Abstract: A support apparatus for sense of vision includes: a filter device that extracts low frequency components, and respective high frequency components in at least a horizontal direction and a vertical direction from original images obtained by image capture by a plurality of image pickup devices, a frequency component combining device that combines the low frequency components of each of the original images extracted by the filter device to generate a combined low frequency component, and combines the high frequency components of each of the original images extracted by the filter device in at least the horizontal direction and the vertical direction to generate a combined horizontal high frequency component and a combined vertical high frequency component; and a composite image formation device that combines the low combined frequency component, the combined horizontal high frequency component, and the combined vertical high frequency component, generated by the frequency component combining device, to generate

Abstract: A vehicle departure determination apparatus includes: an object detection device which detects objects present in a direction of travel of a subject vehicle, and detects a relative position and relative speed of the objects and the subject vehicle; a running state detection device which detects a running state of the subject vehicle; a speed detection device which detects a speed of the subject vehicle; an oncoming vehicle determination device which determines whether any of the objects serving as oncoming vehicles for the subject vehicle are present, based on the relative speed detected by the object detection device, and the speed of the subject vehicle detected by the speed detection device; and a departure determination device which determines whether or not the subject vehicle has departed from an appropriate route for the subject vehicle, or the oncoming vehicle has departed from an appropriate route for the oncoming vehicle.

Abstract: A collision avoiding system is provided to enhance a collision avoiding effect by stabilizing a vehicle behavior during automatic braking. Steering controlling apparatus includes not only an ordinary electric power steering control unit but also an active steering reaction calculating unit for driving a motor of a steering system to compensate for the influence of disturbances, if the vehicle is shocked by an unusual bounce from an uneven road or the like. When obstacle detecting apparatus such as a laser-radar detects an obstacle which requires operation of automatic braking, a control parameter changing unit receives the automatic braking activating signal to make a change in the control parameters for an active steering reaction control.

Abstract: A brake fluid pressure retaining unit for retaining brake fluid pressure within a wheel cylinder after releasing a brake pedal is disclosed. The brake fluid pressure retaining unit includes a brake fluid pressure reduction speed control device for retaining reduction speed of the brake fluid pressure within the wheel cylinder less than that of brake pedal load applied by a driver. The brake fluid pressure reduction speed control device may be formed by a restriction in a brake fluid pressure circuit arranged between a master cylinder at which the brake fluid pressure is generated in accordance with a brake pedal load applied by the driver and the wheel.

Abstract: The accuracy of determination of a possibility of collision of a vehicle with an object is enhanced without the shortening of a period for detection of the object by an object detecting apparatus. A collision-possibility determining device determines the presence or absence of a possibility of collision of the vehicle with the obstacle by comparing a future locus of movement of the obstacle determined by an obstacle locus determining device based on an output from a radar device, with a future locus of movement of the vehicle determined by a vehicle locus determining apparatus based on outputs from wheel speed sensors and a yaw rate sensor.

Abstract: A braking force retaining unit, which retains braking force until driving force for starting a vehicle increases to a certain value such that the braking force continues to act on the vehicle after releasing a brake pedal, wherein said braking force retaining unit having a device for decreasing the braking force in accordance with the increasing driving force.

Abstract: A driving force control unit for a vehicle, which allows transmission of driving force from a driving motor to driving wheels irrespective of releasing an accelerator pedal at a certain or lower vehicle speed when a transmission is set in a driving range, and which switches the magnitude of the driving force while the accelerator pedal is released at vehicle speed no more than the certain vehicle speed between a greater condition and a smaller condition in accordance with depression of the brake pedal so that the driving force is made lower at a depression of the brake pedal than at a release of the brake pedal. In the driving force control unit, the driving force value in said greater condition upon switching from said smaller condition to said greater condition, at a release of the brake pedal during the time the vehicle stops, is increased or decreased according to an inclination angle of the vehicle at the time of stopping.

Abstract: A brake fluid pressure retaining unit for a vehicle comprises a solenoid valve SV arranged in a brake fluid passage FP between a master cylinder MC and a wheel cylinder WC so as to shut off or communicate the brake fluid passage FP. In the case that a transmission of the vehicle is shifted to a driving position, the solenoid valve SV is switched to a shut-off position when the vehicle stops with a brake pedal BP depressed. The solenoid valve SV is switched to a communicating position when driving force is exerted on the vehicle. Brake fluid pressure is retained within the wheel cylinder WC when the solenoid valve SV is in the shut-off position. The brake fluid pressure within the wheel cylinder is retained after releasing the brake pedal so that braking force continues to act on the vehicle.

Abstract: In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Abstract: In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Abstract: A braking force control unit, which allows transmission of driving force from a motor to driving wheels irrespective of releasing an accelerator pedal under or equal to a certain vehicle speed when a transmission is selected to a driving range, and switches said driving force to be transmitted to the driving wheels between a strong condition and a weak condition in accordance with depression of a brake pedal such that when the brake pedal is depressed, said driving force is controlled to be less than the driving force upon releasing the brake pedal, wherein the braking force control unit comprises means for retaining braking force so as to continuously retain the braking force after releasing the brake pedal, and said means releases the braking force after releasing the brake pedal and in the process of increasing the driving force to the strong condition.

