JP2007022429A - Vehicle distance controller, and control method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To control a vehicle distance of an own vehicle based on acquired vehicle distance data. <P>SOLUTION: The controller 104 detects a preceding vehicle traveling forward from an image taken by a camera 101, detects approach and separation of the own vehicle to and from the detected preceding vehicle, and determines the state of following traveling of the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle. When following traveling of the own vehicle to the preceding vehicle is determined, vehicle distance data between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is acquired, and the vehicle distance between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is controlled based on the acquired vehicle distance data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an inter-vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls an inter-vehicle distance between a host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and an inter-vehicle control method.

  The following vehicle speed control device is known from Patent Document 1. In this vehicle speed control device, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is calculated, and the inter-vehicle distance is controlled by controlling the throttle of the host vehicle so that the calculated inter-vehicle distance becomes a preset distance.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-116557

  However, according to the conventional apparatus, since the inter-vehicle distance control is performed so that the inter-vehicle distance is set in advance, even when the inter-vehicle distance that the driver feels comfortable varies, the inter-vehicle distance is always constant. There is a problem that the driver may feel uncomfortable.

The present invention detects a forward vehicle traveling ahead from within an image captured by the imaging means, detects the degree of approach of the host vehicle to the detected forward vehicle, and based on the detection result, the forward vehicle of the host vehicle. When the following traveling condition is determined and it is determined that the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the inter-vehicle distance data between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle is acquired, and the acquired inter-vehicle distance data is acquired. Based on the above, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is controlled.
The present invention also calculates the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle on the image captured by the imaging unit as inter-vehicle distance data, the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle in the calculated inter-vehicle distance data, and the image captured by the imaging unit. The inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is controlled so that the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle matches.

  According to the present invention, the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle is controlled based on the inter-vehicle distance data when it is determined that the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. Accordingly, since the inter-vehicle distance can be controlled based on the inter-vehicle distance data during the follow-up driving by the driver, it is possible to achieve a control that does not make the driver feel uncomfortable.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of an inter-vehicle distance control device in the present embodiment. The inter-vehicle distance control device 100 is mounted on a vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance control is performed by the inter-vehicle distance control device 100 based on the camera 101 that images the front of the vehicle, the image memory 102 that stores the image captured by the camera 101, and the operation content by the user. The control device 104 includes an operation switch 103 for instructing switching of ON (execution) / OFF (stop), a CPU, a memory, and other peripheral circuits, and executes inter-vehicle distance data acquisition processing and inter-vehicle distance control processing described later. An inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 that stores inter-vehicle distance data acquired by the control device 104, a throttle control device 106 that controls the opening of the throttle valve of the own vehicle based on an output from the control device 104, and the own vehicle And a vehicle speed sensor 107 for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle.

  The camera 101 is a high-speed camera having an image sensor such as a CCD or CMOS, and continuously images the front of the vehicle while the host vehicle is traveling and outputs the image to the image memory 102 for each frame.

  When the operation switch 103 is OFF, that is, when the stop of the inter-vehicle distance control is instructed, the control device 104 executes inter-vehicle distance data acquisition processing described later, and when the operation switch 103 is ON, that is, the inter-vehicle distance. When execution of control is instructed, an inter-vehicle distance control process described later is executed.

  In the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process executed in a state where stop of inter-vehicle distance control is instructed, first, for example, a vertical edge Sobel filter (horizontal direction Sobel filter) is applied to an image ahead of the host vehicle captured by the camera 101. The edge in the image (vertical edge) is extracted by binarization by applying an edge extraction filter such as).

  Then, the vertical edge on the extracted image and the vertical edge pattern representing the shape of the vehicle created in advance are matched to detect the vehicle existing in the image, and further detected from the left and right contours of the vehicle Identify vertical edges. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, the left vertical edge 2b and the right vertical edge 2c detected from the left and right contours of the vehicle traveling ahead in the image can be specified. The distance on the image between the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c is calculated as the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle on the image.

