Vehicle Control Method and Vehicle Control Device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025002016-A1
Application number	US-202118683695-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 1, 2021
Priority date	Sep 1, 2021
Publication date	Jan 2, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A vehicle control method causes a controller to execute: processing of determining whether or not a first other vehicle traveling on a second lane, the second lane merging with a first lane on which an own vehicle travels in front of the own vehicle, is traveling diagonally in front of the own vehicle; and processing of, when determining that the first other vehicle is traveling diagonally in front of the own vehicle, controlling vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that a front-rear direction distance from a rear-end position of the first other vehicle to a front-end position of the own vehicle in a front-rear direction of the first lane is shorter than a first target inter-vehicle distance in vehicle speed control to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the first lane.

First claim

1 . A vehicle control method causing a controller to execute:
processing of determining whether or not a first other vehicle traveling diagonally in front of an own vehicle is a vehicle traveling in a second lane, the second lane merging with a first lane on which the own vehicle travels in front of the own vehicle; processing of, when determining that the first other vehicle is traveling on the second lane merging with the first lane, setting a second target inter-vehicle distance with respect to the first other vehicle in vehicle speed control to maintain a front-rear direction distance from a rear-end position of the first other vehicle to a front-end position of the own vehicle in a front-rear direction of the first lane in such a way the second target inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a first target inter-vehicle distance with respect to a preceding vehicle in vehicle speed control to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the first lane; and processing of controlling vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that the front-rear direction distance coincides with the second target inter-vehicle distance.

2 . The vehicle control method according to claim 1 , wherein the controller controls vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that an inter-vehicle distance between the first other vehicle and the own vehicle is shorter than the first target inter-vehicle distance until after the first other vehicle makes a lane change to the first lane in front of the own vehicle, a predetermined time elapses, the own vehicle travels a predetermined distance, or the own vehicle passes an end point of a merging section of the first lane and the second lane, and
controls vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the first other vehicle coincides with a first target inter-vehicle distance after the predetermined time elapses, the own vehicle travels the predetermined distance, or the own vehicle passes the end point.

3 . (canceled)

4 . The vehicle control method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle control method limits deceleration in a case of extending the front-rear direction distance to the second target inter-vehicle distance in such a way that the deceleration becomes smaller than an allowable upper limit of deceleration in vehicle speed control to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle.

5 . The vehicle control method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle control method sets an upper limit of a change rate of vehicle speed in a case of reducing the front-rear direction distance to the second target inter-vehicle distance to a value larger than an upper limit of a change rate of vehicle speed in a case of extending an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the first other vehicle to the second target inter-vehicle distance.

6 . The vehicle control method according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle control method sets responsiveness in starting vehicle speed control to reduce the front-rear direction distance to the second target inter-vehicle distance higher than responsiveness in starting vehicle speed control to extend the front-rear direction distance to the second target inter-vehicle distance.

7 . The vehicle control method according to claim 1 , the vehicle control method causing the controller to execute:
processing of calculating one half of a product of vehicle speed of the first other vehicle and a standard time headway as an inter-vehicle distance upper limit; and processing of setting a distance greater than or equal to an inter-vehicle distance lower limit, the inter-vehicle distance lower limit being set in advance as a shortest inter-vehicle distance allowing the own vehicle to follow deceleration of a preceding vehicle, and less than or equal to the inter-vehicle distance upper limit as the second target inter-vehicle distance.

8 . A vehicle control device comprising a controller configured to execute:
processing of determining whether or not a first other vehicle traveling diagonally in front of an own vehicle is a vehicle traveling in a second lane, the second lane merging with a first lane on which the own vehicle travels in front of the own vehicle; processing of, when determining that the first other vehicle is traveling on the second lane merging with the first lane, setting a second target inter-vehicle distance with respect to the first other vehicle in vehicle speed control to maintain a front-rear direction distance from a rear-end position of the first other vehicle to a front-end position of the own vehicle in a front-rear direction of the first lane in such a way the second target inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a first target inter-vehicle distance with respect to a preceding vehicle in vehicle speed control to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the first lane; and processing of controlling vehicle speed of the own vehicle in such a way that the front-rear direction distance coincides with the second target inter-vehicle distance.

Assignees

• Nissan Motor

Inventors

• Emoto Shuhei

Classifications

• B60W30/18163

  Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres · CPC title

• B60W2554/802

  Longitudinal distance · CPC title

• B60W2554/4042

  Longitudinal speed · CPC title

• B60W2554/4041

  Position · CPC title

• B60W2754/30

  Longitudinal distance · CPC title