VEHICLE DRIVING SUPPORT CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20110098927A1
• Filed: 10/05/2010
• Published: 04/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: TAKAZAWA, Atsuyoshi, Kaneko, Norimasa
• Granted Patent: US 8,996,276 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/300
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18145 Cornering
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

When a stereo image recognition device detects a vehicle ahead, a driving support apparatus extracts the vehicle ahead as a vehicle against which control should be performed, and performs driving support control based upon the information from the stereo image recognition device. When the stereo image recognition device does not detect the vehicle ahead, the driving support apparatus sets either one of the distance from the driving lane on which the vehicle travels and a start point of a curve ahead according to the configuration of the road ahead and a detection limit distance of the information of the vehicle ahead by the stereo image recognition device (front recognition device) as a threshold value IVC_L. When the vehicle ahead is present distant by more than the threshold value IVC_L, the driving support apparatus performs driving support control based upon the information by the inter-vehicle communication from a communication device.

Claims

1. A vehicle driving support control apparatus comprising:

a first vehicle information detecting unit that acquires vehicle information around an own vehicle by inter-vehicle communication;

a second vehicle information detecting unit that detects vehicle ahead information by a front information detecting unit mounted to a vehicle other than the inter-vehicle communication;

a second driving support control unit that, when the second vehicle information detecting unit detects a vehicle ahead, extracts the vehicle ahead as a vehicle against which control should be performed, and performs a driving support control based upon the information from the second vehicle information detecting unit; and

a first driving support control unit that, when the second vehicle information detecting unit does not detect a vehicle ahead, sets either one of a distance to a start point of a curve ahead and a detection limit distance of vehicle ahead information by the second vehicle information detecting unit as a threshold value according to the configuration of the driving lane on which the vehicle travels and the configuration of the road ahead, and when the vehicle ahead is present distant by more than the threshold value, extracts the vehicle ahead as the vehicle against which control should be performed and performs driving support control based upon the information from the first vehicle information detecting unit.

2. The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when it is determined that the own vehicle is not traveling through a curve, and a curve is detected ahead, the first driving support control unit sets the distance to the start point of the curve from the vehicle as the threshold value, while when it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling through a curve, and a curve is not detected ahead, the first driving support control unit sets the detection limit distance vehicle ahead information by the second vehicle information detecting unit as the threshold value, in either one of a case in which either one of an uphill and downhill is not detected ahead and a case in which the vehicle is not traveling through a uphill or the downhill.

3. The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the own vehicle is traveling through the curve, and when there is a vehicle newly detected by the first vehicle information detecting unit in a time-series manner as the own vehicle advances through the curve, the first driving support control unit extracts the newly detected vehicle as the vehicle against which control should be performed, and performs driving support control based upon the information from the first vehicle information detecting unit.

4. The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the second vehicle information detecting unit confirms that a vehicle stopping at a side of the driving lane on which the vehicle travels or a vehicle traveling with a low speed at a side of the driving lane on which the vehicle travels is present in case where the first driving support control unit determines that the a vehicle ahead is present within the threshold value, and in case where the first vehicle information detecting unit detects any one of an operation of a hazard switch, an operation of a turn signal switch of the vehicle ahead, and a low-speed traveling with a speed lower than a set vehicle speed from the vehicle ahead, the second vehicle information detecting unit extracts the vehicle ahead as the vehicle against which control should be performed, and performs driving support control based upon the information from the second vehicle information detecting unit.