Vehicular travel control system

• US 6,347,274 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2001
• Issued: 02/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Sakamoto, Shinichi, Tanimichi, Taisetsu, Yoshida, Tatsuya, Kuramochi, Yuichi, Konishi, Yasufumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Camby, Richard M.
• Application Number:
  US09/793,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20010018631A1
• Time in Patent Office: 350 Days
• Field of Search: 701/96, 701/300, 701/301, 180/178, 180/179, 180/169, 180/168, 180/167, 340/903, 340/904, 340/906, 340/435, 342/70, 342/71
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0057 Frequency analysis, spectral techniques or transforms
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2754/30 Longitudinal distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/14 Trucks; Load vehicles, Busses
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/143 Busses
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicular travel control system performs automatic follow-up control for maintaining a following distance matching with drivability which a driver may feel. The system detects size of a leading vehicle and insolation around the own vehicle. An appropriate following distance deriving means derives the appropriate following distance so that the appropriate following distance becomes longer when the size of the leading vehicle detected by the vehicle size detecting means is large and the appropriate following distance becomes longer at higher brightness detected by the insolation detecting means.

Claims

1. A vehicular travel control system comprising:

vehicle size detecting means for detecting size of a leading vehicle;

following distance detecting means for detecting following distance between a leading vehicle and an own vehicle;

insolation detecting means for detecting insolation around the own vehicle;

appropriate following distance calculating means for calculating an appropriate following distance;

travel control means for controlling travel of the own vehicle so that a following distance between said leading vehicle and the own vehicle detected by said following distance detecting means becomes an appropriate following distance derived by said appropriate following distance calculating means,

said appropriate following distance deriving means deriving said appropriate following distance so that said appropriate following distance becomes longer when the size of the leading vehicle detected by said vehicle size detecting means is large and said appropriate following distance becomes longer at higher brightness detected by said insolation detecting means.

2. A vehicular travel control system comprising:

vehicle size detecting means for detecting size of a leading vehicle;

following distance detecting means for detecting following distance between a leading vehicle and an own vehicle;

speed detecting means for detecting a traveling speed as speed of own vehicle;

relative speed detecting means for detecting a relative speed of own vehicle relative to the leading vehicle;

relative position detecting means for detecting a relative position of the said own vehicle relative to said leading vehicle;

steering angle detecting means for detecting a steering angle of said own vehicle

insolation detecting means for detecting insolation around the own vehicle;

appropriate following distance calculating means for calculating an appropriate following distance;

travel control means for controlling travel of the own vehicle so that a following distance between said leading vehicle and the own vehicle detected by said following distance detecting means becomes an appropriate following distance derived by said appropriate following distance calculating means,

said appropriate following distance calculating means evaluating the size of the leading vehicle detected by said vehicle size detecting means, the steering angle detected by said steering angle detecting means, the insulation detected by said insolation detecting means, the traveling speed detected by said speed detecting means, the following distance detected by said following distance detecting means, the relative speed detected by said relative speed detecting means, the relative position detected by said relative position detecting means according to a preliminarily determined evaluation functions for deriving a current drivability as a result of evaluation and correcting said appropriate following distance derived depending upon the drivability.

3. A vehicular travel control method for controlling a following distance between a leading vehicle and an own vehicle comprising:

first step of detecting a size of the leading vehicle, the following distance between said leading vehicle and the own vehicle and an insolation around the own vehicle;

second step of deriving an appropriate following distance to be longer at greater size of the leading vehicle detected at said first step and to be longer at higher brightness detected at said first step; and

third step of controlling travel of the own vehicle so that the following distance between said leading vehicle and the own vehicle detected at said first step becomes the appropriate following distance derived at said second step.