Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-03
2001-01-16
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
C701S093000, C701S300000, C342S070000, C340S903000, C340S904000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06175799
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and method for automatically controlling a vehicular velocity for an automotive vehicle so as to make the vehicular velocity substantially equal to a target vehicular velocity in order to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle, maintaining at a constant inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to the preceding vehicle.
b) Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 7-47864 published on Feb. 21, 1995 exemplifies a previously proposed inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus. In the previously proposed inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus, a safe inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle (also called, a preceding vehicle) is determined with a road surface situation and a vehicular running condition taken into consideration and a vehicular engine output is controlled so that an actual inter-vehicle distance is made coincident with the safe inter-vehicle distance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, since, in the previously proposed inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus, the safe inter-vehicle distance is determined and the vehicular engine output is controlled so that the actual inter-vehicle distance is made coincident with the safe inter-vehicle distance even if the vehicle is running a curved road having an radius of curvature, in a steady state, the vehicle is resulted in running at the same velocity as the preceding vehicle. Hence, there is no guarantee that the vehicular velocity of the preceding vehicle is not always a safe vehicular velocity during the run of the vehicle and the preceding vehicle on the curved road. The vehicular velocity of the preceding vehicle tends to be too fast for a vehicular occupant(s).
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide apparatus and method for automatically controlling a vehicular velocity for an automotive vehicle which can follow up the preceding vehicle at a safe vehicular velocity when the vehicle and the preceding vehicle are running on a curved road.
The above-described object can be achieved by providing a control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: a vehicular velocity detector detecting a vehicular velocity; an inter-vehicle distance detector detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; a target vehicular velocity calculator calculating a target value of the vehicular velocity according to which a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance is made coincident with a target value of the inter-vehicle distance; a vehicular velocity controller, the vehicular velocity controller being responsive to the calculated target value of the vehicular velocity and generating and outputting an actuation command to control the vehicular velocity in such a manner that the detected value of the vehicular velocity is made coincident with the calculated target value of the vehicular velocity; a vehicular velocity variation actuator, the vehicular velocity variation actuator being responsive to the actuation command from the vehicular velocity controller, actuating the vehicle to vary the vehicular velocity so that the detected value of the vehicular velocity is made coincident with the calculated target value of the vehicular velocity; a lateral acceleration detector detecting a lateral acceleration imposed on a vehicle body; and a target vehicular velocity corrector, the target vehicular velocity corrector being responsive to a detected value of the lateral acceleration and correcting the calculated target value of the vehicular velocity according to the detected value of the lateral acceleration.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing a method for controlling a vehicular velocity for an automotive vehicle, comprising: detecting a vehicular velocity; detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; detecting a lateral acceleration imposed on a vehicle body of the vehicle;calculating a target vehicular velocity of the vehicle according to which a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance is made coincident with a target value of the inter-vehicle distance; correcting the calculated target value of the vehicular velocity according to a detected value of the lateral acceleration; controlling the vehicular velocity of the vehicle in such a manner that the detected value of the vehicular velocity is made coincident with the corrected target value of the vehicular velocity; generating an actuation command, the actuation command being responded to the corrected target value of the vehicular velocity; and actuating the vehicle to vary the vehicular velocity to make the detected value of the vehicular velocity coincident with the corrected target value of the vehicular velocity.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5161632 (1992-11-01), Asayama
patent: 5396426 (1995-03-01), Hibino et al.
patent: 5710565 (1998-01-01), Shirai et al.
patent: 5771007 (1998-06-01), Arai et al.
patent: 5934399 (1999-08-01), Iiboshi et al.
patent: 6044321 (2000-03-01), Nakamura et al.
patent: 7-47864 (1995-02-01), None
Higashimata Akira
Iwamoto Hideo
Tsutsumi Junji
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Hernandez Olga
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-2537036