# US 10,371,811 B2 · Following-start control apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,371,811 B2 - Document ID: US10371811B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/595,086 - Filed: 2017-05-15 - Published: 2018-02-08 - Granted: 2019-08-06 - Earliest claimed: 2016-08-05 - Assignees: Subaru Corporation - Applicants: Subaru Corporation - Inventors: Takafumi Shokonji - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371811B2 ## CPC - G01S 13/867: {Combination of radar systems with cameras} - B60W 30/08: {Active safety systems} predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision {or attempting to minimise its consequences} - B60W 30/17: with provision for special action when the preceding vehicle comes to a halt, e.g. stop and go - B60W 30/18027: {Drive off, accelerating from standstill} - B60W 40/076: Slope angle of the road - G01S 13/931: of land vehicles - G01S 15/86: Combinations of sonar systems with lidar systems; Combinations of sonar systems with systems not using wave reflection - G01S 15/931: of land vehicles - G01S 17/86: Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders - G01S 17/931: of land vehicles - G06V 20/58: Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads - B60W 2540/225: Direction of gaze - B60W 2552/05: Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads - B60W 2552/15: Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction - B60W 2554/00: Input parameters relating to objects - B60W 2554/4042: Longitudinal speed - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance - B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed - G01S 7/4082: {using externally generated reference signals, e.g. via remote reflector or transponder} - G01S 2013/9322: {using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data} - G01S 2013/9323: {Alternative operation using light waves} - G01S 2013/9324: {Alternative operation using ultrasonic waves} - G01S 2013/9325: {for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons} - G06T 7/70: Determining position or orientation of objects or cameras (camera calibration G06T7/80) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - G06V: IMAGE OR VIDEO RECOGNITION OR UNDERSTANDING - G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL ## Abstract A following-start control apparatus includes a following-start controller that causes an own vehicle to so start as to follow a preceding vehicle, when start of the preceding vehicle is detected by a preceding vehicle start detector. The following-start controller includes a road surface gradient information setter that sets an estimated gradient of a road surface, on a basis of traveling environment information obtained by a traveling environment information obtaining unit, a first delay time setter that sets, on a basis of the estimated gradient, a first delay time that is set to be longer for a downward slope and set to be shorter for an upward slope as the estimated gradient becomes greater, and a delayed start controller that sets, as a delay time, a time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle, on a basis of the first delay time. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A following-start control apparatus comprising: a traveling environment information obtaining unit that obtains, as traveling environment information, information on a traveling environment around an own vehicle; a preceding vehicle information obtaining unit that obtains, as preceding vehicle information, information on a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the own vehicle based on the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit; a preceding vehicle start detector that determines, based on the preceding vehicle information obtained by the preceding vehicle information obtaining unit, an inter-vehicular distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle that is stopped, and detects start of the preceding vehicle based on a change in the inter-vehicular distance; and a following-start controller that causes the own vehicle that is stopped to automatically start moving as to follow the preceding vehicle, when the start of the preceding vehicle is detected by the preceding vehicle start detector, the following-start controller including: a road surface gradient information setter that sets an estimated gradient of a road surface on which the own vehicle is stopped based on the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit; a first delay time setter that sets a first delay time based on the estimated gradient set by the road surface gradient information setter, the first delay time being set to be longer as the estimated gradient becomes greater when the own vehicle is on a downward slope, and being set to be shorter as the estimated gradient becomes greater when the own vehicle is on an upward slope; and a delayed start controller that sets, as a delay time, a time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle based on the first delay time set by the first delay time setter. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the following-start controller further includes at least one delay time setter that sets, as at least one delay time, a time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle based on one or more of the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit, the preceding vehicle information obtained by the preceding vehicle information obtaining unit, and a stopped time of the own vehicle, the stopped time being a time period ranging from a time point at which the own vehicle is so stopped as to follow the preceding vehicle to a time point at which a command to start the own vehicle is outputted after the start of the preceding vehicle is detected, and the delayed start controller sets, as the delay time, longest one of the first delay time set by the first delay time setter and the at least one delay time set by the at least one delay time setter. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the following-start controller further includes a road type information obtaining unit that obtains, as road type information, information on a type of a road on which the own vehicle travels based on the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit, and the at least one delay time setter includes a second delay time setter that variably sets a second delay time based on the road type information obtained by the road type information obtaining unit. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the following-start controller further includes an obstacle detection information obtaining unit that obtains, as obstacle detection information, information on an obstacle detected around the own vehicle based on the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit, and the at least one delay time setter includes a third delay time setter that sets based on the obstacle detection information obtained by the obstacle detection information obtaining unit, a third delay time that is set to be longer as a proximity level of the detected obstacle relative to the own vehicle becomes higher. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the following-start controller further includes an obstacle detection information obtaining unit that obtains, as obstacle detection information, information on an obstacle detected around the own vehicle based on the traveling environment information obtained by the traveling environment information obtaining unit, and the at least one delay time setter includes a third delay time setter that sets based on the obstacle detection information obtained by the obstacle detection information obtaining unit, a third delay time that is set to be longer as a proximity level of the detected obstacle relative to the own vehicle becomes higher. