Intelligent cruise control device

• US 6,360,158 B1
• Filed: 09/04/1997
• Issued: 03/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsuura, Kazuo, Nakamura, Mitsuru, Kuragaki, Satoru, Hanawa, Kazuhiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US08/923,414
• Time in Patent Office: 1,657 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 701/97, 701/98, 701/300, 701/301, 180/167-169, 180/176-179, 123/350, 123/352, 342/454, 342/455, 342/109, 340/901-904
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides an intelligent cruise control device installed in a host vehicle and used for performing follow-up cruise control to follow up a moving target located in front of the host vehicle by supplying an operating signal to an auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of the host vehicle by carrying out an operation indicated by the operating signal generated by the operating part in accordance with an operation type such as acceleration and deceleration specified by the driver so that the host vehicle is running at the adjusted speed. The intelligent cruise control device further comprises: a storage means for storing information on the operating signal for each operation type such as acceleration and deceleration; an operation determining means for determining the type of an operation required by the host vehicle to follow up a moving target located in front of the host vehicle from information on the speed of the host vehicle and information on the range between the host vehicle and the moving target; and a signal generating means for reading out information on an operating signal for the type of an operation determined by the operation determining means from the storage means and for generating the operating signal in accordance with the information on the operating signal read out from the storage means.

Claims

1. An intelligent cruise control device installed in a host vehicle and used for performing follow-up cruise control to follow up a moving target located in front of said host vehicle by supplying an operating signal generated by an operating part employed therein in accordance with an operation type including acceleration and deceleration specified by a driver to an auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of said host vehicle by carrying out an operation indicated by said operating signal generated by said operating part so that said host vehicle is running at said adjusted speed, said intelligent cruise control device comprising:

a storage means for storing information on said operating signal generated by said operating part for each operation type including said acceleration and deceleration;

an operation determining means for determining the type of an operation required by said host vehicle to follow up said moving target located in front of said host vehicle from information on the speed of said host vehicle and information on the range between said host vehicle and said moving target;

a signal generating means for reading out the information on said operating signal for the type of an operation determined by said operation determining means from said storage means and for generating said operating signal in accordance with said information on said operating signal read out from said storage means;

a message notifying means for requesting the driver to specify each operation type including said acceleration and deceleration in a predetermined order by using said operating part;

a signal detecting means for sequentially detecting operating signals sequentially generated at said operating part for each operation type including said acceleration and deceleration specified by the driver in said predetermined order as requested by said message notifying means; and

a storage control means for controlling storage, in said storage means as said operating signals are detected, of information on each of said operating signals sequentially detected by said signal detecting means as information for said specified operation type as requested by said message notifying means in said predetermined order.

2. An intelligent cruise control device adapted for a retrofit installation in a host vehicle having an existing auto cruise control device with at least one existing input for an operating signal, said intelligent cruise control device being used for performing follow-up cruise control to follow up a moving target located in front of said host vehicle by supplying the operating signal generated by an operating part employed therein in accordance with an operation type including acceleration and deceleration specified by a driver to the existing auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of said host vehicle by carrying out an operation indicated by said operating signal generated by said operating part so that said host vehicle is running at said adjusted speed, and being used for halting said auto cruise control in case the driver carries out a brake operation until said operating signal is generated again, said intelligent cruise control device comprising:

a brake-operation detecting means for detecting a brake operation;

a control halting means which is used for halting supplying of said operating signal in order to stop said follow-up cruise control when a brake operation is detected by said brake-operation detecting means;

a range judging means which is used for forming a judgment as to whether or not a range between said host vehicle and said moving target located in front of said host vehicle is maintained at a value set in advance in accordance with the speed of the host vehicle after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since detection of said brake operation by said brake-operation detecting means; and

a follow-up-cruise-control resuming means which is used for re-starting said supplying of said operating signal to the existing auto cruise control device through the at least one existing input in order to resume said follow-up cruise control when an outcome of said judgment formed by said range judging means indicates that said range between said host vehicle and said moving target located in front of said host vehicle is maintained at said value.

3. An intelligent cruise control device installed in a host vehicle for carrying out follow-up cruise control, said intelligent cruise control device comprising:

an operating part for generating an operating signal in accordance with an operation type including acceleration and deceleration specified by the driver;

a speed-signal generating means for generating a speed signal with a frequency proportional to the speed of said host vehicle; and

a speed detection means for detecting said speed by inputting said speed signal generated by said speed-signal generating means,

wherein said follow-up cruise control is performed thereby to follow up a moving target located in front of said host vehicle by supplying said operating signal to an auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of said host vehicle within a predetermined speed range by carrying out an operation indicated by said operating signal generated by said operating part so that said host vehicle is running at an adjusted speed supplied to said speed detection means,

said intelligent cruise control device further comprising a control means for controlling said auto cruise control device by modulating the frequency of said speed signal generated by said speed-signal generating means and for supplying said frequency-modulated speed signal to said speed detection means in order to shift the frequency of said speed signal generated by said speed-signal generating means to a frequency representing a speed in said predetermined speed range before said frequency modulated speed signal was supplied to said speed detecting means so as to allow said follow-up cruise control to be carried out even for an actual speed outside said predetermined speed range.

4. An intelligent cruise control device adapted for a retrofit installation in a host vehicle having an existing auto cruise control device with at least one existing input for an operating signal, said intelligent cruise control device being used for performing follow-up cruise control to follow up a moving target located in front of said host vehicle by supplying the operating signal generated by an operating part employed therein in accordance with an operation type including acceleration and deceleration specified by a driver to the existing auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of said host vehicle by carrying out an operation indicated by said operating signal generated by said operating part so that said host vehicle is running at said adjusted speed, said intelligent cruise control device further comprising:

an operation determining means for determining the type of an operation required by said host vehicle to follow up said moving target located in front of said host vehicle from information on the speed of said host vehicle and information on the range between said host vehicle and said moving target;

an acceleration computing means for computing the acceleration of said moving target located in front of said host vehicle from said information on the speed of said host vehicle and said information on the range between said host vehicle and said moving target; and

a signal generating means for generating an operating signal corresponding to the type of the operation determined by said operation determining means, said generated operating signal being supplied to the existing auto cruise control device through the at least one existing input to make the acceleration of said host vehicle substantially equal to said acceleration of said moving target calculated by said acceleration computing means.

5. An intelligent cruise control device installed in a host vehicle and used for performing follow-up cruise control to follow up a moving target located in front of said host vehicle by supplying an operating signal generated by an operating part employed therein in accordance with an operation type including acceleration and deceleration specified by the driver to an auto cruise control device which is used for carrying out auto cruise control to adjust the speed of said host vehicle by carrying out an operation indicated by said operating signal generated by said operating part so that said host vehicle is running at said adjusted speed, said intelligent cruise control device further comprising:

a time-interval/closing-rate computing means for computing a time interval and a closing rate from information on the speed of said host vehicle and information on the range between said host vehicle and said moving target located in front of said host vehicle, where said time interval is defined as the length of time it takes for said host vehicle to arrive at the present position of said moving target located in front of said host vehicle by assuming that said moving target is stationary, and said closing rate is defined as the speed of said host vehicle relative to said moving target;

an operation determining means for determining the type of a required operation appropriate for said time interval and said closing rate computed by said time interval/closing-rate computing means by selecting the type of said operation including said acceleration or deceleration from a map showing relations among said time interval of said host vehicle with respect to said moving target located in front of said host vehicle, said closing rate of said host vehicle with respect to said moving target and the types of operation including said acceleration and deceleration; and

a signal generating means for generating said operating signal corresponding to the selected type of an operation determined by said operation determining means.