Method for controlling the distance between moving motor vehicles

Claim 1

A method for operating a distance controller of a rear vehicle for controlling distance between moving motor vehicles, wherein the rear vehicle is equipped with an overridable automatic speed control and distance detection means, a current set distance, S s , that is specified to said distance controller being updated as a function of the rear vehicle's detected current speed V e such that S s =(V e *T r ), wherein T r is a vehicle operator's admissable reaction time, the method comprising the steps of: (1) stipulating a bandwidth for said admssible reaction time T r between a lower limit value T rmin and an upper limit value T rmax ; (2) detecting the following driving events made by the vehicle operator: (a) overtaking maneuvers by monitoring at least one of steering and indicator lights; (b) overrides of the overridable automatic speed control by accelerating by monitoring an accelerator pedal; (c) overrides of the overridable automatic speed control by braking by monitoring a brake pedal; (3) determining an initial set distance S 0 specified to the distance controller on the basis of a permanently stored average reaction time T rmit and then using the initial set distance for initial control of the distance controller with T r =T rmit ; (4) maintaining the reaction time T r unchanged if one of said driving events (a) , (b) and (c) above, occurs within a predetermined adaptation time T ad during which no changes in the reaction time T r take place, and changing the reaction time T r if one of said driving events (a) , (b) , and (c) occurs after said adaptation time T ad expires; wherein, for said driving events (a) and (b) , the reaction time T r is reduced according to the following rule: T.sub.r =T.sub.r -T.sub.d, if T.sub.r >T.sub.rmin, and T.sub.r =T.sub.rmin, if T.sub.r =T.sub.min, where T d is an adaptation amount; wherein for said driving event (c), the reaction time T r is increased according to the following rule: T.sub.r =T.sub.r +T.sub.d, if T.sub.r <T.sub.rmax, and T.sub.r =T.sub.rmax, if T.sub.r =T.sub.rmax ; and (5) operating said distance controller based on the reaction time T r .

Claim 2

A method for operating a distance controller of a rear vehicle for controlling distance between moving motor vehicles, wherein the rear vehicle is equipped with an overridable automatic speed control and distance detection means, a current set distance, S s , that is specified to said distance controller being updated as a function of the rear vehicle's detected current speed V e such that S s =(V e *T r ), wherein T r is a vehicle operator's admissable reaction time, the method comprising the steps of: (1) stipulating a bandwidth for said admssible reaction time T r between a lower limit value T rmin and an upper limit value T rmax ; (2) detecting the following driving events made by the vehicle operator: (a) overtaking maneuvers by monitoring at least one of steering and indicator lights; (b) overrides of the overridable automatic speed control by accelerating by monitoring an accelerator pedal; (c) overrides of the overridable automatic speed control by braking by monitoring a brake pedal; (3) determining an initial set distance S 0 specified to the distance controller on the basis of a permanently stored average reaction time T rmit and then using the initial set distance for initial control of the distance controller with T r =T rmit ; (4) maintaining the reaction time T r unchanged if one of said driving events (a) , (b) and (c) above, occurs within a predetermined adaptation time T ad during which no changes in the reaction time T r take place, and changing the reaction time T r if one of said driving events (a) , (b) , and (c) occurs after said adaptation time T ad expires; wherein, for said driving events (a) and (b) , the reaction time T r is reduced according to the following rule: T.sub.r =T.sub.r -T.sub.d, if T.sub.r >T.sub.rmin, and T.sub.r =T.sub.rmin, if T.sub.r =T.sub.min, where T d is an adaptation amount; wherein for said driving event (c), the reaction time T r is increased according to the following rule: T.sub.r =T.sub.r +T.sub.d, if T.sub.r <T.sub.rmax, and T.sub.r =T.sub.rmax, if T.sub.r =T.sub.rmax ; and (5) operating said distance controller based on the reaction time T r .