System and method for controlling a vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle

Claim 1

A system for controlling a vehicle speed, comprising: (a) first means for monitoring the presence of an object moving relative to the vehicle, measuring a distance from the vehicle to the moving object, and outputting Doppler signals having different directivities based on a movement of the moving object relative to the vehicle; (b) second means for calculating a change rate of a phase difference between the Doppler signals derived from said first means with respect to the distance measured by said first means; (c) third means for determining a radius of curvature of a traffic lane on which the vehicle moves; (d) fourth means for determining whether the moving object monitored by said first means is moving on the same traffic lane as the vehicle on the basis of the magnitude of the change rate of the phase difference derived from said second means with respect to a reference value the reference value being associated with the distance measured by said first means and being set according to the radius of curvature of the traffic lane determined by said third means; and (e) fifth means for detecting and controlling the vehicle speed so as to follow the moving object on the same traffic lane at a predetermined safe intervehicle distance to the moving object on the basis of the detected vehicle speed and distance detected by said first means when said fourth means determines that the moving object is moving on the same traffic lane.

Claim 2

A system for controlling a vehicle speed, comprising: (a) first means for monitoring the presence of an object moving relative to the vehicle, measuring a distance from the vehicle to the moving object, and outputting Doppler signals having different directivities based on a movement of the moving object relative to the vehicle; (b) second means for calculating a change rate of a phase difference between the Doppler signals derived from said first means with respect to the distance measured by said first means; (c) third means for determining a radius of curvature of a traffic lane on which the vehicle moves; (d) fourth means for determining whether the moving object monitored by said first means is moving on the same traffic lane as the vehicle on the basis of the magnitude of the change rate of the phase difference derived from said second means with respect to a reference value the reference value being associated with the distance measured by said first means and being set according to the radius of curvature of the traffic lane determined by said third means; and (e) fifth means for detecting and controlling the vehicle speed so as to follow the moving object on the same traffic lane at a predetermined safe intervehicle distance to the moving object on the basis of the detected vehicle speed and distance detected by said first means when said fourth means determines that the moving object is moving on the same traffic lane.

Claim 12

A method for controlling a vehicle speed comprising the steps of: (a) monitoring the presence of an object moving relative to the vehicle; (b) measuring a distance from the vehicle to the moving object if the moving object is present and outputting at least two different directive Doppler signals based on a movement of the moving object relative to the vehicle; (c) determining a radius of curvature of a traffic lane on which the vehicle moves; (d) calculating a change rate of a phase difference between the two Doppler signals with respect to the measured distance; (e) determining whether the moving object monitored in said step (a) is moving on the same traffic lane as the vehicle on the basis of a magnitude of the change rate of the phase difference with respect to a reference value, the reference value being associated with the distance measured in said step (b) and being set according to the radius of curvature of the traffic lane determined in said step (c); (f) detecting the vehicle speed; and (g) controlling the vehicle speed so as to follow the moving object at a predetermined safe intervehicle distance to the other vehicle moving on the same traffic lane on the basis of the detected vehicle speed in said step (f) and distance measured in said step (b).

Claim 13

A method for controlling a vehicle speed comprising the steps of: (a) monitoring the presence of an object moving relative to the vehicle; (b) measuring a distance from the vehicle to the moving object if the moving object is present and outputting at least two different directive Doppler signals based on a movement of the moving object relative to the vehicle; (c) determining a radius of curvature of a traffic lane on which the vehicle moves; (d) calculating a change rate of a phase difference between the two Doppler signals with respect to the measured distance; (e) determining whether the moving object monitored in said step (a) is moving on the same traffic lane as the vehicle on the basis of a magnitude of the change rate of the phase difference with respect to a reference value, the reference value being associated with the distance measured in said step (b) and being set according to the radius of curvature of the traffic lane determined in said step (c); (f) detecting the vehicle speed; and (g) controlling the vehicle speed so as to follow the moving object at a predetermined safe intervehicle distance to the other vehicle moving on the same traffic lane on the basis of the detected vehicle speed in said step (f) and distance measured in said step (b).