US 12,441,320 B2
Traveling control apparatus
Yoshiyuki Igarashi, Tokyo (JP); and Tsubasa Aoyama, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed by SUBARU CORPORATION, Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Jul. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/348,659.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-124946 (JP), filed on Aug. 4, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0043009 A1, Feb. 8, 2024
Int. Cl. B60W 30/18 (2012.01); B60W 30/09 (2012.01); B60W 30/095 (2012.01)
CPC B60W 30/18163 (2013.01) [B60W 30/09 (2013.01); B60W 30/0956 (2013.01); B60W 2554/80 (2020.02)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A travel control apparatus to be applied to a vehicle, the travel control apparatus comprising:
a passability determination unit configured to determine whether an obstacle located on a lane on which the vehicle is currently traveling is avoidable by the vehicle without departing from the lane based on (1) a travelable width, defined as a width of a region within the lane through which the vehicle is able to pass, the region being defined between an obstacle and either a lane boundary or another obstacle, (2) a vehicle width of the vehicle, and (3) a margin, defined as a distance between the vehicle and the obstacle when the vehicle passes by the obstacle; and
a travel control unit configured to control the vehicle to avoid the obstacle based on (1) a result of the determination by the passability determination unit, (2) an obstacle-reaching distance, the obstacle-reaching distance being a distance from the vehicle to the obstacle on the lane, and (3) surrounding vehicle data including positions and travel speeds of surrounding vehicles traveling on the lane and an adjacent lane,
wherein, when the passability determination unit determines that the obstacle is avoidable by the vehicle within the lane, the travel control unit is configured to:
(1) calculate a time difference between (a) a first estimated time at which the vehicle is expected to pass by the obstacle and (b) a second estimated time at which one of the surrounding vehicles is expected to pass by the obstacle, based on the obstacle-reaching distance and travel speeds of the vehicle and the one of the surrounding vehicles; and
(2) control a travel speed of the vehicle such that the time difference becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold, the travel speed being controlled to prevent the vehicle and the one of the surrounding vehicles from becoming side by side when the vehicle passes by the obstacle.