Patent ID: 9630624
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: B60K,B60W

Claim:
1. A vehicle speed control device in a vehicle, the device comprising: an electronic control unit (“ECU”); a forward vehicles sensor, in electronic communication with the ECU, to generate a forward vehicles signal that indicates one or more of a distance to and speed of a lead vehicle, a distance between the lead vehicle and a forward vehicle traveling ahead of the lead vehicle, the lead vehicle and the forward vehicle traveling in substantially a same lane, and a speed of the forward vehicle; a speed sensor, in electronic communication with the ECU, to sense a controlled vehicle speed of the vehicle; a traffic congestion detection unit, in electronic communication with the ECU, to monitor when the controlled vehicle speed is below a predetermined vehicle speed; and control means, in electronic communication with the ECU for adjusting the controlled vehicle speed based on a predicted acceleration and/or deceleration of the lead vehicle determined based on the forward vehicles signal when the controlled vehicle speed is below the predetermined vehicle speed so that acceleration occurs without regard to the distance to the lead vehicle.