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the following-start controller further includes a stopped time measurer that measures the stopped time, and the at least one delay time setter includes a fourth delay time setter that sets based on the stopped time measured by the stopped time measurer, a fourth delay time that is set to be longer as the stopped time becomes longer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the following-start controller further includes a stopped time measurer that measures the stopped time, and the at least one delay time setter includes a fourth delay time setter that sets based on the stopped time measured by the stopped time measurer, a fourth delay time that is set to be longer as the stopped time becomes longer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the following-start controller further includes a preceding vehicle acceleration rate detector that detects an acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle which is at a time of the start of the preceding vehicle based on the preceding vehicle information obtained by the preceding vehicle information obtaining unit, and the at least one delay time setter includes a fifth delay time setter that sets based on the acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle acceleration rate detector, a fifth delay time that is set to be shorter as the acceleration rate becomes higher. ### Claim 9 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the following-start controller further includes a preceding vehicle acceleration rate detector that detects an acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle which is at a time of the start of the preceding vehicle based on the preceding vehicle information obtained by the preceding vehicle information obtaining unit, and the at least one delay time setter includes a fifth delay time setter that sets based on the acceleration rate of the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle acceleration rate detector, a fifth delay time that is set to be shorter as the acceleration rate becomes higher. ### Claim 10 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus claim 2, wherein the following-start controller further includes: a face position monitoring unit that monitors a face position of a driver; and a sixth delay time setter that sets based on the face position of the driver detected by the face position monitoring unit, a sixth delay time that is set to be shorter when the driver faces to front and set to be longer when the driver faces to side, and wherein the delayed start controller sets, as the delay time, longest one of the first delay time, the at least one delay time, and also the sixth delay time set by the sixth delay time setter. ### Claim 11 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus claim 3, wherein the following-start controller further includes: a face position monitoring unit that monitors a face position of a driver; and a sixth delay time setter that sets based on the face position of the driver detected by the face position monitoring unit, a sixth delay time that is set to be shorter when the driver faces to front and set to be longer when the driver faces to side, and wherein the delayed start controller sets, as the delay time, longest one of the first delay time, the at least one delay time, and also the sixth delay time set by the sixth delay time setter. ### Claim 12 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a start-acceleration time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle is configured by a starting delay time and a start-acceleration suppressing time, the starting delay time being a time period ranging from a time point at which the own vehicle is stopped to a time point at which the own vehicle is started to move, the start-acceleration suppressing time being a time period ranging from the time point at which the own vehicle is started to move to a time point at which the own vehicle travels at a set vehicle speed, and the delay time set by the delayed start controller is set to the starting delay time. ### Claim 13 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a start-acceleration time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle is configured by a starting delay time and a start-acceleration suppressing time, the starting delay time being a time period ranging from a time point at which the own vehicle is stopped to a time point at which the own vehicle is started to move, the start-acceleration suppressing time being a time period ranging from the time point at which the own vehicle is started to move to a time point at which the own vehicle travels at a set vehicle speed, and the delay time set by the delayed start controller is set to the starting delay time. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a start-acceleration time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle is configured by a starting delay time and a start-acceleration suppressing time, the starting delay time being a time period ranging from a time point at which the own vehicle is stopped to a time point at which the own vehicle is started to move, the start-acceleration suppressing time being a time period ranging from the time point at which the own vehicle is started to move to a time point at which the own vehicle travels at a set vehicle speed, and the delay time set by the delayed start controller is set to the start-acceleration suppressing time. ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The following-start control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein a start-acceleration time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle is configured by a starting delay time and a start-acceleration suppressing time, the starting delay time being a time period ranging from a time point at which the own vehicle is stopped to a time point at which the own vehicle is started to move, the start-acceleration suppressing time being a time period ranging from the time point at which the own vehicle is started to move to a time point at which the own vehicle travels at a set vehicle speed, and the delay time set by the delayed start controller is set to the start-acceleration suppressing time. ### Claim 16 A following-start control apparatus comprising: a camera that captures an image of a traveling environment around an own vehicle to obtain image information; and circuitry that obtains, as traveling environment information, information on the traveling environment around the own vehicle based on the image information obtained by the camera, obtains, as preceding vehicle information, information on a preceding vehicle that travels ahead of the own vehicle based on the traveling environment information, and determines based on the preceding vehicle information, an inter-vehicular distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle that is stopped, to detect start of the preceding vehicle based on a change in the inter-vehicular distance, wherein, when the start of the preceding vehicle is detected, the circuitry sets an estimated gradient of a road surface on which the own vehicle is stopped based on the traveling environment information, sets a first delay time based on the estimated gradient, the first delay time being set to be longer as the estimated gradient becomes greater when the own vehicle is on a downward slope, and being set to be shorter as the estimated gradient becomes greater when the own vehicle is on an upward slope, sets, as a delay time, a time upon so starting the own vehicle as to follow the preceding vehicle based on the first delay time, and causes the own vehicle that is stopped to automatically start moving as to follow the preceding vehicle based on the delay time.