System and method for controlling a vehicle speed of an automotive vehicle

Patent · Tue Oct 27 04:00:00 EST 1987

OSTI ID:5850440

Sakata, M

A system for controlling a vehicle speed is described comprising: (a) first means for monitoring the presence of an object moving relative to the vehicle, measuring a distance from the vehicle to the moving object, and outputting Doppler signals having different directivities based on a movement of the moving object relative to the vehicle; (b) second means for calculating a change rate of a phase difference between the Doppler signals derived from the first means with respect to the distance measured by the first means; (c) third means for determining a radius of curvature of a traffic lane on which the vehicle moves; (d) fourth means for determining whether the moving object monitored by the first means is moving on the same traffic lane as the vehicle on the basis of the magnitude of the change rate of the phase difference derived from the second means with respect to a reference value the reference value being associated with the distance measured by the first means and being set according to the radius of curvature of the traffic lane determined by the third means; and (e) fifth means for detecting and controlling the vehicle speed so as to follow the moving object on the same traffic lane at a predetermined safe intervehicle distance to the moving object on the basis of the detected vehicle speed and distance detected by the first means when the fourth means determines that the moving object is moving on the same traffic lane.

• Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Limited, Kanagawa
• Patent Number(s): US 4703429
• OSTI ID: 5850440
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330100* -- Internal Combustion Engines
AUTOMOBILES
CONTROL SYSTEMS
DOPPLER EFFECT
ENGINES
HEAT ENGINES
INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MONITORING
MONITORS
MOTION
OPERATION
SIGNALS
VEHICLES
VELOCITY