Traveling control apparatus

A traveling control apparatus comprising a computer device configured to perform control that causes a first vehicle to travel at a set constant vehicle speed or to travel following a second vehicle traveling in front of the first vehicle, the computer device comprising

• circuitry configured to:
• perform a conformity determination as to whether a third vehicle detected on a merging lane that merges with a traveling lane on which the first vehicle travels is a vehicle intending to enter a position immediately before the first vehicle;
• set, based on a result of the conformity determination, the third vehicle as a merging vehicle serving as a target to follow;
• and
• control the first vehicle to travel following the merging vehicle set as the target to follow,
• wherein the circuitry is further configured to
• acquire, from a map locator, information indicating the merging lane;
• and
• recognize, based on the information, a merging area on the traveling lane where the merging lane merges into the traveling lane, the merging area being defined based on a start point of the merging lane and an end point of the merging lane;
• perform the conformity determination only when the first vehicle is traveling in the merging area;
• and
• in performing the conformity determination,
• (i) compare time to contact between the first vehicle and the third vehicle subjected to the conformity determination to a first threshold;
• (ii) in response to determining that the time to contact is less than or equal to the first threshold, select a second threshold for an acceleration rate of the third vehicle based on a relative speed between the first vehicle and the third vehicle, and compare the acceleration rate of the third vehicle to the second threshold;
• and
• (iii) refrain from setting the third vehicle as the target to follow when the acceleration rate of the third vehicle is less than the second threshold.

A traveling control apparatus comprising a computer device configured to perform control that causes a first vehicle to travel at a set constant vehicle speed or to travel following a second vehicle traveling in front of the first vehicle, the computer device comprising

• a control target setting unit configured to
• perform a conformity determination as to whether a third vehicle detected on a merging lane that merges with a traveling lane on which the first vehicle travels is a vehicle intending to enter a position immediately before the first vehicle, and
• set, based on a result of the conformity determination, the third vehicle as a merging vehicle serving as a target to follow, and
• a following control unit configured to perform control to cause the first vehicle to travel following the merging vehicle set by the control target setting unit as the target to follow,
• wherein the control target setting unit is configured to perform, in the conformity determination, a process for comparing an acceleration rate of the third vehicle subjected to the conformity determination with a threshold, the threshold being selected based on a relative speed between the first vehicle and the third vehicle.

A traveling control apparatus comprising a computer device configured to perform control that causes a first vehicle to travel at a set constant vehicle speed or to travel following a second vehicle traveling in front of the first vehicle, the computer device comprising

• circuitry configured to
• perform a conformity determination as to whether a third vehicle detected on a merging lane that merges with a traveling lane on which the first vehicle travels is a vehicle intending to enter a position immediately before the first vehicle,
• set, based on a result of the determination, the third vehicle as a merging vehicle serving as a target to follow, and
• perform control to cause the first vehicle to travel following the merging vehicle set by the circuitry as the target to follow,
• wherein the circuitry is configured to
• perform, in the conformity determination, a process for comparing an acceleration rate of the third vehicle subjected to the determination with a threshold, the threshold being selected based on a relative speed between the first vehicle and the third vehicle.