Denso Corporation

Nippondenso Co., Ltd.

Denso Corpora Tion

Eiji Teramura

Akira Isogai

Takao Nishimura

Toyohito Nozawa

Yoshie Samukawa

Keiji Matsuoka

Yoshiaki Hoashi

Tsutomu Natsume

Hiroshi Ohkata

Norihiko Sakai

Hisanao Kato

Masatoshi Kuroyanagi

Shotaro Fukuda

Yukimasa Tamatsu

Yasutoshi Horii

Shuichi Matsumoto

Hiroaki Kumon

Kinji Hodaira

A driving support apparatus includes a rear vehicle detection section that detects an adjacent rearward vehicle that is a vehicle traveling behind the own vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to the own vehicle lane. The driving support apparatus includes a control unit that acquires rear vehicle information relating to a rear vehicle traveling behind the own vehicle, on the same vehicle lane as the own vehicle. The control unit acquires boundary line information that expresses the position of a boundary line that divides the own vehicle lane and the adjacent lane. The control unit causes the own vehicle to travel so as to approach the boundary line, based on the boundary line information, when a rear vehicle is detected based on the rear vehicle information.

Driving support apparatus and driving support method

The vehicle light control system includes a light device emitting an illumination light around an object vehicle on which the vehicle light control system is mounted, an information obtaining device obtaining integrated information including at least vehicle information indicating a behavior of the object vehicle, a control unit including an illumination target candidate setting function of setting a plurality of illumination target candidates which a driver of the object vehicle should pay attention on the basis of the integrated information, the plurality of the illumination target candidates being given a risk degree respectively, and a determination function of selecting an illumination target from among the plurality of the illumination target candidates on the basis of the risk degree, and an actuator device controlling the light device such that the illumination light is emitted in a direction of the illumination target.

Vehicle light control system

In an object recognition apparatus for a vehicle which uses intensities of reflected waves from reflecting objects to make a recognition on whether a reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle, a plurality of transmission waves are emitted to receive a plurality of reflected waves from the reflecting objects, and a decision is made as to whether or not the reflecting object producing the plurality of reflected waves is a unitary reflecting object. If the decision shows a unitary reflecting object, the highest intensity of intensities of the reflected waves from the unitary reflecting object is compared with a reference intensity to makes a decision on whether the reflecting object is a vehicle or a non-vehicle. This enables univocally making a decision for each unitary reflecting object as to whether the reflecting object is more likely to be a vehicle or to be a non-vehicle, thus improving the recognition accuracy.

Object recognition apparatus for vehicle and distance measurement apparatus

Inter-vehicle control apparatus and distance measurement apparatus

In a vehicle control system performing collision avoiding control when a collision with a preceding vehicle cannot be avoided by normal running condition control, driving safety is improved by prompting a driver to intervene in the vehicle's control in a reliable manner. When a set switch is turned on in the 'cancel' state, the transition to the 'in-control, inter-vehicle distance control' sub-state occurs and an inter-vehicle distance control is performed. If a collision with a preceding vehicle cannot be avoided by the inter-vehicle distance control (if the collision alarm flag XA=1), transition to the &#x201c;in-control, collision alarm&#x201d; sub-state occurs and a collision alarm is generated. If the acceleration required for avoiding collision is further increased (if the collision avoiding control flag XC=1), the state transits to the &#x201c;in-control, collision avoiding control&#x201d; sub-state, and a collision avoiding control is performed.

Vehicle control system

Object recognition apparatus for vehicle, inter-vehicle control apparatus, and distance measurement apparatus

A cruise control apparatus can control a host vehicle to run with a fixed separation from a preceding vehicle when such a preceding vehicle is detected based on received radar signals and to run at a preset fixed speed when no preceding vehicle is detected. The cruise control apparatus is configured to respond to one of a set of predetermined actions by the vehicle driver, which indicate an intention to change the vehicle speed, by making it easier or more difficult for a preceding vehicle to be detected, in accordance with whether the indicated intention may signify that an actual preceding vehicle is not being detected or may signify that a non-existent preceding vehicle is being detected and that the host vehicle speed has been reduced accordingly. Improved performance is thereby achieved by utilizing the cognitive abilities of the driver to augment the detection operation of the cruise control apparatus.

