Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-30
2001-05-22
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
C701S051000, C701S084000, C701S085000, C701S087000, C701S091000, C701S094000, C123S349000, C123S436000, C123S479000, C180S174000, C180S175000, C180S176000, C180S178000, C180S179000, C180S197000, C477S107000, C477S108000, C477S110000, C477S174000, C477S040000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06236929
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an auto-cruise controller to control the travel speed of a vehicle so that the actual speed is equal to the target speed.
2. Description of the Related art
Generally, in the auto-cruise controller of prior systems, the target speed of the vehicle is set corresponding to the speed of the vehicle when an auto-cruise switch is set as the vehicle travels and the throttle angle of an engine is calculated so that the detected actual vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed, and the control is carried out with a predetermined control period so that a predetermined throttle angle can be obtained.
Then, when the vehicle comes to such a state that the target vehicle speed and the actual vehicle speed are almost balanced with each other with the fully closed throttle on a descending slope condition, fully closed and slightly opened conditions of the throttle repeatedly occur by the control of the auto-cruise, and as a result, the fuel-cut condition by the fully closed throttle and the return of the throttle to an opened condition are repeated, resulting in hunting of the fuel-cut.
Further, in the case where, while a switch is turned on in the deceleration direction during auto-cruising, the vehicle speed is decelerated at a predetermined deceleration, and when it is turned off, the target vehicle speed is downwardly adjusted; so-called coast adjustment is conducted, or in the case where the actual vehicle speed is converged into the target vehicle speed by a predetermined deceleration when the actual vehicle speed is increased some degree higher than the target vehicle speed by the temporary acceleration at the time of passing or the like, the constant deceleration control is carried out. In this case also, the fully closed condition and the slightly opened condition of the throttle are repeated in its constant deceleration control, resulting in hunting of the fuel-cut.
The problem to be solved is as follows: only by controlling the throttle angle of an engine so that the actual vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed, a situation occurs in which the fully closed condition and the slightly opened condition of the throttle are repeated at the time of descending a slope or the constant deceleration control of the vehicle in the auto-cruising, and the hunting of the fuel-cut occurs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to avoid the situation in which the fully closed condition and the slightly opened condition of the throttle are repeated at the time of slope descending of the vehicle and hunting of the fuel-cut occurs, in the auto-cruise controller by which the throttle angle is controlled so that the actual vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed.
In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided an auto-cruise controller in which a target vehicle speed is set, and a throttle angle of an engine is controlled so that a detected actual vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed, the auto-cruise controller comprising: means for controlling a pressure of a lock-up clutch in an automatic transmission with a lock-up mechanism; means for judging a slope descending condition of a vehicle during an auto-cruising control; and means for calculating an amount to be controlled of the lock-up clutch pressure correspondingly to a difference between the actual vehicle speed and the target vehicle speed at the time of judgement of the slope descending condition, wherein the pressure control of the lock-up clutch is performed based on the amount to be controlled of the lock-up clutch pressure, which is calculated at the time of the judgement of the slope descending condition.
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Itoh Akira
Sen Naoto
Yamada Kimiaki
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Mancho Ronnie
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