Inter-vehicle distance control apparatus and a recording medium for the same

• US 6,594,574 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2001
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Isogai, Akira, Nishimura, Takao, Teramura, Eiji
• Primary Examiner(s): Chin, Gary
• Application Number:
  US09/799,107
• Publication Number:
  US 20010044692A1
• Time in Patent Office: 861 Days
• Field of Search: 701/93, 701/96, 701/97, 701/301, 123/352, 180/170, 180/171, 180/173, 180/176, 180/177, 180/179, 340/436, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

It judges whether a decelerator, such as fuel cut, over-drive cut, down shifting, braking, is in a temporarily unusable condition and further judges that it is necessary to drive the decelerator by the inter-vehicle control. It continues control by the inter-vehicle control means when it is necessary to drive the decelerator by the inter-vehicle control and it is judged that the decelerator is in the temporarily unusable condition. It informs the driver of data in the temporary unusable condition and further inform the driver of alarm data when the actual inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a reference. The data agrees with the alarm data. The same operation may be effected regarding accelerator. The temporarily unusable condition may be caused by continuous operation of brake pressure actuator longer than the rating.

Claims

1. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus comprising:

acceleration means for accelerating a vehicle;

deceleration means for decelerating said vehicle;

inter-vehicle distance control means for calculating an inter-vehicle distance control amount in accordance with an inter-vehicle distance deviation and a relative velocity between said vehicle and a preceding vehicle and controlling said acceleration and deceleration means in accordance with the calculated inter-vehicle distance control amount to enable said vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, said inter-vehicle distance deviation being a difference between an actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount and a target inter-vehicle distance physical amount, said actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to an actual inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle, said target inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to a target inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

judging means for judging whether said deceleration means is in a temporarily unusable condition, said temporarily unusable condition being that said deceleration means is currently unusable due to a known cause but will soon be usable again; and

control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to continue controlling said decelerating means when said inter-vehicle distance control means determines that control of said decelerating means is necessary and when said judging means determines that said decelerating means is in said temporarily unusable condition.

2. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising informing means for informing a driver when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.

3. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

acceleration side judging means for judging whether said acceleration means is in a temporarily unusable condition; and

acceleration control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to continue controlling said acceleration means when said inter-vehicle distance control means determines that control of said acceleration means is necessary and said judging means determines that said acceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition.

4. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein said informing means audibly alerts said driver when said actual inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a predetermined distance.

5. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein said deceleration means includes an actuator having a rating for controlling a brake pressure, said rating defining the maximum continuously operating interval, said inter-vehicle distance control apparatus further comprising detection means for detecting a continuously operating interval of said actuator, and said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition when said continuously operation interval reaches said maximum continuously operation interval.

6. A recording medium storing program data readable by a computer in an inter-vehicle distance control means comprising:

acceleration means for accelerating a vehicle;

deceleration means for decelerating said vehicle;

inter-vehicle distance control means for calculating an inter-vehicle distance control amount in accordance with an inter-vehicle distance deviation and a relative velocity between said vehicle and a preceding vehicle and controlling said acceleration and deceleration means in accordance with the calculated inter-vehicle distance control amount to enable said vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, said inter-vehicle distance deviation being a difference between an actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount and a target inter-vehicle distance physical amount, said actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to an actual inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle, said target inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to a target inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

judging means for judging whether said deceleration means is in a temporarily unusable condition, said temporarily unusable condition being that said deceleration means is currently unusable due to a known cause but will soon be usable again;

control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to continue controlling said deceleration means when said inter-vehicle distance control means determines that control of said deceleration means is necessary and when said judging means determines that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition.

7. A recording medium as claimed in claim 6, wherein said inter-vehicle distance control apparatus further comprising informing means for informing a driver when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.

8. A recording medium as claimed in claim 6, wherein said inter-vehicle distance control apparatus further comprises:

acceleration side judging means for judging whether said acceleration means is in a temporarily unusable condition; and

acceleration control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to continue controlling said acceleration means when said inter-vehicle distance control means determines that control of said acceleration means is necessary and said judging means determines that said acceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition.

9. A recording medium as claimed in claim 6, wherein said informing means audibly alerts said driver when said actual inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a predetermined distance.

10. A recording medium as claimed in claim 6, wherein said deceleration means includes an actuator having a rating for controlling a brake pressure, said rating defining the maximum continuously operating interval, said inter-vehicle distance control apparatus further comprising detection means for detecting a continuously operating interval of said actuator, said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition when said continuously operation interval reaches said maximum continuously operation interval.

11. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus comprising:

acceleration means for accelerating a vehicle;

deceleration means for decelerating said vehicle;

inter-vehicle distance control means for calculating an inter-vehicle distance control amount in accordance with an inter-vehicle distance deviation and a relative velocity between said vehicle and a preceding vehicle and controlling said acceleration and deceleration means in accordance with the calculated inter-vehicle distance control amount to enable said vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, said inter-vehicle distance deviation being a difference between an actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount and a target inter-vehicle distance physical amount, said actual inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to an actual inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle, said target inter-vehicle distance physical amount corresponding to a target inter-vehicle distance between said vehicle and the preceding vehicle;

detection means for detecting a condition of said deceleration means;

judging means for judging whether said deceleration means is in a permanently unusable condition or a continuing condition in accordance with the detected condition, said continuing condition including a temporarily unusable condition and a normal condition of said deceleration means; and

control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to suspend control of said acceleration and deceleration means when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said permanently unusable condition and operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means and continuing said control by said inter-vehicle distance controls means when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said continuing condition and operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.

12. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising informing means for informing a driver when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.

13. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, further comprising:

acceleration side judging means for judging whether said acceleration means is in a permanently unusable condition or a continuing condition in accordance with a detected condition, said continuing condition of said acceleration means including a temporarily unusable condition and a normal condition of said acceleration means; and

acceleration control means for causing said inter-vehicle distance control means to suspend control of said acceleration and deceleration means when said acceleration side judging means judges that said acceleration means is in said permanently unusable condition and operation of said acceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means and continuing said control by said inter-vehicle distance control means when said acceleration side judging means judges that said acceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said acceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means, wherein said control means and said acceleration control means effect common operations between when said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means and when said acceleration side judging means judges that said acceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition and said operation of said acceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.

14. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein said informing means audibly alerts said driver when said actual inter-vehicle distance is shorter than a predetermined distance.

15. An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said deceleration means includes an actuator having a rating for controlling brake pressure, said rating defining a maximum continuously operating interval, said inter-vehicle distance control apparatus further comprising detection means for detecting a continuously operating interval of said actuator, said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said temporarily unusable condition when said continuously operating interval reaches said maximum continuously operating interval.