Nissan Motor Company Limited

Renault S.a.s.

Takayuki Kondoh

Tomohiro Yamamura

Nobuyuki Kuge

Machiko Hiramatsu

Motonobu Aoki

Tsuyoshi Sakuma

Kenji Komori

Yasuhiko Takae

Akira Onozuka

Yoshiharu Kamisuki

Yoshiki Yasuno

Takashi Sunda

Youji Shimizu

Akihiko Ebina

Yasuhiro Matsushita

Kazuto Satou

A vehicle control method executed by a processor capable of making a subject vehicle change a lane includes: acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor provided in the subject vehicle; determining whether a distractive factor for a driver of another vehicle is present when the subject vehicle enters the front of the other vehicle traveling on the second lane for changing lanes from a first lane to a second lane adjacent to the first lane; setting a lane change time required for the subject vehicle to change lanes longer than when determining none of the distractive factor to be present when determining distractive the factor to be present; and controlling a traveling position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the lane change time.

Vehicle control method and vehicle control device

A vehicle control method as executed includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle by a sensor includes, specifying an entry position located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane where the subject vehicle travels in accordance with the surrounding information of the subject vehicle, specifying a front vehicle located front the entry position and a rear vehicle located rear the entry position, determining the travel state of each of the front vehicle and the rear vehicle, determining whether there is a space for the subject vehicle to enter at the entry position, predicting whether the front vehicle starts to travel when the front vehicle and the rear vehicle are determined to be stopped and no space is determined at the entry position, and starting to move the subject vehicle to the entry position when the front vehicle is predicted to start traveling.

A vehicle control method for executing a lane change of a subject vehicle includes acquiring surrounding information of the subject vehicle; specifying an entry position indicating a position of an entry destination of the subject vehicle, the entry position being located on a second lane adjacent to a first lane in which the subject vehicle is traveling; when operating a blinker, decelerating the subject vehicle, and executing a lane change; determining that there is a following vehicle which follows the subject vehicle in a predetermined area located behind the subject vehicle on a first lane; setting a preparation time longer than the preparation time when determining that there is not the following vehicle, the preparation time indicating a time from operating the blinker to decelerating the subject vehicle and starting the lane change; and controlling a travel position of the subject vehicle on the first lane within the preparation time.

An information presenting device is mounted in an autonomous vehicle in which an action candidate for the vehicle to take is settable based on selection from presented selection information made by an occupant. The information presenting device sets the action candidate for the autonomous vehicle to take, calculates a selection margin time from a current time point to a time point at which the occupant should complete the selection from the selection information, sets the selection information based on the action candidate depending on the selection margin time, and presents the set selection information to the occupant.

Information presenting device and information presenting method

The driving assistance unit acquires distribution data (a steering angle prediction error) for the traveling state distributions (a first traveling state distribution, a second traveling state distribution). Next the driving assistance unit converts value of the distribution data (a steering angle prediction error) into their absolute values. Next, the driving assistance unit classify the absolute value of the distribution data (a steering angle prediction error) in different time ranges into bins as plural segmented data ranges, based on the distribution data (a steering angle prediction error) whose values are converted into their absolute values and calculates a frequency distributions of the distribution data (a steering angle prediction error) as plural traveling state distributions (the first traveling state distribution, the second traveling state distribution). Next, the driving assistance unit estimates (determines driving instability degree) a driving state of a driver based on the plural calculated traveling state distributions.

Driving state estimation device

A first driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability based on a difference value between plural traveling state distributions of different time ranges on the basis of the traveling state data. A second driving instability determining unit estimates driving instability by a process different from the process used in the first driving instability determining unit. A learning completion determining unit determines that the learning is completed when a predetermined learning time elapses from the start of collection of the traveling state data, depending on a degree of learning at which the traveling state distribution calculated by a first traveling state distribution calculating unit is matched with the driving characteristic of a driver. An instability selecting unit selects the instability estimated by the first driving instability determining unit when the learning is completed and selects the instability estimated by the second driving instability determining unit when the learning is not completed.

Information provision device for use in vehicle

A vehicle driving assist system has a controller configured to urge a driver to slow down (decelerate) in locations where visibility is poor. The controller detects a traveling condition of a host vehicle, e.g., when the host vehicle is approaching a designated area, such as a school zone, and then selectively executes an imaginary speed limiting road protrusion control that generates an imaginary speed limiting road protrusion by artificially reproducing a vehicle behavior that simulates the host vehicle crosses an actual speed limiting road protrusion arranged on a road surface, based on the traveling condition of the host vehicle.

Vehicle driving assist system

A driving assistance system for vehicle detects short-duration data representing a current traveling condition and drive operation, and intermediate-duration data representing a travelling condition and drive operation of this day. Drive diagnosis is carried out by comparing distribution of the short-duration data and distribution of the intermediate-duration data.

Driving assistance system for vehicle and vehicle equipped with driving assistance system for vehicle

A driving assistance system for vehicle obtains short-duration data representing a present traveling condition and driving operation and intermediate-duration data representing a traveling condition and driving operation of that day. A drive diagnosis is carried out by comparing a distribution of the short-duration data and a distribution of the intermediate-date, and a drive diagnosis result is evaluated with two evaluation criteria so as to provide an alarm or an operation improvement suggestion.

A vehicle driving assist system is provided that calculates a risk potential indicative of a degree of convergence between the host vehicle and the preceding obstacle. A first driving assistance control system controls at least one of an actuation reaction force exerted by a driver-operated driving operation device and a braking/driving force exerted against the host vehicle based on the risk potential calculated. A second driving assistance control system controls the braking/driving force of the host vehicle such that a headway distance is maintained between the host vehicle and the obstacle. A transition detecting section detects a transition of operating states of the first and second driving assistance control systems. The control adjusting section adjusts the control executed by the first and second driving assistance control systems when a transition of operating state is detected.

A driving instability determination device is provided to improve the precision in detecting the driving instability. The driving state determination section determines whether the state is a prescribed driving state by determining whether the information of the operation state of the driving operation unit and the vehicle state as the running state data is disturbed. Based on the running state data for detecting the unstable state of the driver, the running state distribution computing section excludes the running state data when the state is determined to be the prescribed driving state, and the running state distribution computing section computes the first and second running state distributions in different time ranges. The driving instability determination section determines the instability of the driving from the difference between the two computed running state distributions.

Driving instability determination device

Disclosed herein are stability display apparatus and methods. One apparatus comprises a driving state detection unit configured to detect a driving state of a vehicle in operation; a controller comprising an instability estimation unit configured to estimate an instability index indicating driving instability of the vehicle based on the driving state of the vehicle detected by the driving state detection unit and configured to determine changes in the instability index; and a display unit configured to display the instability index estimated by the instability estimation unit in a display region within a range less than or equal to an upper limit that is a limit of display and configured to display in the display region a representation of the changes of the instability index when the instability index is beyond the upper limit.

Stability display apparatus

In vehicular driving support apparatus and method and a vehicle equipped with the vehicular driving support apparatus, a running state of a vehicle is detected, a plurality of running state distributions is calculated on a basis of the detected running state data, a difference quantity between the plurality of running state distributions is calculated, and an unstable driving state is detected from a magnitude of the difference quantity. If the unstable driving state is detected, an alarming is issued to call attention to a vehicle driver.

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Yokohama, Japan

Takayuki Kondoh