US 6,556,913 B2 · Cruise control system and vehicle loaded with the same

Abstract

It is an object of the invention to provide a more practical ACC system. During a travel of a vehicle, an image processor successively extracts geometric feature values of image patterns of a leading vehicle from image data successively outputted from a camera device mounted at the front of the vehicle. When a travel start detector detects a travel of the vehicle, a reference parameter value setting process section of a microcomputer sets a geometric feature value of an image pattern of the leading vehicle extracted at appropriate timing as a reference parameter value. Thereafter, each time a geometric feature value of the image pattern of the leading vehicle is extracted, a target driving force calculation process section calculates a target driving force Ttar for reducing any difference between the geometric feature value and the value set as the reference parameter value. A vehicle controller supplies to controllers a control command in accordance with the target driving force.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A cruise control system loaded on a vehicle, comprising:

a camera device for successively photographing a leading vehicle in front of the vehicle;
an image processor for successively extracting geometric feature values of image patterns of the leading vehicle from images photographed by the camera device;
a detector for detecting a start of a travel of the vehicle;
a vehicle controller for controlling the vehicle based on a control command supplied thereto;
and
a computer for setting a geometric feature value extracted by the image processor as a reference parameter value, when the start of the travel of the vehicle is detected by the detector, and for calculating the control command to be supplied to the vehicle controller based on a difference between the geometric feature value extracted after the reference parameter value is set and the reference feature value.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Cruise control system and vehicle loaded with the same

Life of this patent

Cruise control system and vehicle loaded with the same

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims14