Patent US1302646A successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US5137104A
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US
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System and method for automatically controlling vehicle speed to desired cruise speed
Assignee: Nissan Motor Co Ltd
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Filing: 1992-01-21
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Granted: 1992-08-11
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Expires: 2012-01-21
Abstract
Abstract A system and method for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed are disclosed in which a target opening angle of an engine throttle valve through which the vehicle can maintain a set cruise speed is derived in accordance with a prepared non-linear characteristic table and an opening angle of the throttle valve is controlled so that a detected vehicle speed coincides with the set cruise speed and a detected opening angle of the throttle valve coincides with the target opening angle. In addition, when the detected vehicle speed and detected opening angle are substantially constant for a predetermined time due to the vehicle being run on a flat road, average values of both detected vehicle speed and detected opening angle are derived and the above-described non-linear characteristic is corrected using both average values.
Inventors
- 👤 Yoshiyuki Etoh
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-04 21:57
CPC Classifications
B; B60; B60K; B60K31/00; B60K31/02; B60K31/04; B60K31/042; B60K31/045; B60K31/047
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 13
Claim 1
Independent Claim
274 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle, comprising: a) first means for setting the vehicle speed to the desired cruise speed; b) second means for deriving a target operating variable of an engine driving force adjusting mechanism which controls a driving force of a vehicular engine, said target operating variable determining a driving force through which the target vehicle speed can actually be maintained, wherein said second means derives said operating variable in accordance with a substantially non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship of the operating variable to the vehicle speed, the non-linear characteristic being such that, as the vehicle speed is increased above a first predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is increased to exceed a straight line characteristic, but as the vehicle speed is decreased below a second predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is decreased below the straight line, the first predetermined vehicle speed being higher than the second predetermined vehicle speed and the characteristic of the operating variable being generally co-linear with the straight line charactertistic when the vehicle speed is between the first and second predetermined vehicle speeds; c) third means for detecting a current vehicle speed; d) fourth means for detecting a current operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism; and, e) fifth means for controlling the operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism on the basis of the target operating variable and the target vehicle speed so as to eliminate a difference between the detected vehicle speed and target vehicle speed and a difference between the target operating variable and the detected operating variable.
Claim 2
Independent Claim
274 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle, comprising: a) first means for setting the vehicle speed to the desired cruise speed; b) second means for deriving a target operating variable of an engine driving force adjusting mechanism which controls a driving force of a vehicular engine, said target operating variable determining a driving force through which the target vehicle speed can actually be maintained, wherein said second means derives said operating variable in accordance with a substantially non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship of the operating variable to the vehicle speed, the non-linear characteristic being such that, as the vehicle speed is increased above a first predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is increased to exceed a straight line characteristic, but as the vehicle speed is decreased below a second predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is decreased below the straight line, the first predetermined vehicle speed being higher than the second predetermined vehicle speed and the characteristic of the operating variable being generally co-linear with the straight line charactertistic when the vehicle speed is between the first and second predetermined vehicle speeds; c) third means for detecting a current vehicle speed; d) fourth means for detecting a current operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism; and, e) fifth means for controlling the operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism on the basis of the target operating variable and the target vehicle speed so as to eliminate a difference between the detected vehicle speed and target vehicle speed and a difference between the target operating variable and the detected operating variable.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
42 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first predetermined vehicle speed is approximately 80 Km/h and the second predetermined vehicle speed is approximately 60 Km/h.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
50 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second means includes sixth means for registering the non-linear characteristic so as to retrieve the target operating variable with respect to the target vehicle speed therefrom.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
106 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 3, which further includes: seventh means for determining whether both the detected vehicle speed and the detected variable are substantially constant for a predetermined time; eighth means for deriving average values of the detected operating variable and the detected vehicle speed when the seventh means determines that both detected vehicle speed and the detected operating variable are substantially constant for the predetermined time; and ninth means for correcting the non-linear characteristic registered in the sixth means using the average value derived by the eighth means.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
47 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 4, wherein the operating variable is an opening angle of an engine throttle valve and the engine driving force adjusting mechanism is the engine throttle valve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
149 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 5, wherein the second means derives the target opening angle of the engine throttle valve utilizing the equation: θs=Ki×Vs, wherein Vs denotes the set cruise speed and Ki denotes a current conversion coefficient based on the non-linear characteristic and is derived in the following equation: Ki=D(I)+[D (I+1)-D (I)]×{Vsi-[50+5 (i-1)]/5, wherein D(I) denotes conversion coefficient data in an address of A(I) in the sixth means, D (I+1) denotes conversion coefficient data in another address A (I+1) in the sixth means, Vsi denotes the set cruise speed at a predetermined control period denoted by i, the set cruise speed is registered in the sixth means for each 5 Km/h, and I denotes a pointer value of each address allocated in the sixth means and is derived as follows: I=INT [(Vs-50)/5]+1.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
203 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 6, wherein the seventh means calculates a change rate of the detected vehicle speed and a change rate of the detected opening angle, determines whether the change rate of the detected vehicle speed is below a first set value and whether the change rate of the detected opening angle is below a second set value, and determines whether the predetermined time has passed in a state where the change rate of the vehicle speed is below the first set value and the change rate of the opening angle of the throttle valve is below the second set value, and the eighth means derives accumulated values of both detected vehicle speed and the detected opening angle for the predetermined time and divides the accumulated value of the detected vehicle speed by the accumulated value of the detected opening angle to divide the conversion coefficient Kcj, and the ninth means corrects the nonlinear characteristic registered in the sixth means in accordance with an equation such as θs=Kc×Vs, wherein Kc is Kcj derived by the eighth means and j denotes the present predetermined control period.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle as set forth in claim 7, wherein the first set value is 1 Km/h/sec. and the predetermined control period is 100 milliseconds.
