Obstacle avoidance control apparatus

An obstacle avoidance control apparatus comprising:

• means for detecting first and second obstacles in front of a host vehicle, and for detecting the second obstacle being farther in front of the host vehicle than the first obstacle;
• means for predicting a first obstacle proximity distance between the host vehicle and the first obstacle at a time of closest proximity between the host vehicle and the first obstacle;
• means for determining a second obstacle avoidance direction that is predicted to avoid the second obstacle;
• means for setting a target vehicle body slip angle in a direction at the time of closest proximity with respect to a vehicle body center of the host vehicle, such that the host vehicle faces further inward of the second obstacle avoidance turning direction as the first obstacle proximity distance increases;
• and
• means for controlling a vehicle behavior of the host vehicle so that an actual vehicle body slip angle with respect to the vehicle body center at the time of closest proximity coincides with the target vehicle body slip angle at the time of closest proximity.

An obstacle avoidance control method comprising:

• detecting first and second obstacles in front of a host vehicle, with the second obstacle being detected as being farther in front of the host vehicle than the first obstacle;
• predicting a first obstacle proximity distance between the host vehicle and the first obstacle at a time of closest proximity between the host vehicle and the first obstacle;
• determining a second obstacle avoidance direction that is predicted to avoid the second obstacle;
• setting a target vehicle body slip angle in a direction at the time of closest proximity with respect to a vehicle body center of the host vehicle, such that the host vehicle faces further inward of the second obstacle avoidance turning direction as the first obstacle proximity distance increases;
• and
• controlling a vehicle behavior of the host vehicle so that an actual vehicle body slip angle with respect to the vehicle body center at the time of closest proximity coincides with the target vehicle body slip angle at the time of closest proximity.