Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-27
2001-06-19
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S301000, C180S169000, C340S904000, C340S008100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06249738
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for controlling a vehicular velocity so as to make the vehicular velocity equal to a target vehicular velocity in order to follow up a preceding vehicle which is traveling ahead of the vehicle at an appropriate inter-vehicle distance.
b) Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 5-104993 published on Apr. 27, 1993 exemplifies a previously proposed preceding vehicle follow-up controlling apparatus for controlling an opening angle of an engine throttle valve for an automotive vehicle and a braking force operatively applied from a vehicular brake system to the vehicle according to a deviation between a safe inter-vehicle distance determined on the basis of a detected value of a vehicular velocity and a relative velocity to a preceding vehicle and a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance.
In such a kind of apparatus described above, a range of a vehicular velocity of the vehicle to be enabled to follow up the preceding vehicle (so-called, a vehicular velocity controllable range, for example, 40 Km/h to 110 Km/h) is prescribed. Then, the preceding vehicle follow-up control to follow up the preceding vehicle at a time point when the vehicular velocity becomes reduced and has exceeded the prescribed lower limit velocity value is released to be ineffective.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, while the preceding vehicle is decelerated so that the vehicle is accordingly decelerated, the brake being applied to the vehicle in the previously proposed preceding vehicle follow-up controlling apparatus, the preceding vehicle follow-up control is released and such a sudden deceleration drop of, so-called, a sudden G (gravational acceleration) drop occurs so that a vehicular occupant(s) of the vehicle receives a jolt and gives an unpleasant feeling.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and method for performing an automatic control over a vehicular velocity for an automotive vehicle in which a braking control using the vehicular brake system is continued to prevent the sudden deceleration (G) drop from occurring even if a vehicular velocity becomes decreased and has crossed the set lower limit velocity value in the vehicular velocity controllable range while the vehicle is decelerated to follow up the preceding vehicle.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing a vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: an inter-vehicle distance detector detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; a vehicular velocity detector detecting a vehicular velocity of the vehicle; an inter-vehicle distance controller, the inter-vehicle distance controller calculating a target value of the vehicular velocity, the target value of the vehicular velocity being calculated to make the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance equal to a target value of the inter-vehicle distance; a vehicular velocity servo controller, the vehicular velocity servo controller being responsive to the target value of the vehicular velocity from the inter-vehicle distance controller, calculating a target value of a vehicular force to be exerted by the vehicle to vary the vehicular velocity according to the target value of the vehicular velocity, and distributing the target value of the vehicular force exerted by the vehicle into a vehicular driving force for a vehicular drive system and a vehicular braking force for a vehicular brake system; a comparator, the comparator comparing the detected value of the vehicular velocity with a set lower limit value of the vehicular velocity in a vehicular velocity controllable range; a control release command generator, the control release command generator being responsive to a result of a comparison by the comparator and generating and outputting a release command to release a calculation of the target value of the vehicular velocity by the inter-vehicle distance controller and to release the calculation of the target value of the vehicular force by the vehicular velocity servo controller; and a function generator, the function generator being responsive to the result of the comparison by the comparator and generating and outputting a predetermined function to the vehicular brake system to only continue a control of the vehicular braking force through the vehicular brake system.
The above-described object can be achieved by providing a vehicular velocity controlling method for an automotive vehicle, comprising: detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; detecting a vehicular velocity of the vehicle; calculating a target value of the vehicular velocity, the target value of the vehicular velocity being calculated to make the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance equal to a target value of the inter-vehicle distance; calculating a target value of a vehicular force to be exerted by the vehicle to vary the vehicular velocity according to the target value of the vehicular velocity; distributing the target value of the vehicular force exerted by the vehicle into a vehicular driving force for a vehicular drive system and a vehicular braking force for a vehicular brake system; comparing the detected value of the vehicular velocity with a set lower limit value of the vehicular velocity in a vehicular velocity controllable range; outputting a release command to release a calculation of the target value of the vehicular velocity and to release the calculation of the target value of the vehicular force; and outputting a predetermined function to the vehicular brake system to only continue a control of the vehicular braking force through the vehicular brake system.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4622636 (1986-11-01), Tachibana
patent: 5215159 (1993-06-01), Nishida
patent: 5396426 (1995-03-01), Hibino et al.
patent: 5710565 (1998-01-01), Shirai et al.
patent: 5-104993 (1993-04-01), None
Hashizume Takenori
Higashimata Akira
Iwamoto Hideo
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Donnelly Arthur D.
McDermott & Will & Emery
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
LandOfFree
Apparatus and method for automatically controlling vehicular... does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Apparatus and method for automatically controlling vehicular..., we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Apparatus and method for automatically controlling vehicular... will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2438218