Vehicle control apparatus
First Claim
1. A vehicle control apparatus mounted in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
- a lane detection unit that detects a lane in which the vehicle is driven to travel;
an offset setting unit that sets an offset suitable for making a driver of the vehicle feel less stressed, the offset being a deviation of a lateral position of the vehicle from the middle position of the lane along the lane width direction, the lateral position of the vehicle being the middle position of the vehicle along the vehicle width direction;
an occupant detection unit that detects the presence of a designated occupant in the vehicle other than the driver, the designated occupant being an occupant sitting in a seat laterally opposite a driver'"'"'s seat;
an offset adjustment unit that, when the designated occupant is detected by the occupant detection unit, adjusts the offset set by the offset setting unit such that the lateral position of the vehicle is displaced toward the driver in the lane width direction, in order to make the designated occupant feel less stressed, the offset set by the offset setting unit being set assuming that the designated occupant is absent;
a vehicle-path estimation unit that estimates a vehicle path in the lane such that the vehicle can travel along the vehicle path from a current lateral position to a target lateral position of the vehicle, the target lateral position of the vehicle being a lateral position offset from the middle position of the lane by the offset set by the offset setting unit or by the offset adjusted by the offset adjustment unit; and
an automatic steering control unit that automatically controls steering so that the vehicle travels along the vehicle path estimated by the vehicle-path estimation unit.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A vehicle control apparatus capable of automatic steering control while reducing discomfort or stress on vehicle occupants. In the apparatus, a lane detection unit detects a lane in which the vehicle is traveling. An offset setting unit sets an offset within the lane suitable for making a driver feel less stressed. An occupant detection unit detects the presence of a designated occupant of a seat opposite a driver'"'"'s seat. An offset adjustment unit, when the designated occupant is detected, adjusts the offset set by the offset setting unit to be decreased. A vehicle-path estimation unit estimates a vehicle path in the lane such that the vehicle can travel along the vehicle path from a current lateral position to a target lateral position of the vehicle. An automatic steering control unit automatically controls steering so that the vehicle travels along the estimated vehicle.
-
Citations
13 Claims
-
1. A vehicle control apparatus mounted in a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
-
a lane detection unit that detects a lane in which the vehicle is driven to travel; an offset setting unit that sets an offset suitable for making a driver of the vehicle feel less stressed, the offset being a deviation of a lateral position of the vehicle from the middle position of the lane along the lane width direction, the lateral position of the vehicle being the middle position of the vehicle along the vehicle width direction; an occupant detection unit that detects the presence of a designated occupant in the vehicle other than the driver, the designated occupant being an occupant sitting in a seat laterally opposite a driver'"'"'s seat; an offset adjustment unit that, when the designated occupant is detected by the occupant detection unit, adjusts the offset set by the offset setting unit such that the lateral position of the vehicle is displaced toward the driver in the lane width direction, in order to make the designated occupant feel less stressed, the offset set by the offset setting unit being set assuming that the designated occupant is absent; a vehicle-path estimation unit that estimates a vehicle path in the lane such that the vehicle can travel along the vehicle path from a current lateral position to a target lateral position of the vehicle, the target lateral position of the vehicle being a lateral position offset from the middle position of the lane by the offset set by the offset setting unit or by the offset adjusted by the offset adjustment unit; and an automatic steering control unit that automatically controls steering so that the vehicle travels along the vehicle path estimated by the vehicle-path estimation unit. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
-
Specification