Cruise control apparatus performing automatic adjustment of object recognition processing in response to driver actions relating to vehicle speed alteration

Recognition result of an objective recognized as a preceding vehicle is analyzed to judge whether this objective is correctly detected as a vehicle or not. A relative acceleration is calculated based on a relative speed corresponding to the objective when analysis result shows properness of this objective as a vehicle. The relative acceleration is set to 0 when analysis result shows improperness of the objective. An inter-vehicle control amount is corrected based on the obtained relative acceleration. The distance between the preceding vehicle and the controlled vehicle is controlled based on the corrected inter-vehicle control amount.

Apparatus and method for controlling a distance between traveling vehicles and actuating a warning device and a recording medium for storing related program

A collision avoidance control system for a vehicle is provided which is designed to determine a target collision avoidance deceleration required for a system vehicle equipped with this system to bring a relative speed between the system vehicle and a target object into agreement with substantially zero without a physical collision with the target object and to determine a possibility of collision with the target object as a function of the target collision avoidance deceleration. When the possibility of collision is higher than a given threshold level, the system starts to decelerate the system vehicle. This enables the avoidance of collision with the target object at a decreased operation load on the system.

Collision avoidance control system for vehicle

It judges whether a decelerator, such as fuel cut, over-drive cut, down shifting, braking, is in a temporarily unusable condition and further judges that it is necessary to drive the decelerator by the inter-vehicle control. It continues control by the inter-vehicle control means when it is necessary to drive the decelerator by the inter-vehicle control and it is judged that the decelerator is in the temporarily unusable condition. It informs the driver of data in the temporary unusable condition and further inform the driver of alarm data when the actual inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a reference. The data agrees with the alarm data. The same operation may be effected regarding accelerator. The temporarily unusable condition may be caused by continuous operation of brake pressure actuator longer than the rating.

Inter-vehicle distance control apparatus and a recording medium for the same

A distance control is performed to maintain a target distance between two traveling vehicles by controlling an acceleration/deceleration actuator based on a physical quantity representing an actual distance between the two traveling vehicles. A temporary distance control is performed to suppress a deceleration degree of a succeeding vehicle to a smaller value compared with a deceleration degree attainable during an ordinary distance control, when the two traveling vehicles are departing from each other under a condition where the actual distance between the two traveling vehicles is already shorter or will soon become shorter than a standard target distance.

Apparatus and method for controlling a target distance and a warning distance between traveling vehicles and a recording medium for storing the control method

A control ratio (&ggr;) of a distance deviation (&Dgr;d) to a target distance (dm) is obtained to control a space between two traveling vehicles. The distance deviation (&Dgr;d) is the difference between an actual distance (d) and the target distance (dm). A target control quantity, such as acceleration, engine torque or vehicle speed, is determined in accordance with the obtained control ratio (&ggr;) so as to equalize the actual distance (d) to the target distance (dm).

Apparatus and method for controlling a distance between two traveling vehicles and a recording medium for storing the control method

In automatic cruising control according to the distance between the preceding and this vehicle (inter-vehicle distance), acceleration and deceleration force information is visually or acoustically provided to the driver. A value corresponding to an actual inter-vehicle distance and actual acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle is detected to control according to a target acceleration and deceleration value. The target acceleration and deceleration value is determined so as to equalize the value to a target value corresponding to a target inter-vehicle distance. The driver of the vehicle is informed that at least one of the target acceleration and deceleration value and the actual acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle reaches a predetermined threshold value. The level of acceleration and deceleration force in automatic cruising may be informed. Information may be provided to the driver when the acceleration and deceleration reaches the upper or lower limit or maximum value.

Automatic cruising control apparatus

At least one of a plurality of deceleration devices is selected to decelerate a succeeding vehicle. A warning is generated only when a deceleration level attainable by the selected one or plural deceleration devices is higher than a predetermined maximum level even if the distance between two traveling vehicles is shorter than a predetermined warning distance.

An informing apparatus is designed for use with a cruise control system having at least one of a function of inter-vehicle control for enabling a present vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle and a function of constant-speed travel control for enabling the present vehicle to travel at a constant speed. In the informing apparatus, a determination is made as to whether or not a main switch is in its ON position. The main switch is designed for setting a state in which the cruise control system can start to operate. A determination is made as to whether or not a set switch is in its OFF position. The set switch is designed for commanding execution of cruise control. A speed of the present vehicle and a setting lower limit vehicle speed are indicated on a contradistinction basis when it is determined that the main switch is in its ON position while the set switch is in its OFF position. The setting lower limit vehicle speed denotes a lower limit of a vehicle speed range in which the cruise control is enabled.

Growing community of inventors

Okazaki, Japan

Eiji Teramura