Patent ID: 8738267

Claim:
A vehicular travel control device comprising: an inter-vehicle distance measuring section that is mounted on a subject vehicle and measures an inter-vehicle distance between the subject vehicle and a preceding vehicle; a gradient acquiring section that acquires a gradient of a road being traveled of the subject vehicle and outputs a gradient signal; a vehicle speed sensor that measures a travel speed of the subject vehicle and outputs a vehicle speed signal; a target inter-vehicle distance calculating section that receives the gradient signal output from the gradient acquiring section and the vehicle speed signal output by the vehicle speed sensor, and calculates target inter-vehicle distances for target inter-vehicle distance characteristics based on the gradient signal and the vehicle speed signal; an inter-vehicle distance setting section that sets a set value of an inter-vehicle distance based on an operation of an operator, the set value of an inter-vehicle distance being configured to be selected from the target inter-vehicle distances by the operator; a limit inter-vehicle distance setting section that sets weighting for a long set value and a short set value based on the gradient signal, and sets an average weighting for the long set value and the short set value in accordance with the weightings as a limit inter-vehicle distance, the long set value and the short set value being selectable by the operator from the target inter-vehicle distances; an inter-vehicle distance selecting section sets a greater of the set value of an inter-vehicle distance and the limit inter-vehicle distance as a new target inter-vehicle distance; and a following travel control section that performs a travel control so as to make the inter-vehicle distance become equal to the new target inter-vehicle distance and stops the subject vehicle while following a stopping of the preceding vehicle.