Vehicle speed control system
First Claim
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1. A system for controlling vehicle speed comprising:
- preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting whether a preceding vehicle is present ahead of a controlled vehicle, and for providing a first signal indicative thereof;
preceding vehicle identifying means, responsive to said first signal from said preceding vehicle detecting means, for identifying whether the preceding vehicle meets a preselected tracking condition allowing the controlled vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, and for providing a second signal indicative thereof;
informing means, responsive to said second signal from said preceding vehicle identifying means, for providing a third signal to a driver which informs the driver that the preceding vehicle meets the preselected tracking condition;
control initiating means, responsive to a manual operation of the driver after the driver is informed that the preceding vehicle meets the preselected tracking condition, for providing a control initiating signal;
inter-vehicle distance controlling means for controlling the speed of the controlled vehicle, wherein said controlled vehicle tracks the preceding vehicle at a set constant interval therebetween;
curvature determining means for determining a curvature of a curved road on which the controlled vehicle is traveling; and
probability determining means for determining a probability that the preceding vehicle detected is present on the same traffic lane as the controlled vehicle during cornering on the curved road based on the curvature determined by the curvature determining means.
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Abstract
A vehicle speed control system for controlling the speed of a controlled vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle detected at a constant interval is provided. In this system, when a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the controlled vehicle is detected, it is checked if the preceding vehicle detected meets a given tracking condition. When the tracking condition is encountered, it is reported to a driver. The system is responsive to a manual operation of the driver after the driver has perceived that the preceding vehicle can be tracked to initiate constant inter-vehicle distance control.
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Citations
17 Claims
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1. A system for controlling vehicle speed comprising:
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preceding vehicle detecting means for detecting whether a preceding vehicle is present ahead of a controlled vehicle, and for providing a first signal indicative thereof; preceding vehicle identifying means, responsive to said first signal from said preceding vehicle detecting means, for identifying whether the preceding vehicle meets a preselected tracking condition allowing the controlled vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, and for providing a second signal indicative thereof; informing means, responsive to said second signal from said preceding vehicle identifying means, for providing a third signal to a driver which informs the driver that the preceding vehicle meets the preselected tracking condition; control initiating means, responsive to a manual operation of the driver after the driver is informed that the preceding vehicle meets the preselected tracking condition, for providing a control initiating signal; inter-vehicle distance controlling means for controlling the speed of the controlled vehicle, wherein said controlled vehicle tracks the preceding vehicle at a set constant interval therebetween; curvature determining means for determining a curvature of a curved road on which the controlled vehicle is traveling; and probability determining means for determining a probability that the preceding vehicle detected is present on the same traffic lane as the controlled vehicle during cornering on the curved road based on the curvature determined by the curvature determining means. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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Specification