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US5010490A
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US
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Constant speed control apparatus for motor vehicle
Assignee: Mazda Motor Corp
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Filing: 1989-04-26
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Granted: 1991-04-23
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Expires: 2009-04-26
Abstract
Abstract A constant speed control apparatus for a motor vehicle includes a setting section for setting a target vehicle speed, a first detection section for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle, a shift-down signal output section for, when the detected vehicle speed is decreased from the target vehicle speed to fall outside a predetermined range in a constant speed travel state, outputting a signal to cause an automatic transmission to perform a shift-down operation, a second detection section for detecting that the detected vehicle speed is essentially recovered to the target vehicle speed after the shift-down signal is output, an estimation section for estimating a road surface inclination on the basis of an engine load and the detected vehicle speed, and a shift-up signal output section for, when the detection result by the second detection section and an estimation result of essentially not an uphill by the estimation section are established, outputting a shift-up signal to the automatic transmission.
Inventors
- 👤 Yasuo Naito
- 👤 Hiroyuki Kouzuki
- 👤 Takeshi Murai
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 19:23
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K3/00; B60K31/00; B60K31/02; B60K31/04; B60K31/042; B60K31/045; B60K31/047; B60W; B60W10/00; B60W10/04; B60W10/06; B60W10/10; B60W10/11; B60W2552/00; B60W2552/15; B60W2720/00; B60W2720/10; B60W2720/106; F; F16; F16H; F16H59/00; F16H59/60; F16H59/66; F16H61/00; F16H61/02; F16H61/0202; F16H61/0204; F16H61/0206
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
154 words
A constant speed control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising: setting means for setting a target vehicle speed; first detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle; shift-down signal output means for, when the detected vehicle speed is decreased from the target vehicle speed to fall outside a predetermined range in a constant speed travel state, outputting a signal to cause an automatic transmission to perform a shift-down operation; second detection means for detecting that the detected vehicle speed is substantially recovered to the target vehicle speed after the shift-down signal is output; estimation means for estimating a road surface inclination on a basis of an engine load and the detected vehicle speed; and shift-up signal output means for, when the detection result by said second detection means and an estimation result of substantially not an uphill by said estimation means are established, outputting a shift-up signal to said automatic transmission.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
154 words
A constant speed control apparatus for a motor vehicle, comprising: setting means for setting a target vehicle speed; first detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle; shift-down signal output means for, when the detected vehicle speed is decreased from the target vehicle speed to fall outside a predetermined range in a constant speed travel state, outputting a signal to cause an automatic transmission to perform a shift-down operation; second detection means for detecting that the detected vehicle speed is substantially recovered to the target vehicle speed after the shift-down signal is output; estimation means for estimating a road surface inclination on a basis of an engine load and the detected vehicle speed; and shift-up signal output means for, when the detection result by said second detection means and an estimation result of substantially not an uphill by said estimation means are established, outputting a shift-up signal to said automatic transmission.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
41 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said estimation means corrects a reference value as a reference used when the shift-up signal is output, in accordance with the road surface inclination estimated when the shift-down signal is output.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
32 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said estimation means corrects the estimated road surface inclination in accordance with a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
32 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said estimation means corrects the estimated road surface inclination in accordance with a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
40 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said estimation means corrects a reference value as a reference used when the shift-up signal is output, in accordance with a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
40 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said estimation means corrects a reference value as a reference used when the shift-up signal is output, in accordance with a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
219 words
A constant speed control apparatus for a motor vehicle which includes an engine and an automatic transmission, comprising: setting means for setting a target vehicle speed; first detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle; control means for controlling an engine output so that the detected vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed; arithmetic means for comparing the target vehicle speed and the detected vehicle speed to calculate a speed deviation therebetween; shift-down signal output means for, when the detected vehicle speed is decreased from the target vehicle speed to fall outside a predetermined range in a constant speed travel state under the control of said control means, outputting a signal to cause said automatic transmission to perform a shift-down operation on a basis of a arithmetic result of said arithmetic means; second detection means for detecting that the detected vehicle speed is essentially recovered to the target vehicle speed after the shift-down signal is output; estimation means for estimating a road surface inclination on the basis of an engine load and the detected vehicle speed; and shift-up signal output means for, when the detection result by said second detection means and an estimation result of substantially not an uphill by said estimation means are established, outputting a shift-up signal to said automatic transmission.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
219 words
A constant speed control apparatus for a motor vehicle which includes an engine and an automatic transmission, comprising: setting means for setting a target vehicle speed; first detection means for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle; control means for controlling an engine output so that the detected vehicle speed is equal to the target vehicle speed; arithmetic means for comparing the target vehicle speed and the detected vehicle speed to calculate a speed deviation therebetween; shift-down signal output means for, when the detected vehicle speed is decreased from the target vehicle speed to fall outside a predetermined range in a constant speed travel state under the control of said control means, outputting a signal to cause said automatic transmission to perform a shift-down operation on a basis of a arithmetic result of said arithmetic means; second detection means for detecting that the detected vehicle speed is essentially recovered to the target vehicle speed after the shift-down signal is output; estimation means for estimating a road surface inclination on the basis of an engine load and the detected vehicle speed; and shift-up signal output means for, when the detection result by said second detection means and an estimation result of substantially not an uphill by said estimation means are established, outputting a shift-up signal to said automatic transmission.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
65 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said estimation means includes: judging means for judging a degree of the road surface inclination estimated when the shift-down signal is output; and correction means for correcting a reference value as a reference used when the shift-up signal is output, in accordance with the degree of the road surface inclination judged by said judging means.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
35 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said correction means corrects the reference value to be larger as the degree of the road surface inclination judged by said judging means is larger.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
48 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said estimation means includes: timer means for measuring a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output; and correction means for correcting the estimated road surface inclination in accordance with the measurement result of said timer means.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
30 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said correction means corrects the estimated inclination to be larger as the time measured by said timer means is longer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
56 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein said estimation means includes: timer means for measuring a lapse time from when the shift-down signal is output; and correction means for correcting the reference value as the reference used when the shift-up signal is output, in accordance with a measurement result of said timer means.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
30 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said correction means corrects the reference value to be larger as the time measured by said timer means is longer.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
28 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control means controls the engine output by adjusting an opening of a throttle valve of said engine.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
68 words
The constant speed control apparatus according to claim 7, which further comprises: first multiplex communication means, connected to said shift-down signal output means and said shift-up signal output means, for outputting the shift-down and shift-up signals in a multiplexed state; and second multiplex communication means, connected to said automatic transmission, for receiving the multiplexed signal from said first multiplex communication means and identifying the shift-down and shift-up signals.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1994-04-22 | 1994-10-22 | 1995-04-23 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1998-04-22 | 1998-10-22 | 1999-04-23 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2002-04-22 | 2002-10-22 | 2003-04-23 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |