In a vehicle or a lane change timing determination method, when a distance from a vehicle to a nearby vehicle is outside of a first distance threshold value, lane changing is determined to be permitted. When the distance is within the first distance threshold value, lane changing is determined not to be permitted. After determining lane changing to be not permitted, lane changing not being permitted is switched to lane change being permitted when the nearby vehicle decelerates or accelerates to move further away from the vehicle than a second distance threshold value, even if the distance is still within the first distance threshold value.

According to an embodiment, an information processing apparatus includes a memory having computer executable components stored therein; and processing circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory, the processing circuitry configured to: acquire vehicle related information serving as information relating to a vehicle switchable between manual driving and automatic driving, the vehicle related information indicating information used for determining whether switching to the automatic driving is possible; determine whether each of one or more conditions to switch from the manual driving to the automatic driving is satisfied, based on the vehicle related information; and output information corresponding to an unsatisfied condition indicating a condition determined to be unsatisfied at the determining.

When following control that causes a user vehicle to follow a following target that is a first other vehicle travelling in a user path in which the user vehicle is travelling is being performed, a travel control section transitions from a state in which the first other vehicle is the following target to a state in which the first other vehicle is not the following target, and in a case where an outside recognizing section recognizes a second other vehicle, which is travelling in another path that is not the user path, the travel control section determines whether to set the second other vehicle as the following target based on a prescribed condition.

A system trigger mode and a driver trigger mode are provided. In the system trigger mode, when a start condition for an automated lane change function of performing a lane change of a vehicle by autonomous travel control is satisfied, lane change information as to whether or not to accept execution of the automated lane change function is presented, and when an acceptance input of accepting the execution of the automated lane change function is detected in response to presentation of the lane change information, the automated lane change function is executed. In the driver trigger mode, the automated lane change function is executed when a lane change instruction operation different from the acceptance input is performed. When the lane change instruction operation is performed after the presentation of the lane change information, the automated lane change function by the driver trigger mode is executed.

A control device for performing a travel control of a vehicle includes: a lane change intention detection unit configured to detect an intention of a driver to change a lane based on a predetermined operation on an operation device by the driver; and a travel control unit configured to determine whether a lane change of the vehicle is possible based on a surrounding situation, and to control the lane change based on a detection result of the lane change intention detection unit and a determination result of whether the lane change is possible. The travel control unit is configured to determine a start timing of a lateral movement in the lane change based on an operation on the operation device when the lane change is possible after the intention of the driver to change the lane is detected.

A cruise control apparatus controls travel of an own vehicle based on a predicted course which is a future travel course of the own vehicle. The cruise control apparatus includes a first predicted course calculating unit and a second predicted course calculating unit, as a plurality of course prediction means for calculating a predicted course, and is provided with a course change determination unit for determining whether a change in the course is to be performed and a prediction switching unit which performs switching to enable one of a first predicted course calculated by the first predicted course calculating unit and a second predicted course calculated by the second predicted course calculation unit, the switching being based on a result of determination made by the course change determination unit as to whether a change in the course is to be performed.

A vehicle control device activates a safety device for suppressing a collision between a host vehicle and an oncoming vehicle that is traveling straight along an oncoming traffic lane, when the host vehicle changes from traveling straight along its own traffic lane to making a right or left turn to cross the oncoming traffic lane. The vehicle control device includes a judgement unit and a control unit, where the judgement unit judges when the host vehicle is in a right or left turning condition prior to crossing the oncoming traffic lane, and if is determined that the host vehicle is in the right or left turning condition, the control unit activates the safety device based on a time to lateral collision. The time to lateral collision is obtained by dividing a lateral distance by a lateral velocity, where the lateral velocity is the velocity of the host vehicle in a lateral direction orthogonal to the straight travel direction of the oncoming vehicle, and the lateral distance is the distance, in the lateral direction, from the host vehicle to a predetermined vehicle traffic area defined along the straight travel path of the oncoming vehicle.

The present disclosure relates to an intuitive haptic alert system that: (1) Identifies a second vehicle; projects a series of virtual waves emanating from the second vehicle at a source frequency, estimates observed frequencies of the virtual waves at the first vehicle according to the Doppler Effect, and generates a sequence of commands for a haptic motor based on the estimated observed frequencies. (2) Projects rumble zone(s) over road; identifies when the vehicle occupies the zone(s); generates a sequence of commands for a haptic motor based on: an identified occupation and received vehicle velocity.

A vehicle control method for executing a lane change of a subject vehicle includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle; specifying an entry position indicating a position of an entry destination of the subject vehicle, the entry position being located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling; when operating a blinker, decelerating the subject vehicle, and executing a lane change; determining that there is a following vehicle which follows the subject vehicle in a predetermined area located behind the subject vehicle on a first lane; setting a preparation time longer than the preparation time when determining that there is not the following vehicle, the preparation time indicating a time from operating the blinker to decelerating the subject vehicle and starting the lane change; and controlling a travel position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the preparation time.

A driver assistance system for motor vehicles, having a velocity regulation function for regulating the velocity of the subject vehicle to a nominal velocity, and having an adjacent-lane monitoring function, characterized by a turning assistance function which, when the velocity regulation function is active and an incoming signal indicates an imminent turning process that requires crossing an adjacent lane, monitors the traffic in the adjacent lane with the aid of the adjacent-lane monitoring function, and, as a function of locations and velocities of traffic participants in the adjacent lane, determines a spatial and temporal window for moving into the adjacent lane and adapts the nominal velocity to this window.