Patent ID: 7191049

Claim:
A drive assist system for a driver's own vehicle at least having a solid object detecting unit for detecting frontal solid objects including a first preceding vehicle traveling ahead of said own vehicle and a second preceding vehicle traveling ahead of said first preceding vehicle and a traveling control unit including a constant speed traveling control unit for controlling a vehicle speed of said own vehicle so as to travel at a constant speed and a follow-up traveling control unit for establishing said preceding vehicle as a follow-up object and for controlling traveling of said own vehicle so as to follow said preceding vehicle, comprising; means for inhibiting an acceleration of said own vehicle following said first preceding vehicle according to said follow-up traveling control unit when a first state is detected where said first preceding vehicle undertakes to pass said second preceding vehicle; means for continuing to establish said first preceding vehicle as said follow-up object until a second state is detected where said first preceding vehicle travels in parallel with said second preceding vehicle; means for changing said follow-up object from said first preceding vehicle to said second preceding vehicle when said second state changes to a third state where the speed of said first preceding vehicle is larger than that of said second preceding vehicle, and means for continuing to establish said first preceding vehicle as said follow-up object when said second state changes to a fourth state where the speed of said first preceding vehicle is smaller than that of said second preceding vehicle.