APPARATUS AND COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR CONTROLLING VEHICLE TRACKING TARGET VEHICLE

• US 20150197249A1
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: SAKIMA, TAKU, MATSUMOTO, YUUSUKE, KUMANO, SYUNYA, KAWASAKI, NAOKI
• Granted Patent: US 9,302,673 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/801 Lateral distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

In an apparatus for controlling a vehicle to track another vehicle, a controller causes the controlled vehicle to track one of other vehicles as a target vehicle if one of the other vehicles meets a target-vehicle selecting condition. The target-vehicle selecting condition is required for selecting one of the other vehicles as the target vehicle. The controller recognizes an environment of a predicted travel road on which the controlled vehicle is predicted to travel using conditions of the predicted travel lane. The controller determines whether the predicted travel road allows lane changes based on the recognized environment of the predicted travel road. The controller adjusts the target-vehicle selecting condition based on a result of the determination.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a vehicle to travel another vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a detector detecting other vehicles existing around the controlled vehicle; and

a controller communicably connected to the detector, the controller being configured to;

cause the controlled vehicle to track one of the other vehicles as a target vehicle if one of the other vehicles meets a predetermined target-vehicle selecting condition, the predetermined target-vehicle selecting condition being required for selecting one of the other vehicles as the target vehicle;

recognize an environment of a predicted travel road on which the controlled vehicle is predicted to travel using conditions of the predicted travel road;

determine whether the predicted travel road allows lane changes based on the recognized environment of the predicted travel road; and

adjust the target-vehicle selecting condition based on a result of the determination.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to change the target-vehicle selecting condition to make it difficult for the other vehicles to be selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road do not allow lane changes.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to change the target-vehicle selecting condition to increase a possibility of each of the other vehicles being selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road allows lane changes.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to:

recognize surrounding traffic conditions around the predicted travel road; and

correct the target-vehicle selecting condition based on the recognized surrounding traffic conditions.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to:

have stored therein a tracking history for each of the other vehicles, the tracking history of each of the other vehicles representing whether a corresponding one of the other vehicles was selected as the target vehicle;

recognize the tracking history for each of the other vehicles as the surrounding traffic conditions around the predicted travel road; and

correct the target-vehicle selecting condition for each of the other vehicles based on the target history for a corresponding one of the other vehicles.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the environment of the predicted travel road includes a shape of the predicted travel road, and the controller is configured to:

recognize the shape of the predicted travel road as the surrounding traffic conditions around the predicted travel road; and

correct the target-vehicle selecting condition based on the shape of the predicted travel road.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the controller is configured to:

recognize a behavior of each of the other vehicles as the surrounding traffic conditions around the predicted travel road; and

correct the target-vehicle selecting condition for each of the other vehicles based on the behavior of a corresponding one of the other vehicles.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to limit acceleration of the controlled vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road allows lane changes.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein, when the controlled vehicle is predicted to travel on a predicted travel lane included in the predicted travel road, the controller is configured to:

recognize a behavior of each of the other vehicles;

determine, based on the behavior of each of the other vehicles, whether at least one of the other vehicles is travelling over both the predicted travel lane and a lane adjacent to the predicted travel lane; and

limit acceleration of the controlled vehicle when it is determined that;

the predicted travel road allows lane changes, and

at least one of the other vehicles is travelling over both the predicted travel lane and a lane adjacent to the predicted travel lane.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the controlled vehicle is predicted to travel on a predicted travel lane included in the predicted travel road, the at least one target-vehicle selecting condition includes a condition that a same-lane probability of each of the other vehicles is equal to or higher than a threshold probability,

the same-lane probability of each of the other vehicles being defined as a probability that a corresponding one of the other vehicles will travel on the predicted travel lane of the controlled vehicle ahead of the controlled vehicle;

and

the controller is configured to increase the threshold probability to make it difficult for the other vehicles to be selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road do not allow lane changes.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the controller is configured to decrease the threshold probability to increase a possibility of each of the other vehicles being selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road allows lane changes.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein:

the detector is configured to detect a position of each of the other vehicles; and

the controller is configured to;

recognize, based on the position of each of the other vehicles, a distance of movement of each of the other vehicles close to the predicted travel lane in a width direction of the controlled vehicle; and

a lateral velocity of movement of each of the other vehicles close to the predicted travel lane in the width direction of the controlled vehicle; and

calculate a value of the same-lane probability of each of the other vehicles based on the recognized distance and lateral velocity of movement of a corresponding one of the other vehicles.

13. A computer program product for an apparatus for controlling a vehicle to track another vehicle, the apparatus including a detector detecting other vehicles existing around the controlled vehicle, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium; and

a set of computer program instructions embedded in the computer-readable storage medium, the instructions causing a computer to;

cause the controlled vehicle to track one of the other vehicles as a target vehicle if one of the other vehicles meets a predetermined target-vehicle selecting condition, the predetermined target-vehicle selecting condition being required for selecting one of the other vehicles as the target vehicle;

recognize an environment of a predicted travel road on which the controlled vehicle is predicted to travel using conditions of the predicted travel lane;

determine whether the predicted travel road allows lane changes based on the recognized environment of the predicted travel road; and

change the target-vehicle selecting condition to make it difficult for the other vehicles to be selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road do not allow lane changes.

14. The computer program product according to claim 13, wherein the instructions cause a computer to change the target-vehicle selecting condition to make it difficult for the other vehicles to be selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road do not allow lane changes.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the instructions cause a computer to change the target-vehicle selecting condition to increase a possibility of each of the other vehicles being selected as the target vehicle when it is determined that the predicted travel road allows lane changes.