Patent ID: 6233516
Filing Date: 2001-05-15
Classification: B60K,B60W,G01S

Abstract:
A control apparatus for an automotive vehicle, comprising:an inter-vehicle distance detector for detecting an inter-vehicle distance from a host vehicle to a preceding vehicle which is running on a traffic lane;a vehicular running controller for performing a follow-up running control for the host vehicle such that the host vehicle runs behind the preceding vehicle, maintaining a predetermined inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle; anda vehicular velocity variation inhibit command generator for generating and outputting a vehicular velocity variation inhibit command to the vehicular running controller to maintain a vehicular running state immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detector changes from a first state in which the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle is being detected into a second state in which the inter-vehicle distance becomes indetectable, and the vehicular velocity variation inhibit command is continued for a duration of time until the host vehicle passes the traffic lane by the inter-vehicle distance immediately before the inter-vehicle distance detector changes from the first state into the second state.