Vehicle travel control apparatus

1. A vehicle travel control apparatus, comprising:

a vehicle controller configured to execute following-travel inter-vehicle-distance control of causing the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling immediately ahead of the own vehicle, and to execute automatic start control of causing the own vehicle to automatically start when the preceding vehicle starts after the own vehicle has been stopped; and

a notification device comprising at least one of a display or a speaker, the notification device configured to issue to a driver a notification for inquiring whether the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to:

determine, when the own vehicle has stopped in response to the stopping of the preceding vehicle, whether a current travel state of the own vehicle is a specific state, in which there is a probability that the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

determine, whether a second specific state condition is satisfied, the second specific state condition being satisfied upon determination that there is no predetermined stop point within a predetermined distance range ahead of the own vehicle, the predetermined stop point being a point at which the own vehicle is to stop; and

cause the notification device to issue the notification upon determination that the specific state and the second specific state condition are satisfied.

2. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the predetermined stop point includes an intersection or a railroad crossing.

3. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1 ,

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to set an operation mode of the automatic start control to any one of a first mode, in which the automatic start control is executed, and a second mode, in which the automatic start control is inhibited from being executed,

the vehicle controller being further configured to, when the operation mode is set to the first mode:

maintain the operation mode in the first mode until a predetermined finish condition is satisfied; and

change the operation mode from the first mode to the second mode when the predetermined finish condition is satisfied.

4. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1 , comprising an electronic control unit comprising a database, the electronic control unit configured to acquire, as a vehicle peripheral information, road information, which is information on a type of a road on which the own vehicle is traveling;

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to:

determine, based on the vehicle peripheral information, whether a first specific state condition is satisfied, the first specific state condition being satisfied when the own vehicle is traveling on a limited-access road; and

determine, upon determination that at least the first specific state condition is satisfied, that the travel state is the specific state.

5. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the vehicle controller is configured to:

determine, based on the vehicle peripheral information, whether a traffic-congestion condition is satisfied, the traffic-congestion condition being satisfied when the own vehicle is traveling in a traffic-congestion section; and

determine, upon determination that the traffic-congestion condition is satisfied in addition to the first specific state condition, that the travel state is the specific state.

6. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 5 ,

wherein the vehicle controller is configured to:

determine, based on the vehicle peripheral information, whether the second specific state condition is satisfied, the second specific state condition being satisfied when the own vehicle is traveling on a general road and a predetermined moving object does not exist around the own vehicle; and

determine, upon determination that at least the second specific state condition is satisfied, that the travel state is the specific state.

7. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the vehicle controller is configured to:

determine, based on the vehicle peripheral information, whether a traffic-congestion condition is satisfied, the traffic-congestion condition being satisfied when the own vehicle is traveling in a traffic-congestion section; and

determine, upon determination that the traffic-congestion condition is satisfied in addition to the second specific state condition, that the travel state is the specific state.

8. A control method performed by a vehicle travel control apparatus, the control method comprising:

executing by a computer following-travel inter-vehicle-distance control of causing the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling immediately ahead of the own vehicle, and executing automatic start control of causing the own vehicle to automatically start when the preceding vehicle starts after the own vehicle has been stopped;

issuing by a notification device to a driver a notification for inquiring whether the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

determining by the computer, when the own vehicle has stopped in response to the stopping of the preceding vehicle, whether a current travel state of the own vehicle is a specific state, in which there is a probability that the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

determining by the computer, whether a second specific state condition is satisfied, the second specific state condition being satisfied upon determination that there is no predetermined stop point within a predetermined distance range ahead of the own vehicle, the predetermined stop point being a point at which the own vehicle is to stop; and

causing by the notification device to issue the notification upon determination that the specific state and the second specific state condition are satisfied.

9. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a program configured to cause a computer, as a vehicle travel control apparatus, to execute:

executing following-travel inter-vehicle-distance control of causing the own vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle traveling immediately ahead of the own vehicle, and executing automatic start control of causing the own vehicle to automatically start when the preceding vehicle starts after the own vehicle has been stopped;

issuing by a notification device to a driver a notification for inquiring whether the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

determining, when the own vehicle has stopped in response to the stopping of the preceding vehicle, whether a current travel state of the own vehicle is a specific state, in which there is a probability that the driver desires the automatic start control to be executed;

determining, whether a second specific state condition is satisfied, the second specific state condition being satisfied upon determination that there is no predetermined stop point within a predetermined distance range ahead of the own vehicle, the predetermined stop point being a point at which the own vehicle is to stop; and

causing by the notification device to issue the notification upon determination that that the specific state and the specific state condition are satisfied.