Patent ID: 7212906

Claim:
A follow running control system comprising: an object detecting device, provided in a present vehicle, for detecting objects in an advance direction of the present vehicle; a preceding vehicle determining device for determining a preceding vehicle to be followed by the present vehicle from among the detected objects; a target vehicular gap determining device for determining a target vehicular gap between the present vehicle and the preceding vehicle; a target speed determining device for determining a target speed of the present vehicle based on a signal from the object detecting device and the target vehicular gap; a follow running control device for controlling follow running of the present vehicle based on the determined target speed; a preceding vehicle starting detecting device for detecting starting of the preceding vehicle based on a signal from the object detecting device; a driving operation detecting device for detecting a driving operation performed by a driver of the present vehicle; a running control section for performing running control of the present vehicle based on data of the preceding vehicle and a signal from the driving operation detecting device, wherein if a driving operation by the driver for requesting starting of the present vehicle is detected while the present vehicle is stopped in a stop control state, the running control section changes a control state of the present vehicle, with respect to the follow running control device, from the stop control state to a follow control state for following the preceding vehicle, regardless of starting of preceding vehicle, and wherein if the starting of the preceding vehicle is not detected in a predetermined time after the change of the control state of the present vehicle from the stop control state to the follow control state, the running control section changes the control state of the present vehicle from the follow control state to the stop control state.