Travel control method and travel control apparatus
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsYasuhiko Takae, Tatsuya Shino
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A travel control method comprises detecting a travel state of the subject vehicle including a position and a speed of the subject vehicle, acquiring obstacle information including a position and a speed of the obstacle, estimating the second range after a predetermined time on the basis of the travel state of the subject vehicle and the obstacle information, and announcing announcement information that the second range will become small to a driver of the subject vehicle when the second range is estimated to become small after the predetermined time.
Claims7
A travel control method for a vehicle, the travel control method using:
- a first detector configured to detect an obstacle around a subject vehicle traveling in a first lane;
- and
- a second detector configured to detect a second lane adjacent to the first lane,
- the travel control method comprising:
- setting a first range at a target position for lane change in the second lane, the first range having a size equal to or larger than a size which the subject vehicle occupies on a road surface;
- detecting a range in the second lane as a second range, the range in the second lane being located at a side of the subject vehicle, the obstacle being absent in the range in the second lane;
- permitting the subject vehicle to change lanes when the second range completely includes the first range;
- detecting a travel state of the subject vehicle including a position and a speed of the subject vehicle;
- acquiring obstacle information including a position and a speed of the obstacle;
- estimating the second range after a predetermined time on a basis of the travel state of the subject vehicle and the obstacle information;
- and
- announcing announcement information to a driver of the subject vehicle so that the driver of the subject vehicle can visually confirm the announcement information, the announcement information including at least one of a disappearance range that is to disappear from the second range after the predetermined time and an additional range that is to be added to the second range after the predetermined time.
A travel control apparatus comprising:
- a first detector configured to detect an obstacle around a subject vehicle traveling in a first lane;
- a second detector configured to detect a second lane adjacent to the first lane;
- and
- a controller configured to:
- set a first range at a target position for lane change in the second lane, the first range having a size equal to or larger than a size which the subject vehicle occupies on a road surface;
- detect a range in the second lane as a second range, the range in the second lane being located at a side of the subject vehicle, the obstacle being absent in the range in the second lane;
- and
- permit the subject vehicle to change lanes when the second range completely includes the first range,
- the controller being further configured to:
- detect a travel state of the subject vehicle including a position and a speed of the subject vehicle;
- acquire obstacle information including a position and a speed of the obstacle;
- estimate the second range after a predetermined time on a basis of the travel state of the subject vehicle and the obstacle information;
- and
- announce announcement information to a driver of the subject vehicle so that the driver of the subject vehicle can visually confirm the announcement information, the announcement information including at least one of a disappearance range that is to disappear from the second range after the predetermined time and an additional range that is to be added to the second range after the time predetermined.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.