IP Library Granted Patent US 9,896,102
Granted Patent B2
US 9,896,102 · App. 14/810,227 · Granted Feb 20, 2018

Vehicle controller

View Patent ↗
Loading inventors, assignments & file history…
Monitor This Case
Get email alerts when status or documents change.
Order Certified Copies
Most orders are placed with the USPTO same day — all within 24 business hours.
Order via The Patent Place →
Pre-filled with this patent's details
Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,896,102
App. No.
14/810,227
Granted
Feb 20, 2018
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle controller includes a camera unit that detects driving conditions of a preceding vehicle; a re-acceleration determiner that determines based on the driving conditions of the preceding vehicle whether or not a re-acceleration state in which the preceding vehicle decelerates and then accelerates occurs; and a rotation controller that, if it is determined that the vehicle is in a re-acceleration state, maintains the engine speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

Claims (19)

1. A vehicle controller comprising:

a sensor that detects a driving condition of a preceding vehicle;

a re-acceleration determiner configured to determine, based on the driving condition of the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle, whether or not a re-acceleration state where the preceding vehicle decelerates and then accelerates occurs, wherein the re-acceleration determiner determines that the preceding vehicle is in the re-acceleration state when the preceding vehicle is accelerated from a state in which both the preceding vehicle and the subject vehicle are decelerating; and

a rotation controller that, when the re-acceleration determiner determines that the preceding vehicle is in the re-acceleration state, maintains a rotational speed of an engine not less than a lower limit, wherein the lower limit is higher than an idling speed.

2. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 , further comprising:

an electric motor connected to the engine,

wherein the rotation controller drives the electric motor to maintain the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

3. The vehicle controller according to claim 2 ,

wherein the rotation controller shuts down fuel supply to the engine to maintain the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

4. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 ,

wherein the rotation controller supplies fuel to the engine to maintain the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

5. The vehicle controller according to claim 1 ,

wherein, when a driver of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle controller performs a brake operation, the rotation controller disables a lower-limit maintenance control that maintains the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

6. The vehicle controller according to claim 2 ,

wherein, when a driver of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle controller performs a brake operation, the rotation controller disables a lower-limit maintenance control that maintains the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

7. The vehicle controller according to claim 3 ,

wherein, when a driver of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle controller performs a brake operation, the rotation controller disables a lower-limit maintenance control that maintains the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

8. The vehicle controller according to claim 4 ,

wherein, when a driver of the vehicle equipped with the vehicle controller performs a brake operation, the rotation controller disables a lower-limit maintenance control that maintains the rotational speed of the engine not less than a lower limit.

Assignments (2)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded May 12, 2017
From: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: SUBARU CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 042624/0886 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jul 27, 2015
From: TANAKA, YUICHI
To: FUJI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 036187/0626 →