Patent ID: 8954256
Filing Date: 2015-02-10
Classification: B60W,G08G

Abstract:
1. A vehicle-use speed control apparatus configured to perform speed control of an own vehicle on which the vehicle-use speed control apparatus is mounted in accordance with a performance index for approach and alienation representing a state of approach and alienation between the own vehicle and a preceding vehicle, and a relational expression of performance index for approach and alienation, the relational expression showing a relationship between a following distance to the preceding vehicle and an approach speed between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle, the relational expression making an absolute value of the performance index to increase with increase of the approach speed, and making a slope of the performance index steeper with a decrease of the following distance for a same value of the approach speed, the vehicle-use speed control apparatus comprising: means for setting a target speed of the own vehicle based on a pedal-related variable related to an operation amount of a pedal operated by a driver of the own vehicle to accelerate or decelerate the own vehicle; means for repeatedly calculating a current value of a relative speed between the target speed and a current speed of the own vehicle; means for calculating an initial value of the performance index based on the current value of the relative speed, an initial following distance to a virtual preceding vehicle and the performance index when a speed control start condition that the relative speed exceeds a predetermined value is satisfied; means for repeatedly calculating a current value of the following distance to the virtual preceding vehicle based on the current value of the relative speed, a time elapsed from a time when the predetermined speed control start condition was satisfied and the initial following distance to the virtual preceding vehicle; means for repeatedly calculating a target value of the relative speed as a target relative speed based on the current value of the following distance, the initial value of the performance index and the initial following distance to the virtual preceding vehicle; means for performing control to change a speed of the own vehicle by accelerating or decelerating the own vehicle based on the target relative speed and the current value of the relative speed; means for calculating an initial following distance by substituting the target speed set by the means for setting the target speed into an expression derived from a threshold expression showing a relationship between the following distance and a threshold of a compensated version of the performance index compensated with respect to a speed of the own vehicle at a time when the speed control start condition is satisfied, and an expression for calculating the compensated version of the performance index based on the following distance, the target speed and the relative speed; wherein the virtual preceding vehicle is assumed to run at the target speed set based on the pedal-related variable related to an operation amount of the pedal operated by the driver.