Patent ID: 6430494
Filing Date: 2002-08-06
Classification: B60K,B60W

Abstract:
A preceding vehicle following control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:a vehicular velocity detector to detect a vehicular velocity of the vehicle; an inter-vehicle distance detector to trap a presence of a preceding vehicle which is running ahead of the vehicle and to detect an inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to the trapped preceding vehicle; a driving force controller to control a driving force transmitted from a prime mover to a road wheel axle; a brake controller to control a braking force applied to road wheels of the vehicle; and a vehicular velocity controller including a target inter-vehicle distance calculating section that calculates a target inter-vehicle distance on the basis of the vehicular velocity detected by the vehicular velocity detector and the inter-vehicle distance detected by the inter-vehicle distance detector, a first vehicular velocity controlling section that performs a vehicular velocity control such that the vehicle follows up the preceding vehicle maintaining the inter-vehicle distance at the target inter-vehicle distance through at least one of the driving force controller and the brake controller to bring the detected inter-vehicle distance substantially coincident with the target inter-vehicle distance, and a vehicular deceleration stopping section that performs a vehicular deceleration control to stop the vehicle in accordance with the inter-vehicle distance from the vehicle to the preceding vehicle immediately before a time point at which the inter-vehicle distance detector which trapped the presence of the preceding vehicle has not detected the preceding vehicle when the vehicular velocity detected by the vehicular velocity detector falls in a low vehicular velocity region lower than a predetermined velocity value and the inter-vehicle distance detector which trapped the presence of the preceding vehicle has not detected the preceding vehicle.