Cruising control apparatus
First Claim
1. A cruising control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
- a speed sensor for generating a vehicle speed signal proportional to an actual running speed of the vehicle;
an actuator for driving a throttle valve of the vehicle in an acceleration and a deceleration direction of the vehicle;
a set switch operable for generating a cruise command signal;
a coast switch operable for generating a coast command signal or a tap-down command signal;
a resume switch operable for generating a resume command signal;
an acceleration switch operable for generating an acceleration command signal or a tap-up command signal;
a memory means for storing the vehicle speed signal generated from said speed sensor as a target cruising speed in response to the cruise command signal generated from said set switch;
a calculation means for comparing the vehicle speed signal generated from said speed sensor with the speed signal stored in said memory means and generating an actuator driving signal corresponding to a difference between the stored speed signal and the actual vehicle speed signal;
a speed increase means for driving said actuator in the acceleration direction of the vehicle according to said actuator driving signal;
a speed decrease means for driving said actuator in the deceleration direction of the vehicle according to said actuator driving signal;
an acceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the tap-up command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch does not exceed a predetermined first value and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the acceleration command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the acceleration switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch exceeds said first value when said acceleration switch is operated in the first time, and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the tap-up command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch does not exceed a predetermined second value and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the acceleration command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the acceleration switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch exceeds said second value if said acceleration switch is operated after the first time; and
an deceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from said coast switch to be the tap-down command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch does not exceed a predetermined third value and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the coast command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the coast switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch exceeds said third value when said coast switch is operated in the first time, and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the tap-down command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch does not exceed a predetermined fourth value and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the coast command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the coast switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch exceeds said fourth value if said coast switch is operated after the first time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A cruising control apparatus to be mounted in the motor vehicle for automatically controlling vehicle speed at desired constant speed, which is provided with a speed sensor, an actuator, a set-coast switch for generating a coast command signal or a tap-down command signal in response to the operation duration the cruising control, a resume-acceleration switch for generating a resume-command signal or a tap-up command signal in response to the operation during the cruising control, a memory means, a calculation means, a speed increase means, a speed decrease means, an acceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from the resume-acceleration switch to be the tap-up command signal or the acceleration command signal and a deceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from the set-coast switch to be the tap-down command signal or the coast command signal by comparing the vehicle speed at the time of generation and disappearance of the signal.
32 Citations
23 Claims
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1. A cruising control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:
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a speed sensor for generating a vehicle speed signal proportional to an actual running speed of the vehicle; an actuator for driving a throttle valve of the vehicle in an acceleration and a deceleration direction of the vehicle; a set switch operable for generating a cruise command signal; a coast switch operable for generating a coast command signal or a tap-down command signal; a resume switch operable for generating a resume command signal; an acceleration switch operable for generating an acceleration command signal or a tap-up command signal; a memory means for storing the vehicle speed signal generated from said speed sensor as a target cruising speed in response to the cruise command signal generated from said set switch; a calculation means for comparing the vehicle speed signal generated from said speed sensor with the speed signal stored in said memory means and generating an actuator driving signal corresponding to a difference between the stored speed signal and the actual vehicle speed signal; a speed increase means for driving said actuator in the acceleration direction of the vehicle according to said actuator driving signal; a speed decrease means for driving said actuator in the deceleration direction of the vehicle according to said actuator driving signal; an acceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the tap-up command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch does not exceed a predetermined first value and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the acceleration command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the acceleration switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch exceeds said first value when said acceleration switch is operated in the first time, and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the tap-up command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch does not exceed a predetermined second value and for deciding the signal generated from said acceleration switch to be the acceleration command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the acceleration switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said acceleration switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said acceleration switch exceeds said second value if said acceleration switch is operated after the first time; and an deceleration control means for deciding a signal generated from said coast switch to be the tap-down command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch does not exceed a predetermined third value and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the coast command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the coast switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch exceeds said third value when said coast switch is operated in the first time, and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the tap-down command signal in a case where a difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch does not exceed a predetermined fourth value and for deciding the signal generated from said coast switch to be the coast command signal and storing the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off the coast switch in said memory means as a new target cruising speed in a case where the difference between the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching on said coast switch and the vehicle speed signal generated at the time of switching off said coast switch exceeds said fourth value if said coast switch is operated after the first time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23)
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Specification