  Next, the lateral movement speed on the image of the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c of the specified forward vehicle is observed between a plurality of frames, and the degree of approach of the own vehicle to the forward vehicle, that is, the forward vehicle Determine approach (proximity) or separation (isolation). For example, when the center of the front vehicle is running in alignment with the center of the visual axis of the camera 101, the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c of the front vehicle on the image are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG.

  That is, when the host vehicle approaches the preceding vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance becomes shorter, the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle on the image increases as shown in FIG. The left edge 2b moves to the left and the right edge 2c moves to the right. On the other hand, when the own vehicle is isolated from the preceding vehicle and the inter-vehicle distance is increased, the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle on the image is reduced as shown in FIG. Thus, the left edge 2b on the image moves to the right and the right edge 2c moves to the left. Considering this, as shown in FIG. 3C, the proximity or isolation of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is determined.

  FIG. 3C is a diagram when the positional relationship between the camera 101 and the preceding vehicle when the host vehicle is isolated from the preceding vehicle is viewed from above. When the position of the front vehicle viewed from the camera 101 changes from the position indicated by reference numeral 3a to the position indicated by reference numeral 3b, that is, when the host vehicle is isolated from the front vehicle, the right direction is added perpendicularly to the visual axis of the camera 101. On the side, the angle of the left edge 2b as seen from the camera 101 decreases by dθL before and after the isolation. On the other hand, the angle of the right edge 2b seen from the camera 101 is increased by dθR before and after the isolation.

Thereby, when the own vehicle is isolated from the preceding vehicle, the relationship of the following equation (1) is established.
dθR−dθL> 0 (1)
On the other hand, when the host vehicle approaches the vehicle ahead, the relationship opposite to the equation (1), that is, the relationship of the following equation (2) is established.
dθR−dθL <0 (2)

Such a change in angle seen from the camera 101 at both the left and right edges due to the proximity or isolation of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is detected as the moving speed of the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c between frames on the image. The That is, assuming that the right side in the horizontal direction on the image is positive, the left side is negative, the moving speed of the left edge 2b on the image is VL, and the moving speed on the right edge image is VR, the host vehicle is isolated from the preceding vehicle. In such a case, the relationship shown in the following equation (3) is established, and when the host vehicle approaches the vehicle ahead, the relationship shown in the following equation (4) is established.
VR-VL> 0 (3)
VR-VL <0 (4)

  In consideration of this, the moving speed between the left edge 2b and the left edge 2c specified on the image is calculated, and it is determined whether the calculation result corresponds to the expressions (3) and (4). By doing so, it is possible to determine the proximity or isolation of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle based on the captured image.

  In FIG. 3, the case where the center of the front vehicle is running in alignment with the center of the visual axis of the camera 101 has been described. However, when the center of the front vehicle exists to the left of the visual axis of the camera 101, Alternatively, even when the center of the preceding vehicle is located to the right of the visual axis of the camera 101, it is possible to determine whether the host vehicle is approaching or isolating from the preceding vehicle according to equations (3) and (4). is there. FIGS. 4 and 5 show specific examples in these cases, but the determination principle is the same as that described above with reference to FIG.

  Then, based on the result of performing the above-described processing on the images of a plurality of frames, the situation of the following traveling of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle is determined. That is, when the host vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is maintained constant, so the amount of change in the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is small. Further, since the driver is traveling while adjusting the vehicle speed of the host vehicle in order to keep the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle constant, the approach and the tracking to the preceding vehicle are frequently switched. In consideration of this, the state in which the change in the vehicle width 2a on the image is less than a predetermined value continues for a certain period of time, and during that time, the host vehicle repeats approaching and separating from the preceding vehicle a predetermined number of times or more. If so, it is determined that the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle.

  As a result, when it is determined that the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is calculated for each frame, and the calculated vehicle width 2a of each frame is calculated as the vehicle speed. The inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 stores the inter-vehicle distance data used in the inter-vehicle distance control process described later in association with the vehicle speed range of the host vehicle at the time of imaging each frame detected by the sensor 107. The vehicle speed range is vehicle speed information in which the vehicle speed is classified into a certain range such as low speed, medium speed, and high speed, for example, low speed is less than 40 km / h, 40 km / h or more, medium speed is 60 km / h, and 60 km. / H and higher are classified as high speed.

