Patent ID: 6233515
Filing Date: 2001-05-15
Classification: B60K,B60W,G05B

Abstract:
An automotive vehicle comprising:a powertrain comprising an engine having a throttle that is selectively operated to apply an acceleration force to the vehicle via wheels on which the vehicle is supported and propelled along an underlying surface;a vehicle speed control for selectively throttling the engine via the throttle to null discrepancy between actual vehicle speed and a reference vehicle speed;range and range rate apparatus for providing a range signal and a range rate signal corresponding respectively to range and range rate to an immediately preceding lead vehicle; anda headway controller that acts via the vehicle speed control for nulling discrepancy between said range to the immediately preceding lead vehicle obtained by the range and range rate apparatus and a reference range that varies with timed headway;wherein the range and range rate signals and a vehicle speed signal corresponding to said actual vehicle speed provide closed loop feedback to the headway controller;wherein the headway controller develops a speed reference signal which corresponds to the reference vehicle speed and provides a speed command input to the vehicle speed control, and the speed reference signal comprises an algebraic summation of a term that is proportional to the vehicle's own speed as measured by the vehicle speed sensor, of a term that is proportional to the difference between the reference range and the range to the immediately preceding lead vehicle as measured by the range signal, and of a term that is proportional to said range rate to the immediately preceding lead vehicle as measured by the range rate signal.