Vehicle control system

• US 20050171675A1
• Filed: 10/27/2004
• Published: 08/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Sato, Hiroshi, Inoue, Shigeru, Sawamoto, Kiichiro
• Granted Patent: US 7,206,686 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: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

When a deceleration intention detector detects that an occupant has apprehension about a condition ahead of his own vehicle and attempts to decelerate the own vehicle, a detection area setter enlarges a detection area in which a control object is detected, upon a command from a control object determinator. Therefore, a new control object such as a cutting-in vehicle can be more reliably detected in accordance with an increase in an amount of attention which the occupant pays to the condition ahead of the own vehicle. As a result, a vehicle controller changes a vehicle control content of the own vehicle, thereby performing an appropriate vehicle control with respect to the newly detected control object to eliminate a sense of discomfort of the occupant.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system comprising:

an object detector for detecting an object ahead of an own vehicle;

a locus estimator for estimating a travel locus of the own vehicle;

a control object determinator for determining a control object in order to control travel of the own vehicle based on outputs of the object detector and the locus estimator, and a predetermined control object determination condition; and

a vehicle controller for performing a vehicle control of the own vehicle based on an output of the control object determinator,

wherein the vehicle control system further comprises a deceleration intention detector for detecting a deceleration intention of an occupant,

wherein the control object determinator changes the control object determination condition based on a detection result of the deceleration intention detector, and

wherein the vehicle controller changes a vehicle control content of the own vehicle when there is an object which is newly determined as a control object based on the changed control object determination condition.

2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein when a tracking travel control is being performed with respect to a preceding vehicle determined by the control object determinator,

if deceleration intention of the occupant is detected by the deceleration intention detector, the control object determinator enlarges a detection area for determining the control object, and

if a new control object exists in the enlarged detection area and the own vehicle is under an acceleration control, the vehicle controller performs a control of any one of stopping the acceleration control, decreasing acceleration gain and increasing an inter-vehicle distance from the control object.

3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein when a tracking travel control is being performed with respect to a preceding vehicle determined by the control object determinator,

if deceleration intention of the occupant is detected by the deceleration intention detector, the control object determinator enlarges a detection area for determining the control object, and

if a new control object exists in the enlarged detection area and the own vehicle is under a constant speed control, the vehicle controller performs a control of any one of delaying acceleration start timing, increasing an inter-vehicle distance from the control object and decreasing a constant speed travel set vehicle speed.

4. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein when a tracking travel control is being performed with respect to a preceding vehicle determined by the control object determinator,

if deceleration intention of the occupant is detected by the deceleration intention detector, the control object determinator enlarges a detection area for determining the control object, and

if a new control object exists in the enlarged detection area and the own vehicle is under a deceleration control, the vehicle controller performs a control of any one of increasing deceleration gain, increasing an inter-vehicle distance from the control object and decreasing a constant speed travel set vehicle speed.

5. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein when the control object is not determined by the control object determinator,

if deceleration intention of the occupant is detected by the deceleration intention detector, the control object determinator enlarges a detection area for determining the control object, and

if a new control object exists in an enlarged detection area, and the own vehicle is under an acceleration control, the vehicle controller performs a control of any one of stopping the acceleration control and decreasing acceleration gain.

6. The vehicle control system according to claim 1,

wherein when the control object is not determined by the control object determinator,

if deceleration intention of the occupant is detected by the deceleration intention detector, the control object determinator enlarges a detection area for determining the control object, and

if a new control object exists in an enlarged detection area, and the own vehicle is under a constant speed control, the vehicle controller performs a control of any one of delaying acceleration start timing and decreasing a constant speed travel set vehicle speed.