# US 2019/0168758 A1 · Cruise control device

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- Number: US 2019/0168758 A1
- Document ID: US20190168758A1
- Status: Published application
- Kind: A1
- Application number: 16/323,947
- Filed: 2017-08-03
- Published: 2019-06-06
- Earliest claimed: 2016-08-11
- Assignees: Denso Corporation
- Applicants: Denso Corporation
- Inventors: Yusuke MATSUMOTO
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20190168758A1

## CPC

- B60W 30/165: Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
- B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems
- B60W 30/12: Lane keeping
- B60W 30/16: Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
- B60W 30/18145: {Cornering}
- B60W 30/18163: {Lane change; Overtaking manoeuvres}
- B60W 40/04: Traffic conditions
- B62D 6/00: Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits (means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00)
- B62D 15/025: {Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation (B62D1/28 takes precedence)}
- G01S 13/08: Systems for measuring distance only (indirect measurement G01S13/46)
- G01S 13/867: {Combination of radar systems with cameras}
- G08G 1/16: Anti-collision systems (road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08)
- G08G 1/166: {for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes}
- B60R 2300/8086: for vehicle path indication
- B60W 2420/403: Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
- B60W 2420/408: Radar; Laser, e.g. lidar
- B60W 2552/30: Road curve radius
- B60W 2554/801: Lateral distance
- 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
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES
- G08G: TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS (guiding railway traffic, ensuring the safety of railway traffic B61L; arrangement of road signs or traffic signals E01F9/00; radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for traffic control G01S13/91, G01S15/88, G01S17/88; {radar or analogous systems, sonar systems, lidar systems specially adapted for anti-collision purposes G01S13/93, G01S15/93, G01S17/93})
- B60R: VEHICLES, VEHICLE FITTINGS, OR VEHICLE PARTS, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A detection ECU acquires the position of the preceding vehicle, based on image information captured by an imaging device, and generates the track of the preceding vehicle, based on the position of the preceding vehicle. The detection ECU then performs following travel control for following the preceding vehicle by calculating the amount of control for causing the own vehicle to travel along the track of the preceding vehicle, and by causing the own vehicle to travel, based on the calculated amount of control. During the following travel control, if the width of the preceding vehicle is narrower than a predetermined width, the detection ECU calculates the amount of control such that the curvature variation in the track of the own vehicle is smaller than in the case where the width of the preceding vehicle is not narrower than the predetermined width.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A cruise control device applied to a vehicle including an imaging device that captures a view ahead of an own vehicle in a traveling direction, the cruise control device comprising:
a position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle in the traveling direction, based on image information captured by the imaging device;
a track generation unit that generates a track of the preceding vehicle, based on the position of the preceding vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit; and
a following travel control unit that performs following travel control for following the preceding vehicle by calculating an amount of control for causing the own vehicle to travel along the track of the preceding vehicle generated by the track generation unit, and by causing the own vehicle to travel, based on the calculated amount of control, wherein:
if a width of the preceding vehicle is narrower than a predetermined width, the following travel control unit calculates the amount of control such that a curvature variation of a track of the own vehicle under the following travel control is smaller than in a case where the width of the preceding vehicle is not narrower than the predetermined width.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The cruise control device according to claim 1, comprising:
a broad classification unit that broadly classifies the preceding vehicle as a motorcycle or other type of vehicle, wherein:
if the preceding vehicle is classified as the motorcycle by the broad classification unit, the following travel control unit calculates the amount of control such that the curvature variation of the track of the own vehicle under the following travel control is smaller than in a case where the preceding vehicle is classified as another type of vehicle by the broad classification unit.

### Claim 3

A cruise control device applied to a vehicle including an imaging device that captures a view ahead of an own vehicle in a traveling direction, the cruise control device comprising:
a position acquisition unit that acquires a position of a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the own vehicle in the traveling direction, based on image information captured by the imaging device;
a track generation unit that generates a track of the preceding vehicle, based on the position of the preceding vehicle acquired by the position acquisition unit;
a following travel control unit that performs following travel control for following the preceding vehicle by calculating an amount of control for causing the own vehicle to travel along the track of the preceding vehicle generated by the track generation unit and by causing the own vehicle to travel, based on the calculated amount of control; and
a broad classification unit that broadly classifies the preceding vehicle as a motorcycle or other type of vehicle, wherein:
if the preceding vehicle is classified as the motorcycle by the broad classification unit, the following travel control unit calculates the amount of control such that an curvature variation of a track of the own vehicle under the following travel control is smaller than in a case where the preceding vehicle is classified as another type of vehicle by the broad classification unit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The cruise control device according to claim 1, wherein:
if the preceding vehicle has been detected for a predetermined period in the image information outputted from the imaging device, the following travel control unit performs the following travel control.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The cruise control device according to claim 1, wherein:
the own vehicle includes an electrically assisted power steering that controls the traveling direction of the own vehicle according to output torque of a motor, and
the amount of control corresponds to the output torque of the motor.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The cruise control device according to claim 1, comprising:
a radar device that transmits probe waves forward from the own vehicle in the traveling direction, and receives reflected waves reflected by an object;
a radar-detected object position acquisition unit that detects a position of a radar-detected object which is detected by information based on the reflected waves acquired by the radar device; and
an image-detected object position acquisition unit that detects a position of an image-detected object which is detected by the image information acquired by the imaging device, wherein:
if the radar-detected object and the image-detected object located ahead of the own vehicle have a predetermined positional relation, the preceding vehicle is detected.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The cruise control device according to claim 3, wherein:
if the preceding vehicle has been detected for a predetermined period in the image information outputted from the imaging device, the following travel control unit performs the following travel control.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The cruise control device according to claim 3, wherein:
the own vehicle includes an electrically assisted power steering that controls the traveling direction of the own vehicle according to output torque of a motor, and
the amount of control corresponds to the output torque of the motor.

### Claim 9 (depends on 3)

The cruise control device according to claim 3, comprising:
a radar device that transmits probe waves forward from the own vehicle in the traveling direction, and receives reflected waves reflected by an object;
a radar-detected object position acquisition unit that detects a position of a radar-detected object which is detected by information based on the reflected waves acquired by the radar device; and
an image-detected object position acquisition unit that detects a position of an image-detected object which is detected by the image information acquired by the imaging device, wherein:
if the radar-detected object and the image-detected object located ahead of the own vehicle have a predetermined positional relation, the preceding vehicle is detected.