VEHICLE TRAVEL CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20110320102A1
• Filed: 03/06/2009
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ohbayashi, Motonari, Nishimura, Ayako, Naito, Masayuki
• Granted Patent: US 8,554,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/047 the memory being digital
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/106 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence

Abstract

An ECU designates a value of a variation “V_under” based on at least one of information about driver'"'"'s operation, a velocity, and a road surface gradient when an actual velocity “V” is higher than a target velocity, sets a value of a variation “V_target” based on the designated value of the variation “V_under” and the target velocity, adjusts the velocity of the vehicle to the velocity of the set value of the variation “V_target”, and determines whether the actual velocity “V” after the adjustment is a value not greater than the value of the variation “V_target”. Then, the ECU converges the velocity of the vehicle to the target velocity after it has been determined that the actual velocity “V” after the adjustment is a value not greater than the value of the variation “V_target”.

Claims

1. A vehicle travel control device that converges a velocity of a vehicle to a preset first target velocity, the device comprising:

a designating unit that designates a reduction range in the velocity based on vehicle traveling condition information obtained in advance including at least one of information related to driver'"'"'s operation, the velocity, and a road surface gradient when the velocity of the vehicle is higher than the first target velocity; and

a setting unit that sets a second target velocity lower than the first target velocity based on the reduction range designated by the designating unit and the first target velocity, wherein

the velocity of the vehicle is converged to the second target velocity set by the setting unit and then converged to the first target velocity,

the information related to the driver'"'"'s operation includes information related to at least one of an operation amount of a brake pedal, an operation change amount of the accelerator pedal, and a steering angle operation amount of a steering,

the designating unit designates a small value for the reduction range when the operation amount of the brake pedal is large, designates a large value for the reduction range when the operation change amount of the accelerator pedal is large, and designates a large value for the reduction range when the steering angle operation amount of the steering is large, and

the velocity of the vehicle is converged to the second target velocity set by the setting unit and then converged to the first target velocity.

2. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 1, wherein

a gain is designated based on a change rate of a road surface gradient detected in advance, and

the setting unit sets the second target velocity based on the reduction range, the first target velocity and the designated gain.