Autonomous control of a subject vehicle including a longitudinal motion control system includes determining states of parameters associated with a trajectory for the subject vehicle and parameters associated with a control reference determined for the subject vehicle. A range control routine is executed to determine a first parameter associated with a range control command based upon the states of the plurality of parameters, and a speed control routine is executed to determine a second parameter associated with a speed control command based upon the states of the plurality of parameters. An arbitration routine is executed to evaluate the range control command and the speed control command, and operation of the subject vehicle is controlled to achieve a desired longitudinal state, wherein the desired longitudinal state is associated with a minimum of the range control command and the speed control command.

A driving consciousness estimation device includes a driving readiness estimation unit configured to estimate a driving readiness relating to a driving consciousness of the driver from a driver's reaction to the travelling environment, a driving task demand estimation unit configured to estimate a driving task demand which is an index required for the driver with respect to the driving readiness from the travelling environment, and an attention awakening unit configured to execute awakening of attention for the driver relating to the driving of the vehicle based on the result of comparison between the driving readiness and the driving task demand.

In a vehicle travel control apparatus configured to determine a target acceleration of an own vehicle based on an inter-vehicle distance to a predicted cutting-in vehicle predicted to cut in between the own vehicle and a following target vehicle as well as an inter-vehicle distance to the following target vehicle, it is necessary to notify a driver of the presence of the predicted cutting-in vehicle at an appropriate timing. A cutting-in probability, which is a probability that the predicted cutting-in vehicle carries out the cutting in, is acquired, and information on the predicted cutting-in vehicle is notified to the driver from a time point when a state where the cutting-in probability is higher than a start probability threshold has continued for a predetermined period to a time point when a state where the cutting-in probability is lower than an end probability threshold has continued for a predetermined period.

Provided are a vehicle control device, a vehicle control method, and a vehicle control program for more accurately controlling the velocity of an own vehicle with reference to a preceding vehicle. The vehicle control device includes: an identifying part identifying the velocity of the preceding vehicle present in front of the own vehicle and an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle; a deriving part deriving an adjustment value, which is a value associated with the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle and decreases as the inter-vehicle distance identified by the identifying part decreases, and deriving a target velocity of the own vehicle based on the derived adjustment value and the velocity of the preceding vehicle identified by the identifying part; and a travel controlling part controlling travel of the own vehicle based on the target velocity derived by the deriving part.

A vehicle driving control apparatus applied to a vehicle includes a surrounding environment information obtaining device, a vehicle situation information obtaining device, an external information receiving device, a velocity value setter, and a driving control unit. The driving control unit adjusts a velocity of the vehicle by considering surrounding vehicles and various information and performs driving control based on the adjusted velocity. If a leading vehicle is recognized, the velocity of the vehicle exceeds a speed limit or a predetermined velocity, a driver set velocity is not lower than a velocity of the leading vehicle, and a following vehicle is not recognized for a predetermined time or longer, the driving control unit sets a temporary velocity as the velocity of the vehicle and performs driving control by using the temporary velocity. The temporary velocity is lower than the velocity of the leading vehicle by a preset value.

A braking control system includes obstacle detection means for detecting an obstacle ahead of a vehicle, first collision determination means for determining whether the vehicle would collide with the obstacle ahead of the vehicle, following vehicle detection means for detecting a following vehicle traveling behind the vehicle, information acquisition means for acquiring a maximum deceleration set in the following vehicle, second collision determination means for determining whether the following vehicle would collide with the vehicle based on the maximum deceleration, and braking control means for controlling braking means of the vehicle so that an absolute value of a deceleration of the vehicle does not exceed an absolute value of the maximum deceleration of the following vehicle when the first collision determination means determines that the vehicle would collide with the obstacle and the second collision determination means determines that the following vehicle would collide with the vehicle.

A vehicle adaptive cruise control apparatus for controlling traveling of a host vehicle is provided. The vehicle adaptive cruise control apparatus that is configured to: receive a vehicle speed of the host vehicle; receive an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle and the host vehicle; define a minimum safe inter-vehicle distance; set a reaction time of a driver; and use adaptive cruise control. The vehicle adaptive cruise control apparatus uses a maximum speed reference for the host vehicle which is defined as ratio between a) the inter-vehicle distance and b) the reaction time of the driver.

Techniques for determining to modify a trajectory based on an object are discussed herein. A vehicle can determine a drivable area of an environment, capture sensor data representing an object in the environment, and perform a spot check to determine whether or not to modify a trajectory. Such a spot check may include processing to incorporate an actual or predicted extent of the object into the drivable area to modify the drivable area. A distance between a reference trajectory and the object can be determined at discrete points along the reference trajectory, and based on a cost, distance, or intersection associated with the trajectory and the modified area, the vehicle can modify its trajectory. One trajectory modification includes following, which may include varying a longitudinal control of the vehicle, for example, to maintain a relative distance and velocity between the vehicle and the object.

A control apparatus for a vehicle includes a preceding vehicle detector, a course change predictor, an oncoming vehicle detector, an oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator, a crossing predictor, and a following-control corrector. The course change predictor predicts a course change of a preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle detector in a direction crossing an oncoming lane. When the course change is predicted, the oncoming-vehicle arrival-time calculator calculates an estimated arrival time of an oncoming vehicle detected by the oncoming vehicle detector to the preceding vehicle. The crossing predictor compares the estimated arrival time with a necessary crossing time, and predicts, when the estimated arrival time is shorter than the necessary crossing time, that the preceding vehicle will not travel across the oncoming lane. When it is predicted that the preceding vehicle will not travel across the oncoming lane, the following-control corrector lowers a deceleration or acceleration rate of the vehicle.

A method for providing driving assistance by detecting and warning against areas on one or other side of the road which are obscured by vehicles in other lanes is based on a HD map and includes acquiring location and driving speed of a vehicle which is carrying an apparatus applying the method. The system of the method includes at least one sensor, and environmental information as to surroundings is acquired with location. The speeds of other vehicles relative to the driving speed of the vehicle are calculated, and an instruction to the driver is generated the speed of the vehicle is less than a first predefined value but the speed of the vehicle relative to the driving speeds of the other vehicles is larger than a second predefined value. The apparatus applying the method is also disclosed.