Deceleration support device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12503109-B2
Application number	US-202318103743-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2023
Priority date	Apr 5, 2022
Publication date	Dec 23, 2025
Grant date	Dec 23, 2025

Abstract

A control unit is a deceleration support device configured to execute an automatic deceleration control that automatically decelerates an own vehicle until an index value acquired by dividing an inter-vehicle distance between a preceding vehicle and the own vehicle by a relative speed of the own vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle becomes equal to or greater than an end standard value, when the index value is equal to or less than a start standard value, and when the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than a control start distance standard value, in a situation in which a preset permission condition is established. When the traveling mode is an eco mode that reduces energy required for travel, the control unit sets the control start distance standard value to a value for the eco mode that is larger than a standard value for a normal mode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A deceleration support device comprising:
a target detection device, including a camera sensor and a radar sensor, that detects at least a target in front of an own vehicle; a pressure sensor and an acceleration operation amount sensor that detect a braking-driving operation by a driver; a brake that decelerates the own vehicle; a memory that stores a program; and a processor configured to execute the program to: determine whether the braking-driving operation is detected; based upon a determination that the braking-driving operation is not detected, determine whether a preceding vehicle that requires deceleration of the own vehicle is detected by the target detection device and the own vehicle is approaching the preceding vehicle; calculate an index value acquired by dividing an inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the own vehicle by a relative speed of the own vehicle with respect to the preceding vehicle, wherein a preset start condition is established when the inter-vehicle distance becomes equal to or less than a control start distance standard value and the collision prediction time TTC is determined to be equal or less than a control permission standard value TTCa, and the index value is equal to or less than a start standard value, wherein a preset end condition is established when the index value becomes equal to or greater than an end standard value and the collision prediction time TTC is equal to or greater than a control end standard value TTCe, wherein the own vehicle includes a switch that is operated by the driver and that switches and sets a traveling mode of the own vehicle to a normal mode and an eco mode that reduces energy required for traveling of the own vehicle; set the control start distance standard value to a value for the eco mode that is larger than a standard value for the normal mode when the traveling mode is set to the eco mode; and when the preset start condition is established, execute an automatic deceleration control that automatically decelerates the own vehicle by controlling the deceleration device until the preset end condition is established.

2 . The deceleration support device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to variably set the control start distance standard value in accordance with a vehicle speed of the own vehicle such that the higher the vehicle speed of the own vehicle, the larger the control start distance standard value.

3 . The deceleration support device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to set the control start distance standard value to the standard value for the normal mode, when a relative deceleration of the preceding vehicle with respect to the own vehicle is equal to or greater than a preset relative deceleration standard value, and the traveling mode is set to the eco mode.

4 . The deceleration support device according to claim 1 , wherein the brake includes a regenerative brake device, and the processor is further configured to set the control start distance standard value to the standard value for the normal mode, when a charge margin rate of a battery of the regenerative brake device is equal to or greater than a preset charge margin standard value, and the traveling mode is set to the eco mode.

5 . The deceleration support device according to claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to decelerate the own vehicle such that the own vehicle does not approach the preceding vehicle by a minimum distance or more when the processor determines that the preceding vehicle is stationary, and maintain deceleration of the own vehicle until a preset release condition is established, when the processor determines that the preceding vehicle resumes traveling.

6 . The deceleration support device according to claim 5 , wherein the processor is further configured to increase the minimum distance when the preceding vehicle resumes traveling, and determine that the preset release condition is established when the relative speed is less than a negative relative speed standard value and that the inter-vehicle distance exceeds the minimum distance.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kondo Kumiko

Classifications

• B60W30/18127

  Regenerative braking · CPC title

• B60W2720/106

  Longitudinal acceleration · CPC title

• B60W2540/12

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2540/10

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2554/802

  Longitudinal distance · CPC title