VEHICLE CONTROL APPARATUS, TARGET LEAD-VEHICLE DESIGNATING APPARATUS, AND VEHICLE CONTROL METHOD

• US 20130060443A1
• Filed: 03/24/2011
• Published: 03/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shida, Mitsuhisa
• Granted Patent: US 9,378,642 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking

Abstract

In a target lead-vehicle designating apparatus, a vehicle tracking ECU compares surrounding vehicle information acquired through an inter-vehicle communication unit and vehicle information on preceding vehicles detected by a radar device to designate a target lead-vehicle. The communicated speed of the other vehicles and the detected speed of the preceding vehicles are compared in terms of velocity component in the travel direction of a host vehicle to identify the target lead-vehicle. Accordingly, the target lead-vehicle may be accurately identified even if the target lead-vehicle is close to other vehicles.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus comprising:

vehicle circumstance acquisition means for acquiring first information that indicates movement of other vehicles than a host vehicle through communication; and

a control means for controlling the host vehicle using a component, in one direction, of the acquired first information that indicates the movement of the other vehicles.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first information that indicates the movement of the other vehicles includes at least one of speed and acceleration of the other vehicles.

3. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one direction is a travel direction of the host vehicle.

4. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the one direction is a direction front the other vehicles to the host vehicle.

5. The vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising:

a front sensor that is mounted on the host vehicle,

wherein a control of the host vehicle executed by the control means includes comparing the acquired first information with second information on vehicles ahead of the host vehicle detected by the front sensor to identify a target lead-vehicle.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control of the host vehicle further includes at least one of an adaptive cruise control that tracks the target lead-vehicle while maintaining a prescribed distance from the target lead-vehicle and a control executed by a pre-crash system that predicts a collision with the target lead-vehicle to avoid a collision with the target lead-vehicle or to reduce an impact when a collision with the target lead-vehicle occurs.

7. A target lead-vehicle designating apparatus comprising control means for comparing surrounding vehicle circumstances acquired through inter-vehicle communication and vehicle information on preceding vehicles detected by a front sensor mounted on a host vehicle to specify a target lead-vehicle, characterized in that

the control means compares a speed acquired through the inter-vehicle communication and a speed detected by the front sensor with regard to a velocity component in a travel direction of the host vehicle to identify the target lead-vehicle.

8. The target lead-vehicle designating apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control means makes the comparison with regard to the velocity component between vehicles whose position acquired through the inter-vehicle communication and position through the front sensor generally coincide with each other.

9. A vehicle control method comprising:

acquiring first information that indicates movement of other vehicles than a host vehicle through communication; and

controlling the host vehicle using a component, in one direction, of the acquired first information that indicates the movement of the other vehicles.