  As described above, while the operation switch is OFF, the above-described inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process is executed, and inter-vehicle distance data associated with the vehicle speed range is obtained only while the host vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle. The inter-vehicle distance preferred by the driver according to the vehicle speed range during follow-up traveling can be stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 as inter-vehicle distance data.

  Next, while the operation switch is turned on by the driver and execution of inter-vehicle distance control is instructed, the control device 104 executes inter-vehicle distance control processing as follows. First, images continuously picked up by the camera 101 are read from the image memory 102, and a vertical edge extraction filter is applied to the picked-up image to extract vertical edges in the image as in the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process. .

  After that, the vertical edge on the extracted image and the vertical edge pattern representing the shape of the vehicle described above are subjected to matching processing to detect a vehicle present in the image, and further, the vertical edge detected from the left and right contours of the vehicle, That is, the left vertical edge 2b and the right vertical edge 2c are specified. Then, based on the identified left edge 2b and right edge 2c, the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is calculated.

  Next, the current vehicle speed of the host vehicle is acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 107, and the inter-vehicle distance data corresponding to the current vehicle speed range is read from the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105. As described above, the inter-vehicle distance data is obtained by storing the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle at the time of following traveling in association with the vehicle speed range at the time of data acquisition, and therefore, as the inter-vehicle distance data corresponding to the current vehicle speed range. It can be said that the vehicle width 2a is the vehicle width 2a corresponding to the inter-vehicle distance that the driver likes during follow-up traveling.

  Therefore, the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data is compared with the current vehicle width 2a, and if there is a difference, the inter-vehicle distance is set so that the current vehicle width 2a matches the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data. By controlling this, it is possible to control so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance preferred by the driver. When there are a plurality of vehicle widths 2a corresponding to the current vehicle speed range in the inter-vehicle distance data, a time average value of all data corresponding to the vehicle speed range is calculated, and this is set as the current vehicle speed range. Processing is performed as corresponding inter-vehicle distance data.

  Specifically, if the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data is compared with the current vehicle width 2a and the current vehicle width 2a is larger than the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data, the host vehicle Determines that the vehicle is closer to the vehicle ahead than during follow-up, and instructs the throttle controller 106 to reduce the opening of the throttle valve to decelerate the host vehicle. On the other hand, if the current vehicle width 2a is smaller than the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data, it is determined that the host vehicle is more isolated from the preceding vehicle than during follow-up travel, and the throttle control device The vehicle is instructed to increase the opening of the throttle valve 106 to accelerate the host vehicle.

  Thus, by controlling the inter-vehicle distance so that the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle in the image captured by the camera 101 matches the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data acquired during follow-up traveling, the resolution of the camera 101 can be reduced. Based on the characteristics, it is possible to perform inter-vehicle distance control that is close to the driver's follow-up driving and that does not feel uncomfortable. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the resolution 6a far 50m from the camera 101 and the resolution 2b 20m far from the camera 101 are worse than the resolution 6a far from the camera 101, as shown in FIG.

  For this reason, when the inter-vehicle distance is controlled based on the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle in the image captured by the camera 101, the inter-vehicle distance is controlled ambiguously because the resolution is poor at a distance, and the resolution is close at the vicinity. Because it is good, the inter-vehicle distance is accurately controlled. In other words, when the vehicle ahead is in the distance, the number of changes in the throttle opening is reduced, so the driving control is comfortable for the occupant, and when the vehicle ahead is in the vicinity, it is accurate. The risk is reduced because the inter-vehicle distance control is performed. Therefore, by controlling the inter-vehicle distance based on the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle in the image captured by the camera 101, natural inter-vehicle distance control close to the actual following driving method by the driver can be performed.

  Then, after the above-described processing is performed, if the ignition switch of the vehicle is turned off by the driver, the inter-vehicle distance data stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 is erased, and the inter-vehicle distance data is renewed at the next traveling. To get. Thus, the inter-vehicle distance control can always be performed based on the latest inter-vehicle distance data.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing of the inter-vehicle distance control device 100 in the present embodiment. The processing shown in FIG. 7 is executed by the control device 104 as a program that is started when the power of the inter-vehicle control device 100 is turned on by turning on the ignition switch of the vehicle.

  In step S10, it is determined whether the operation switch 103 is ON or OFF. As a result, when it is determined that the operation switch 103 is OFF, the process proceeds to step S20, an inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process described later in FIG. 8 is executed, and the process proceeds to step S40. On the other hand, if it is determined that the operation switch 103 is ON, the process proceeds to step S30, an inter-vehicle distance control process described later in FIG. 9 is executed, and the process proceeds to step S40.

  In step S40, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch of the host vehicle is turned off. If it is determined that the ignition switch of the host vehicle is not turned off, the process returns to step S10 and the process is repeated. On the other hand, if it is determined that it is turned off, the process proceeds to step S50. In step S50, the inter-vehicle distance data stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 is deleted, and the process ends.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process executed in step S20 of FIG. In step S21, reading of the captured image from the image memory 102 is started, and the process proceeds to step S22. In step S22, as described above, vertical edge extraction processing is performed on the captured image to extract vertical edges. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S23, the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c of the preceding vehicle are specified from the extracted vertical edges, and the process proceeds to step S24.

  In step S24, the distance between the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c of the preceding vehicle on the image is calculated, and the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is calculated. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S25, and as described above, based on the moving speed of the left edge 2b and the right edge 2c on the image, the degree of approach of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle, that is, proximity or isolation is determined, and step S26 is performed. Proceed to

  In step S26, a state in which the change in the vehicle width 2a on the image is less than a predetermined value continues for a certain period of time, and whether or not the host vehicle repeats approaching and separating from the preceding vehicle a predetermined number of times during that time. To determine whether or not the host vehicle is following the preceding vehicle. As a result, when it is determined that the vehicle is not following the vehicle, the process proceeds to step S29 described later. On the other hand, if it is determined that the vehicle is following the vehicle, the process proceeds to step S27.

  In step S27, based on the output from the vehicle speed sensor 107, the vehicle speed of the host vehicle is detected, and the process proceeds to step S28. The vehicle speed range including the detected vehicle speed is associated with the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle, and the inter-vehicle distance is determined. The data is stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 as data. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S29. It is determined whether or not the operation switch is turned on by the user. As a result, if it is determined by the user that the operation switch has not been turned on, the process returns to step S22 to repeat the process. If it is determined that the user has turned on, the process returns to the process of FIG.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the inter-vehicle distance control process executed in step S30 of FIG. In FIG. 9, the same process number as the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process shown in FIG. 8 is assigned the same step number, and the difference will be mainly described.

  In step S31, the inter-vehicle distance data is read from the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105, and the process proceeds to step S32. In step S32, it is determined whether or not the current vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is larger than the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data described above. As a result, if an affirmative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S33, where it is determined that the host vehicle is closer to the preceding vehicle than during follow-up traveling, and the throttle valve opening is reduced with respect to the throttle control device 106. Instructing the vehicle to decelerate the host vehicle, the process proceeds to step S35.

  On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S32, the process proceeds to step S34, where it is determined that the host vehicle is more isolated from the preceding vehicle than during the follow-up traveling, and the throttle valve is opened with respect to the throttle control device 106. The vehicle is accelerated by instructing to increase the degree, and the process proceeds to step S35. In step S35, it is determined whether or not the operation switch has been turned off by the user. As a result, if it is determined by the user that the operation switch has not been turned off, the process returns to step S22 to repeat the processing. If it is determined that the operation switch has been turned off, the processing returns to the processing in FIG.

