Vehicle running control system

• US 20090234553A1
• Filed: 03/10/2009
• Published: 09/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Fuji Heavy Industries Limited (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Sekiguchi, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,155,856 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

In a vehicle running control system, when an estimated collision time taken until a subject vehicle collides with a target object is shorter than a set threshold value, the target object is regarded as a preceding vehicle, and the subject vehicle is caused to follow the target object. Even in a case in which the estimated collision time is longer than or equal to the threshold value, when the target object is present on a subject-vehicle traveling lane or when the subject-vehicle traveling lane is not recognized, if an overlapping ratio between the subject vehicle and the target object is more than or equal to an overlapping-ratio determining threshold value, the target object is regarded as a preceding vehicle, and the subject vehicle is caused to follow the target object.

Claims

1. A vehicle running control system comprising:

front-environment recognition means for recognizing a running environment in front of a subject vehicle;

target-object extracting means for extracting target objects in front of the subject vehicle on the basis of the running environment recognized by the front-environment recognition means;

target-object registration means for registering a target object closest to the subject vehicle, of the target objects extracted by the target-object extracting means;

follow-up running control means for performing throttle control or brake control so that the subject vehicle follows the registered target object; and

running control determining means for determining whether or not to cause the follow-up running control means to perform control so that the subject vehicle follows the registered target object,

wherein the running control determining means compares an estimated time taken until the subject vehicle collides with the registered target object with a set threshold value, and causes the follow-up running control means to perform control so that the subject vehicle follows the target object when the estimated time is shorter than the threshold value.

2. The vehicle running control system according to claim 1, wherein the threshold value is set on the basis of an overlapping ratio serving as a ratio of a width of an overlapping portion between the target object and the subject vehicle to a width of the subject vehicle, and the threshold value increases as the overlapping ratio increases.

3. The vehicle running control system according to claim 1, wherein the running control determining means determines whether or not the target object is present on a subject-vehicle traveling lane recognized by the front-environment recognition means when the estimated time is longer than or equal to the threshold value, and causes the follow-up running control means to perform control so that the subject vehicle follows the target object when the target object is present on the subject-vehicle traveling lane.

4. The vehicle running control system according to claim 3, wherein, when it is not determined whether or not the target object is present on the subject-vehicle traveling lane, the running control determining means compares an overlapping ratio serving as a ratio of a width of an overlapping portion between the target object and the subject vehicle to a width of the subject vehicle with an overlapping-ratio determining threshold value, and causes the follow-up running control means to perform control so that the subject vehicle follows the target object when the overlapping ratio is more than or equal to the overlapping-ratio determining threshold value.

5. The vehicle running control system according to claim 1, further comprising:

throttle follow-up running control means for performing throttle control only by which the subject vehicle follows the registered target object,

wherein the running control determining means controls running of the subject vehicle by the throttle follow-up running control means so that the subject vehicle follows the target object, when it is determined that the target object is approaching in an oncoming direction.