System and method for controlling vehicle velocity and inter-vehicle distance

An automatic vehicular velocity controlling system for an automotive vehicle, comprising;

• an inter-vehicle distance detector to detect an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle;
• a vehicular velocity detector to detect a vehicular velocity of the vehicle;
• a relative velocity detector to detect a relative velocity of the vehicle to the preceding vehicle;
• an inter-vehicle distance command value calculating section that calculates a command value of the inter-vehicle distance;
• a control response characteristic determining section that determines a response characteristic of an inter-vehicle related feedback control system in accordance with the relative velocity;
• a response characteristic correcting section that corrects the response characteristic of the inter-vehicle related feedback control system determined by the control response characteristic determining section in accordance with at least the inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance detector;
• a vehicular velocity command value calculating section that calculates an inter-vehicle related controlling vehicular velocity command value on the basis of the response characteristic of the inter-vehicle related feedback control system corrected by the response characteristic correcting section;
• and
• a vehicular velocity controlling section that controls at least one of a driving force of the vehicle,
• a braking force of the vehicle, and a speed ration of a continuously variable transmission in such a manner that the vehicular velocity detected by the vehicular velocity detector is made substantially equal to the vehicular velocity command value.