Vehicle cruise control apparatus and vehicle cruise control method

• US 10,345,443 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2015
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Masui, Youhei, Nanami, Takeshi, Nishida, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kleinman, Lail A
• Application Number:
  US15/529,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20170329000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,363 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93185 Controlling the brakes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9319 Controlling the accelerator
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9321 Velocity regulation, e.g. cruise control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4026 Antenna boresight
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/403 in azimuth, i.e. in the horizontal plane
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4091 during normal radar operation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A radar device for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves is mounted in a vehicle as an object detection means for detecting an object. A cruise control apparatus includes a trajectory calculation means for calculating a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of an own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the radar device, a route prediction means for calculating a predicted route of the vehicle on the basis of the moving locus of the preceding vehicle calculated by the trajectory calculation means, an axial deviation detection means for detecting the axial deviation of the radar device, and an invalidation processing means for invalidating the predicted route calculated by the route prediction means when it is detected that the axial deviation detection means has detected axial deviation of the radar device.

Claims

1. A vehicle cruise control apparatus for controlling the traveling of an own vehicle on the basis of a predicted route which is a future travel route of the own vehicle, the own vehicle having an inter-vehicle distance sensor for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves provided in the own vehicle as a sensor for detecting an object, the apparatus comprising:

at least one electronic control unit including a processor and memory, the electronic control unit configured to;

calculate a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the inter-vehicle distance sensor and store in the memory the calculated moving locus;

calculate the predicted route on the basis of the stored moving locus of the preceding vehicle and store in the memory the calculated predicted route;

detect the axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor;

invalidate the predicted route stored in the memory in response to an axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor occurring;

set the preceding vehicle present on the predicted route which has not been invalidated among the preceding vehicles as a followed vehicle; and

output a control signal to control a vehicle speed to keep a distance between the own vehicle and the followed vehicle.

2. The vehicle cruise control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:

capture images of the peripheral environment including the traveling road provided in the own vehicle; and

determine whether or not a target deemed to be the same object as the preceding vehicle detected by the inter-vehicle distance sensor is included in the image data acquired by the imaging device, wherein

invalidate the predicted route in response to the target being determined to be excluded in the case in which it was detected that an axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor occurs, and validates the predicted route in response to determining that the target is included.

3. The vehicle cruise control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to:

calculate the predicted route on the basis of the yaw velocity of the own vehicle; and

invalidate the predicted route when an axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor occurs, and validates the predicted route.

4. A vehicle cruise control method for controlling the traveling of an own vehicle on the basis of a predicted route which is a future travel route of the own vehicle, wherein an inter-vehicle distance sensor for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves is provided in the own vehicle as an object detection means for detecting an object, the method comprising:

calculating a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the inter-vehicle distance sensor;

calculating the predicted route on the basis of the moving locus of the preceding vehicle;

detecting the axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor; and

invalidating the predicted route in response to an axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor occurring.

5. A vehicle cruise control apparatus for controlling the traveling of an own vehicle on the basis of a predicted route which is a future travel route of the own vehicle, the own vehicle having an inter-vehicle distance sensor for detecting a distance between vehicles by the transmission and reception of survey waves provided in the own vehicle as a sensor for detecting an object, the apparatus comprising:

a memory;

a processor communicable to the memory and the inter-vehicle distance sensor; and

a set of computer-executable instructions stored on the memory that cause the processor to implement;

calculating a moving locus of a preceding vehicle traveling in front of the own vehicle on the basis of the detection result of the inter-vehicle distance sensor and storing in the memory the calculated moving locus;

calculating the predicted route on the basis of the stored moving locus of the preceding vehicle and store in the memory the calculated predicted route;

detecting the axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor;

invalidating the predicted route stored in the memory in response to the processor detecting that an axial deviation of the inter-vehicle distance sensor occurs;

setting the preceding vehicle present on the predicted route which has not been invalidated among the preceding vehicles as a followed vehicle; and

outputting a control signal to control a vehicle speed to keep a distance between the own vehicle and the followed vehicle.