Patent ID: 11904860
Assignee: SUBARU CORPORATION
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 3:
4. A traveling control apparatus for a vehicle, the traveling control apparatus comprising:
a preceding vehicle detector configured to detect a preceding vehicle to be followed by the vehicle;
a course change predictor configured to predict a course change of the preceding vehicle in a direction crossing an oncoming lane;
an oncoming vehicle detector configured to detect an oncoming vehicle traveling on the oncoming lane and approaching the preceding vehicle;
an oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator configured to calculate an estimated arrival time of the oncoming vehicle to a position of the preceding vehicle in a case where the course change predictor predicts that the preceding vehicle attempts to travel across the oncoming lane and where the oncoming vehicle detector detects the oncoming vehicle approaching the preceding vehicle;
a crossing predictor configured to
compare the estimated arrival time calculated by the oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator with a necessary crossing time necessary for the preceding vehicle that attempts to travel across the oncoming lane to travel across the oncoming lane, and
predict, in a case where the estimated arrival time is shorter than the necessary crossing time, that the preceding vehicle that attempts to travel across the oncoming lane will not travel across the oncoming lane;

a target inter-vehicle distance setting unit configured to set a target inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle;
a following-control corrector configured to lower an acceleration rate of the vehicle approaching the preceding vehicle by regulating a target speed rate set to a value on an acceleration side to determine a new target speed rate, and setting the new target speed rate as a new value, in a case where an actual inter-vehicle distance is longer than the target inter-vehicle distance set by the target inter-vehicle distance setting unit; and
a traveling mode switching unit, wherein:
the vehicle comprises a hybrid vehicle including at least a traveling motor as a drive source, and
in a case where the new value is set by the following-control corrector, the traveling mode switching unit is configured to set a traveling mode in which the vehicle is driven only by the traveling motor.