Travel control system for vehicle

• US 6,868,324 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2003
• Issued: 03/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Matsumoto, Shinji, Tange, Satoshi, Naito, Genpei
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): BEHNCKE, CHRISTINE M
• Application Number:
  US10/361,558
• Publication Number:
  US 20030163238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/72, 701/45, 701/207, 701/93, 340/441, 340/438
• US Class Current: 701/72
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/16 Curve braking control, e.g. turn control within ABS control algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/24 Curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/20 Road profile, i.e. the change in elevation or curvature of a plurality of continuous road segments
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/125 Lateral acceleration

Abstract

A vehicle travel control system is arranged to obtain curve information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle, to obtain a vehicle driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant, to obtain a curve entering degree of the vehicle into the curve on the basis of the driving condition, to obtain a vehicle speed, and to decelerate the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed.

Claims

1. A travel control system, for a vehicle;

comprising;

a control unit configured;

to obtain curve information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle,

to obtain a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant,

to obtain a curve entering degree of the vehicle into the curve on the basis of the driving condition,

to obtain a vehicle speed, and

to decelerate the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed;

wherein the operation for decelerating the vehicle comprises a desired deceleration calculating operation for calculating the desired deceleration on the basis of the curve information and the vehicle speed, and a desired deceleration generating operation for decelerating the vehicle on the basis of the desired deceleration and the curve entering degree.

2. The travel control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to increase a degree of deceleration of the vehicle as the curve entering degree increases.

3. The travel control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to obtain a steered quantity of the steer angle, and to obtain the curve entering degree on the basis of the steered quantity.

4. The travel control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation for obtaining the curve information comprises a detecting operation for detecting a vehicle position, a storing operation for storing road information, an obtaining operation for obtaining the curve information on the basis of the vehicle position and the stored road information.

5. The travel control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to decelerate the vehicle by means of at least one of an output lowering of a driving force generating apparatus, a gear ratio change of a transmission, and an output increase of a braking force generating apparatus.

6. The travel control system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a steer angle sensor for detecting a steer angle of the vehicle, the control unit being configured to determine the curve entering degree on the basis the steer angle.

7. A travel control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a control unit configured;

to obtain curve information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle,

to obtain a vehicle speed,

to calculate a desired deceleration on the basis of the curve information and the vehicle speed,

to decelerate the vehicle on the basis of the desired deceleration,

to obtain a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant,

to determine a reliability of the curve information on the basis of the driving condition and the curve information, and

to correct the desired deceleration on the basis of the reliability of the curve information;

wherein, the control unit, to determine a reliability of the curve information on the basis of the driving condition and the curve information, is adapted to execute an estimating operation for estimating an estimated driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant on the basis of the curve information, and a comparing operation for detecting a reliability of the curve information on the basis of the estimated driving condition and the obtained driving condition.

8. The travel control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the operation for calculating the desired deceleration calculates a residual distance to a predetermined point in a curve and a desired vehicle speed at the predetermined point and calculates the desired deceleration according to the vehicle speed, the residual distance and the desired vehicle speed.

9. The travel control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the control unit is further configured to set a limit value according to the reliability of curve information and to obtain a corrected desired deceleration by limiting the desired deceleration by the limit value.

10. The travel control system as claimed in claim 7, wherein the operation for obtaining the curve information comprises a receiving operation for receiving the curve information from an infrastructure device which is disposed near a curve and which detects or stores the curve information.

11. A travel control system for a vehicle;

comprising;

a control unit configured;

to obtain curve information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle,

to obtain a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant,

to obtain a curve entering degree of the vehicle into the curve on the basis of the driving condition,

to obtain a vehicle speed, and

to decelerate the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed;

wherein the operation for obtaining the curve information comprises a first obtaining operation for obtaining a distance from the vehicle to one of a turn sever point where a radius of a curvature of a road ahead of the vehicle becomes minimum or where the vehicle is most decelerated, and a second obtaining operation for obtaining the radius of the curvature at the turn sever point.

12. The travel control system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the control unit is further configured to stop decelerating the vehicle when the vehicle passed the turn sever point on the basis of the curve information.

13. A travel control system for a vehicle;

comprising;

a control unit configured;

to obtain curve information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle,

to obtain a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant,

to obtain a curve entering degree of the vehicle into the curve on the basis of the driving condition,

to obtain a vehicle speed,

to decelerate the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed; and

to increase the deceleration of the vehicle upon a determination that the vehicle enters the curve on the basis of the curve entering degree.

14. A method of controlling a vehicle comprising:

obtaining curve information of a road ahead of the vehicle;

obtaining a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant;

obtaining a curve entering degree of the vehicle on the basis of the driving condition;

obtaining a vehicle speed;

decelerating the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed; and

increasing a degree of deceleration of the vehicle as the curve entering degree increases.

15. A travel control system for a vehicle, comprising:

curve information obtaining means for obtaining curve information of a road ahead of the vehicle;

driving condition obtaining means for obtaining a driving condition produced by a vehicle occupant;

curve entering degree obtaining means for obtaining a curve entering degree of the vehicle on the basis of the driving condition;

vehicle speed obtaining means for obtaining a vehicle speed; and

braking force control means for decelerating the vehicle on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed;

wherein the travel control system further includes a means for increasing a degree of deceleration of the vehicle as the curve entering degree increases.

16. A travel control system for a vehicle;

comprising;

a road information obtaining system that obtains road information as to a curve of a road ahead of the vehicle, from one of an external information system and an information storage system in the vehicle;

a vehicle driving condition detector detecting a driving condition of he vehicle, which condition is varied by a vehicle occupant;

a wheel speed detector detecting at least one of wheel speeds of wheels of the vehicle;

a brake system that generates a braking force according to a braking command; and

a control unit connected with the road information obtaining system, the vehicle driving condition detector, the wheel speed detector and the brake system, the control being configured,

to obtain the curve information from the road information obtaining system,

to obtain the driving condition from the vehicle driving condition detector,

to obtain a curve entering degree of the vehicle into the curve on the basis of the driving condition,

to calculate a vehicle speed on the basis of the wheel speed,

to output the braking command to the brake system on the basis of the curve information and the curve entering degree and the vehicle speed to decelerate the vehicle; and

increase a degree of deceleration of the vehicle as the curve entering degree increases.