Vehicle driving support apparatus

Abstract

A driving support ECU performs an inter-vehicle-distance control and a following-travel steering control. When a front vehicle has been specified as both of a inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle and a following-travel steering target vehicle, and there is a potential cutting-in vehicle which is another vehicle having a possibility of cutting in between an own vehicle and a front vehicle, the driving support ECU newly specifies the potential cutting-in vehicle as the inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle and then, newly specifies the potential cutting-in vehicle as the following-travel steering target vehicle, in the cutting-in period.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A vehicle driving support control apparatus comprising:
 a peripheral monitoring sensor that acquires target object information including a longitudinal distance and a lateral position of each of a front vehicle and another vehicle with respect to an own vehicle, said front vehicle and said other vehicle being vehicles traveling in a front area of said own vehicle; and   an electronic control unit is programmed to:
 perform an inter-vehicle-distance control to specify any one of said front vehicle and said other vehicle as an inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle, and to control an acceleration of said own vehicle in such a manner that an inter-vehicle distance which is a longitudinal distance of said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle with respect to said own vehicle is maintained at a predetermined inter-vehicle distance, and 
 perform a following-travel steering control to specify any one of said front vehicle and said other vehicle as a following-travel steering target vehicle, and to generate a traveling trajectory of said following-travel steering target vehicle to control a steering angle of said own vehicle in such a manner that said own vehicle travels along a target traveling line determined based on said traveling trajectory, 
   wherein,   when said front vehicle has been specified as both of said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle and said following-travel steering target vehicle, and said other vehicle is a potential cutting-in vehicle having a possibility of cutting in between said own vehicle and said front vehicle, said electronic control unit is programmed to newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle and then newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said following-travel steering target vehicle, in a period from a time point at which said potential cutting-vehicle starts cutting in to a time point at which said potential cutting-vehicle finishes cutting in.   
     
     
         2 . The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,   said electronic control unit is programmed to:   determine whether or not said other vehicle is said potential cutting-vehicle; and   determine that said other vehicle is said potential cutting-vehicle when said longitudinal distance of said other vehicle with respect to said own vehicle is smaller than said longitudinal distance of said front vehicle with respect to said own vehicle.   
     
     
         3 . The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,   said electronic control unit is programmed to:
 newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle, when a first condition becomes satisfied, said first condition including a condition to be satisfied when a determination distance becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined inter-vehicle-distance control threshold, wherein said determination distance is a distance in a lane width direction between said traveling trajectory of said front vehicle and said potential cutting-in vehicle; and 
 newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said following-travel steering target vehicle, when a second condition is satisfied, said second condition including a condition to be satisfied when said determination distance becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined following-travel steering control threshold which is smaller than said inter-vehicle-distance control threshold. 
   
     
     
         4 . The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein,   said electronic control unit is programmed to:
 newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle, when said potential cutting-in vehicle satisfies a predetermined condition; and 
 newly specify said potential cutting-in vehicle as said following-travel steering target vehicle, when a specific condition becomes satisfied after said potential cutting-in vehicle has already been newly specified as said inter-vehicle-distance target vehicle, said specific condition including a condition to be satisfied when a determination distance becomes equal to or smaller than a predetermined following-travel steering control threshold, wherein said determination distance is a distance in a lane width direction between said traveling trajectory of said front vehicle and said potential cutting-in vehicle. 
   
     
     
         5 . The vehicle driving support control apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein,   said peripheral monitoring sensor acquires a lateral relative speed of said other vehicle with respect to said own vehicle; and   said electronic control unit is programmed to determine whether or not said predetermined condition is satisfied by using said lateral position of said potential cutting-in vehicle with respect to said own vehicle and said lateral relative speed of said potential cutting-in vehicle with respect to said own vehicle without using said determination distance.