US 11,938,940 B2
Natural lane change control apparatus
Toyokazu Aso, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Oct. 1, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/491,880.
Claims priority of application No. 2020-168088 (JP), filed on Oct. 2, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0105942 A1, Apr. 7, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 30/18 (2012.01); B60W 10/20 (2006.01); B60W 30/12 (2020.01); B60W 40/04 (2006.01); G06V 20/56 (2022.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01)
CPC B60W 30/18163 (2013.01) [B60W 10/20 (2013.01); B60W 30/12 (2013.01); B60W 40/04 (2013.01); G06V 20/58 (2022.01); G06V 20/584 (2022.01); G06V 20/588 (2022.01); B60W 2552/53 (2020.02); B60W 2710/20 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A traveling control apparatus to be applied to a vehicle, the traveling control apparatus comprising one or more memories configured to store instructions and one or more processors configured to execute the instructions to:
execute a first lane keep assist control that causes the vehicle to travel along a first target traveling course set within a first lane;
acquire surrounding environment information that is information on a surrounding environment of the vehicle, and to recognize first and second side edges of a strip road marking placed between a center of the first lane and a center of a second lane based on the acquired surrounding environment information, the second lane being adjacent to the first lane, the first side edge being closer to the center of the first lane than the second side edge;
when an instruction signal for lane change to the second lane is generated during execution of the first lane keep assist control, (i) stop the execution of the first lane keep assist control, and (ii) execute a lane change control that causes to depart from the first target driving course and direct the vehicle to inside the second lane;
during execution of the lane change control, (i) set first and second thresholds based on a spacing between the first and second side edges of the strip road marking, (ii) acquire a first position that is a current position of a predetermined reference point of the vehicle, (iii) estimate a second position that is a position of the predetermined reference point after a predetermined time elapses, and (iv) determine whether all of predetermined conditions are satisfied, the predetermined conditions comprising:
(a) the first position is located closer to the center of the first lane than the first side edge;
(b) a first distance between the first position and the first side edge is equal to or less than the first threshold;
(c) the second position is located closer to the center of the second lane than the first side edge; and
(d) a second distance between the second position and the first side edge is equal to or greater than the second threshold;
in response to determining that all of the predetermined conditions are not satisfied, continue the execution of the lane change control; and
in response to determining that all of the predetermined conditions are satisfied, (i) stop the execution of the lane change control, and (ii) execute a second lane keep assist control that causes the vehicle to travel along a second target traveling course set within the second lane.