Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-26
2001-08-28
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
C701S092000, C701S093000, C701S091000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06282484
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cruise control apparatus for automatically controlling the running speed of a car to a set value.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the cruise control apparatus that automatically controls the traveling speed of a car to a specified value, the turning on of a command switch causes the car speed at the turn-on operation to be stored in a controller and, depending on a difference between a memory car speed and an actual car speed, a cruise command signal is given to a motor-driven actuator, which in turn drives a throttle valve to execute a cruise control to match the actual car speed to the memory car speed. As a result, the car cruises at a constant speed.
The cruise control apparatus described above, however, has a problem that when the command switch is used frequently or when the cruise control is performed while the car is traveling on a road with long, continuous up and down slopes, the frequency of the actuator increases, raising the temperature of the actuator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cruise control apparatus that can prevent an increase in the actuator temperature to improve the reliability of the actuator.
The cruise control apparatus according to a first aspect of the invention comprises an actuator to open and close a throttle valve; a controller to drive and control the actuator; and an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; wherein the controller cancels a cruise control when temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means exceeds a predetermined value.
The cruise control apparatus according to a second aspect of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control unit to give an actuator a drive signal for cruising at a constant speed upon receiving the cruise command signal generated by the command switch; an actuator to control the opening and closing of a throttle valve of an engine according to the drive signal from the controller; an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; a temperature check means to check whether temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined value and, when it decides that the temperature data is in excess of the predetermined value, generate an output signal; and a cancel means to apply to the control unit a cancel command signal for stopping the cruising while it is supplied with the output signal from the temperature check means.
The cruise control apparatus according to a third aspect of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control unit to give an actuator a drive signal for cruising at a constant speed upon receiving the cruise command signal generated by the command switch; an actuator to control the opening and closing of a throttle valve of an engine according to the drive signal from the controller; an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; and a temperature check means to check whether temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined value and, when it decides that the temperature data is in excess of the predetermined value, generate an output signal; wherein the control unit disables the acceptance of the cruise command signal from the command switch while the temperature check means is generating the output signal.
The cruise control apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control unit to give an actuator a drive signal for cruising at a constant speed upon receiving the cruise command signal generated by the command switch; an actuator to control the opening and closing of a throttle valve of an engine according to the drive signal from the controller; an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; a temperature check means to check whether temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined value and, when it decides that the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a first value, generate an output signal and continue to generate the output signal until the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is below a predetermined second value, the second value being lower than the first value; and a cancel means to generate a cancel command signal for stopping the cruising while it is supplied with the output signal from the temperature check means.
The cruise control apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control unit to give an actuator a drive signal for cruising at a constant speed upon receiving the cruise command signal generated by the command switch; an actuator to control the opening and closing of a throttle valve of an engine according to the drive signal from the controller; an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; and a temperature check means to check whether temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined value and, when it decides that the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a first value, generate an output signal and continue to hold the output signal until the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is below a predetermined second value, the second value being lower than the first value; wherein the control unit disables the acceptance of the cruise command signal from the command switch while the temperature check means is generating the output signal.
The cruise control apparatus according to a sixth of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control unit to give an actuator a drive signal for cruising at a constant speed upon receiving the cruise command signal generated by the command switch; an actuator to control the opening and closing of a throttle valve of an engine according to the drive signal from the controller; an actuator temperature estimation means to estimate an ambient temperature of the actuator based on a frequency of operation of the actuator; and a temperature check means to check whether temperature data given by the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined value; and a cancel means to generate an output signal when the temperature check means decides that the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is in excess of a predetermined first value, and to apply a cancel command signal to the control unit while the cancel means is supplied with the output signal from the temperature check means until the temperature data from the actuator temperature estimation means is below a predetermined second value, the second value being lower than the first value; wherein the control unit disables the acceptance of the cruise command signal from the command switch while the temperature check means is generating the output signal.
The cruise control apparatus according to a seventh aspect of the invention comprises a command switch operated to generate a cruise command signal for performing cruising; a controller having a control un
Enomoto Keiichi
Hasegawa Satoru
Hori Eisaku
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Farber Martin A.
Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Marc-Coleman Marthe Y.
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