Patent ID: 11932248
Assignee: DENSO CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  G | IPC B

Claim 0:
1. A vehicle control apparatus that performs a following travel mode in which an own vehicle is caused to travel while following a vehicle to be followed located in front of the own vehicle, the apparatus comprising:
a surrounding object detection section that comprises at least one of an image sensor, a radio wave sensor, a lidar, and a sound wave sensor for monitoring a surrounding of the own vehicle, and uses a monitored result of the at least one of the image sensor, radio wave sensor, lidar, and sound wave sensor to acquire detection information regarding a surrounding object located around the own vehicle;
a space determination section that uses the detection information acquired by the surrounding object detection section to determine presence or absence of a free space, in whicha the own vehicle is allowed to travel, located laterally to an own lane in which the own vehicle travels,
the free space intersecting the own lane and being a space (i) from which an entering vehicle is enabled to enter into the own lane and (ii) into which the own vehicle exiting from the own lane is enabled to enter;
a setting condition determination section that determines whether (i) a first other vehicle has entered the own lane from the free space, or (ii) a second other vehicle that travels in the own lane in front of a preceding vehicle that will enter the free space from the own lane, meets a setting condition for setting the first other vehicle or the second other vehicle as the vehicle to be followed,
the setting condition for the first other vehicle including:
a first condition that the first other vehicle located in the free space is blinking a turn direction indicator for a turn in a direction of travel of the own vehicle; and
a second condition that the first other vehicle located in the free space is stopped in a vicinity of an exit of the free space and is not blinking a turn direction indicator for a turn in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the own vehicle,

the setting condition for the second other vehicle including a third condition that (i) the preceding vehicle is determined to enter from the own lane into the free space, (ii) the second other vehicle is traveling in front of the preceding vehicle, and (iii) a positional relationship of the own vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle becomes a predetermined departure positional relationship; and
an automated driving control section that:
sets the first other vehicle as the vehicle to be followed to perform the following travel mode when the first or second condition for the first other vehicle is met before the first other vehicle cuts in a space in front of the own vehicle;
sets the second other vehicle as the vehicle to be followed to perform the following travel mode when the third condition for the second other vehicle is met before the preceding vehicle departs from the own lane into the free space; and
controls the own vehicle to perform the following travel mode.