# US 2019/0168757 A1 · Vehicle control device and vehicle control method

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- Number: US 2019/0168757 A1
- Document ID: US20190168757A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/313,390
- Filed: 2017-06-15
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-06-27
- Assignees: Denso Corporation; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Applicants: Denso Corporation; Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Mitsuhiro TOKIMASA; Takuma SUDO; Takashi MAEDA
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168757A1

## CPC

- B60W 30/16: Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
- B60K 31/00: Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator
- B60W 30/143: {Speed control (B60W30/16 takes precedence)}
- B60W 30/18145: {Cornering}
- B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres}
- B60W 40/02: related to ambient conditions
- B60W 2540/20: Direction indicator values
- B60W 2552/30: Road curve radius
- B60W 2554/4041: Position
- B60W 2554/804: Relative longitudinal speed
- B60W 2720/106: Longitudinal acceleration
- 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
- 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

When a turn signal of an own vehicle is operated when following a preceding vehicle, a vehicle control device performs a preceding vehicle following control to accelerate the own vehicle interlocking with the operation of the turn signal. The vehicle control device includes: an adjacent vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires adjacent vehicle information as information on an adjacent vehicle running in front of the own vehicle in an adjacent lane next to a running lane of the own vehicle; and an acceleration control unit that, when the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated, controls acceleration of the own vehicle based on the adjacent vehicle information.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control device wherein,
when a turn signal of an own vehicle is operated when following a preceding vehicle, the vehicle control device performs a preceding vehicle following control to accelerate the own vehicle interlocking with an operation of the turn signal, the vehicle control device comprising:
an adjacent vehicle information acquisition unit that acquires adjacent vehicle information as information on an adjacent vehicle running in front of the own vehicle in an adjacent lane adjacent to a running lane of the own vehicle; and
an acceleration control unit that controls acceleration of the own vehicle based on the adjacent vehicle information when the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the adjacent vehicle information includes information on the presence or absence of the adjacent vehicle, and
when a turn signal of the own vehicle is operated during the following of the preceding vehicle and no adjacent vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle during the operation of the turn signal, the acceleration control unit accelerates the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control, and when the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated during the following of the preceding vehicle and the adjacent vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle during the operation of the turn signal, the acceleration control unit does not accelerate the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein
the adjacent vehicle information further includes information on a relative velocity of the adjacent vehicle to the own vehicle, and
even when the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated during the following of the preceding vehicle and the adjacent vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle during the operation of the turn signal, when the adjacent vehicle is running faster than the own vehicle, the acceleration control unit accelerates the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the adjacent vehicle information includes information on the presence or absence of the adjacent vehicle and the relative velocity of the adjacent vehicle to the own vehicle, and
in a case where the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated during the acceleration of the own vehicle, when the adjacent vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle during the operation of the turn signal and the adjacent vehicle is running slower than the own vehicle, the acceleration control unit performs an acceleration suppression control to suppress the own vehicle from accelerating.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein
the acceleration control unit suppresses the own vehicle from accelerating under the acceleration suppression control according to the relative distance of the adjacent vehicle to the own vehicle.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the adjacent vehicle information includes information on the presence or absence of the adjacent vehicle and the relative velocity of the adjacent vehicle to the own vehicle, and
in a case where the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated in the absence of the preceding vehicle, when the adjacent vehicle exists in front of the own vehicle during the operation of the turn signal and the adjacent vehicle is running faster than the own vehicle, the acceleration control unit maintains an acceleration state that existed before the operation of the turn signal of the own vehicle.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a lane change determination unit that determines whether a lane change from a running lane of the own vehicle to the adjacent lane is permitted, wherein
when it is determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit, the acceleration control unit accelerates the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control, and when it is not determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit, the acceleration control unit does not accelerate the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control.

### Claim 8

A vehicle control device, wherein
when a turn signal of an own vehicle is operated when following a preceding vehicle, the vehicle control device performs a preceding vehicle following control to accelerate the own vehicle interlocking with the operation, comprising:
a lane change determination unit that determines whether a lane change from a running lane of the own vehicle to an adjacent lane next to the running lane is permitted; and
an acceleration control unit that, when it is determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit, accelerates the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control, and when it is not determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit, does not accelerate the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control.

### Claim 9

A vehicle control method for, when a turn signal of an own vehicle is operated when following a preceding vehicle, performing a preceding vehicle following control to accelerate the own vehicle interlocking with the operation of the turn signal, the method comprising:
acquiring adjacent vehicle information as information on an adjacent vehicle running in front of the own vehicle in an adjacent lane next to a running lane of the own vehicle; and
controlling acceleration of the own vehicle based on the adjacent vehicle information when the turn signal of the own vehicle is operated.

### Claim 10

A vehicle control method for, when a turn signal of an own vehicle is operated when following a preceding vehicle, performing a preceding vehicle following control to accelerate the own vehicle interlocking with the operation of the turn signal, the method comprising:
determining whether a lane change from a running lane of the own vehicle to an adjacent lane next to the running lane is permitted; and
accelerating the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control when it is determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit, and not accelerating the own vehicle under the preceding vehicle following control when it is not determined that the lane change is permitted by the lane change determination unit.