Patent ID: 9061630
Filing Date: 2015-06-23
Classification: B60K,B60Q,B60T,B60W

Abstract:
1. A vehicle travel control apparatus comprising: a reaction force controller for controlling a reaction force to be applied to an accelerator pedal; a depressed angle sensor for detecting an accelerator pedal depressed angle of the accelerator pedal; an intention determiner for determining a vehicle speed adjusting intention of a driver based on the accelerator pedal depressed angle detected by the depressed angle sensor; a recommended speed estimator for estimating a recommended speed for a host vehicle based on an external situation around the host vehicle, or based on a traveling state of the host vehicle; and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a present vehicle speed of the host vehicle; wherein the reaction force controller judges whether or not it is necessary to seek the driver's attention based on the recommended speed estimated by the recommended speed estimator, the present vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor, and a present accelerator pedal depressed angle detected by the depressed angle sensor, and if the reaction force controller determines that it is necessary to seek the driver's attention, the reaction force controller applies an attention seeking reaction force to the accelerator pedal for a predetermined time to decelerate a vehicle based on a judgment made by the vehicle itself, and after the attention seeking reaction force is sharply reduced, the intention determiner sets an intention determining period required to determine the vehicle speed adjusting intention of the driver, and the reaction force controller applies an intention determining reaction force smaller than the attention seeking reaction force for the intention determining period, and the intention determiner determines the vehicle speed adjusting intention of the driver depending on the accelerator pedal depressed angle, which is detected by the depressed angle sensor during the intention determining period.