Patent ID: 11904860

Abstract:
A control apparatus for a vehicle includes a preceding vehicle detector, a course change predictor, an oncoming vehicle detector, an oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator, a crossing predictor, and a following-control corrector. The course change predictor predicts a course change of a preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detector in a direction crossing an oncoming lane. When the course change is predicted, the oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator calculates an estimated arrival time of an oncoming vehicle detected by the oncoming vehicle detector to the preceding vehicle. The crossing predictor compares the estimated arrival time with a necessary crossing time, and predicts, when the estimated arrival time is shorter than the necessary crossing time, that the preceding vehicle will not travel across the oncoming lane. When it is predicted that the preceding vehicle will not travel across the oncoming lane, the following-control corrector lowers a deceleration or acceleration rate of the vehicle.