According to the present embodiment described above, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) In the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process, the state in which the change in the vehicle width 2a on the image is less than a predetermined value continues for a certain period of time, and the own vehicle approaches and isolates the preceding vehicle during that period. When the vehicle is repeated a predetermined number of times or more, it is determined that the host vehicle is following the vehicle ahead. As a result, when traveling following the preceding vehicle, the distance between the preceding vehicle and the preceding vehicle is maintained constant, so that the amount of change in the vehicle width 2a of the preceding vehicle is reduced, and driving Since the vehicle travels while adjusting the vehicle speed of the host vehicle in order to keep the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle constant, the host vehicle is highly accurate in consideration of frequent switching of proximity and tracking to the preceding vehicle. It can be determined that the vehicle is following the vehicle ahead.

(2) In the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process, inter-vehicle distance data associated with the vehicle speed range is acquired only while the host vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle. This makes it possible to accumulate the inter-vehicle distance preferred by the driver during follow-up driving corresponding to the vehicle speed range as inter-vehicle distance data.

(3) In the inter-vehicle distance control process, the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data is compared with the current vehicle width 2a, and if there is a difference between them, the current vehicle width 2a is the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data. The inter-vehicle distance was controlled to match. This makes it possible to control the inter-vehicle distance so as to maintain the inter-vehicle distance preferred by the driver acquired during follow-up traveling.

(4) Further, the resolution of the camera 101 is controlled by controlling the inter-vehicle distance so that the vehicle width 2a of the front vehicle in the image captured by the camera 101 matches the vehicle width 2a in the inter-vehicle distance data acquired during the follow-up traveling. Based on this characteristic, it is possible to perform the inter-vehicle distance control that is close to the driver's follow-up driving and has no uncomfortable feeling.

-Modification-
The inter-vehicle distance control apparatus according to the above-described embodiment can be modified as follows.
(1) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the throttle control device 106 is provided and the opening of the throttle valve is changed in order to control the inter-vehicle distance has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the brake control device that controls the brake is provided together with the throttle control device 106 and the deceleration control is performed, the brake control device may also be used to decelerate the vehicle.

(2) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the inter-vehicle distance data stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 is deleted when the ignition switch is turned off has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the inter-vehicle distance data may not be deleted when the ignition switch is turned off, but may be used during the next traveling. As a result, the inter-vehicle distance data is accumulated every time the traveling is repeated, and the reliability of the data can be improved.

(3) Further, as in modification (2), when the inter-vehicle distance data is not deleted when the ignition switch is turned off, identification data for identifying the driver at the time of acquiring the inter-vehicle distance data is included in the inter-vehicle distance data. Thus, the inter-vehicle distance data may be held for each driver, and in the inter-vehicle distance control process, the inter-vehicle distance control may be performed using inter-vehicle distance data of the driver who is driving. As a result, even when the driver is changed, the inter-vehicle distance can be controlled by the inter-vehicle distance suitable for the driver, and the control can be made without any sense of incongruity for each driver.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle is acquired in association with the vehicle speed range of the host vehicle at that time and stored in the inter-vehicle distance data memory 105 as inter-vehicle distance data has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, only the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle may be used as the inter-vehicle distance data, and may be stored in association with other travel environments such as the wiper usage status and the headlight lighting status. .

(5) In the embodiment described above, the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle when it is determined in the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process that the host vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle based on the image captured by the camera 101. Has been described as an example in which the vehicle distance is acquired as inter-vehicle distance data, and the inter-vehicle distance is controlled by the inter-vehicle distance control process based on the acquired inter-vehicle distance data. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The inter-vehicle distance data may be acquired in advance, and the inter-vehicle distance may be controlled by performing only the inter-vehicle distance control process using the acquired inter-vehicle distance data.

(6) In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the inter-vehicle distance control device 100 is mounted on a vehicle has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this and may be mounted on another moving body.

  Note that the present invention is not limited to the configurations in the above-described embodiments as long as the characteristic functions of the present invention are not impaired.

