Vehicle travel control apparatus

• US 6,505,107 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2002
• Issued: 01/07/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Endo, Yoshinori, Nishino, Kimio, Minowa, Toshimichi, Takezaki, Jiro, Yoshikawa, Tokuji, Kuragaki, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US10/092,445
• Publication Number:
  US 20020099484A1
• Time in Patent Office: 305 Days
• Field of Search: 701/36-200, 701/24, 701/35, 731/78.R, 340/286.01
• US Class Current: 701/36
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0058 responsive to externally generated signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0066 responsive to vehicle path curvature
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/04 and means for comparing one electrical quantity, e.g. voltage, pulse, waveform, flux, or the like, with another quantity of a like kind, which comparison means is involved in the development of an electrical signal which is fed into the controlling means
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/107 the memory being digital
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/02 Active or adaptive cruise control system; Distance control
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/28 Wheel speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/16 Control of distance between vehicles, e.g. keeping a distance to preceding vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 2075/125 Direct injection in the combustion chamber for spark ignition engines, i.e. not in pre-combustion chamber
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 23/101 the injector being placed on or close to the cylinder centre axis, e.g. with mixture formation using spray guided concepts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/666 Determining road conditions by using vehicle location or position, e.g. from global navigation systems [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/022 Calculation or estimation of optimal gear ratio, e.g. best ratio for economy drive or performance according driver preference, or to optimise exhaust emissions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/26 specially adapted for navigation in a road network
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45583 Memory management, e.g. access or allocation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system

Abstract

A vehicle travel control apparatus includes a radar sensor, a vehicle speed controller, a hydraulic pump, a proportional solenoid valve and a brake controller. When the vehicle speed controller judges a braking situation based on information from the radar sensor, the brake controller actuates the hydraulic pump and the proportional solenoid valve based on a command from the vehicle speed controller, and controls a braking torque of wheels.

Claims

1. A vehicle travel control apparatus comprising a radar sensor, a vehicle speed controller, a hydraulic pump, a proportional solenoid valve and a brake controller,

wherein, when said vehicle speed controller judges a situation of braking based on information of said radar sensor, said brake controller actuates said hydraulic pump and said proportional solenoid valve based on a command of said vehicle speed controller, and controls a braking torque of wheels.

2. A method of controlling a vehicle, the method comprising the acts of:

obtaining information from a radar sensor of the vehicle;

judging a braking situation with a vehicle speed controller based on the information of the radar sensor;

actuating with a brake controller a hydraulic pump and a proportional solenoid valve based on a command of the vehicle speed controller and controlling a braking torque of wheels of the vehicle.

3. A control system, comprising:

a vehicle having wheels;

a radar sensor arranged in the vehicle;

a vehicle speed controller of the vehicle;

a hydraulic pump of the vehicle;

a proportional solenoid valve of the vehicle;

a brake controller for controlling a braking torque of wheels of the vehicle; and

wherein, when said vehicle speed controller judges a braking situation based on information from the radar sensor, said brake controller actuates the hydraulic pump and the proportional solenoid valve based on a command of the vehicle speed controller, and controls the braking torque of the wheels of the vehicle.