Vehicle vilocity control apparatus and method with preceding vehicle following control function

• US 20020111733A1
• Filed: 01/29/2002
• Published: 08/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Yosuke, Yamamura, Yoshinori, Seto, Yoji, Inoue, Hideaki, Akabori, Kouichi
• Granted Patent: US 6,640,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

In vehicle velocity control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, a first following control is allowed to be executed when a vehicle velocity of the vehicle (host vehicle) Vcar is equal to or higher than a first set vehicle velocity V1 and a second following control is allowed to be executed when the vehicle velocity of the host vehicle Vcar is equal to or lower than a second set vehicle velocity V2 which is lower than first set vehicle velocity V1 . Hence, a vehicle driver can accurately determine which of the first and second following controls is being executed by confirming the vehicle velocity of the host vehicle Vcar at which the corresponding one of the controls is started to be executed through a speedometer of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle velocity detecting section that detects a velocity of the vehicle;

a preceding vehicle detecting section that detects a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle;

a first following vehicle velocity control section that executes a first following control to control the vehicle velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle velocity of the vehicle substantially equal to a predetermined vehicle velocity when no preceding vehicle is detected and, when the preceding vehicle is detected, to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle with the predetermined vehicle velocity as an upper limit on the basis of detected results by the vehicle velocity detecting section and the preceding vehicle detecting section;

a first following control start requesting section that requests the first following vehicle velocity control section to start the first following control;

a second following vehicle velocity control section that executes a second following control to control the velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is detected on the basis of the detected results by the vehicle velocity detecting section and the preceding vehicle detecting section;

a second following control start requesting section that requests the second following vehicle velocity control section to start the second following control;

a first request allowing section, included in the first following vehicle velocity control section, that allows the request to start the first following control from the first following control start requesting section when the vehicle velocity of the vehicle detected by the vehicle velocity detecting section falls in a velocity range equal to or higher than a preset first set vehicle velocity; and

a second request allowing section, included in the second following vehicle velocity control section, that allows the request to start the second following control from the second control start requesting section when the velocity of the vehicle falls in another velocity range which is equal to or lower than a preset second set vehicle velocity which is lower than the first set vehicle velocity.

2. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first following vehicle velocity control section comprises a first following control stop section that stops the first following control when the vehicle velocity of the vehicle detected by the vehicle velocity detecting section becomes lower than the first set vehicle velocity.

3. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second request allowing section rejects the request to start the second following control from the second following control start requesting section for a predetermined period of time from a time at which the first following control stop section stops the first following control.

4. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a deceleration manipulation detecting section that detects a deceleration manipulation by a vehicle driver and wherein the second request allowing section allows the request to start the second following control from the second following control start requesting section when the velocity of the vehicle detected by the vehicle velocity detecting section becomes equal to or lower than the second set vehicle velocity according to the deceleration manipulation by the vehicle driver detected by the deceleration manipulation detecting section after the first following control stop section stops the first following control.

5. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a deceleration reduction control section that executes a deceleration reduction control to gradually reduce the deceleration of the vehicle after the first following control stop section stops the first following control and wherein the second request allowing section rejects the request to start the second following control from the second control start requesting section while the deceleration reduction control section executes the deceleration reduction control.

6. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a deceleration reduction control section that executes a deceleration reduction control to gradually reduce the deceleration of the vehicle after the first following control stop section stops the first following control and wherein the second following vehicle velocity control section executes the second following control, with a vehicular motion at a time point at which the second request allowing section allows the request to start the second following control from the second following control start requesting section as an initial value, while the deceleration reduction control section executes the deceleration reduction control.

7. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second following vehicle control section comprises a second following control stop section that stops the second following control when the vehicle velocity of the vehicle detected by the vehicle velocity detecting section become higher than the second set vehicle velocity.

8. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an acceleration manipulation detecting section that detects an acceleration manipulation by a vehicle driver and wherein the first request allowing section allows the request to start the first following control when the request to start the first following control is issued from the first following control start requesting section while the acceleration manipulation detecting section detects the acceleration manipulation by the driver and the acceleration manipulation is ended in a state in which the velocity of the vehicle falls in the velocity range which is equal to or higher than the first set vehicle velocity.

9. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an acceleration manipulation detecting section that detects an acceleration manipulation by a vehicle driver and wherein the first request allowing section rejects the request to start the first following control when the request to start the first following control is issued from the first following control start requesting section while the acceleration manipulation detecting section detects the acceleration manipulation by the driver and the acceleration manipulation by the driver detected by the acceleration manipulation detecting section is continued for a predetermined period of time from a time point at which the request to start the first following control is issued from the first following control start requesting section.

10. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein the deceleration reduction control section comprises a target brake liquid pressure calculation section that calculates a present target brake liquid pressure P*(n) as follows:

P*(n)=P*(n−

1)−

Δ

Pc, wherein P*(n−

1) denotes one control period previous value of the target brake liquid pressure and Δ

Pc denotes a constant pressure value;

after the first following control stop section stops the first following control stop section stops the first following control.

11. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the second request allowing section allows the request to start the second following control from the second control start requesting section when the target brake liquid pressure P*(n) is reduced to zero.

12. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein the deceleration control section comprises a target acceleration/deceleration calculation section that calculates a present target acceleration/deceleration G*(n) as follows:

G*(n)=G*(n−

1)+Δ

Gc, wherein Δ

Gc >

0 and wherein the second request allowing section rejects the request to start the second following control from the second control start requesting section while the target brake liquid pressure P*(n) is reduced toward zero and the target acceleration/deceleration G*(n) is approaching to zero.

13. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 12, further comprising a timer to measure a time duration from a time at which the first following control stop section stops the first following control and wherein the second request allowing section rejects the request to start the second following control from the second following control start requesting section until the time duration measured by the timer becomes equal to or longer than a predetermined period of time.

14. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 6, wherein the vehicular motion comprises a target acceleration/deceleration of the vehicle.

15. A vehicle velocity control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

vehicle velocity detecting means for detecting a velocity of the vehicle;

preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle;

first following vehicle velocity control means for executing a first following control to control the vehicle velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle velocity of the vehicle substantially equal to a predetermined vehicle velocity when no preceding vehicle is detected and, when the preceding vehicle is detected, to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle with the predetermined vehicle velocity as an upper limit on the basis of detected results by the vehicle velocity detecting means and the preceding vehicle detecting means;

first following control start requesting means for requesting the first following vehicle velocity control section to start the first following control;

second following vehicle velocity control means for executing a second following control to control the velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is detected on the basis of the detected results by the vehicle velocity detecting means and the preceding vehicle detecting means;

second following control start requesting means for requesting the second following vehicle velocity control section to start the second following control;

first request allowing means, included in the first following vehicle velocity control means, for allowing the request to start the first following control from the first following control start requesting means when the vehicle velocity of the vehicle detected by the vehicle velocity detecting means falls in a velocity range equal to or higher than a preset first set vehicle velocity; and

second request allowing means, included in the second following vehicle velocity control means, for allowing the request to start the second following control from the second control start requesting means when the velocity of the vehicle falls in another velocity range which is equal to or lower than a preset second set vehicle velocity which is lower than the first set vehicle velocity.

16. A vehicle velocity control method for an automotive vehicle, comprising:

detecting a velocity of the vehicle;

detecting a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle;

executing a first following control to control the vehicle velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle velocity of the vehicle substantially equal to a predetermined vehicle velocity when no preceding vehicle is detected and, when the preceding vehicle is detected, to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle with the predetermined vehicle velocity as an upper limit on the basis of detected results in detecting the vehicle velocity of the vehicle and detecting the preceding vehicle;

requesting to start the first following control;

executing a second following control to control the velocity of the vehicle to make the vehicle follow the preceding vehicle when the preceding vehicle is detected on the basis of the detected results in detecting the vehicle velocity of the vehicle and detecting the preceding vehicle;

requesting to start the second following control;

allowing the request to start the first following control when the detected vehicle velocity of the vehicle falls in a velocity range equal to or higher than a preset first set vehicle velocity; and

allowing the request to start the second following control when the detected velocity of the vehicle falls in another velocity range which is equal to or lower than a preset second set vehicle velocity which is lower than the first set vehicle velocity.