  The correspondence between the constituent elements of the claims and the embodiment will be described. The camera 101 corresponds to an imaging unit, and the operation switch 103 corresponds to a switching unit. The control device 104 corresponds to vehicle detection means, approach degree detection means, follow-up travel determination means, inter-vehicle distance data acquisition means, and inter-vehicle distance control means. The above description is merely an example, and when interpreting the invention, there is no limitation or restriction on the correspondence between the items described in the above embodiment and the items described in the claims.

It is a block diagram which shows the structure of one Embodiment of an inter-vehicle control apparatus. It is a figure which shows the specific example of the left vertical edge 2b and the right vertical edge 2c. It is a figure which shows the approach and isolation | separation determination method when the center of the front vehicle is drive | working in agreement with the center of the visual axis of the camera. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a method for determining proximity and isolation when the center of a forward vehicle is present to the left of the visual axis of the camera 101. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a proximity / isolation determination method in the case where the center of a preceding vehicle is on the right side of the visual axis of the camera 101. It is a figure explaining the inter-vehicle distance control based on the resolution characteristic of the camera. It is a flowchart figure which shows the process of the inter-vehicle distance control apparatus. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of an inter-vehicle distance data acquisition process. It is a flowchart figure which shows the flow of a distance control process between vehicles.

Explanation of symbols

100 Inter-vehicle control device 101 Camera 102 Image memory 103 Operation switch 104 Control device 105 Inter-vehicle distance data memory 106 Throttle control device 107 Vehicle speed sensor

Claims (8)

Vehicle detection means for detecting a forward vehicle traveling forward from within an image captured by the imaging means;
An approach degree detecting means for detecting an approach degree of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle detected by the vehicle detecting means;
Following travel determination means for determining the state of the following traveling of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle based on the detection result by the approach degree detection means;
Inter-vehicle distance data acquisition that acquires inter-vehicle distance data between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle when the following traveling state determination unit determines that the host vehicle is traveling following the preceding vehicle. Means,
An inter-vehicle distance control device comprising inter-vehicle distance control means for controlling an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the inter-vehicle distance data acquired by the inter-vehicle distance data acquisition means. In the inter-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1,
The inter-vehicle distance data acquisition means acquires the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle imaged by the imaging means as the inter-vehicle distance data. In the inter-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2,
The inter-vehicle distance data acquisition means acquires the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle as the inter-vehicle distance data in association with the vehicle speed information of the host vehicle. In the inter-vehicle control apparatus according to claim 2 or 3,
The inter-vehicle distance control means is configured so that the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle in the inter-vehicle distance data matches the vehicle width of the front vehicle on the image captured by the imaging means. An inter-vehicle distance control device that controls an inter-vehicle distance from a preceding vehicle. In the inter-vehicle control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
It further comprises switching means for instructing execution and stop switching of the inter-vehicle distance control,
The inter-vehicle distance data acquisition means acquires the inter-vehicle distance data while the switching means is instructed to stop the inter-vehicle distance control,
The inter-vehicle distance control means controls the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle while the switching means instructs execution of the inter-vehicle distance control. Calculating means for calculating the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle on the image captured by the imaging means as inter-vehicle distance data;
The host vehicle and the front vehicle are arranged such that the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle in the inter-vehicle distance data calculated by the calculating unit matches the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle on the image captured by the imaging unit. An inter-vehicle control device comprising: control means for controlling an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle. Detecting a forward vehicle traveling ahead from within the image captured by the imaging means,
Detecting the degree of approach of the host vehicle to the detected preceding vehicle, and based on the detection result, determining the status of the following traveling of the host vehicle to the preceding vehicle,
When it is determined that the host vehicle is running following the front vehicle, inter-vehicle distance data between the host vehicle and the front vehicle is acquired,
An inter-vehicle distance control method for controlling an inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle based on the acquired inter-vehicle distance data. The vehicle width of the preceding vehicle on the image captured by the imaging means is calculated as inter-vehicle distance data,
Between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle so that the vehicle width on the image of the preceding vehicle in the calculated inter-vehicle distance data matches the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle on the image captured by the imaging means. The inter-vehicle distance control method is characterized by controlling the inter-vehicle distance.

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