprising:

a recognition processing circuit that recognizes a lane line of a traffic lane in which a host vehicle is traveling;

a vehicle control circuit that performs lane keeping control such that a lateral position of the host vehicle is at a predetermined position with respect to the lane line;

a sensor that detects a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the host vehicle in the traffic lane; and

a cancelling circuit that, when the recognition processing circuit does not detect the lane line while the sensor detects the preceding vehicle during the lane keeping control, cancels the lane keeping control when a predetermined time has passed after the lane line is no longer detected, wherein

the predetermined time is shorter when a following distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is longer than a predetermined value than when the following distance is shorter than or equal to the predetermined value.