Lane-keep control system for vehicle

A lane-keep control system for a host vehicle, comprising:

• a control unit configured,
• to detect an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and an object ahead of the host vehicle,
• to execute an inter-vehicle distance control for bringing the inter-vehicle distance closer to a target inter-vehicle distance,
• to detect a traveling condition of the host vehicle,
• to determine whether there is a tendency of a lane deviation indicative that the host vehicle is deviating from a traveling lane, according to the traveling condition,
• to execute a deviation avoidance control for controlling the host vehicle toward a deviation-avoiding direction of avoiding the lane deviation according to the traveling condition when there is the tendency of the lane deviation,
• to limit execution of the deviation avoidance control according to a determination value corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance detected.

A method of controlling a traveling condition of a host vehicle, the method comprising:

• detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and an object ahead of the host vehicle;
• executing an inter-vehicle distance control for bringing the inter-vehicle distance closer to a target inter-vehicle distance;
• detecting a traveling condition of the host vehicle;
• determining whether there is a tendency of a lane deviation indicative that the host vehicle is deviating from a traveling lane, according to the traveling condition;
• executing a deviation avoidance control for controlling the host vehicle toward a deviation-avoiding direction of avoiding the lane deviation according to the traveling condition when there is the tendency of the lane deviation;
• determining that the inter-vehicle distance control is being executed;
• and
• advancing a start of the deviation avoidance control when the inter-vehicle distance control is being executed.

A lane-keep control system for a host vehicle, comprising:

• inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and an object ahead of the host vehicle;
• inter-vehicle distance control means for executing an inter-vehicle distance control so as to bringing the inter-vehicle distance closer to a target inter-vehicle distance;
• traveling-condition detecting means for detecting a traveling condition of the host vehicle;
• lane-deviation determining means for determining whether there is a tendency of a lane deviation that the host vehicle is deviating from a traveling lane according to the traveling condition;
• deviation-avoidance control means for executing a deviation avoidance control of controlling the host vehicle toward a deviation-avoiding direction of avoiding the lane deviation according to the traveling condition when there is the tendency of the lane deviation;
• distance control operation detecting means for detecting that the inter-vehicle distance control means is in operative state;
• and
• control start-timing changing means for changing a first start timing, at which the deviation avoidance control during execution of the inter-vehicle distance control is started, to a timing earlier than a second start timing at which the deviation avoidance control is started under a condition that the inter-vehicle distance control is not executed, the first and second start timings being determined on the basis of a determination result of the lane-deviation determining means.