Deceleration control apparatus and deceleration control method for vehicle

• US 20060030992A1
• Filed: 07/13/2005
• Published: 02/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/26/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Shiiba, Kazuyuki, Iwatsuki, Kunihiro
• Application Number:
  US11/179,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20060030992A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/04 Hill descent control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/663 Road slope
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/666 Determining road conditions by using vehicle location or position, e.g. from global navigation systems [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/66 Road conditions, e.g. slope, slippery
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/21 Providing engine brake control

Abstract

With a deceleration control apparatus and method for a vehicle, which performs deceleration control of a vehicle based on at least a road inclination when a driver'"'"'s intention to decelerate the vehicle is detected, at least one of a deceleration applied to the vehicle and a threshold used in performing the deceleration control is changed based on a change of a road inclination of a to-be-taken road located ahead of a cruising road on which the vehicle is presently running or will run soon with respect to a road inclination of the cruising road, the change corresponding to a downhill inclination with respect to the cruising road.

Claims

1. A deceleration control apparatus for controlling a deceleration of a vehicle based on at least a road inclination, comprising:

a controller configured to change at least one of a deceleration applied to the vehicle and a threshold used in performing the deceleration control based on a change of a road inclination of a to-be-taken road located ahead of a cruising road on which the vehicle is presently running or will run soon with respect to a road inclination of the cruising road, wherein;

the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road corresponds to a downhill inclination with respect to the cruising road.

2. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to change at least one of the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control when a distance between a present vehicle position and a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs is longer than a predetermined distance.

3. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

the controller sets the predetermined distance based on a speed of the vehicle.

4. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

the controller sets the predetermined distance to be longer as the speed of the vehicle increases.

5. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to restrict upshifting after the vehicle has passed a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

6. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller is configured to change both the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control.

7. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the controller is configured to change both the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control when a distance between a present vehicle position and a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs is longer than a predetermined distance.

8. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein:

the controller sets the predetermined distance based on a speed of the vehicle.

9. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

the controller sets the predetermined distance to be longer as the speed of the vehicle increases.

10. The deceleration control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

the controller is configured to restrict upshifting after the vehicle has passed a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

11. A deceleration control method for controlling a deceleration of a vehicle based on at least a road inclination, comprising the steps of:

detecting a change of a road inclination of a to-be-taken road located ahead of a cruising road on which the vehicle is presently running or will run soon with respect to a road inclination of the cruising road; and

changing at least one of deceleration applied to the vehicle and a threshold used in performing the deceleration control based on the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road, wherein;

the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road corresponds to a downhill inclination with respect to the cruising road.

12. The deceleration control method according to claim 11, wherein:

at least one of the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control is changed when a distance between a present vehicle position and a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs is longer than a predetermined distance.

13. The deceleration control method according to claim 12, wherein:

the predetermined distance is set based on a speed of the vehicle.

14. The deceleration control method according to claim 13, wherein:

the predetermined distance is set to be longer as the speed of the vehicle increases.

15. The deceleration control method according to claim 11, further comprising the step of:

restricting upshifting after the vehicle has passed the point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

16. The deceleration control method according to claim 12, further comprising the step of:

restricting upshifting after the vehicle has passed the point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

17. The deceleration control method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of:

restricting upshifting after the vehicle has passed the point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

18. The deceleration control method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of:

restricting upshifting after the vehicle has passed the point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs.

19. The deceleration control method according to claim 11, wherein the changing step comprises:

changing both the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control.

20. The deceleration control method according to claim 19, further comprising the step of:

restricting upshifting after the vehicle has passed the point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs, wherein;

the deceleration applied to the vehicle and the threshold used in performing the deceleration control are changed when a distance between a present vehicle position and a point at which the change of the road inclination of the to-be-taken road with respect to the road inclination of the cruising road occurs is longer than a predetermined distance.