A driver assist system configured not to provide wrong information about a distance to an obstacle without using map data. A controller of the driver assist system comprises: a linear distance calculator that calculates a linear distance from to the obstacle; an estimator that estimates that an actual distance to the obstacle is different from the linear distance; and an information delivery inhibitor that inhibits provision of the information about a distance to the obstacle to the driver, if the estimator estimates that the actual distance is different from the linear distance.

An autonomous vehicle is described, wherein the autonomous vehicle is configured to estimate a change in direction of a vehicle that is on a roadway and is proximate to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle has a mechanical system, one or more sensors that generate one or more sensor signals, and a computing system in communication with the mechanical system and the one or more sensors. The autonomous vehicle is configured to detect an imminent lane change by another vehicle based on at least one of a computed angle between a wheel of the other vehicle and a longitudinal direction of travel of the other vehicle, a degree of misalignment between the wheel of the other vehicle and a body of the other vehicle, and/or an eccentricity of the wheel of the other vehicle. The mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle is controlled by the computing system based upon the detected imminent lane change.

A vehicle control system includes a vehicle selector configured to select, from among other vehicles present near an own vehicle, another vehicle that the own vehicle is to follow when traveling in front of a gate as a following target vehicle, and a gate passage controller configured to cause the own vehicle to travel following the following target vehicle selected by the vehicle selector when passing through the gate.

A vehicle control device includes a detector configured to detect a surrounding object of a host vehicle, a generator configured to generate a first target trajectory on the basis of a shape of a traveling path in which the host vehicle travels, a first potential calculator configured to calculate a guiding potential which represents safety of traveling along the first target trajectory, a second potential calculator configured to calculate a surrounding potential which represents safety based on a surrounding object of the host vehicle, a third potential calculator configured to calculate a traveling potential, which represents safety when the host vehicle is moved in a direction intersecting a traveling direction of the host vehicle at each point included in an area in which the host vehicle will be traveling in the future based on the first target trajectory, on the basis of the guiding potential and the surrounding potential, and a traveling controller configured to perform traveling control of the host vehicle on the basis of a second target trajectory obtained by modifying the first target trajectory on the basis of the traveling potential.

A method for assisting a driver of a host vehicle in avoiding a collision, the method including: detecting a target in the vicinity of the vehicle; determining that the host vehicle is travelling on a collision course with the target; detecting a set of road markers on a side of the target; detecting a free space on the side of the road markers opposite the target side of the road markers, and when a collision with the target is predicted to occur within a predetermined time period and no driver initiated steering action for avoiding the collision course has been detected, providing a steering guidance to the driver of the host vehicle including altering of a steering wheel angular orientation for momentarily steering the host vehicle towards the road markers to indicate an evasive steering action to the driver.

A vehicle control device includes a control unit, which is a control unit that determines, on the basis of the positions of a plurality of other vehicles, whether or not the position of a host vehicle lane is being correctly detected by a detection unit, and controls the host vehicle by determining that the position of the host vehicle lane is being correctly detected by the detection unit, on the basis of another vehicle existing among the plurality of other vehicles, for which a first distance, which is a distance in a lane widthwise direction between the position of the host vehicle lane and a position corresponding to the position of the other vehicle, is less than a threshold value.

A driving assist ECU determines that a current situation is a specific situation where it is predicted that there is no object that is about to enter an adjacent lane from an area outside of a host vehicle road on which a host vehicle is traveling, when a road-side object is detected at a part around an edge of the adjacent lane, and/or when a white line painted to define the adjacent lane is detected at the part around the edge of the adjacent lane and no object near the detected white line is detected. The driving assist ECU does not perform a steering control for avoiding a collision, the steering control for letting the vehicle enter the adjacent lane, when it is not determined that the current situation is the specific situation.

An autonomous vehicle is described, wherein the autonomous vehicle is configured to estimate a change in direction of a vehicle that is on a roadway and is proximate to the autonomous vehicle. The autonomous vehicle has a mechanical system, one or more sensors that generate one or more sensor signals, and a computing system in communication with the mechanical system and the one or more sensors. The autonomous vehicle is configured to detect an imminent lane change by another vehicle based on at least one of a computed angle between a wheel of the other vehicle and a longitudinal direction of travel of the other vehicle, a degree of misalignment between the wheel of the other vehicle and a body of the other vehicle, and/or an eccentricity of the wheel of the other vehicle. The mechanical system of the autonomous vehicle is controlled by the computing system based upon the detected imminent lane change.

An alert apparatus sets a determination area which is at a turning direction side of an own vehicle with respect to a longitudinal direction line of the own vehicle and extends forward from the own vehicle or from near the own vehicle when an angle condition that a moving direction angle corresponding to an angle defined by a longitudinal direction line of the own vehicle and a moving direction of an approaching vehicle is within a predetermined angle range, is satisfied. The alert apparatus sets the determination area which is at the turning direction side of the longitudinal direction line and away forward from the own vehicle by a predetermined distance when the angle condition is not satisfied.

A vehicle environment detection system (40) in an ego vehicle (1), including a sensor arrangement (4) and a main control unit (8) is arranged to detect and track at least one oncoming vehicle (9), and to determine whether the ego vehicle (1) has entered a curve (17). The main control unit (8) is arranged to determine a common curve (12) with a radius (R), along which common curve (12) the ego vehicle (1) is assumed to travel, determine a measured oncome direction (13, 13′) of the oncoming vehicle (9) on the common curve (16), corresponding to an outcome angle (θ.sub.track), determine a difference angle (δ) between the measured oncome direction (13, 13′) and an oncome direction (13) corresponding to if the oncoming vehicle (9) would be moving along the common curve (12), compare the difference angle (δ) with a threshold angle (θ.sub.max), and to determine that the oncoming vehicle (9) is crossing if the difference angle (δ) exceeds the threshold angle (θ.sub.max).