Patent ID: 8788175

Claim:
A method of controlling the speed and/or the distance for motor vehicles having distance-controlled cruise control systems, comprising the acts of: detecting a target object driving ahead of a vehicle having a sensor unit for determining data of the target object; determining at least a distance of the target object driving ahead of the vehicle based on the sensor-determined data; determining a swinging-out probability of the target object based at least on the sensor-determined data; determining a weighting factor as a function of the swinging-out probability, for weighting a determined distance error; determining a desired distance to the target object; altering the desired distance as a function of the swinging-out probability and the weighing factor; and outputting at least one of desired acceleration and desired deceleration values to the vehicle to adjust the distance to the target object to the altered desired distance, wherein as the swinging-out probability rises, the altered desired distance is reduced, and the altered desired distance is limited to a predefined minimal desired distance.