Preceding-vehicle following control system

• US 20070198162A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 08/23/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kubota, Kenta
• Granted Patent: US 7,561,955 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 2201/08 Lane monitoring; Lane Keeping Systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/081 using distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0022 Gains, weighting coefficients or weighting functions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/165 Automatically following the path of a preceding lead vehicle, e.g. "electronic tow-bar"
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9325 for inter-vehicle distance regulation, e.g. navigating in platoons
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/22 Platooning, i.e. convoy of communicating vehicles

Abstract

A preceding-vehicle following control system for a host vehicle is comprised of a road information device (2, 3) for obtaining road information of a road ahead of the host vehicle, a preceding-vehicle detector (1) for obtaining preceding-vehicle information of a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle and a controller (10) connected to the road information device and the preceding vehicle recognizing device. The controller is arranged to determine a road width of the road from the road information, to vary a condition for determining a control characteristic of a control system of a following control for following the preceding vehicle, and to execute the following control on the basis of the condition for determining the control characteristic and the preceding-vehicle information.

Claims

1. A preceding-vehicle following control system for a host vehicle, comprising:

a road information device obtaining road information as to a road traveled by the host vehicle;

a preceding-vehicle recognizing device obtaining preceding-vehicle information of a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle; and

a controller connected to the road information device and the preceding-vehicle recognizing device, the controller being arranged,

to determine a road width of the road from the road information,

to vary a condition for determining a control characteristic of a control system of a following control for following the preceding vehicle,

to execute the following control on the basis of the condition for determining the control characteristic and the preceding-vehicle information, and

to vary a control gain employed for obtaining a target vehicle speed according to the road width indicative information in the execution of the following control.

2. A method of controlling a host vehicle, comprising:

obtaining road width indicative information of a road traveled by the host vehicle;

executing a following control for following a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle according to the road width indicative information; and

varying a control gain employed for obtaining a target vehicle speed according to the road width indicative information in the execution of the following control.

3. A preceding-vehicle following control system for a host vehicle, comprising:

road width obtaining means for obtaining road width indicative information of a road traveled by the host vehicle;

following control means for following a preceding vehicle ahead of the host vehicle upon taking account of the road width indicative information; and

a control gain varying means employed for obtaining a target vehicle speed according to the road width indicative information in the execution of the following control.