Patent ID: 8260538

Claim:
A vehicle-use collision mitigation apparatus comprising: a controller device, the controller device being configured to facilitate detecting a distance to a forward obstacle existing ahead of a first vehicle on which said vehicle-use collision mitigation apparatus is mounted in a traveling direction of said first vehicle; detecting a relative speed between said first vehicle and said forward obstacle; calculating a TTC indicative of a time remaining before collision between said first vehicle and said forward obstacle on the basis of said distance and said reference speed; alarming a driver of said first vehicle of presence of a risk of collision with said forward obstacle, when said TTC is shorter than a predetermined first time; increasing a first braking force generated by a braking operation performed by said driver, when said TTC is shorter than a predetermined second time not longer than said predetermined first time; and automatically generating a second braking force, when said TTC is shorter than a predetermined third time shorter than said predetermined first time; said controller device is configured to make an alarm for a driver of a second vehicle following said first vehicle that said first vehicle may decelerate abruptly to avoid collision with said forward obstacle at a timing which is the same as, or before a timing at which said first braking force is increased, and which is before a timing at which said second braking force is automatically generated, wherein said predetermined second time is arranged to be varied depending on said relative speed within a range not exceeding said first predetermined time.