Patent ID: 7725261
Filing Date: 2010-05-25
Classification: B60K

Abstract:
1. A vehicle surroundings monitoring apparatus having a vehicle surroundings monitoring program configured to: detect solid object information ahead of an own vehicle based on signals from a camera of the own vehicle; estimate a travel path of the own vehicle based on signals from at least one of the camera, a yaw rate sensor, a vehicle speed sensor and a steering angle sensor of the own vehicle; recognize a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the travel path of the own vehicle based on the solid object information; judge whether there is any forward traveling object, which travels in the same direction as the own vehicle, other than the preceding vehicle based on the solid object information; set a parameter in response to both a lengthwise and a widthwise distance of the preceding vehicle from the own vehicle; adjust the parameter in a case where any forward traveling object other than the preceding vehicle has been judged; judge whether the adjusted parameter is larger than a threshold value; and output a signal indicating that the preceding vehicle is not traveling in front of the travel path of the own vehicle in a case where the adjusted parameter is larger than the threshold value.