Nissan Technical Center North America, Inc.

Nissan North America, Inc.

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties Inc

Hiroshi Tsuda

Hiroshi Kawazoe

Ronald Snowden Eisenhour

Tomohiro Yamamura

Masahide Nakamura

Nobuyuki Kuge

Ronald Heft

Ron Heft

Shane McLaughlin

Jon Hankey

Shane Mclaughlin

An adaptive speed control device includes a posted speed change detecting section, a notification section, a set speed signal receiving section, and an adaptive speed control section. The posted speed change detecting section is configured to detect an upcoming change to a posted speed limit at. The notification section is configured to control a user interface device to notify a new posted speed limit at a prescribed notification timing before the vehicle reaches a transition point. The set speed signal receiving section is configured to accept a set speed signal from a user input device. The adaptive speed control section is configured to change a set speed of the vehicle according to the new posted speed limit and to automatically change a speed to the set speed upon receiving the set speed signal at or after a prescribed activation timing that occurs simultaneously with or after the prescribed notification timing.

Adaptive speed control device

A method for operating an HVAC system in a host vehicle. The method includes detecting a following distance between the host vehicle and another vehicle, and operating an on-board control device to control the HVAC system in the host vehicle to operate in a first mode while the following distance is detected as being greater than a threshold distance and to automatically operate in a second mode while the following distance is detected as being less than or equal to the threshold distance.

Method for operating a vehicle system

A host vehicle includes a cruise control system and an externally perceivable indicating device. The cruise control system is configured to selectively synchronize speed control of the host vehicle with at least one other vehicle. The cruise control system includes a relative position detecting device configured to determine position of the at least one second vehicle relative to the host vehicle, a vehicle speed control device, and a vehicle-to-vehicle communication device. The externally perceivable indicating device is configured to provide an indication of the operating status of the cruise control system.

Host vehicle with externally perceivable cruise control indicating device

An impaired operation detection method is basically performed by sensing a yaw rate of a vehicle over a time period. Then time points are identified in which the yaw rate changes direction. A linear rate of change in the yaw rate is determined between two of the time points that are sequential in time. An actual rate of change is examined between the two time points. A difference between the actual rate of change and the linear rate of change to obtain a difference value. Then, the operator's impairment condition is determined based on the difference value.

Impaired operation detection method

A lane departure avoidance system is provided with a rumble strip sensing device and a lateral lane departure rate determining component. The rumble strip sensing device is configured to detect an input from a rumble strip to a vehicle wheel that is indicative of a rumble strip engagement amount. The lateral lane departure rate determining component is configured to determine a lateral rate of lane departure of a vehicle based on a detection result of the rumble strip sensing device.

Lane departure avoidance system

A device for automatically controlling vehicle speed, including a processor. In one embodiment, the processor includes logic to automatically determine whether a first local required speed is greater than a second local required speed, and only if the first local required speed is greater than the second local required speed, automatically initiate output of a signal to a vehicle speed controller to change vehicle speed to a new set vehicle speed. In another embodiment, the processor includes logic to automatically determine a new set vehicle speed based at least on a change in local required speed and a current set vehicle speed, and only if the current set vehicle speed is greater than the determined new set vehicle speed, automatically initiate output of a signal to a vehicle speed controller to change vehicle speed to the determined new set vehicle speed.

Devices, systems and methods for prohibition of acceleration for cooperative speed control system

A device for automatically controlling vehicle speed, including a processor, wherein the processor includes logic to determine a vehicle acceleration rate value, wherein the processor is configured to receive at least a first signal indicative of a first local required speed, a second signal indicative of a second local required speed received after the first signal, a third signal indicative of a value of a current vehicle speed, and information that enables the processor to determine the vehicle acceleration rate value, wherein the processor further includes logic to automatically determine a new set vehicle speed based at least on the first local required speed, the second local required speed, the current vehicle speed, and the determined vehicle acceleration rate value, and automatically initiate output of a signal to a vehicle speed controller to change vehicle speed to the new set vehicle speed.

System and methods utilizing slope of target speed for cooperative speed for cooperative speed control system

A device adapted to automatically control the effective output of a vehicle control system/component that, for example, automatically applies braking and/or steering control, in response to tire contact with a rumble strip. The device includes a processor configured to receive a first signal indicative of contact of a vehicle tire with a rumble strip. The processor also includes logic to determine that at least one vehicle tire is in contact with a rumble strip based at least on the first signal. If the processor has received the first signal and has determined that the at least one vehicle tire is in contact with the rumble strip, the processor then issues a command to control the effective output of at least one of a vehicle control component or a vehicle control system. For example, an automatically applied braking force may be reduced to &#xbd; its normal applied force.

Rumble strip responsive system: vehicle control on rumble strip

A device for automatically controlling vehicle speed, including a processor adapted to receive at least a first signal indicative of a first local required speed, a second signal indicative of a second local required speed received after the first signal, and a third signal indicative of a value of a current set vehicle speed, wherein the processor includes logic to (i) automatically determine a new set vehicle speed based at least on the first local required speed, the second local required speed, and the current set vehicle speed; and (ii) automatically initiate output of a signal to a vehicle speed controller to change the vehicle speed to a new set vehicle speed.

Cooperative speed control system

A lane departure warning mirror for a vehicle is disclosed that includes a reflecting member and a supporting member that supports the reflecting member on an area of a vehicle within a driver peripheral vision area, wherein the reflecting member is disposed so that an edge mark in a detection area is mirrored to the driver's peripheral vision area.

Lane departure warning mirror

A device for automatically controlling vehicle speed, including a processor that receives at least (i) a first signal indicative of a first local required speed, (ii) a second signal indicative of a second local required speed received after the first signal, and (iii) a third signal indicative of a value of a current vehicle speed, wherein the processor includes logic to automatically determine a new set vehicle speed based at least on the first local required speed, the second local required speed, and the current vehicle speed and to automatically initiate output of a signal to a vehicle speed controller to change vehicle speed to a new set vehicle speed.

System and method for timing of target speed for cooperative speed control system

There are basically two types of rumble strips: shoulder/center rumble strips and in-lane rumble strips. In an embodiment of the invention, there is a device that automatically identifies the type of rumble strip with which a vehicle tire is in contact with. The device may include a processor adapted to receive input indicative of a state of rotation of a first vehicle tire and input indicative of a state of rotation of a second vehicle tire when one or more of the first vehicle tire and the second vehicle tire is in contact with a rumble strip. The processor includes logic to compare the state of rotation of the first vehicle tire to the state of rotation of the second vehicle tire, and determine from the comparison, the type of rumble strip in contact with at least one of the first vehicle tire and the second vehicle tire.

Rumble strip responsive systems: discrimination of types of rumble strips

An embodiment of the present invention includes a device to alter transfer characteristics of a road departure warning installation installed on a road to a driver of a vehicle, including a rumble strip sensor to sense input from a rumble strip and an adjustable vehicle component in communication with the rumble strip sensor, the adjustable vehicle component configured to automatically adjust to increase an amount of input from the rumble strip sensed by the driver. Another embodiment of the present invention includes a device to estimate lateral displacement of a vehicle based on the location of a rumble strip installed on a road with respect to the vehicle, the device including a processor configured to receive four signals indicative of contact of a rumble strip with respective associated four tires of the vehicle and to estimate a lateral distance that the vehicle has traveled beyond the detected rumble strip.

Growing community of inventors

McLean, VA, United States of America

Hiroshi Tsuda