VEHICLE TRAVEL CONTROL APPARATUS

• US 20180118208A1
• Filed: 09/27/2017
• Published: 05/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: INOGUCHI, Takeshi, YAMASHITA, Keiji
• Granted Patent: US 10,632,994 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2310/244 changing target speed or setting a new target speed, e.g. changing algorithms
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0063 Manual parameter input, manual setting means, manual initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/146 Display means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• 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 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/085 Changing the parameters of the control units, e.g. changing limit values, working points by control input
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A vehicle travel control apparatus having a cruise control function allows a driver to perform an acceptance operation for rendering a set speed coincident with a speed limit when the speed limit is different from the set speed. When the drive can perform the acceptance operation, the vehicle travel control apparatus must inform the driver to that effect. In view of this, when the acceptance operation can be performed, an additional display is provided on a display unit to be located between a display representing the set speed and a display representing the speed limit, to thereby inform the driver that the driver can perform an operation relating to the set speed and the speed limit (i.e., can perform the acceptance operation).

Claims

1. A vehicle travel control apparatus comprising:

a braking and driving force control section which controls driving and braking forces of an own vehicle such that travel speed of said own vehicle coincides with a set speed set by a driver of said own vehicle;

an operation section configured to allow said driver of said own vehicle to change the state of said operation section between an OFF state in which said operation section is not operated and an ON state in which said operation section is operated;

a speed limit acquisition section which acquires a speed limit of a road on which said own vehicle travels;

an acceptance process execution section which executes an acceptance process for rendering said set speed coincident with said speed limit, upon completion of a predetermined acceptance operation including an OFF to ON operation of changing the state of said operation section from said OFF state to said ON state;

a display section which can provide a set speed display representing said set speed at a first position which can be viewed by said driver and can provide a speed limit display representing said speed limit at a second position which can be viewed by said driver; and

a display control section which causes said display section so as to provide said set speed display and said speed limit display, wherein

said acceptance process execution section executes said acceptance process upon completion of said acceptance operation in the case where a predetermined specific condition is satisfied at a point in time when said OFF to ON operation is performed;

said display section provides an additional display at a third position which is located between said first position and said second position and which can be viewed by said driver, said additional display representing that said acceptance operation can be performed; and

said display control section causes said display section to start said additional display when said operation section is in said OFF state and said specific condition is satisfied if the state of said operation section is changed to said ON state.

2. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said display section provides said additional display by providing a display including an arrow-like figure extending from said second position at which said speed limit display is provided toward said first position at which said set speed display is provided.

3. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said operation section includes an acceleration switch whose state can be changed between a first OFF state corresponding to said OFF state and a first ON state corresponding to said ON state, and a deceleration switch whose state can be changed between a second OFF state corresponding to said OFF state and a second ON state corresponding to said ON state;

said acceptance process execution section executes said acceptance process in the case where an up acceptance operation corresponding to said acceptance operation is started at a first point in time when the state of the acceleration switch is changed from said first OFF state to said first ON state and is completed at a second point in time until which said first ON state is continued for a predetermined first long press time after said first point in time, provided that a first specific condition that said speed limit is greater than said set speed and that corresponds to said specific condition is satisfied at said first point in time and the condition that said speed limit is greater than said set speed is also satisfied at said second point in time;

said acceptance process execution section executes said acceptance process in the case where a down acceptance operation corresponding to said acceptance operation is started at a third point in time when the state of the deceleration switch is changed from said second OFF state to said second ON state and is completed at a fourth point in time until which said second ON state is continued for a predetermined second long press time after said third point in time, provided that a second specific condition that said speed limit is less than said set speed and that corresponds to said specific condition is satisfied at said third point in time and the condition that said speed limit is less than said set speed is also satisfied at said fourth point in time;

said display section can provide first and second additional displays as said additional display; and

said display control section causes said display section to start said first additional display when said acceleration switch is in said first OFF state and said first specific condition is satisfied if the state of said acceleration switch is changed to said first ON state, and causes said display section to start said second additional display when said deceleration switch is in said second OFF state and said second specific condition is satisfied if the state of said deceleration switch is changed to said second ON state.

4. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said operation section includes an acceleration switch whose state can be changed between a first OFF state corresponding to said OFF state and a first ON state corresponding to said ON state, and a deceleration switch whose state can be changed between a second OFF state corresponding to said OFF state and a second ON state corresponding to said ON state;

said acceptance process execution section executes said acceptance process in the case where an up acceptance operation corresponding to said acceptance operation is started at a first point in time when the state of the acceleration switch is changed from said first OFF state to said first ON state and is completed at a second point in time until which said first ON state is continued for a predetermined first long press time after said first point in time, provided that a first specific condition that said speed limit is greater than said set speed and that corresponds to said specific condition is satisfied at said first point in time and the condition that said speed limit is greater than said set speed is also satisfied at said second point in time;

said acceptance process execution section executes said acceptance process in the case where a down acceptance operation corresponding to said acceptance operation is started at a third point in time when the state of the deceleration switch is changed from said second OFF state to said second ON state and is completed at a fourth point in time until which said second ON state is continued for a predetermined second long press time after said third point in time, provided that a second specific condition that said speed limit is less than said set speed and that corresponds to said specific condition is satisfied at said third point in time and the condition that said speed limit is less than said set speed is also satisfied at said fourth point in time;

said display section can provide first and second additional displays as said additional display; and

said display control section causes said display section to start said first additional display when said acceleration switch is in said first OFF state and said first specific condition is satisfied if the state of said acceleration switch is changed to said first ON state, and causes said display section to start said second additional display when said deceleration switch is in said second OFF state and said second specific condition is satisfied if the state of said deceleration switch is changed to said second ON state.

5. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display control section ends said first additional display when a predetermined first display time elapses after start of said first additional display, and ends said second additional display when a predetermined second display time longer than said first display time elapses after start of said second additional display.

6. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display control section ends said first additional display when a predetermined first display time elapses after start of said first additional display, and ends said second additional display when a predetermined second display time longer than said first display time elapses after start of said second additional display.

7. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said display section provides said first additional display and said second additional display by using colors different from each other.

8. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said display section provides said first additional display and said second additional display by using colors different from each other.

9. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said display section provides said first additional display and said second additional display by using colors different from each other.

10. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein said display section provides said first additional display and said second additional display by using colors different from each other.

11. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

12. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

13. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

14. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

15. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

16. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

17. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

18. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

19. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.

20. A vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein

said display section employs, as said first position, a position on an analog speed meter provided in said own vehicle and having scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said set speed, and performs said set speed display by displaying at said first position a first mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said set speed;

and

said display section employs, as said second position, a position on the speed meter having the scale lines indicating vehicle speed, the position specifying one of the scale lines which corresponds to said speed limit, and performs said speed limit display by displaying at said second position a second mark which specifies the scale line corresponding to said speed limit.