VEHICLE TRAVELING CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20180079410A1
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Published: 03/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/20/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: YAMASHITA, Keiji, INOGUCHI, Takeshi
• Granted Patent: US 10,399,567 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0066 using buttons or a keyboard connected to the on-board processor
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/215 Selection or confirmation of options
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/60 Traffic rules, e.g. speed limits or right of way
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/09 Other types of propulsion units, e.g. fluid motors, or type not specified
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/146 Speed limiting
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

After a push operation of an operating unit is started (at time t1), when a speed limit acquired by a speed limit acquisition ECU is switched from a first speed limit (for example, 100 km/h) to a second speed limit (for example, 120 km/h) at time t2 in a period in which a duration time of the push operation has not yet reached a long-push completion time, a driving support ECU sets a target speed Vset to the second speed limit at a time point at which the duration time of the push operation has reached the long-push completion time thereafter (at time t3).

Claims

1. A vehicle traveling control apparatus comprising:

travel controlling means for controlling a driving force and a braking force of an own vehicle so as to keep the own vehicle traveling at a constant speed in accordance with a target speed without an accelerator pedal operation by a driver;

speed limit acquisition means for acquiring a speed limit of a road on which the own vehicle travels;

an operating unit which is operated by the driver; and

target speed setting means for setting the target speed to the speed limit when a long-push operation which is a push operation of the operating unit continued for a long-push completion time or more is detected in a situation in which the speed limit acquired by the speed limit acquisition means and the current target speed are different from each other,

wherein

the target speed setting means comprises speed limit selecting means which selects,

when the speed limit acquired by the speed limit acquisition means is switched from a first speed limit to a second speed limit in a period in which a push operation of the operating unit is being detected and a duration time of the push operation has not yet reached the long-push completion time,

the second speed limit to set the target speed to the second speed limit at a time point at which the duration time of the push operation has reached the long-push completion time, thereafter.

2. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the travel controlling means comprises a cruise control function for keeping the own vehicle traveling at the constant speed in accordance with the target speed set arbitrarily by the driver,

the operating unit serves as both a target speed setting operating unit for increasing or decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function by a push operation, and a permission operating unit for permitting setting the target speed to the speed limit by the long-push operation, and

the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, when the second speed limit is lower than the current target speed and the long-push operation of the operating unit toward a side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected.

3. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

in a case where the first speed limit is higher than the current target speed and the second speed limit is lower than the current target speed,

when the long-push operation of the operating unit toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, the target speed setting means is configured to set the target speed to the first speed limit, and

thereafter, when the push operation of the operating unit continues for a predetermined extension time or more, the target speed setting means is configured to set the target speed to the second speed limit.

4. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

when the operating unit is used as the target speed setting operating unit for the cruise control function, the operating unit includes:

a function to gradually increase the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function; and

a function to gradually decrease the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward a side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function, and

when the first speed limit is lower than the current target speed and the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, even in a case where the second speed limit is higher than the current target speed, the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, and to gradually increase the target speed from the current target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected.

5. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the travel controlling means comprises a cruise control function for keeping the own vehicle traveling at the constant speed in accordance with the target speed set arbitrarily by the driver,

the operating unit serves as both a target speed setting operating unit for increasing or decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function by a push operation, and a permission operating unit for permitting setting the target speed to the speed limit by the long-push operation, and

the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, when the second speed limit is higher than the current target speed and the long-push operation of the operating unit toward a side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected.

6. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

in a case where the first speed limit is lower than the current target speed and the second speed limit is higher than the current target speed,

when the long-push operation of the operating unit toward the side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, the target speed setting means is configured to set the target speed to the first speed limit, and

thereafter, when the push operation of the operating unit continues for a predetermined extension time or more, the target speed setting means is configured to set the target speed to the second speed limit.

7. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein,

when the operating unit is used as the target speed setting operating unit for the cruise control function, the operating unit includes:

a function to gradually increase the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function; and

a function to gradually decrease the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward a side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function, and

when the first speed limit is higher than the current target speed and the long-push operation toward the side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, even in a case where the second speed limit is lower than the current target speed, the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, and to gradually decrease the target speed from the current target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected.

8. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising reliability-degree determining means for determining whether or not a degree of reliability of the speed limit acquired by the speed limit acquisition means is lower than a reference level, wherein

in a case where it is determined that the degree of reliability of the speed limit is lower than the reference level in a period in which the push operation of the operating unit is being detected and the duration time of the push operation has not yet reached the long-push completion time, the target speed setting means is configured to invalidate the long-push operation of the operating unit when the duration time of the push operation has reached the long-push completion time, thereafter.

9. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when a magnitude relationship of the first speed limit with respect to the current target speed and a magnitude relationship of the second speed limit with respect to the current target speed are different from each other, the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit.

11. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein,

when the operating unit is used as the target speed setting operating unit for the cruise control function, the operating unit includes:

a function to gradually increase the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function; and

a function to gradually decrease the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward a side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function, and

when the first speed limit is lower than the current target speed and the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, even in a case where the second speed limit is higher than the current target speed, the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, and to gradually increase the target speed from the current target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected.

12. The vehicle traveling control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

when the operating unit is used as the target speed setting operating unit for the cruise control function, the operating unit includes:

a function to gradually increase the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward the side for increasing the target speed for the cruise control function; and

a function to gradually decrease the target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected, with respect to the long-push operation toward a side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function, and

when the first speed limit is higher than the current target speed and the long-push operation toward the side for decreasing the target speed for the cruise control function is detected, even in a case where the second speed limit is lower than the current target speed, the target speed setting means is configured to prohibit the speed limit selecting means from setting the target speed to the second speed limit, and to gradually decrease the target speed from the current target speed as long as the push operation is continuing after the long-push operation for the long-push completion time is detected.

10. A vehicle traveling control apparatus comprising:

travel controlling means for controlling a driving force and a braking force of an own vehicle in such a manner that a vehicle speed of the own vehicle does not exceed an upper speed limit;

speed limit acquisition means for acquiring a speed limit of a road on which the own vehicle travels;

an operating unit which is operated by the driver; and

upper speed limit setting means for setting the upper speed limit to the speed limit when a long-push operation which is a push operation of the operating unit continuing for a long-push completion time or more is detected, in a situation in which the speed limit acquired by the speed limit acquisition means and the current upper speed limit are different from each other,

wherein the upper speed limit setting means comprises speed limit selecting means which selects,

when the speed limit acquired by the speed limit acquisition means is switched from a first speed limit to a second speed limit in a period in which a push operation of the operating unit is being detected and a duration time of the push operation has not yet reached the long-push completion time,

the second speed limit to set the target speed to the second speed limit at a time point at which the duration time of the push operation has reached the long-push completion time, thereafter.