Apparatus and method for performing automatic control over velocity of automotive vehicle
First Claim
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1. A vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
- a controller, the controller including a first control function which performs a vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle and to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle at a target inter-vehicle distance;
a road surface situation detector, the road surface situation detector detecting a road surface situation on which the vehicle runs; and
a control instruction generator, the control instruction generator being responsive to a detection by the road surface situation detector indicating that the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient at which vehicular slips can easily occur, and generating and outputting a disable instruction to inhibit an operation of the first control function of the controller to perform the vehicular velocity control to follow up the preceding vehicle.
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Abstract
When it is detected that a vehicle is running on a road surface which has a coefficient of friction sufficiently low as to invite ready road wheel slippage, a control which enables the vehicle to automatically follow a preceding vehicle at a predetermined inter-vehicle distance, is inhibited. In one embodiment, when a request for vehicle follow-up is issued by the driver, and the follow-up is inhibited, the driver is informed of the low frictional coefficient of the road and is required to issue a confirmation that follow-up is required before its implementation can be carried out.
48 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
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a controller, the controller including a first control function which performs a vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle and to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle at a target inter-vehicle distance;
a road surface situation detector, the road surface situation detector detecting a road surface situation on which the vehicle runs; and
a control instruction generator, the control instruction generator being responsive to a detection by the road surface situation detector indicating that the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient at which vehicular slips can easily occur, and generating and outputting a disable instruction to inhibit an operation of the first control function of the controller to perform the vehicular velocity control to follow up the preceding vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
a non-operation state detector, the non-operation state detector detecting whether the second control function is in the non-operation state, an information supplier which is responsive to a result of a detection by the non-operation state detector and which indicates that the second control function is in the non-operation state when the non-operation detector detects the same, and a confirmation operation detector, the confirmation operation detector being responsive to an information by the information supplier and detecting whether a vehicular driver'"'"'s confirmation operation is carried out, and wherein the control instruction generator generates and outputs an enable instruction to continue the vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to follow up the preceding vehicle performed by the first control function of the controller only when the confirmation operation detector detects that the vehicular driver'"'"'s confirmation operation is carried out.
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20. A vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
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preceding vehicle follow-up run controlling means for performing a vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle and to maintain an inter-vehicle distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle at a target value of the inter-vehicle distance if the preceding vehicle is present and for performing a vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to establish an auto-cruise at a set vehicular velocity if no preceding vehicle is present;
road surface situation detecting means for detecting a road surface situation on which the vehicle runs; and
control disabling means for generating and outputting a disable instruction to inhibit an operation of a function that the preceding vehicle follow-up run controlling means has, when the road surface situation detecting means indicates that the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient which is such as to allow easy vehicular slips.
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21. A vehicular velocity controlling method for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
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detecting a road surface situation of a road surface on which the vehicle runs;
determining whether the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient which invites vehicular wheel slips;
outputting a disable instruction to inhibit an operation of a preceding vehicle follow-up run control such as to perform a vehicular velocity control for the vehicle to follow up a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle and to maintain an inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle at a target value of the inter-vehicle distance when determining that the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient.
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22. A vehicular velocity controlling apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:
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a controller, said controller comprising a first follow-up control function which controls vehicular velocity control to follow up a preceding vehicle and maintains a target inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle;
a road surface condition detector which detects a condition of a road surface on which the vehicle is running;
a control instruction generator, the control instruction generator being responsive to a detection by the road surface condition detector indicating that the detected road surface has a predetermined frictional coefficient at which vehicular slip can easily occur, and generates and outputs a disable instruction to inhibit the follow-up control by the follow-up control function;
said controller further including;
a second control function which performs a vehicular state control in accordance with the predetermined frictional coefficient;
a flag register, the flag register registering that the second control function is in a control state based on the predetermined frictional coefficient of the road surface, and wherein the control instruction generator is installed in the controller and generates and outputs the disable instruction to the follow up control function to inhibit the vehicular velocity control which enables the vehicle to follow up the preceding vehicle, when the flag register registers that the second control function is in the control state based on the predetermined frictional coefficient; and
a non-operation state detector, the non-operation state detector detecting whether the second control function of the controller is in a non-operation state.
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Specification