Vehicular drive control apparatus

Abstract

A vehicular drive control apparatus provided with pulse-driving and gliding means 118 for setting upper limit Vhi and lower limit Vlo of running speed V of a vehicle according to an upper and lower vehicle speed limit maps, and on the basis of target running speed Vt which is the running speed V at a time when control initiating conditions have been satisfied, and running the vehicle in P & G running mode by alternately repeating pulse-driving run (accelerating run) and gliding run (decelerating run) of the vehicle at the running speed V varying between the set upper and lower limits Vhi and Vlo, the control initiating conditions including a condition that the vehicle is in a steady running state. Accordingly, the pulse-driving and gliding means 118 permits the vehicle to be run in the P & G running mode, independently of an automatic cruising control, making it possible to improve fuel economy. The apparatus is further provided with learning means 114 for compensating the upper and lower vehicle speed limit maps for reducing a range of variation of the running speed V during the subsequent vehicle running in the P & G running mode, when the amount of variation of the accelerator pedal operation amount Acc during the present vehicle running in the P & G running mode has become equal to or larger than a predetermined upper limit. Accordingly, the learning means 114 permits the vehicle to be run in the P & G running mode at the running speed V varying within a range specific to the vehicle operator, which is as broad as possible to the extent that the vehicle operator does not recognize a rise and a drop of the running speed V in the P & G running mode, irrespective of a difference of the characteristics of the individual vehicle operators regarding the range of variation of the running speed V, so that the fuel economy can be effectively improved.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.