Vehicle travel control device

1. A vehicle travel control device that controls a following travel to a vehicle traveling in front of a subject vehicle that is equipped with the vehicle travel control device, the device comprising:

a preceding vehicle registration unit that determines whether a vehicle present in front of the subject vehicle should be taken into consideration in a following travel control, or not, and registers the vehicle to be determined to be taken into consideration in the following travel control as a preceding vehicle;

a preceding vehicle width calculation unit that calculates a vehicle width of the preceding vehicle based on a rear area of the preceding vehicle, and stores information of the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle under a condition of any obstacle being not identified between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle as a reference width; and

a control target point setting unit that determines a center position of the rear area of the preceding vehicle in a vehicle width direction for setting the center position as a control target point of the following travel, and that estimates the center position of the rear area of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the reference width stored in the preceding vehicle width calculation unit so as to set the estimated center position as the control target point in a case where a part of the rear area of the preceding vehicle being not detected.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein when one end side of the rear area of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction cannot be detected, the control target point setting unit applies the reference width to the detected other end side.

3. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2 , wherein the control target point setting unit stores a time mean value of the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle under the condition of any obstacle being not identified between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle as the reference width.

4. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 3 , wherein when the vehicle width calculated from the rear area of the preceding vehicle deviates from the reference width by a set value or more due to another vehicle cutting in between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle, the preceding vehicle registration unit determines that the cutting-in of the another vehicle is completed, and changes the registration of the vehicle to be taken into consideration in the following travel control from the present preceding vehicle to the another vehicle.

5. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2 , wherein when the vehicle width calculated from the rear area of the preceding vehicle deviates from the reference width by a set value or more due to another vehicle cutting in between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle, the preceding vehicle registration unit determines that the cutting-in of the another vehicle is completed, and changes the registration of the vehicle to be taken into consideration in the following travel control from the present preceding vehicle to the another vehicle.

6. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein the control target point setting unit stores a time mean value of the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle under the condition of any obstacle being not identified between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle as the reference width.

7. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 6 , wherein when the vehicle width calculated from the rear area of the preceding vehicle deviates from the reference width by a set value or more due to another vehicle cutting in between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle, the preceding vehicle registration unit determines that the cutting-in of the another vehicle is completed, and changes the registration of the vehicle to be taken into consideration in the following travel control from the present preceding vehicle to the another vehicle.

8. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1 , wherein when the vehicle width calculated from the rear area of the preceding vehicle deviates from the reference width by a set value or more due to another vehicle cutting in between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle, the preceding vehicle registration unit determines that the cutting-in of the another vehicle is completed, and changes the registration of the vehicle to be taken into consideration in the following travel control from the present preceding vehicle to the another vehicle.

9. A vehicle travel control device that controls a following travel to a vehicle traveling in front of a subject vehicle that is equipped with the vehicle travel control device, the device comprising:

circuitry configured to determine whether a vehicle present in front of the subject vehicle should be taken into consideration in a following travel control, or not,

register the vehicle to be determined to be taken into consideration in the following travel control as the preceding vehicle,

calculate a vehicle width of the preceding vehicle based on a rear area of the preceding vehicle,

store information of the vehicle width of the preceding vehicle under a condition of any obstacle being not identified between the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle as a reference width,

determine a center position of the rear area of the preceding vehicle in a vehicle width direction for setting the center position as a control target point of the following travel, and

estimate the center position of the rear area of the preceding vehicle in the vehicle width direction based on the reference width stored in the preceding vehicle width calculation unit so as to set the estimated center position as the control target point in a case where a part of the rear area of the preceding vehicle being not detected.