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:
Feb. 27, 2001
Filed:
Sep. 17, 1998
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
The deterioration of receiving environment of a reflected signal from a preceding vehicle in an auto-cruise control is immediately detected, so that the distance between the vehicle and the preceding vehicle detected by a distance sensor comprising a laser radar, is maintained constant. On the basis of data of the magnitude of received signals, which are detected by the distance sensor and accumulated over a predetermined time, a standard deviation (or a dispersion) and an average value of the magnitude of the received signal are calculated. If the standard deviation is equal to or larger than a reference value or the average value is equal to or smaller than a reference value when the distance sensor has not detected a reflected signal, it is determined that the environment of reception of the reflected signal from the preceding vehicle has deteriorated, whereby the auto-cruise control is discontinued, or the deterioration of the receiving environment is informed to a driver by an informing device.