Speed controller for car using telematics and control method thereof

• US 7,343,238 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2005
• Issued: 03/11/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Autonet Co Ltd (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Autonet Co Ltd (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jun-Ho, Lim, Jung-Hyun, Kim, Hyeon-Su, Nou, Seong-Taeg, Han, Jung-Mi, Lim, Chang-Hwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Dalena
• Application Number:
  US11/170,079
• Publication Number:
  US 20070005217A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 701/78, 701/96, 701/301, 340/903, 340/435, 340/436, 303/125
• US Class Current: 701/93
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a technology for controlling speed of a car. More specifically, the invention relates to a speed controller for a car using telematics, the controller comprising a sensor unit to detect the speed of the car, the distance from the car to an object in front, and the operating status of a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal, a telematics system to output a signal to control the travel speed of the car and a gear shifting signal, when the speed of the car and the distance from the car to the object in front exceeds a preset range of an approaching distance, a speed regulation system to maintain the travel speed of the car within a speed limit by controlling an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal control unit, and an automatic transmission system to set a gear shifting level by controlling a gear shifting lever control unit.

Claims

1. A speed controller for a car using telematics, the speed controller comprising:

a sensor unit to detect the speed of the car according to traveling, a distance from the car to an object in front, and an operating status of a brake pedal and an accelerator pedal;

a telematics system to output a signal to control the travel speed of the car automatically and a gear shifting signal so as to prevent a collision accident with the object in front, when the travel speed of the car and the distance from the car to the object in front exceeds a preset range of an approaching distance, in response to the signal detected by the sensor unit;

a speed regulation system to maintain the travel speed of the car within a speed limit by controlling an accelerator pedal and a brake pedal control unit, in response to the control signal outputted by the telematics system; and

an automatic transmission system to set a gear shifting level corresponding to the travel speed of the car controlled by the speed regulation system by automatically controlling a gear shifting lever control unit, in response to a gear shifting signal outputted by the telematics system.

2. The speed controller according to claim 1, wherein the sensor unit comprises a first sensor to detect the travel speed of a car, a second sensor to detect the distance between a car and an object in front when a car travels, a third sensor to detect the operating status of the accelerator pedal operated by a driver, a fourth sensor to detect the operation status of the brake pedal operated by a driver, and a fifth sensor to detect the gear shifting status of the gear shifting lever.

3. The speed controller according to claim 1, wherein the telematics system includes:

a GPS receiver to receive the travel speed of the car detected by a satellite;

a distance setting unit to set a range of the approaching distance between the traveling car and the object in front while the car is traveling;

an acceleration setting unit to set a range of acceleration while the car is traveling, the range of acceleration being determined by the operation of the accelerator pedal and the gear shifting lever;

a deceleration setting unit to set a range of deceleration while the car is traveling, the range of deceleration being determined by the operation of the brake pedal and the gear shifting lever;

a memory to store the information set by the distance setting unit, the acceleration setting unit and the deceleration setting unit;

a signal receiver to receive the signal detected by the sensor unit;

a brake controller to output a signal to operate and control the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal control unit based on the information stored in the memory and a gear shifting signal to operate and control the gear shifting lever control unit, when the signal receiver receives the signal detected by the sensor unit, wherein the information contains the approaching distance to the object in front and the travel speed of the car; and

a signal output unit to output the control signal and the gear shifting signal outputted from the brake controller to the accelerator pedal and brake pedal control unit and the gear shifting control unit.

4. A method of controlling a speed of a car using telematics, the method comprising:

detecting an object in front, the travel speed of the car, and an operating status of an accelerator pedal, a brake pedal, and a gear shifting lever operated by a driver, while the car is traveling;

calculating the travel speed of the accelerated car and a distance from the car to the object in front using the information detected by the detecting step, when the travel speed of the car is accelerated by the driver;

determining whether the distance between the accelerated car and the object in front is closer than a range of an approaching distance (current distance≧

preset distance) from the calculated travel speed and distance;

decelerating the travel speed of the accelerated car to a speed limit through the selective control of an accelerator pedal control unit, a brake pedal control unit, and a gear shifting lever control unit, when the distance between the accelerated car and the object in front is getting closer than a preset range of the approaching distance, as the result of the above calculation;

determining whether the distance between the car and the object in front maintains the preset range of the approaching distance (current distance<

preset distance), when the travel speed of the car is reduced to the speed limit); and

performing the determining operation repeatedly when the distance between the decelerated car and the object in front does not maintain the preset approaching distance, or returning to the calculation operation when the distance between the decelerated car and the object in front is longer than the preset approaching distance, as the result of the above determination.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determining operation comprises:

reducing the travel speed of the car to the speed limit by cutting off the power of the accelerator pedal through the driving control of the accelerator pedal control unit, if the accelerator pedal is operating when the distance between the accelerated car and the object in front is closer than the preset approaching distance.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determining operation further comprises:

determining whether the travel speed of the car resulting from the operation of the brake pedal approaches the preset reduced speed, if the brake pedal is operating when the distance between the accelerated car and the object in front is closer than the preset approaching distance;

reducing the speed of the car to the speed limit by controlling the operation of the brake pedal forcibly through the brake pedal control unit, if the travel speed of the car resulting from the operation of the brake pedal does not approach the preset reduced speed, as the result of the determination; and

bringing down the level of the gear shifting lever, if the travel speed of the car resulting from the operation of the brake pedal approaches the preset reduced speed, as the result of the determination.