Vehicle safety running control system

摘要

A system for controlling running safety of a vehicle having at least a brake, a steering mechanism manipulated by a vehicle operator, a laser radar for detecting an obstacle present ahead on a course of travel of the vehicle, and a brake actuator mechanism actuating the brake independently of the vehicle operator manipulation. In the system, a first threshold value (defined in terms of relative distance between the vehicle and the obstacle) for avoiding contact with the obstacle by steering and a second threshold value for avoiding contact by operating the brake actuator mechanism are determined and are compared with the detected relative distance. When the detected relative distance is less than the first threshold value, the brake actuator mechanism is immediately operated to generate a relatively small deceleration, thereby enabling effective obstacle avoidance to well meet the intention and desires of the vehicle operator, without causing a problem of interference with the steering of the vehicle operator, while preventing the control accuracy from being degraded.