# US 11,897,467 B2 · Vehicle driving assist apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,897,467 B2 - Document ID: US11897467B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/518,839 - Filed: 2021-11-04 - Published: 2022-07-14 - Granted: 2024-02-13 - Earliest claimed: 2021-01-13 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Takeki Mori; Yuki Yamaguchi - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11897467B2 ## CPC - B60W 30/16: Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle - B60W 30/162: {Speed limiting therefor} - B60W 30/146: {Speed limiting} - B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres} - B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions - B60W 50/12: Limiting control by the driver depending on vehicle state, e.g. interlocking means for the control input for preventing unsafe operation - B60W 2050/0083: {Setting, resetting, calibration} - B60W 2554/406: Traffic density - B60W 2554/80: Spatial relation or speed relative to objects - B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance - B60W 2554/802: Longitudinal distance - B60W 2554/803: Relative lateral speed - B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed - 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 ## Abstract A vehicle driving assist apparatus suspends executing a following moving control and starts executing a process of measuring an elapsing time which elapses since suspending executing the following moving control when a control suspending condition that a driver of an own vehicle carries out an accelerating operation of accelerating the own vehicle in order to pass the next lane preceding vehicle, becomes satisfied, resets the elapsing time and start measuring the elapsing time which elapses since resetting the elapsing time when the own vehicle has passed the next lane preceding vehicle before the elapsing time reaches a predetermined time, and restarts executing the following moving control when a control restarting condition that the elapsing time reaches the predetermined time, is satisfied. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle driving assist apparatus, comprising an electronic control unit which (i) executes a following moving control of executing a process of detecting a next lane preceding vehicle which moves ahead of an own vehicle in a lane next to a lane in which the own vehicle moves, and (ii) autonomously controlling a moving speed of the own vehicle so as to maintain a distance between the next lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle at a predetermined next lane inter-vehicle distance, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to: suspend executing the following moving control and starts executing a process of measuring an elapsing time which elapses since the electronic control unit suspends executing the following moving control when a control suspending condition that a driver of the own vehicle carries out an accelerating operation of accelerating the own vehicle in order to pass the next lane preceding vehicle, becomes satisfied; reset the elapsing time and start measuring the elapsing time which elapses since the electronic control unit resets the elapsing time when the own vehicle has passed the next lane preceding vehicle before the elapsing time reaches a predetermined time; and restart executing the following moving control when a control restarting condition that the elapsing time reaches the predetermined time, is satisfied. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control suspending condition includes a condition that (i) the own vehicle moves in a cruising lane, and (ii) the next lane preceding vehicle moves in a passing lane. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control suspending condition includes a condition that a traffic congestion of the next lane preceding vehicles occurs. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control restarting condition includes a condition that the accelerating operation is not carried out. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to: execute a process of detecting an own lane preceding vehicle which moves ahead of the own vehicle in the lane in which the own vehicle moves when the electronic control unit is executing the following moving control; and execute the following moving control to autonomously control the moving speed of the own vehicle so as to maintain a distance between the own lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle at a predetermined own lane inter-vehicle distance when (i) there is not the next lane preceding vehicle, and (ii) there is the own lane preceding vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is configured to: execute a process of detecting an own lane preceding vehicle which moves ahead of the own vehicle in the lane in which the own vehicle moves when the electronic control unit is executing the following moving control; execute the following moving control to autonomously accelerate the own vehicle when (i) there is the next lane preceding vehicle, (ii) there is the own lane preceding vehicle, (iii) a distance between the own lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is longer than a predetermined own lane inter-vehicle distance, and (iv) the distance between the next lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is longer than the predetermined next lane inter-vehicle distance; and execute the following moving control to autonomously decelerate the own vehicle when (i) there is the next lane preceding vehicle, (ii) there is the own lane preceding vehicle, and (iii) the distance between the own lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is shorter than the predetermined own lane inter-vehicle distance, or (iv) the distance between the next lane preceding vehicle and the own vehicle is shorter than the predetermined next lane inter-vehicle distance. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle driving assist apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the control suspending condition includes a condition that the own vehicle moves on an express highway.