Management of speed regulation of a vehicle

• US 9,205,741 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2012
• Issued: 12/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Original Assignee: Renault Sas (Renault)
• Inventors: Chabanon, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALHARBI, ADAM MOHAMED
• Application Number:
  US14/128,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20140136073A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/00 Vehicle fittings, acting on a single sub-unit only, for automatically controlling vehicle speed, i.e. preventing speed from exceeding an arbitrarily established velocity or maintaining speed at a particular velocity, as selected by the vehicle operator fittings acting on two or more sub-units B60W30/14; speedometers G01P; systems or devices for controlling speed in general G05D13/00 ; in traffic anti-collision system for road vehicles G08G1/16
• 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

A method of managing speed regulation of a vehicle including at least one regulating system, the method including: receiving a signal originating from a device for tracking white lines, the signal corresponding to an item of information as to overstepping of a marking line on the ground by the vehicle, and managing the regulation as a function of the signal received from the device for tracking white lines.

Claims

1. A method for managing speed regulation of a carrier vehicle including at least one regulation system, the method comprising:

maintaining, by the regulation system, the vehicle at a predetermined speed or a predetermined distance behind a first target vehicle positioned ahead of the carrier vehicle in a lane;

detecting a change from the first target vehicle to a second target vehicle positioned ahead of the carrier vehicle;

receiving a signal from a line departure warning device, the signal corresponding to information concerning a crossing of a marking line on the ground by the carrier vehicle; and

managing the speed regulation as a function of the signal received from the line departure warning device, the managing including

deactivating the regulation system when the signal received from the line departure warning device indicates that the carrier vehicle crossed the line; and

comparing, via the regulation system, relative speed and distance values between the second target vehicle and the carrier vehicle when the signal received from the line departure warning device indicates that the second target vehicle is inserted in the lane between the carrier vehicle and the first target vehicle.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the managing includes, after the comparing, deactivating the regulation system if the comparing shows that the relative speed and distance values correspond to a state of danger, of approach, or of observation.

3. The method as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a braking and/or an alarming if the comparing shows that the relative speed and distance values correspond to a state of danger.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, in which the at least one regulation system comprises an LSF system and/or a ULSF system.

5. A non-transitory readable medium including a computer program product including instructions for implementing the method as claimed in claim 1 when executed by a processor.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the comparing relative speed and distance values between the second target vehicle and the carrier vehicle includes comparing a distance between the second target vehicle and the carrier vehicle with a setpoint distance and comparing, via the regulation system, a speed of the carrier vehicle with a speed of the second target vehicle.

6. A device for managing speed regulation of a carrier vehicle including at least one regulation system that maintains the vehicle at a predetermined speed or a predetermined distance behind a first target vehicle positioned ahead of the carrier vehicle in a lane, comprising:

means for receiving a signal from a rangefinder, the signal indicating a change from the first target vehicle to a second target vehicle positioned ahead of the carrier vehicle;

means for receiving a signal from a line departure warning device, the signal corresponding to information concerning crossing of a marking line on the ground by the carrier vehicle; and

processing means arranged to manage the speed regulation as a function of the received signal, the processing means being configured to

deactivate the regulation system when the signal received from the line departure warning device indicates that the carrier vehicle crossed the line; and

comparing, via the regulation system, relative speed and distance values between the second target vehicle and the carrier vehicle when the signal received from the line departure warning device indicates that the second target vehicle is inserted in the lane between the carrier vehicle and the first target vehicle.