Method and apparatus are disclosed for detection of lane conditions vehicles in adaptive cruise control systems. An example vehicle includes a communication module for V2V communication, a camera for capturing images, and a controller. The controller is to identify a vehicle type of a lead vehicle based upon the images and determine a lead vehicle speed. The controller also is to send, via the communication module, an alert to the lead vehicle responsive to determining the lead vehicle is a passenger vehicle and the lead vehicle speed is less than a speed setting for activated adaptive cruise control.

A vehicle speed control device includes: a parallel running vehicle detection sensor; and an electronic control unit configured to perform (i) cruise control, (ii) parallel running vehicle detection processing, (iii) blind zone avoidance control for controlling the speed of the vehicle such that the vehicle is moved to a position behind a blind zone of the parallel running vehicle when the parallel running vehicle is detected, (iv) blind zone getting-out determination processing for determining whether the vehicle can move to a position ahead of the blind zone by traveling according to the cruise condition, and (v) avoidance cancellation processing for prioritizing the control of the speed by the cruise control over the control of the speed by the blind zone avoidance control when it is determined by the blind zone getting-out determination processing that the vehicle can move to the position ahead of the blind zone.

A roundabout detecting arrangement is disclosed configured to detect presence of a roundabout ahead of a vehicle hosting the arrangement. The arrangement includes a preceding vehicle monitoring unit configured to monitor at least one of a lateral movement and a heading direction of a vehicle preceding the host vehicle, and further configured to generate a first signal representative thereof. The arrangement also includes a processing unit configured to detect presence of the roundabout by processing the first signal. The present disclosure also relates to an adaptive cruise control arrangement and a method of detecting the presence of a roundabout.

An adaptive cruise control system and method for controlling a speed of a vehicle includes determine a distance between a controlled vehicle a target vehicle with a distance sensor. An input sensor senses an input from a driver of the controlled vehicle in relation to the desired distance between the controlled vehicle and the target vehicle. An adaptive cruise control module receives a data set of a plurality of data points regarding the operation of the controlled vehicle. An artificial neural network is configured to receive the data set in response to the input from the driver being sensed and calculate a change in the desired distance in response to a change in at least one of the data points. A requested distance between vehicles is then changed based on at least one of the input from the driver and the calculated change in the desired distance by the artificial neural network.

The present invention relates to a method for determining an optimal speed to be reached for a first vehicle preceded by a second vehicle. For this method, the position, the speed and the acceleration of the second vehicle are measured (MES) in order to determine the trajectory thereof (POS), and a dynamic model (MOD) of the first vehicle is constructed. The speed to be reached (VIT) is then determined by minimizing (MIN) the energy consumption of the vehicle by means of the dynamic model (MOD), the minimization being constrained by the trajectory (POS) of the second vehicle.

A driving support ECU performs an inter-vehicle-distance control and a following-travel steering control. When an inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle and a following-travel steering target vehicle are the same specific other vehicle as each other, and there is a potential cutting-in vehicle between an own vehicle and the specific other vehicle, the driving support ECU newly specifies the potential cutting-in vehicle as the inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle at a first time point in a cutting-in period and newly specifies the potential cutting-in vehicle as the following-travel steering target vehicle at a second time point in the cutting-in period.

Method and apparatus are disclosed for detection of lane conditions vehicles in adaptive cruise control systems. An example vehicle includes a communication module for V2V communication, a camera for capturing images, and a controller. The controller is to identify a vehicle type of a lead vehicle based upon the images and determine a lead vehicle speed. The controller also is to send, via the communication module, an alert to the lead vehicle responsive to determining the lead vehicle is a passenger vehicle and the lead vehicle speed is less than a speed setting for activated adaptive cruise control.

A method for detecting a possible lane change of a fellow vehicle in the environment of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is located in a first lane, is provided. A system is also provided having a control unit and at least one sensor device for detecting a possible lane change of a fellow vehicle in the environment of a vehicle, wherein the vehicle is located in a first lane. Furthermore, a vehicle is provided having a system for detecting a possible lane change of a fellow vehicle in the environment of the vehicle, as well as a computer program product for detecting a possible lane change of a fellow vehicle in the environment of a vehicle.

A vehicle computer includes a memory a processor programmed to execute instructions stored in the memory. The instructions include commanding a lighting system controller to flash tail lamps of a host vehicle toward a follow vehicle immediately behind the host vehicle, receiving a response from the follow vehicle, and commanding the host vehicle to autonomously proceed to a loading area upon receipt of the response from the follow vehicle.

A target determination apparatus mounted in a vehicle includes a first relative speed acquisition device configured to acquire a relative speed of a target forward of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle as a first relative speed using a millimeter-wave radar, a second relative speed acquisition device configured to acquire a relative speed of the target with respect to the vehicle as a second relative speed using a lidar, and a determination device configured to, in a case where the difference between the first relative speed and the second relative speed exceeds a threshold, determine the target as an upper structure located above the height of the vehicle.