A control device of a vehicle is configured to control travelling of the vehicle such that the vehicle follows a preceding vehicle based on information received from the preceding vehicle, and determine, based on information regarding a cargo space of the preceding vehicle, an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle when the vehicles stop. Upon the preceding vehicle having stopped, the device stops the vehicle such that a distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle becomes the inter-vehicle distance determined by the device.

A vehicle control apparatus for implementing inter-vehicle distance control of a vehicle carrying the apparatus behind a preceding vehicle. In the apparatus, an offset storage is configured to calculate an offset that is a difference between detected distances to first and second targets, and store the offset associated with the first target forward of the second target. The inter-vehicle distance control may be implemented based on a distance calculated by subtracting the offset from the detected distance to the first target. An offset updater is configured to determine whether or not a relative distance between the first and second targets has increased or decreased, and when the relative distance between the first and second targets has increased or decreased, update the offset stored by the offset storage.

A convoy travel apparatus for organizing a convoy of vehicles is provided. The convoy travel apparatus controls at least one of the convoy of vehicles to change lanes to a lane that is opposite to a merging lane when it is determined that the convoy of vehicles approaches a merge point of a multi-lane road and a currently traveling lane of the convoy of vehicles has the merge point. In such a lane change scheme, a vehicle having no communication device may merge into the multi-lane road without compromising a ride comfort of the convoy of vehicles.

A method and an apparatus are described for adaptive cruise control in a road vehicle, as well as a road vehicle including such an apparatus. One of four control regions is determined and a set of control parameters chosen in dependence of the detected control region. An acceleration command is provided, based on the chosen set of control parameters, using a sliding surface and a control law that ensures convergence to the sliding surface.

A vehicular control system includes a camera that captures image data. The system includes an electronic control unit (ECU) for processing image data captured by the camera. The ECU, via processing by an image processor of image data captured by the camera, determines lane information of a traffic lane along a road being traveled by the equipped vehicle. The ECU determines a lane quality value that represents a confidence in the determined lane information. When the lane quality value exceeds a threshold value, and based at least in part on the determined lane information, the ECU provides a steering command to a steering system of the equipped vehicle to adjust a heading of the equipped vehicle to center the equipped vehicle within the traffic lane of the road being traveled by the equipped vehicle.

An automatic following control execution unit recognizes a preceding vehicle of the own vehicle and performs automatic following control of causing the own vehicle to automatically follow the preceding vehicle. A start-command acquisition unit acquires a start command to initiate the automatic following control. An automatic following control starting unit starts the automatic following control, when the brake is switched from on to off after satisfaction of a first to fifth conditions. The first condition is that the own vehicle is not under the automatic following control. The second condition is that a brake of the own vehicle is in an on state. The third condition is that the own vehicle is at rest. The fourth condition is that the preceding vehicle has been recognized. The fifth condition is that the start command acquisition means has acquired the start command. A target stopping inter-vehicle distance setting unit detects a first inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle when the first to fifth conditions are satisfied, and sets, as the first inter-vehicle distance, a target inter-vehicle distance for stopping the own vehicle. A start timing setting unit detects a second inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle at the start of the automatic following control, and sets a start timing for starting the own vehicle on the basis of the second inter-vehicle distance.

A method of preparing a vehicle control system having an intended function by using at least two ECUs is provided. One of the at least two ECUs is used for adaptively incorporating a modified portion of the intended function of the vehicle control system through re-design in a short period, while the rest of the ECUs in the vehicle control system sustain and support an unchanging portion of the intended function of the vehicle control system.

Control system, which is adapted for application in a vehicle and intended to detect following vehicles on the basis of environmental data which are obtained from one or several environmental sensors disposed on the vehicle. The environmental sensors are adapted to provide an electronic controller of the control system with the environmental data which reflect the area in front of, laterally next to and/or behind the vehicle. The control system is at least adapted and intended to detect one or several other vehicles participating in traffic behind the own vehicle with the environmental sensors. A lane associated with each other vehicle, in which the other vehicle(s) drive(s), is detected. An occupancy of the own lane and/or of at least one adjacent lane by the other vehicle(s) is determined. On the basis of the determined occupancy (i) a corresponding indication about the occupancy of the own lane and/or of the at least one adjacent lane is output, (ii) an indication on a safe or unsafe lane change to a specific of the at least one adjacent lane is output and/or (iii) an autonomous lane change to the specific of the at least one adjacent lane is performed by the own vehicle if the determined occupancy allows a safe change of lane.

Systems and methods are provided for vehicle navigation. In one implementation, a system may comprise an interface to obtain sensing data of an environment of the host vehicle. The processing device may be configured to determine a planned navigational action; identify, a target vehicle in the environment of the host vehicle; predict a distance between the host vehicle and the target vehicle if the planned navigational action was taken; determine a current host vehicle stopping distance based on a braking capability, acceleration capability, and speed of the host vehicle; determine a current target vehicle braking distance based on a speed and braking capability of the target vehicle; and implement the planned navigational action when the predicted distance of the planned navigational action is greater than a minimum safe longitudinal distance calculated based on the current host vehicle stopping distance and the current target vehicle braking distance.

A vehicle control device includes a detecting unit that detects a towing state of a subject vehicle, a recognizing unit that recognizes surrounding situations of the subject vehicle, a control unit that performs automatic control in which at least one of acceleration-and-deceleration and steering of the subject vehicle is automatically controlled on the basis of the surrounding situations of the subject vehicle recognized by the recognizing unit, and a changing unit that changes, if the detecting unit has detected that the subject vehicle is in a state of towing an object, details of control performed by the control unit in such a manner that it is less likely to perform the automatic control than in the case where the detecting unit has not detected that the subject vehicle is in a state of towing an object.