Abstract: A system for controlling running safety of a vehicle having an alarm and an automatic braking system. A plurality of decelerations &agr;2n of an obstacle such as another vehicle present ahead on the road is predicted and corresponding manipulated variables &agr;1n (braking amount) to be supplied to the vehicle which indicate possible deceleration of the vehicle are determined. Then threshold values L&agr;2n for alarming and automatic braking are determined corresponding to the predicted deceleration and are successively compared with the distance to the obstacle. When the distance falls below any of the threshold values, alarming or automatic braking is effected to avoid contact with the obstacle, thereby making the system relatively simple and enabling operation to match the driver's expectations.

Abstract: When a radar device S1 detects an object existing ahead of a vehicle in the movement direction of the vehicle, a determining device M1 determines a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the object from the relative positional relationship between the vehicle and the object, based on the result of such detection. If it is determined there is the possibility of contact, an automatic braking device M2 operates a vacuum booster 2 to carry out an automatic braking operation to avoid the contact of the vehicle with the object. When a braking-will detecting device M3 detects a driver's braking will during the automatic braking operation by the automatic braking device M2, an emergency-degree presuming device M4 presumes a degree of emergency in the driver's braking will, and the automatic braking device M2 generates the braking force corresponding to the degree of emergency to assist in the braking operation of the driver.

Abstract: An integrated vehicle control system including: contact possibility determining means for determining whether a possibility of contact with an obstacle is great, first brake control means for controlling operation of the vehicle brake in response to the possibility of contact, vehicle behavior detecting means for detecting parameters such as the vehicle yaw rate, vehicle behavior control means for calculating a value such as the error between the detected yaw rate and a reference yaw rate and calculating a manipulated variable (braking force difference) such that the veerability of vehicle is enhanced, and second brake control means for controlling operation of the vehicle brake in response to the calculated manipulated variable.

Abstract: In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Abstract: In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Abstract: In a vehicle safety running system, while a contact probability estimation section estimates that there is a probability that a subject vehicle comes into contact with an object and an automatic braking section performs automatic braking, when the driver voluntarily performs a steering operation to avoid the contact, an automatic braking cancellation gradient is calculated based on the contact probability detected with the contact probability estimation section and the steering operation amount detected with the steering operation amount detection section, whereby automatic braking is cancelled at a speed corresponding to the automatic braking cancellation gradient so calculated. When the contact is easily avoided through the steering operation, the automatic braking cancellation gradient is set large so as to cancel automatic braking quickly, while when the contact is difficult to be avoided, the automatic braking cancellation gradient is set small so as to cancel automatic braking moderately.

Abstract: An integrated vehicle control system including: contact possibility determining means for determining whether a possibility of contact with an obstacle is great, first brake control means for controlling operation of the vehicle brake in response to the possibility of contact, vehicle behavior detecting means for detecting parameters such as the vehicle yaw rate, vehicle behavior control means for calculating a value such as the error between the detected yaw rate and a reference yaw rate and calculating a manipulated variable (braking force difference) to make vehicle behavior stable, and second brake control means for controlling operation of the vehicle brake in response to the calculated manipulated variable.

Abstract: In a safety running system, a transverse travelling distance resulting when a subject vehicle travels to a current position of an oncoming vehicle is calculated based on the vehicle velocity and yaw rate of the subject vehicle, a relative transverse distance of the oncoming vehicle relative to a vehicle body axis of the subject vehicle is calculated based on a relative distance, relative velocity and relative angle between the subject vehicle and the oncoming vehicle detected by a radar information processor. When a relative transverse deviation obtained by subtracting the transverse travelling distance from the relative transverse distance resides within a range and that state continues to exist over a predetermined time period, it is judged that there is a collision possibility of the subject vehicle with the oncoming vehicle, and automatic steering is performed so as to avoid a collision.

Abstract: A lateral deviation &dgr;d which is a lateral distance between an intrinsic appropriate course R for a vehicle Ai and a contact position P at which the vehicle Ai will come into contact with an on-coming vehicle Ao, is calculated based on a relative angle &thgr;, a relative distance L and a relative speed Vs which are detected by a radar device, and based on a vehicle speed Vi of the vehicle Ai detected by vehicle speed sensors. When the lateral deviation &dgr;d is in a range of &dgr;dn<&dgr;d<&dgr;dx, it is determined that there is the possibility that the vehicle Ai will collide frontally with the on-coming vehicle Ao. The lateral deviation &dgr;d can be calculated based on the relative angle &thgr;, the relative distance L and the relative speed Vs provided in one cycle of transmission and reception of beam by the radar device.