Vehicular driving support apparatus and driving support method

• US 7,274,988 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Mukaiyama, Yoshio
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Louie; Wae Lenny
• Application Number:
  US10/784,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,309 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/96, 340/436, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

A vehicular driving support apparatus capable of causing a host vehicle to perform a following run with respect to a specific vehicle selected as a followed vehicle determines the possibility of intersection between the host vehicle and another vehicle, and stops the following run if the possibility of intersection becomes greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

Claims

1. A vehicular driving support apparatus comprising:

a following run control portion that performs a control related to a following run by which a host vehicle follows a first vehicle; and

an intersecting possibility determining portion that determines a possibility of intersection between the host vehicle and another moving object by using communication between the host vehicle and the another moving object;

wherein the following run control portion changes the control related to the following run, if the intersecting possibility determining portion determines that the possibility of intersection is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

2. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other moving object is a vehicle, and wherein the following run control portion stops the following run if it is determined that the possibility of intersection has become greater than or equal to the predetermined value.

3. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the possibility of intersection is determined with respect to a vehicle present on a road that intersects with a road on which the host vehicle runs.

4. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the following run control portion sets the first vehicle as the followed vehicle by using vehicle-to-vehicle communication, and causes the host vehicle to follow the followed vehicle.

5. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the possibility of intersection becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the following run control portion performs either a temporary stop or a complete abandonment with respect to the following run while maintaining a setting in which the first vehicle is selected as the followed vehicle.

6. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 2, wherein if the possibility of intersection becomes greater than or equal to the predetermined value, the following run control portion performs either a temporary stop or a complete abandonment with respect to the following run while maintaining the vehicle-to-vehicle communication between the host vehicle and the followed vehicle.

7. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a following distance detector portion that measures a following distance from the host vehicle to the followed vehicle running ahead of the host vehicle, and that supplies information regarding the following distance measured via measurement to the following run control portion.

8. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other moving object is a vehicle, and wherein if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least the predetermined value, the following run control portion changes a follow condition related to the following run.

9. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the follow condition to be changed includes at least one of a traveling speed of the host vehicle, a traveling speed difference between the host vehicle and the followed vehicle, and the following distance from the host vehicle to the followed vehicle.

10. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the following run of the host vehicle is either temporarily stopped or completely abandoned if it is impossible to change the follow condition.

11. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the other moving object is a vehicle, and wherein if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least the predetermined value, the following run control portion transmits information regarding a predetermined control requested by the host vehicle to the followed vehicle by using vehicle-to-vehicle communication.

12. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the follow condition is changed if the followed vehicle does not or cannot execute the predetermined control.

13. The vehicular driving support apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the following run is either temporarily stopped or completely abandoned if the followed vehicle does not or cannot execute the predetermined control.

14. A driving support method comprising:

a first step of determining a magnitude of possibility of intersection between a host vehicle and another moving object by using communication between moving objects; and

a second step of causing the host vehicle to perform a following run with respect to a first vehicle and, if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least a predetermined value, changing a control related to the following run.

15. The driving support method according to claim 14, wherein the changing of the control in the second step includes stopping the following run if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least the predetermined value.

16. The driving support method according to claim 14, wherein the changing of the control in the second step includes changing a follow condition related to the following run if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least the predetermined value.

17. The driving support method according to claim 14, wherein the changing of the control in the second step includes transmitting information regarding a predetermined control requested by the host vehicle to the first vehicle by using vehicle-to-vehicle communication if it is determined that the possibility of intersection is at least the predetermined value.