To prevent a preceding car travelling on a curbed road or a slope from being lost, enabling continuation of preceding car following travel.
Judging from geographical features of a travelling route, a viewable distance LL for having an unobstructed view of the preceding car is calculated and a viewable target accelerating speed XgL for achieving the viewable distance LL is calculated. Furthermore, the vehicle following distance is shortened before losing the sight of the preceding car and an accelerating degree XgE required for continuing detecting the preceding car is calculated. When the accelerating speed XgE exceeds the viewable target accelerating speed XgL, which is set to be a target accelerating speed XgL. When the calculated viewable target accelerating speed XgL exceeds a reference target acceleration speed Xgs0 obtained by a reference target vehicle following distance Lc0 corresponding to a travelling speed V, the speed of an own car is controlled corresponding to the viewable target acceleration speed XgL. When the preceding car separates from the same travelling lane, the following travel control is stopped.
TAKAHAMA MIGAKU
MATSUMOTO SHINJI
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