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

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

• acceleration means for accelerating said 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 said preceding vehicle and controlling said acceleration and deceleration means in accordance with the calculated inter-vehicle distance control amount to travel said vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, said inter-vehicle deviation being 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 of said deceleration means, said temporarily unusable condition being that said deceleration means is now unusable due to a known cause but will be usable again in the near future;
• control means responsive to said inter-vehicle distance control means and said judging means for judging that it is necessary to drive said deceleration means by said inter-vehicle control means and operating said inter-vehicle control means to continue controlling by said inter-vehicle control means when it is judged that it is necessary to drive said deceleration means by said inter-vehicle control means and said judging means judges that said deceleration means is in the temporarily unusable condition.

An inter-vehicle distance control apparatus for a vehicle comprising:

• acceleration means for accelerating said 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 said preceding vehicle and controlling said acceleration and deceleration means in accordance with the calculated inter-vehicle distance control amount to travel said vehicle to track the preceding vehicle, said inter-vehicle deviation being 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 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 temporary unusable condition and a normal condition of said deceleration means;
• and
• control means for stopping control by said inter-vehicle distance control 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 control means when said second judging means judges that said deceleration means is in said continuing condition and said operation of said deceleration means is required by said inter-vehicle distance control means.