Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-01-14
2001-05-15
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, C701S301000, C342S070000, C340S903000, C340S904000, C180S167000, C180S169000, C356S003000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06233516
ABSTRACT:
The contents of the Application No. Heisei 10-5577, with a filing date of Jan. 14, 1998 in Japan, are herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle and, more particularly, relates to inter-vehicle distance control apparatus and method for controlling an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle, maintaining the inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle at a determined distance value to follow up the preceding vehicle.
b) Description of the Related Art
A Japanese Patent Application First Publication No. Heisei 6-8747 published on Jan. 14, 1994 exemplifies a previously proposed vehicular inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus.
In the previously proposed inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus disclosed in the above-identified Japanese Patent Application Publication, a target vehicle speed is set, an actual inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and another preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the vehicle is measured, and a target inter-vehicle distance to the other preceding vehicle is calculated according to the instantaneous vehicle speed.
When the calculated target inter-vehicle distance is larger (longer) than the actual inter-vehicle distance, a vehicular speed controller determines that the vehicle is too be approached to the other preceding vehicle and performs a deceleration control to decelerate the vehicle.
On the contrary, when the calculated target inter-vehicle distance is smaller (shorter) than the actual inter-vehicle distance, the vehicular speed controller determines that the vehicle is running at a safe position with respect to the other preceding vehicle and performs an acceleration control with an acceleration which is in accordance with a difference between the target vehicle speed and the actual vehicle speed.
Furthermore, when a right winker of the vehicle indicates that the vehicle is running at a right direction with respect to the width of the vehicle from an output signal of a winker switch and a steering angular displacement is equal to or in excess of a predetermined value, the vehicular speed controller recognizes that the vehicle is changing a traffic lane to another traffic lane in order to turn over the preceding vehicle and calculates the target inter-vehicle distance on the basis of the instantaneous vehicle speed. When the calculated target inter-vehicle distance is larger than the actual inter-vehicle distance detected by a radar unit which constitutes the inter-vehicle distance detector, the vehicular speed controller determines that the vehicle is too be approached to the other preceding vehicle and performs the deceleration control. When the target inter-vehicle distance is smaller (shorter) than the actual inter-vehicle distance, the controller determines that the vehicle is running at a safe distance with respect to the preceding vehicle so that the target vehicle velocity is incrementally corrected to perform the acceleration control.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, in the previously proposed inter-vehicle distance controlling apparatus described in the BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION, the acceleration control is performed when the target inter-vehicle distance based on the present vehicle velocity is shorter (smaller) than the actual inter-vehicle distance, the target vehicle speed is incrementally corrected to provide the target vehicle speed correction value upon the confirmation that the lane change is carried out, and the vehicle is accelerated up to the target vehicle speed correction value when the target inter-vehicle distance is still smaller than the actual inter-vehicle distance.
In addition, since the radar unit used to detect the inter-vehicle distance has a directivity, suppose, for example, a case where when the other preceding vehicle is running at the vehicle speed slower than the target vehicle speed and the (controlled) vehicle is running to follow up the preceding vehicle maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance with respect to the preceding vehicle, the preceding vehicle is about to turn a corner having a smaller radius of turn (a more tight corner). At this time, if the radar unit cannot trap the preceding vehicle, the vehicle speed controller would determine that the preceding vehicle is not present and the actual inter-vehicle distance is infinite. In spite of the fact that the controlled vehicle is about to enter the tight corner, the controlled vehicle is transferred into the acceleration state so that a different sense of feeling is give to a driver of the controlled vehicle.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle which maintain a present vehicular running state during the run of the vehicle at an inter-vehicle distance immediately before an inter-vehicle distance detector becomes physically impossible to detect the preceding vehicle due to an outside of a preceding vehicle trapping range by the radar unit, the vehicle being run to follow up the preceding vehicle so as to prevent a different sense of feeling due to an unintentional acceleration against the vehicle from being given to the driver of the (controlled) vehicle.
The above-described object can be achieved by providing a control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: an inter-vehicle distance detector for detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle running on a traffic lane at the detected inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle; a vehicular running controller for performing a follow-up running control for the vehicle such that the vehicle runs behind the other vehicle, maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle; and a vehicular velocity variation inhibit command generator for generating and outputting a vehicular velocity variation inhibit command to the vehicular running controller to maintain a vehicular running state immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detector changes from a first state in which the inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle is being detected into a second state in which the inter-vehicle distance becomes indetectable is continued for a duration of time until the vehicle passes the traffic lane by the inter-vehicle distance immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detector changes from the first state into the second state.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing a control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: inter-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle running on a traffic lane at the detected inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle; vehicular running controlling means for performing a follow-up running control for the vehicle such that the vehicle runs behind the other vehicle, maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle; and vehicular velocity variation inhibit command generating means for generating and outputting a vehicular velocity variation inhibit command to the vehicular running controlling means to maintain a vehicular running state immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detecting means changes from a first state in which the inter-vehicle distance to the other vehicle is being detected into a second state in which the inter-vehicle distance becomes indetectable is continued for a duration of time until the vehicle passes the traffic lane by the inter-vehicle distance immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detecting means changes from the first state into the second state.
The above-described object can also be achieved by providing a control method for an automotive vehicle, comprising the steps of: detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to another vehicle running on a traffic lane at the detected inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle through an inter-vehicle distance
Foley & Lardner
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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