Claim 10
Independent Claim
191 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired vehicle speed, comprising: a) first means through which a desired target vehicle speed at which the vehicle cruises is set; b) second means for deriving a target variable for determining a driving force of a vehicular engine through which the set target vehicle speed can actually be maintained in accordance with a non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship between the set target vehicle speed and the target variable; c) third means for detecting a current vehicle speed; d) fourth means for detecting an actual variable of the driving force from a driving force adjusting mechanism in a vehicular engine; and e) fifth means for controlling the variable of the driving force adjusting mechanism so as to eliminate a difference of the detected vehicle speed from the set target vehicle speed and a difference of the detected variable form the target variable form the target variable; wherein the second means includes means for calculating a conversion coefficient in dependence on the target vehicle speed; and means for multiplying the conversion coefficient by the target vehicle speed to obtain the target variable.
Claim 11
Independent Claim
191 words
A system for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired vehicle speed, comprising: a) first means through which a desired target vehicle speed at which the vehicle cruises is set; b) second means for deriving a target variable for determining a driving force of a vehicular engine through which the set target vehicle speed can actually be maintained in accordance with a non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship between the set target vehicle speed and the target variable; c) third means for detecting a current vehicle speed; d) fourth means for detecting an actual variable of the driving force from a driving force adjusting mechanism in a vehicular engine; and e) fifth means for controlling the variable of the driving force adjusting mechanism so as to eliminate a difference of the detected vehicle speed from the set target vehicle speed and a difference of the detected variable form the target variable form the target variable; wherein the second means includes means for calculating a conversion coefficient in dependence on the target vehicle speed; and means for multiplying the conversion coefficient by the target vehicle speed to obtain the target variable.
Claim 12
Independent Claim
263 words
A method for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) setting the vehicle speed to the desired cruise speed; b) deriving a target operating variable of an engine driving force adjusting mechanism which controls a driving force of a vehicular engine, said target operating variable determining a driving force through which the target vehicle speed can actually be maintained, wherein said deriving step comprises deriving said operating variable in accordance with a substantially non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship of the operating variable to the vehicle speed, the non-linear characteristic being such that, as the vehicle speed is increased above a first predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is increased to exceed a straight line characteristic, but as the vehicle speed is decreased below a second predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is decreased below the straight line, the first predetermined vehicle speed being higher than the second predetermined vehicle speed and the characteristic of the operating variable being generally co-linear with the straight line characteristic when the vehicle speed is between the first and second predetermined vehicle speeds; c) detecting a current vehicle speed; d) detecting a current operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism; and, e) controlling the operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism on the basis of the target operating variable and the target vehicle speed so as to eliminate a difference between the detected vehicle speed and target vehicle speed and a difference between the target operating variable and the detected operating variable.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
263 words
A method for automatically controlling a vehicle speed to a desired cruise speed for a vehicle, comprising the steps of: a) setting the vehicle speed to the desired cruise speed; b) deriving a target operating variable of an engine driving force adjusting mechanism which controls a driving force of a vehicular engine, said target operating variable determining a driving force through which the target vehicle speed can actually be maintained, wherein said deriving step comprises deriving said operating variable in accordance with a substantially non-linear characteristic representing an actual relationship of the operating variable to the vehicle speed, the non-linear characteristic being such that, as the vehicle speed is increased above a first predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is increased to exceed a straight line characteristic, but as the vehicle speed is decreased below a second predetermined vehicle speed, the operating variable is decreased below the straight line, the first predetermined vehicle speed being higher than the second predetermined vehicle speed and the characteristic of the operating variable being generally co-linear with the straight line characteristic when the vehicle speed is between the first and second predetermined vehicle speeds; c) detecting a current vehicle speed; d) detecting a current operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism; and, e) controlling the operating variable of the engine driving force adjusting mechanism on the basis of the target operating variable and the target vehicle speed so as to eliminate a difference between the detected vehicle speed and target vehicle speed and a difference between the target operating variable and the detected operating variable.
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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) | 1995-08-11 | 1996-02-10 | 1996-08-11 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1999-08-11 | 2000-02-10 | 2000-08-11 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2003-08-11 | 2004-02-10 | 2004-08-11 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |