Patent ID: 8103424

Claim:
An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus comprising: a distance detection unit configured to detect a distance between a subject vehicle and a forward object existing forward of the subject vehicle; a relative velocity detection unit configured to detect a relative velocity of the subject vehicle with respect to the forward object; an evaluation index calculation unit configured to calculate a correction distance condition evaluation index representing a distance condition between the subject vehicle and the forward object, wherein the correction distance condition evaluation index takes into account a velocity of the forward object, wherein the correction distance condition evaluation index becomes larger as the velocity of the forward object is larger and as the relative speed of the subject vehicle with respect to the forward object is larger, and wherein a rate of an increase in the correction distance condition evaluation index with respect to the distance between the subject vehicle and the forward object becomes larger with decreasing distance between the subject vehicle and the forward object; an index comparison unit configured to determine whether the correction distance condition evaluation index reaches a predetermined threshold of the correction distance condition evaluation index; an assist control unit configured to perform an acceleration control operation to accelerate the subject vehicle when the index comparison unit determines that the correction distance condition evaluation index reaches the predetermined threshold of the correction distance condition evaluation index; the correction distance condition evaluation index indicates a degree of change in apparent area of the forward object on a visual image of a driver of the subject vehicle per unit time; and the predetermined threshold of the correction distance condition evaluation index is a function of only the distance between the subject vehicle and the forward object.