Vehicle cruise control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9533681-B2
Application number	US-201214439797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 31, 2012
Priority date	Oct 31, 2012
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle cruise control device 10 that performs trajectory control for causing a vehicle to travel along a traveling road by steering vehicle wheels. The vehicle cruise control device includes: a roll control device (active stabilizers 56 and 58 , etc.) configured to control a lateral-direction inclination angle of a vehicle body; and an inclination angle estimation device (a roll rate sensor 72 , a stroke sensor 74 i , etc.) configured to determine a lateral-direction inclination of a traveling road. When the trajectory control is executed in a situation in which the vehicle travels on a laterally inclined traveling road (S 150 , S 250 , S 300 , S 500 ), the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is controlled by the roll control device so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road (S 450 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle cruise control device that performs trajectory control for causing a vehicle to travel along a traveling road by steering a wheel, the vehicle cruise control device comprising:
a roll control device configured to control a lateral-direction inclination angle of a vehicle body; and
an inclination determination device configured to determine a lateral-direction inclination of a traveling road,
wherein, when the trajectory control is executed in a situation in which the vehicle travels on a laterally inclined traveling road, the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is controlled by the roll control device so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road.

2. The vehicle cruise control device, according to claim 1 , wherein:
when starting the trajectory control in the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, the cruise control device starts the control of the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body by the roll control device as well at the same time, and gradually increases a control quantity for the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body.

3. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
when ending the trajectory control in the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, the cruise control device starts the ending of the control of the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body by the roll control device as well at the same time, and gradually decreases a control quantity for the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body.

4. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
when starting the trajectory control in the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, the cruise control device starts the control of the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body by the roll control device in advance to the starting of the trajectory control, and gradually increases a control quantity for the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body.

5. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
when ending the trajectory control in the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, the cruise control device starts the ending of the control of the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body by the roll control device in advance to the ending of the trajectory control, and gradually decreases a control quantity for the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body.

6. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the inclination determination device estimates the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road, and
the cruise control device calculates a target inclination angle of the vehicle body that is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road, and controls the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body coincides with the target inclination angle.

7. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 6 , wherein:
the inclination determination device estimates a lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body in an absolute space as an absolute roll angle, estimates a lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body with respect to the traveling road as a relative roll angle, and estimates the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road based on a difference between the absolute roll angle and the relative roll angle.

8. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the roll control device generates an anti-roll moment based on a lateral force working on the vehicle body, thereby to control the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body, and
when executing the trajectory control in the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, the cruise control device increases a ratio of the anti-roll moment to the lateral force working on the vehicle body, as compared with a situation that is not the situation in which the vehicle travels on the laterally inclined traveling road, thereby to control the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is greater than 0 and smaller than the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road.

9. The vehicle cruise control device according to claim 1 , wherein:
the cruise control device controls the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body so that the lateral-direction inclination angle of the vehicle body is equal to or more than 0.2 times the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road, and equal to or less than 0.8 times the lateral-direction inclination angle of the traveling road.

Assignees

• Kodaira Takahiro
• Kojo Takahiro
• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kodaira Takahiro
• Kojo Takahiro

Classifications

• B60G17/0162

  mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking (B60G17/0164 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G2400/0511

  Roll angle · CPC title

• B60G2400/104

  lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle · CPC title

• B60G2400/0523

  Yaw rate · CPC title

• B60G2400/0521

  Roll rate · CPC title