Travel assist apparatus and travel assist method

摘要

A travel assist apparatus performs assist of warning or auxiliary for preventing departure of a vehicle in a lateral direction of the vehicle. A value of the estimated time to lane crossing at which assist is to be performed is varied in accordance with the velocity of the vehicle in the lateral direction. This enables selection of a value of the estimated time to lane crossing at which assist is to be performed that is suitable for the velocity of the vehicle in the lateral direction, enabling optimization of the timing of performing assist. Therefore, assist of warning or auxiliary is performed in an optimal way without bothering the driver.

主权项

1. A travel assist apparatus that performs assist for preventing departure of a vehicle in a lateral direction of the vehicle, comprising an electronic control unit which
sets a travel assist line from which the vehicle should be prevented from departing; calculates an estimated time to lane crossing which is an estimated time taken for the vehicle to depart from the travel assist line based on a present state of the vehicle; and determines a time at which assist is to be performed which is a time at which the vehicle actually performs assist based on the estimated time to lane crossing and a value of the estimated time to lane crossing at which assist is to be performed which is determined as a threshold for the estimated time to lane crossing, wherein the electronic control unit varies the value of the estimated time to lane crossing at which assist is to be performed in accordance with a velocity of the vehicle in the lateral direction using different characteristics of relationship between the velocity of the vehicle in the lateral direction and the value of the estimated time to lane crossing at which assist is to be performed in respective velocity ranges into which velocities of the vehicle in the lateral direction are classified.