ADAPTIVE SPEED CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20100217494A1
• Filed: 02/20/2009
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Technical Center North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: TSUDA, Hiroshi, NAKAMURA, Masahide, KAWAZOE, Hiroshi, HEFT, Ron
• Granted Patent: US 8,843,292 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• 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: B60T 8/32 responsive to a speed condition, e.g. acceleration or deceleration using electrical circuitry or regulation means B60T8/17 ; B60T8/28 takes precedence; electric devices on electrically propelled vehicles indicating the wheel slip B60L3/10; measuring linear or angular speed per se G01P3/00

Abstract

An adaptive speed control device includes a posted speed change detecting section, a notification section, a set speed signal receiving section, and an adaptive speed control section. The posted speed change detecting section is configured to detect an upcoming change to a posted speed limit at. The notification section is configured to control a user interface device to notify a new posted speed limit at a prescribed notification timing before the vehicle reaches a transition point. The set speed signal receiving section is configured to accept a set speed signal from a user input device. The adaptive speed control section is configured to change a set speed of the vehicle according to the new posted speed limit and to automatically change a speed to the set speed upon receiving the set speed signal at or after a prescribed activation timing that occurs simultaneously with or after the prescribed notification timing.

Claims

1. An adaptive speed control device installed in a host vehicle comprising:

a posted speed change detecting section configured to detect an upcoming change from a current posted speed limit to a new posted speed limit at a transition point along a host vehicle'"'"'s expected path;

a notification section configured to control a user interface device installed in the host vehicle to notify a user of the new posted speed limit at a prescribed notification timing before the host vehicle reaches the transition point;

a set speed signal receiving section configured to accept a set speed signal from a user input device installed in the host vehicle; and

an adaptive speed control section configured to change a set speed of the host vehicle in accordance with the new posted speed limit and to control a vehicle speed controller of the host vehicle to automatically change a speed of the host vehicle to the set speed upon the set speed signal receiving section receiving the set speed signal at or after a prescribed activation timing that occurs simultaneously with or after the prescribed notification timing.

2. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the notification section is configured to control the user interface device to notify the user of the new posted speed limit at the prescribed notification timing that is between 7 and 9 seconds before the host vehicle reaches the transition point.

3. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the prescribed activation timing is simultaneous with the prescribed notification timing.

4. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the prescribed activation timing occurs after the prescribed notification timing.

5. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the adaptive speed control section is further configured to change the set speed of the host vehicle in accordance with the current posted speed limit and to control the vehicle speed controller of the host vehicle to automatically change the speed of the host vehicle to the set speed upon the set speed signal receiving section receiving the set speed signal prior to the prescribed activation timing.

6. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the adaptive speed control section is configured to control the vehicle speed controller of the host vehicle to automatically change the speed of the host vehicle to match the set speed at or after the host vehicle reaches the transition point.

7. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the posted speed change detecting section is configured to detect the upcoming change by referring to a map database containing information corresponding to posted speed limits for roadway segments and transition points of the posted speed limits.

8. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the notification section is configured to control the user interface device to provide a visual output indicative of the new posted speed limit at the prescribed notification timing.

9. The adaptive speed control device according to claim 1, wherein

the notification section is configured to control the user interface device to provide an audio output to notify the user of the upcoming change from the current posted speed limit to the new posted speed limit at the prescribed notification timing.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a user interface device including a user input device;

a vehicle speed controller configured and arranged to automatically control a speed of the vehicle; and

an adaptive speed control device operatively coupled to the user interface device and the vehicle speed controller, the adaptive speed control device including

a posted speed change detecting section configured to detect an upcoming change from a current posted speed limit to a new posted speed limit at a transition point along a vehicle'"'"'s expected path;

a notification section configured to control the user interface device to notify a user of the new posted speed limit at a prescribed notification timing before the vehicle reaches the transition point;

a set speed signal receiving section configured to accept a set speed signal from the user input device; and

an adaptive speed control section configured to change a set speed of the vehicle in accordance with the new posted speed limit and to control a vehicle speed controller to automatically change a speed of the vehicle to the set speed upon the set speed signal receiving section receiving the set speed signal at or after a prescribed activation timing that occurs simultaneously with or after the prescribed notification timing.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the notification section of the adaptive speed control device is configured to control the user interface device to notify the user of the new posted speed limit at the prescribed notification timing that is between 7 and 9 seconds before the vehicle reaches the transition point.

12. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the prescribed activation timing is simultaneous with the prescribed notification timing.

13. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the prescribed activation timing occurs after the prescribed notification timing.

14. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the adaptive speed control section of the adaptive speed control device is further configured to change the set speed of the vehicle in accordance with the current posted speed limit and to control the vehicle speed controller to automatically change the speed of the vehicle to the set speed upon the set speed signal receiving section receiving the set speed signal prior to the prescribed activation timing.

15. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the adaptive speed control section of the adaptive speed control device is configured to control the vehicle speed controller to automatically change the speed of the vehicle to match the set speed at or after the vehicle reaches the transition point.

16. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the user interface device includes a visual output section, and

the notification section of the adaptive speed control device is configured to control the user interface device to display the new posted speed limit in the visual output section at the prescribed notification timing.

17. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the user interface device includes a visual output section, and

the user interface device is configured and arranged to display the current posted speed limit in the visual output section prior to the prescribed notification timing.

18. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the user interface device includes an audio output section, and

the notification section of the adaptive speed control device is configured to control the user interface device to provide an audio output from the audio output section at the prescribed notification timing.

19. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the user input device of the user interface device is configured and arranged to input the set speed signal by a single touch of the user input device by the user.

20. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein

the user input device of the user interface device is disposed on a steering wheel.