Techniques for determining gaps for performing lane change operations are described. A first region in an environment of a vehicle can be determined. The first region can be associated with a first time period through which the vehicle is unable to travel and can correspond to a constraint space. A second region of the environment can be determined. The second region can be associated with a second time period and can correspond to a configuration space. A gap in the environment can be determined based on a portion of the configuration space that is exclusive of the constraint space. A trajectory can be determined based on the gap. The trajectory can be associated with performing a lane change operation and can be associated with a cost. The vehicle can be controlled to perform the lane change operation based at least in part on the trajectory and the cost.

A first specifying unit specifies a first possible space, for which a lane change of a vehicle is possible, from an inter-vehicle distance between a first preceding other vehicle and the vehicle, a speed of the first preceding other vehicle, and a speed of the vehicle. A second specifying unit specifies a second possible space, for which the lane change of the vehicle is possible, from an inter-vehicle distance between a second preceding other vehicle and a following other vehicle, a speed of the second preceding other vehicle, and a speed of the following other vehicle. A judgment unit judges, based on the first possible space and the second possible space, whether the lane change of the vehicle is possible.

A vehicle control system includes a recognition unit recognizing a surrounding environment of an own vehicle, and a driving control unit controlling a speed or steering of the own vehicle on the basis of a recognition result from the recognition unit, in which the driving control unit causes the own vehicle to perform a first operation in which an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is reduced, and a second operation in which an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is increased after the first operation in a case where a change amount of another vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition or another vehicle is identified as a cutting-in vehicle, on the basis of one of a behavior or a position of another vehicle when another vehicle traveling in an adjacent lane that is adjacent to a traveling lane of the own vehicle changes lane to the traveling lane.

An autonomous vehicle system includes an autonomous vehicle in signal communication with a data server via a communication network. The autonomous vehicle is configured to travel autonomously according to a traveling route. The data server outputs at least one driving command to control the autonomous vehicle based, at least on in part, on a point of interest (POI) included in the traveling route and at least one surrounding vehicle located in a vicinity of the autonomous vehicle.

The present invention is a method for determining an optimal speed of a first vehicle preceded by a second vehicle. Position, speed and acceleration of the second vehicle are measured in order to determine a trajectory thereof, and a dynamic model of the first vehicle is constructed. The optimal speed is then determined by minimizing the energy consumption of the vehicle by use of the dynamic model by minimization being constrained by the trajectory of the second vehicle.

A method for operating a motor vehicle, with a drive device for providing a driving torque as well as a detection device for detecting at least one other motor vehicle up ahead. An automatic length guidance of the motor vehicle is carried out. In this case, it is provided that, in the framework of the length guidance, a distance of the motor vehicle from the other motor vehicle is adjusted to a nominal distance. The nominal distance corresponds to a distance setting at constant distance, and starting from the distance setting, it is increased in the event of a distance change resulting from a positive acceleration of the other motor vehicle, and it is reduced in the event of a distance change resulting from a negative acceleration of the other motor vehicle.

A method for detecting a traffic law violation due to the allowable distance between a following vehicle and a guide vehicle being undershot, the following vehicle traveling behind the guide vehicle. At least the respective speed of the following vehicle is identified and the guide vehicle in a detection region in the surroundings of a sensor which supplies speed measurement values. A reference distance is detected and/or ascertained between the following vehicle and the guide vehicle at a reference measurement point. At least one following distance is determined between the following vehicle and the guide vehicle in the detection region using the identified speeds of the following vehicle and the guide vehicle and/or the detected reference distance. A traffic law violation is detected if the following distance in the detection region continuously falls short of a distance threshold.

A driving support apparatus according to the invention estimates the position of a moving body by controlling a position estimation unit when the tracking-target moving body leaves a first area or a second area to enter a blind spot area and detects the position of the moving body by controlling a position detection unit when the moving body leaves the blind spot area to enter the first area or the second area. In this manner, the trajectory of the tracking-target moving body is calculated so that the trajectory of the moving body detected in the first area or the second area and the trajectory of the moving body estimated in the blind spot area are continuous to each other and driving support is executed based on the calculated trajectory of the tracking-target moving body.

A platooning controller, a vehicle system including the same, and a method thereof perform control during platooning. The platooning controller includes a processor that, when an outside vehicle cuts in a platooning line, performs platooning control depending on an intention of a user to perform the platooning control and a driving situation with the cut-in vehicle that cuts in the platooning line. The platooning controller also includes a storage that stores the result of performing the platooning control performed by the processor and information about the driving situation.

A speed control device sets a target speed of the own vehicle to a basic speed that is a set speed set in advance or sets the target speed of the own vehicle to a basic speed that is a speed equal to or less than the set speed in which a distance to a preceding vehicle is maintained at a predetermined distance or more when there is a preceding vehicle. The speed control device sets the target speed of the own vehicle to a correction speed instead of the basic speed when the speed control device determines that an adjacent lane is congested and a speed difference between the speed of the own vehicle and an average speed or a lowest speed of another vehicle in the adjacent lane is equal to or more than a first reference value.