US Patent 10183668 Travel control method and travel control apparatus

A travel control apparatus comprises a first detector configured to detect an obstacle around a subject vehicle traveling in a first lane and a second detector configured to detect a second lane adjacent to the first lane. The travel control apparatus sets a first range at a target position for lane change in the second lane. The travel control apparatus detects a range in the second lane as a second range located at a side of the subject vehicle, and the obstacle is absent in the range in the second lane. The apparatus permits the subject vehicle to change lanes when the second range includes the first range. A method estimates whether another vehicle traveling in the second lane comes away from the subject vehicle and corrects to reduce the first range or increase the second range when the other vehicle is estimated to come away from the subject vehicle.