US 12,077,158 B2
Travel controller, method for travel control, and non-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer program for travel control
Suzuka Kondo, Nishitokyo (JP); Eiki Kitagawa, Tokyo-to (JP); Shota Fujii, Tokyo-to (JP); Yu Okada, Ichikawa (JP); Takuo Kaneko, Tokyo-to (JP); and Soichi Yoshino, Ichikawa (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Mar. 25, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/705,083.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-052077 (JP), filed on Mar. 25, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0306105 A1, Sep. 29, 2022
Int. Cl. B60W 30/16 (2020.01); B60W 50/14 (2020.01)
CPC B60W 30/16 (2013.01) [B60W 50/14 (2013.01); B60W 2552/05 (2020.02); B60W 2552/10 (2020.02); B60W 2552/53 (2020.02); B60W 2554/4041 (2020.02); B60W 2554/802 (2020.02); B60W 2556/40 (2020.02); B60W 2754/30 (2020.02)] 4 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A travel controller comprising a processor configured to:
detect a vehicle traveling behind a host vehicle, in a travel lane of the host vehicle, and a lane line demarcating a road being traveled by the host vehicle from situation data depending on the situation around the host vehicle, the situation data being outputted by a sensor mounted on the host vehicle;
control travel of the host vehicle according to the lane line;
cause the host vehicle to perform a first action when the distance between the host vehicle and the vehicle behind is greater than a distance threshold, and cause the host vehicle to perform a second action when the distance is less than the distance threshold, the second action being different than the first action;
set the distance threshold at a first value when a travel situation around the host vehicle does not satisfy a predetermined short-distance condition for determining whether the distance may decrease; and
set the distance threshold at a second value smaller than the first value when the travel situation satisfies the short-distance condition, the travel situation at least including a situation detected from the situation data, a situation around the current position of the host vehicle obtained from storage containing map information, or a situation that the host vehicle will make a lane change, wherein
(i) the short-distance condition includes a condition that the host vehicle will make the lane change to a lane diverging from the travel lane of the host vehicle ahead, the first action includes making the lane change, and the second action includes canceling the lane change or
(ii) the short-distance condition includes a condition that a regulation speed decreases ahead on the travel lane of the host vehicle, the first action includes continuing travel on the travel lane, and the second action includes the lane change from the travel lane to another lane.