Vehicle follow-up control apparatus

• US 5,959,572 A
• Filed: 03/27/1998
• Issued: 09/28/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Itou, Ken, Higashimata, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US09/049,100
• Time in Patent Office: 550 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 340/903
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0022 Gains, weighting coefficients or weighting functions
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A preceding-vehicle follow-up control apparatus is arranged to calculate a target vehicle speed for following-up a preceding vehicle at a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance. The target vehicle speed is calculated from an equation having a form of a linear combination of a form which includes a linear connection between a product of a first gain and a difference between the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and a product of a second gain and the relative speed. The control apparatus controls a driving apparatus and a transmission apparatus of a vehicle so as to adjust a vehicle speed at the target vehicle speed. This enables the vehicle-to-vehicle distance to be converged into a target value without excessively increasing or decreasing the relative speed during this follow-up control.

Claims

1. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle;

vehicle-to-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle cruising ahead of the controlled vehicle;

relative speed calculating means for obtaining a relative speed between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

target speed calculating means for calculating a target vehicle speed which is employed to adjust the vehicle-to-vehicle distance at a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance, said target speed calculating means calculating the target vehicle speed by employing a form which includes a linear connection between a product of a first gain and a difference between the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and a product of a second gain and the relative speed; and

vehicle speed control means for controlling driving power of the controlled vehicle to adjust the detected vehicle speed to the target vehicle speed.

2. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising gain changing means for changing the first and second gains according to the vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

3. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said target speed calculating means calculates a vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle by adding the obtained relative speed with the vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle, said target speed calculating means calculating a target relative speed by adding the product of the first gain and the difference between the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the product of the second gain and the detected relative speed, said target speed calculating means calculating the target vehicle speed by subtracting the target relative speed from the preceding-vehicle vehicle speed.

4. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second gains are determined such that the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance is converged to the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the detected relative speed is converged to 0 on the basis of the a linear transfer function which is of an approximation of a vehicle speed system of said vehicle speed control means.

5. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said relative speed calculating means obtains the relative speed by applying one of a band-pass filter and a high-pass filter to the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

6. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance is determined according to the vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle.

7. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance is determined according to the vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle.

8. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said gain changing means decreases the first gain and increases the second gain when the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance is longer than a first predetermined distance, and said gain changing means increased the first gain and decreases the second gain when the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance is shorter than a second predetermined distance.

9. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein a preceding vehicle follow-up control system is constructed by approximating a vehicle speed control system by a linear transfer function, wherein the first and second gains are determined such that the convergence characteristic for converging the vehicle-to-vehicle distance to the target vehicle distance and for converging the calculated relative speed to zero.

10. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first and second gains are determined by employing a characteristic frequency of the transfer function of a preceding vehicle follow-up control system as a function of a detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

11. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

a vehicle speed detector detecting a vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle;

a vehicle-to-vehicle distance detector detecting a vehicle-to-vehicle distance between the controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle cruising ahead of the controlled vehicle;

a control unit arranged to calculate a relative speed between the controlled vehicle and the preceding vehicle, to calculate a target vehicle speed which is employed to adjust the vehicle-to-vehicle distance at a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance, to calculate the target vehicle speed by employing a form which includes a linear connection between a product of a first gain and a difference between the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and a product of a second gain and the relative speed, and to control driving power of the controlled vehicle to adjust the detected vehicle speed to the target vehicle speed.

12. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus, as claimed in claim 11 wherein said control unit changes the first and second gains according to the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance.

13. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said control unit is arranged to calculate a vehicle speed of the preceding vehicle by adding the obtained relative speed with the vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle, to calculate a target relative speed by adding the product of the first gain and a difference between the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the product of the second gain and the detected relative speed, and to calculate the target vehicle speed by subtracting the target relative speed from the preceding-vehicle vehicle speed.

14. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said control unit calculates the target vehicle speed from the following equation:

space="preserve" listing-type="equation">V*=V-fd(L*-L)+(1-fv)Δ

V

where V* is the target vehicle speed, V is the vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle, L is the vehicle-to-vehicle distance, L* is the target vehicle-to-vehicle distance, Δ

V is the relative speed, fd is the first gain and fv is the second gain.

15. A preceding vehicle follow-up control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said control unit decreases the first gain and increases the second gain when the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance is longer than a first predetermined distance, and said control unit increases the first gain and decreases the second gain when the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance is shorter than a second predetermined distance.