The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Oct. 21, 1997
Filed:
Jun. 30, 1994
Toshihiro Ishihara, Hiroshima-ken, JP;
Takahiro Inada, Hiroshima-ken, JP;
Tsunehisa Okuda, Hiroshima-ken, JP;
Mazda Motor Corporation, Hiroshima, JP;
Abstract
A vehicle drive control system performs a speed control, in which the vehicle is controlled to travel at a desired cruising speed, and a distance control, in which the vehicle is controlled to keep a safe distance from a vehicle ahead of the vehicle with the drive control. The system is equipped with a feature in which a speed of the preceding vehicle is estimated when a range finder, which monitors a distance from the preceding vehicle, loses sight of the preceding vehicle during the distance control so as to establish a target cruising speed which the subject vehicle ought to attain according to the estimated speed of the preceding vehicle.