Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-12
2001-10-02
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
C340S435000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06298298
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to vehicular velocity controlling apparatus and method to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle with an appropriate inter-vehicle distance maintained.
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 vehicular velocity controlling apparatus enabled for the vehicle to follow up the preceding vehicle at a safe inter-vehicle distance.
In the previously proposed vehicular velocity controlling apparatus, the safe inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is determined with a road surface condition and a vehicular running state taken into consideration and an engine output is controlled to make an actual inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle substantially equal to the safe inter-vehicle distance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Since, in the previously proposed vehicular velocity controlling apparatus, the safe inter-vehicle distance is determined and the engine output is controlled to make the actual inter-vehicle distance coincident with the safe inter-vehicle distance even when the vehicle is running on a curved road, the vehicle is, in a steady state, running to follow up the preceding vehicle at the same velocity as the preceding vehicle. Hence, it cannot be guaranteed that the vehicular velocity on the curved road is appropriate for the vehicle to run on the curved road. The vehicular velocity of the preceding vehicle is often too fast to a vehicular occupant(s). Consequently, the same vehicular velocity as the preceding vehicle gives the vehicular driver a mismatch to the driver's driving sense.
Another proposed vehicular velocity controlling apparatus has been proposed in which a vehicular velocity decrement variable (deceleration) of a target vehicular velocity is calculated uniquely according to a magnitude of a lateral acceleration developed on a vehicular body of the vehicle and the target vehicular velocity is corrected in accordance with the decrement variable. In the other previously proposed vehicular velocity controlling apparatus, such a trade-off would occur that the vehicle is too decelerated in a low velocity region and, on the other hand, has insufficient decrement variable in a high velocity region.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide vehicular velocity controlling apparatus and method which can perform an appropriate preceding vehicle follow-up run control during a turning of the vehicle on a curved road (so-called, a cornering) without giving the vehicular driver a mismatch to the driver's sense of a vehicular driving.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising: an inter-vehicle distance detector to detect an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; a relative velocity detector to detect a relative velocity of the vehicle to the preceding vehicle; a vehicular velocity detector to detect a vehicular velocity of the vehicle; an inter-vehicle distance controlling section that calculates a target value of the vehicular velocity to make a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance substantially equal to a target value of the inter-vehicle distance on the basis of the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance and a detected value of the vehicular velocity; a vehicular velocity controlling section that controls the vehicular velocity to make the detected value of the vehicular velocity substantially equal to the target value of the vehicular velocity; a vehicular turning magnitude detector to detect a magnitude of a turning of the vehicle, a correction coefficient calculating section that calculates a correction coefficient of the magnitude of the turning in accordance with the detected value of the vehicular velocity; and a target vehicular velocity correcting section that corrects the target value of the vehicular velocity on the basis of the turning magnitude correction coefficient by which the detected value of the turning magnitude is corrected.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular velocity controlling method for an automotive vehicle, comprising: detecting an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle; detecting a relative velocity of the vehicle to the preceding vehicle; detecting a vehicular velocity of the vehicle; calculating a target value of the vehicular velocity to make a detected value of the inter-vehicle distance substantially equal to a target value of the inter-vehicle distance on the basis of the detected value of the inter-vehicle distance and a detected value of the vehicular velocity; controlling the vehicular velocity to make the detected value of the vehicular velocity substantially equal to the target value of the vehicular velocity; detecting a magnitude of a turning of the vehicle; calculating a correction coefficient of the magnitude of the turning of the vehicle in accordance with the detected value of the vehicular velocity; and correcting the target value of the vehicular velocity on the basis of the turning magnitude correction coefficient by which the detected value of the turning magnitude is corrected.
This summary of the invention does not necessarily describe all necessary features so that the invention may also be a sub-combination of these described features.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4757450 (1988-07-01), Etoh
patent: 5161632 (1992-11-01), Asayama
patent: 6081762 (2000-06-01), Richardson et al.
patent: 6161073 (2000-12-01), Tange et al.
patent: 7-47864 (1995-02-01), None
patent: 11-314537 (1999-11-01), None
Asada Tetsuya
Egawa Kenichi
Higashimata Akira
Tange Satoshi
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Foley & Lardner
Hernandez Olga
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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