Preceding vehicle follow-up control system

A preceding vehicle follow-up control system for a vehicle, comprising:

• a vehicle-to-vehicle distance detector that detects a distance between a controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle and outputs a signal indicative of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance;
• a vehicle speed detector that detects a vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle and outputs a signal indicative of the controlled-vehicle speed;
• an accelerating operation detector that detects whether an accelerating operation based on a driver's demand is executed;
• a control resume switch through which a driver of the controlled vehicle outputs a control resume command;
• and
• a controller connected to said vehicle-to-vehicle distance detector, said vehicle speed sensor, said accelerating operation detector and said control resume switch, said controller being arranged
• to calculate a target vehicle speed employed for bringing the vehicle-to-vehicle distance closer to a target vehicle-to-distance on the basis of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the controlled-vehicle speed,
• to control the controlled-vehicle speed to bring the controlled-vehicle speed closer to the target vehicle speed,
• to detect whether the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than a control continuation decision value which is greater than an upper limit of a settable range of a set vehicle speed,
• to store the set vehicle speed in a storage region,
• to stop calculating the target vehicle speed and controlling the controlled-vehicle speed when the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than the control continuation decision value, and
• to resume calculating the target vehicle speed and controlling the controlled-vehicle speed to be executed based on the set vehicle speed stored in the storage region after calculating the target vehicle speed and controlling the controlled-vehicle speed are stopped and when the controlled-vehicle speed is smaller than the upper limit of the settable range of the set vehicle speed and when said control resume switch outputs the control resume command.

A preceding vehicle follow-up control system for a vehicle, comprising:

• vehicle-to-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting a distance between a controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle;
• controlled-vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of the controller vehicle;
• vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means for calculating a target vehicle speed for bringing the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance closer to a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance on the basis of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the controlled-vehicle speed;
• and
• controlled-vehicle speed controlling means for controlling the controlled-vehicle speed to bring the controlled-vehicle speed closer to the target vehicle speed;
• decision-speed achievement detecting means for detecting that the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than a control continuation decision value which is greater than an upper limit of a settable range of a set vehicle speed;
• acceleration detecting means for detecting whether an accelerating operation of a driver's demand is executed;
• prior deceleration controlling means for decelerating the controlled-vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed by a preset deceleration when the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than the control continuation decision value and when said acceleration detecting means detects that the accelerating operation is not executed.

A preceding vehicle follow-up control system for a vehicle, comprising:

• vehicle-to-vehicle distance detecting means for detecting a distance between a controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle;
• controlled-vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed of the controller vehicle;
• vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means for calculating a target vehicle speed for bringing the detected vehicle-to-vehicle distance closer to a target vehicle-to-vehicle distance on the basis of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance and the controlled-vehicle speed;
• and
• controlled-vehicle speed controlling means for controlling the controlled-vehicle speed to bring the controlled-vehicle speed closer to the target vehicle speed;
• decision-speed achievement detecting means for detecting that the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than a control continuation decision value which is an upper limit of a settable range of a set vehicle speed;
• set vehicle speed storing means for storing the set vehicle speed;
• control resume commanding means for commanding resuming the execution of said vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means and said vehicle speed controlling means;
• control canceling means for canceling the execution of said vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means and said vehicle speed controlling means when the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than the control continuation decision value;
• and
• control resuming means for resuming the execution of said vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means and said vehicle speed controlling means executed based on the set vehicle speed stored in said set vehicle speed storing means after the execution of said vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means and said vehicle speed controlling means is cancelled and when the controlled-vehicle speed is smaller than the upper limit of the settable range of the set vehicle speed and when said control resume commanding means commanding the resume of the execution of said vehicle-to-vehicle distance controlling means and said vehicle speed controlling means.

A method for following-up a preceding vehicle, comprising:

• detecting a distance between a controlled vehicle and a preceding vehicle and outputs a signal indicative of the vehicle-to-vehicle distance;
• detecting a vehicle speed of the controlled vehicle and outputs a signal indicative of the vehicle speed;
• detecting whether an accelerating operation of a driver's demand is executed;
• calculating a target vehicle speed employed for bringing the vehicle-to-vehicle distance closer to a target vehicle-to-distance;
• controlling the controlled-vehicle speed to bring the controlled-vehicle speed closer to the target vehicle speed;
• detecting whether the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than an upper limit of a settable range of a set vehicle speed;
• and
• decelerating the controlled-vehicle speed to the set vehicle speed by a preset deceleration when the controlled-vehicle speed is greater than the upper limit and when the accelerating operation is not executed.