Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-27
2001-02-13
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S093000, C701S095000, C701S300000, C342S070000, C342S071000, C340S901000, C340S902000, C340S903000, C180S170000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06188950
ABSTRACT:
The contents of the Applications No. Heisei 9-294245 and Heisei 9-321404, with filing dates of Oct. 27, 1997 and Nov. 21, 1997 in Japan, are herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to system and method for controlling an inter-vehicle distance to a vehicle traveling ahead (viz., a preceding vehicle) applicable to an automotive vehicle (hereinafter, referred to as a system vehicle) equipped with the system and method which can follow up the preceding vehicle maintaining a constant (safety) inter-vehicle distance.
b) Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 7-223457 published on Aug. 22, 1995 exemplifies a previously proposed system for controlling the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle for the system vehicle in which different down-shift conditions and different up-shift conditions are set according to different road surface gradients such as on a flat road surface (a gradient of its road surface is generally zero), an ascending slope (a gradient of its road surface is generally positive), and a descending slope (a gradient of its road surface is generally negative).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the previously proposed preceding inter-vehicle distance controlling system disclosed in the above-identified Japanese Patent Application First publication, maps on respective up-shift and down-shift conditions during the run of the system vehicle on the flat road surface, the ascending slope, and the descending slope are prepared empirically or experimentally. These maps are used to up-shift and down a transmission of the system vehicle during the actual running of the system vehicle. Since, however, it is difficult to prepare such maps as covering every road surface gradient or every running condition, appropriate timings of the up-shift and down-shift of the transmission with respect to the actual road surface gradient and actual running condition cannot be achieved so that up-shifting and down-shifting operations by the previously proposed system do not often match with a shift feeling given by a vehicle occupant(s).
Hence, it takes a tremendous amount of labor-hour costs to generate such maps as covering many road surface gradients and running conditions and a large capacity of memory are needed to store these maps.
In addition, in the previously proposed preceding vehicle follow-up controlling system, in a case where the follow-up run of the system vehicle on the descending slope is carried out, when the system vehicle is approaching to the preceding vehicle due to a braking operation of the preceding vehicle and due to a difference in the down-shift operation of both of the system vehicle and the preceding vehicle and in an engine braking force therebetween, the down-shift operation is carried out with a down-shift condition on the inter-vehicle distance being satisfied.
If the inter-vehicle distance of the system vehicle from the preceding vehicle becomes widened due to a deceleration of the system vehicle caused by the down-shift operation, the up-shift operation is again carried out since the up-shift condition is satisfied at this time.
When the up-shift operation is carried out since the inter-vehicle distance has again shortened to approach to the preceding vehicle, the down-shift operation is again carried out. When the down-shift operation is, then, carried out so that the inter-vehicle distance has again widened. Thereafter, the up-shift operation is again carried out.
When the system vehicle runs to follow up the preceding vehicle on the ascending slope, a, so-called, shift hunting phenomenon occurs and gives an unpleasant feeling to the occupant(s) of the system vehicle.
With these problems in mind, it is an object of the present invention to provide improved system and method for controlling the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle for the system vehicle equipped with the system and method which can carry out up-shift and down-shift operations for the transmission of the system vehicle at appropriate timings, preferably without occurrence of the, so-called, shift hunting phenomenon on a shift control, which match with a gear shift feeling on a transmission of the system vehicle given by the system vehicle occupant(s) with every road surface gradient and running condition taken into consideration and, preferably, do not give a pleasant feeling to the system vehicle occupant(s).
The above-described object can be achieved by providing a system for an automotive vehicle equipped with the system and defined as a system vehicle. The system comprises: a first detector for detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the system vehicle to a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the system vehicle; a second detector for detecting a velocity of the system vehicle; an inter-vehicle distance controller for calculating a target value of the velocity of the system vehicle to make a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance coincident with the target value of the inter-vehicle distance; a system vehicle velocity controller for calculating a target value of a driving-and-braking force applied to the system vehicle to make a detected value of the system vehicle velocity coincident with the target value of the velocity of the system vehicle; a drive controller for drivingly controlling a prime mover of the system vehicle and a transmission thereof in accordance with the target value of the driving-and-braking force; a maximum deceleration force estimator for estimating a maximum deceleration force according to the target value of the velocity of the system vehicle and a shift position of the transmission of the system vehicle; a relative velocity calculator for calculating a relative velocity of the system vehicle to the preceding vehicle on the basis of the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance; and a shift position determinator for determining the shift position of the transmission on the basis of the target value of the driving-and-braking force, the estimated maximum deceleration force, and the relative velocity.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing a method for an automotive vehicle equipped with the method and defined as a system vehicle. The method comprises the steps of: detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the system vehicle to a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the system vehicle; detecting a velocity of the system vehicle; calculating a target value of the velocity of the system vehicle to make a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance coincident with the target value of the inter-vehicle distance; calculating a target value of a driving-and-braking force applied to the system vehicle to make a detected value of the system vehicle velocity coincident with the target value of the velocity of the system vehicle; drivingly controlling a prime mover of the system vehicle and a transmission thereof in accordance with the target value of the driving-and-braking force; estimating a maximum deceleration force according to the target value of the velocity of the system vehicle and a shift position of the transmission of the system vehicle; calculating a relative velocity of the system vehicle to the preceding vehicle on the basis of the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance; and determining the shift position of the transmission on the basis of the target value of the driving-and-braking force, the estimated maximum deceleration force, and the relative velocity.
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patent: 44
Higashimata Akira
Tsutsumi Junji
Foley & Lardner
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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