# US 10,864,913 B2 · Vehicle driving support apparatus

> Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt

- Number: US 10,864,913 B2
- Document ID: US10864913B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/144,389
- Filed: 2018-09-27
- Published: 2019-03-28
- Granted: 2020-12-15
- Earliest claimed: 2017-09-28
- Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hirohito Ide
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10864913B2

## CPC

- B60W 30/165: Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
- B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems
- B60W 30/18145: {Cornering}
- B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres}
- B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)}
- B62D 15/026: {combined with automatic distance control, i.e. electronic tow bar}
- G01S 13/931: of land vehicles
- G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes}
- G08G 1/167: {Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection}
- B60K 2031/0016: {Identification of obstacles; Selection of a target vehicle}
- B60W 2552/05: Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
- B60W 2552/30: Road curve radius
- B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance
- B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance
- G01S 2013/9318: {Controlling the steering}
- G01S 2013/9321: {Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control}
- G01S 2013/9325: {for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons}
- G01S 2013/9327: {Sensor installation details}
- 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
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- 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
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES

## Abstract

A driving support ECU retains an already-present traveling trajectory of a first vehicle to determine a target traveling line based on the retained already-present traveling trajectory during a specific period. When a specific situation occurs in the specific period, the driving support ECU produces a traveling trajectory of the first vehicle in such a manner that the traveling trajectory of the first vehicle is continuous with the already-present traveling trajectory based on position information of the first vehicle and the retained traveling trajectory to determine the target traveling line based on the produced traveling trajectory.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle driving support apparatus comprising:
a surroundings monitoring sensor configured to acquire target object information including position information indicative of a longitudinal distance with respect to an own vehicle of a preceding vehicle traveling in a front area of said own vehicle and a lateral distance with respect to said own vehicle of said preceding vehicle, and a target object ID for identifying said preceding vehicle; and
an electronic control unit including a processor programmed to, every time a predetermined time elapses:
specify a following-travel steering target vehicle from among one or more of said preceding vehicles based on said target object information and a traveling direction of said own vehicle which is extrapolated based on a driving state of said own vehicle;
acquire said target object ID of said specified following-travel steering vehicle as a target vehicle ID; and
perform a following-travel steering control to change a steering angle of said own vehicle in such a manner that said own vehicle travels along a target traveling line,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is further programmed to:
determine whether or not a present target vehicle ID which is said target vehicle ID lastly acquired and a previous target vehicle ID which is said target vehicle ID acquired before said present target vehicle ID is acquired are different from each other,
when it is determined that said present target vehicle ID and said previous target vehicle ID are identical to each other, produce a traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID and determine said target traveling line based on said produced traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID;
when it is determined that said present target vehicle ID and said previous target vehicle ID are different from each other, retain an already-present traveling trajectory and determine said target traveling line based on said retained already-present traveling trajectory for a specific period from a determination time point at which it is determined that said present target vehicle ID and said previous target vehicle ID are different from each other to a time point at which a first time elapses from said determination time point, said already-present traveling trajectory being said traveling trajectory produced based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said previous target vehicle ID up to said determination time point; and
when, in said specific period, a specific situation occurs where said preceding vehicle having an identical target object ID continues being specified as said following-travel steering target vehicle over a second time shorter than said first time in an area having a distance which is equal to or smaller than a predetermined threshold distance in a lane width direction with respect to said target traveling line determined based on said retained traveling trajectory, produce said traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said identical target object ID in such a manner that said traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said identical target object ID is continuous with said already-present traveling trajectory based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said identical target object ID and said retained already-present traveling trajectory and determine said target traveling line based on said produced traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said identical target object ID.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is further programmed to:
perform a first steering angle magnitude limiting process for limiting said steering angle in such a manner that a magnitude of said steering angle does not exceed a first steering angle guard value, when performing said following-travel steering control using said target traveling line determined not based on said retained already-present traveling trajectory; and
perform a second steering angle magnitude limiting process for limiting said steering angle in such a manner that said magnitude of said steering angle does not exceed a second steering angle guard value smaller than said first steering angle guard value, when performing said following-travel steering control using said target traveling line determined based on said retained already-present traveling trajectory but not based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is further programmed to:
perform a first steering angle speed magnitude limiting process for limiting said steering angle in such a manner that a magnitude of a steering angle speed which is an amount of change per unit time of said steering angle does not exceed a first steering angle speed guard value, when performing said following-travel steering control using said target traveling line determined not based on said retained already-present traveling trajectory; and
perform a second steering angle speed magnitude limiting process for limiting said steering angle in such a manner that said magnitude of said steering angle does not exceed a second steering angle speed guard value smaller than said first steering angle speed guard value, when performing said following-travel steering control using said target traveling line determined based on said retained already-present traveling trajectory but not based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1
wherein,
when said specific situation does not occur in said specific period, said electronic control unit is further programmed to newly produce said traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID without using said retained traveling trajectory to determine said target traveling line based on said newly produced traveling trajectory, after a time point at which said first time has elapsed from said determination time point.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is further programmed to:
determine whether or not said already-present traveling trajectory is along a traveling lane in which said own vehicle travels, when it is determined that said present target vehicle ID and said previous target vehicle ID are different from each other; and
produce said traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID without retaining said already-present traveling trajectory to determine said target traveling line based on said produced traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID, when it is determined that said already-present traveling trajectory is not along said traveling lane.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to claim 1,
wherein,
said electronic control unit is further programmed to:
determine whether or not said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID is a cutting-in vehicle being a vehicle which is cutting in or has cut in between said preceding vehicle having said previous target vehicle ID and said own vehicle, when it is determined that said present target vehicle ID and said previous target vehicle ID are different from each other; and
produce said traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID based on said position information of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID without retaining said already-present traveling trajectory to determine said target traveling line based on said produced traveling trajectory of said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID, when it is determined that said preceding vehicle having said present target vehicle ID is said cutting-in vehicle.