Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Minoru Saeki

Minoru Nakadori

Yoshiaki Tsuchiya

Masaki Kawanishi

Tomokiyo Suzuki

Akira Hattori

A following distance control device includes a vehicle speed detecting device that detects the vehicle speed VSPD of an own vehicle and outputs a vehicle speed equal to or less than a predetermined speed as zero, a following distance detecting device that detects a following distance between a preceding vehicle and the own vehicle, a first requested acceleration computing device that computes a requested acceleration GBASE from the vehicle speed and the following distance, and a stop determining device that determines the stop of the own vehicle, on the basis of a requested acceleration Greq_pre_0 kph at a time point when the output value of the vehicle speed detecting device becomes zero.

Following distance control device and following distance control method

A curve radius estimating device () configured to estimate a curve radius of a lane on which a self vehicle is driving includes a first curve radius calculating part () configured to calculate a first curve radius on a steering angle, a second curve radius calculating part () configured to calculate a second curve radius on a yaw rate, and a curve radius estimating part () configured to estimate a curve radius by combining the first curve radius and the second curve radius at a predetermined combination ratio. The curve radius estimating part () changes the predetermined combination ratio depending on a vehicle speed.

Curve radius estimating device

A disclosed inter-vehicle distance control apparatus for controlling an inter-vehicle distance between a present vehicle equipped with this apparatus and a preceding vehicle traveling ahead of the present vehicle changes a target deceleration of the present vehicle and/or a deceleration gradient of the present vehicle, with which the deceleration reaches the target deceleration of the present vehicle, between when the present vehicle is under a first deceleration condition in which the present vehicle decelerates under the circumstance where the inter-vehicle distance between the present vehicle and the preceding vehicle is relatively short and when the present vehicle is under a second deceleration condition in which the present vehicle decelerates under the circumstance where the inter-vehicle distance is relatively long. The target deceleration and/or the deceleration gradient is increased when the present vehicle is under the first deceleration condition, compared to when the present vehicle is under the second deceleration condition.

Inter-vehicle distance control apparatus

A curve's radius of a road on which a vehicle shall run is estimated based on actual speed, yaw rate, and steering angle of the vehicle. Accordingly, during a transition state of the vehicle, the curve's radius can be estimated with the actual yaw rate taking into account the actual steering angle that can reflect more accurately turning behavior of the vehicle than the actual yaw rate. Therefore, errors in the estimation of the curve's radius due to response delay of the actual yaw rate can be easily reduced even though the yaw rate is used for such estimation.

Curve's radius estimation device

A vehicle speed detecting apparatus wherein the speeds of vehicle wheels are detected by wheel speed detecting devices, and the vehicle running speed is estimated by a vehicle speed estimating device, on the basis of the detected wheel speeds, and according to a predetermined estimation rule. The vehicle speed estimating device includes a noise detector for detecting a noise included in any one of the detected wheel speeds, and a rule changing device for changing the estimation rule depending upon whether the noise is included in the detected wheel speed or speeds.

Growing community of inventors

Seto, Japan

Minoru Saeki