Importance

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Abstract

An intelligent cruise control system is capable of maintaining a car-to-car distance allowing a collision to be avoided and carrying out follow-up running control without providing a sense of incompatibility to the driver. A radar circuit employed in a radar unit calculates a relative speed Vr of a car running ahead of a vehicle with an intelligent cruise control system installed therein with respect to the vehicle and a distance dr from the vehicle to the preceding car from a wave reflected by the preceding car. An ICC unit adjusts the speed of the vehicle by controlling the output of the engine of the vehicle in accordance with information such as the relative speed Vr and the distance dr received from the radar unit. In a follow-up running mode, the ICC unit controls the cruise of the vehicle in such a way that the speed of the vehicle and the distance from the vehicle to the preceding car are maintained at a target speed and a target car-to-car distance respectively. When the ICC unit forms a judgment that deceleration of the vehicle is not enough if only deceleration based on the engine brake is relied on, giving rise to fear of a rear-end collision of the vehicle with the preceding car, the ICC unit calculates a target deceleration and operates an automatic brake unit, letting the automatic brake unit generate a braking force appropriate for the target acceleration.

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First Claim