VEHICLE TRAVEL CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20080249688A1
• Filed: 04/02/2008
• Published: 10/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: SAWAMOTO, Kiichiro
• Granted Patent: US 8,290,698 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/48
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/4042 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

A vehicle travel control apparatus including an object detector, a yaw-rate detector, a vehicle speed detector, a movement path estimator, a preceding vehicle assignment device, a travel controller, a still object determination device, and a stable-movement-state determination device, wherein the preceding vehicle assignment device avoids assigning the object as the preceding vehicle, or assigns the object as the preceding vehicle after waiting for a predetermined time, when: the present vehicle performs the follow-travel control targeting the preceding vehicle; the object detected at a position between the preceding vehicle and the present vehicle is determined to be the still object by the still object determination device; and the present vehicle is determined to be in the stable-movement-state by the stable-movement-state determination device.

Claims

1. A vehicle travel control apparatus comprising:

an object detector which detects an object that exists in an advancing direction of a present vehicle;

a yaw-rate detector which detects the yaw-rate of the present vehicle;

a vehicle speed detector which detects the speed of the present vehicle;

a movement path estimator which estimates the movement path of the present vehicle, based on the output of the yaw-rate detector and the output of the vehicle speed detector;

a preceding vehicle assignment device which assigns the object as a preceding vehicle;

a travel controller which performs a follow-travel control targeting the preceding vehicle;

a still object determination device which determines whether the object detected by the object detector is a still object; and

a stable-movement-state determination device which determines whether the present vehicle is in a stable-movement-state, based on the output of the yaw-rate detector, wherein

the preceding vehicle assignment device avoids assigning the object as the preceding vehicle, or assigns the object as the preceding vehicle after waiting for a predetermined time, when;

the present vehicle performs the follow-travel control targeting the preceding vehicle;

the object detected at a position between the preceding vehicle and the present vehicle is determined to be the still object by the still object determination device; and

the present vehicle is determined to be in the stable-movement-state by the stable-movement-state determination device.

2. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stable-movement-state determination device determines that the present vehicle is in the stable-movement-state, when the absolute value of the integral value of the yaw-rate over a predetermined period is equal to or less than a predetermined value.

3. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stable-movement-state determination device determines that the present vehicle is in a stable-movement-state, when the absolute value of a lateral movement amount of the present vehicle in a predetermined period, calculated based on the yaw-rate and the speed of the present vehicle, is equal to or less than a predetermined value.