Vehicle driving assistance apparatus, vehicle driving assistance method, and computer-readable storage medium storing vehicle driving assistance program

A vehicle driving assistance method for moving an own vehicle by one of:

• a first following control to move an own vehicle, following a preceding vehicle by autonomously controlling an acceleration and a deceleration of the own vehicle so as to maintain an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance range;
• a second following control to move the own vehicle, following the preceding vehicle by autonomously controlling the acceleration and the deceleration of the own vehicle so as to (i) maintain an own vehicle moving speed corresponding to a moving speed of the own vehicle within a predetermined speed range or (ii) maintain the inter-vehicle distance within a second predetermined distance range greater than the first predetermined distance range;
• and
• a third following control to move the own vehicle, following the preceding vehicle by accelerating and decelerating the own vehicle synchronously or almost synchronously with an acceleration and a deceleration of the preceding vehicle, the third following control being a control to (i) accelerate the own vehicle by an optimum acceleration control to accelerate the own vehicle by operating the driving apparatus of the own vehicle at an operation state which realizes the smallest consumed energy amount of the driving apparatus or the consumed energy amount close to the smallest consumed energy amount when the own vehicle is required to be accelerated and (ii) decelerate the own vehicle by a coasting control to coast the own vehicle when the own vehicle is required to be decelerated,
• wherein the vehicle driving assistance method comprises steps of:
• predicting (i) a first consumed energy amount corresponding to a consumed energy amount consumed by a driving apparatus of the own vehicle when executing the first following control and (ii) a second consumed energy amount corresponding to the consumed energy amount consumed by the driving apparatus of the own vehicle when executing the second following control;
• executing the second following control when the second consumed energy amount is smaller than the first consumed energy amount;
• executing the first following control when the second consumed energy amount is equal to or greater than the first consumed energy amount;
• and
• transferring the own vehicle to behind another vehicle and executing the third following control when both conditions are met:
• (i) the other vehicle including a driving apparatus having the same or almost the same power output property as a power output property of the driving apparatus of the own vehicle, is detected, and (ii) the other vehicle is moved by the same control as the second following control or the third following control.

A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a vehicle driving assistance program which moves an own vehicle by one of:

• a first following control to move an own vehicle, following a preceding vehicle by autonomously controlling an acceleration and a deceleration of the own vehicle so as to maintain an inter-vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle within a first predetermined distance range;
• a second following control to move the own vehicle, following the preceding vehicle by autonomously controlling the acceleration and the deceleration of the own vehicle so as to (i) maintain an own vehicle moving speed corresponding to a moving speed of the own vehicle within a predetermined speed range or (ii) maintain the inter-vehicle distance within a second predetermined distance range greater than the first predetermined distance range;
• and
• a third following control to move the own vehicle, following the preceding vehicle by accelerating and decelerating the own vehicle synchronously or almost synchronously with an acceleration and a deceleration of the preceding vehicle, the third following control being a control to (i) accelerate the own vehicle by an optimum acceleration control to accelerate the own vehicle by operating the driving apparatus of the own vehicle at an operation state which realizes the smallest consumed energy amount of the driving apparatus or the consumed energy amount close to the smallest consumed energy amount when the own vehicle is required to be accelerated and (ii) decelerate the own vehicle by a coasting control to coast the own vehicle when the own vehicle is required to be decelerated,
• wherein the vehicle driving assistance program is configured to:
• predict (i) a first consumed energy amount corresponding to a consumed energy amount consumed by a driving apparatus of the own vehicle when executing the first following control and (ii) a second consumed energy amount corresponding to the consumed energy amount consumed by the driving apparatus of the own vehicle when executing the second following control;
• execute the second following control when the second consumed energy amount is smaller than the first consumed energy amount;
• execute the first following control when the second consumed energy amount is equal to or greater than the first consumed energy amount;
• and
• transfer the own vehicle to behind another vehicle and execute the third following control when both conditions are met:
• (i) the other vehicle including a driving apparatus having the same or almost the same power output property as a power output property of the driving apparatus of the own vehicle, is detected, and (ii) the other vehicle is moved by the same control as the second following control or the third following control.