Vehicle running control apparatus and vehicle running control method

1. A vehicle running control apparatus for carrying out an acceleration/deceleration running pattern alternately repeating acceleration running for accelerating a vehicle running with at least a thermal engine as a drive source until reaching a target upper limit vehicle speed by utilizing drive force of the drive source after reaching a target lower limit vehicle speed, and inertia running for blocking transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to drive wheels after reaching the target upper limit vehicle speed and allowing the vehicle to run through inertia until reaching the target lower limit vehicle speed, the apparatus comprising:

an actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern generating unit that generates an actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern including actual running states of the inertia running and the acceleration running based on a current running situation of the vehicle;

a corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern generating unit that generates a corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating an actual acceleration/deceleration period of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, when the actual acceleration/deceleration period from start of the inertia running to end of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is shorter than a reference acceleration/deceleration period set in advance; and

an acceleration/deceleration running pattern setting unit that sets the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern as a set acceleration/deceleration running pattern when the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern is not generated, and that sets the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern as the set acceleration/deceleration running pattern when the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern is generated.

2. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein acceleration at the time of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period.

3. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein acceleration at the time of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, and when the acceleration is corrected, a target charge amount of a storage battery for storing electric power generated by utilizing a part of the power of the thermal engine is reset to a large value corresponding to the acceleration after correction.

4. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when the vehicle is provided with a motor in addition to the thermal engine as the drive source, deceleration at the time of the inertia running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small by adding drive force of the motor when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period.

5. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, constant vehicle speed running at the target lower limit vehicle speed is added when shifting from the inertia running to the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, and/or constant vehicle speed running at the target upper limit vehicle speed is added when shifting from the acceleration running to the inertia running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern.

6. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, constant vehicle speed running at the target lower limit vehicle speed carried out by activating a motor is added if the vehicle is provided with the motor in addition to the thermal engine as the drive source when shifting from the inertia running to the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, and/or constant vehicle speed running at the target upper limit vehicle speed carried out by activating the thermal engine is added when shifting from the acceleration running to the inertia running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern.

7. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when generating the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, acceleration at the time of the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern excellent in thermal efficiency of the thermal engine is obtained based on a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running and a vehicle speed, which are running situations of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target upper limit vehicle speed is set according to requirement of a driver.

9. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein, when setting the target upper limit vehicle speed, a vehicle speed at the time of accelerator off associated with accelerator pedal operation by a driver is set as the target upper limit vehicle speed.

10. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set based on the target upper limit vehicle speed and a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running, which are running situations of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set such that difference in vehicle speed between the target lower limit vehicle speed and the target upper vehicle speed gets smaller with increasing target upper limit vehicle speed, when a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running is up-grade.

12. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set such that difference in vehicle speed between the target lower limit vehicle speed and the target upper vehicle speed gets larger with increasing target upper limit vehicle speed, when a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running is down-grade.

13. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the reference acceleration/deceleration period is a value, which can be changed by a driver according to preference, or a value set in advance such that improvement of fuel consumption and resolution of uncomfortable feeling of the driver associated with change in vehicle speed and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle can go together.

14. The vehicle running control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the inertia running is carried out by blocking the transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to the drive wheels and by stopping the thermal engine, or carried out only by blocking the transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to the drive wheels without stopping the thermal engine when an amount of fuel consumed in an idling state of the thermal engine is small.

15. A vehicle running control method for carrying out an acceleration/deceleration running pattern alternately repeating acceleration running for accelerating a vehicle running with at least a thermal engine as a drive source until reaching a target upper limit vehicle speed by utilizing drive force of the drive source after reaching a target lower limit vehicle speed, and inertia running for blocking transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to drive wheels after reaching the target upper limit vehicle speed and allowing the vehicle to run through inertia until reaching the target lower limit vehicle speed, the method comprising:

generating an actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern including actual running states of the inertia running and the acceleration running based on a current running situation of the vehicle;

generating a corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating an actual acceleration/deceleration period of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, when the actual acceleration/deceleration period from start of the inertia running to end of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is shorter than a reference acceleration/deceleration period set in advance; and

setting the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern as a set acceleration/deceleration running pattern when the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern is not generated, and setting the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern as the set acceleration/deceleration running pattern when the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern is generated.

16. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein acceleration at the time of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period.

17. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein acceleration at the time of the acceleration running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, and when the acceleration is corrected, a target charge amount of a storage battery for storing electric power generated by utilizing a part of the power of the thermal engine is reset to a large value corresponding to the acceleration after correction.

18. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein, when the vehicle is provided with a motor in addition to the thermal engine as the drive source, deceleration at the time of the inertia running in the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern is corrected to be small by adding drive force of the motor when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period.

19. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein, when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, constant vehicle speed running at the target lower limit vehicle speed is added when shifting from the inertia running to the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, and/or constant vehicle speed running at the target upper limit vehicle speed is added when shifting from the acceleration running to the inertia running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern.

20. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein, when generating the corrected acceleration/deceleration running pattern obtained by elongating the actual acceleration/deceleration period, constant vehicle speed running at the target lower limit vehicle speed carried out by activating a motor is added if the vehicle is provided with the motor in addition to the thermal engine as the drive source when shifting from the inertia running to the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, and/or constant vehicle speed running at the target upper limit vehicle speed carried out by activating the thermal engine is added when shifting from the acceleration running to the inertia running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern.

21. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein, when generating the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern, acceleration at the time of the acceleration running of the actual acceleration/deceleration running pattern excellent in thermal efficiency of the thermal engine is obtained based on a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running and a vehicle speed, which are running situations of the vehicle.

22. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the target upper limit vehicle speed is set according to requirement of a driver.

23. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein, when setting the target upper limit vehicle speed, a vehicle speed at the time of accelerator off associated with accelerator pedal operation by a driver is set as the target upper limit vehicle speed.

24. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set based on the target upper limit vehicle speed and a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running, which are running situations of the vehicle.

25. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set such that difference in vehicle speed between the target lower limit vehicle speed and the target upper vehicle speed gets smaller with increasing target upper limit vehicle speed, when a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running is up-grade.

26. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the target lower limit vehicle speed is set such that difference in vehicle speed between the target lower limit vehicle speed and the target upper vehicle speed gets larger with increasing target upper limit vehicle speed, when a road grade of a road on which the vehicle is running is down-grade.

27. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the reference acceleration/deceleration period is a value, which can be changed by a driver according to preference, or a value set in advance such that improvement of fuel consumption and resolution of uncomfortable feeling of the driver associated with change in vehicle speed and acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle can go together.

28. The vehicle running control method according to claim 15 , wherein the inertia running is carried out by blocking the transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to the drive wheels and by stopping the thermal engine, or carried out only by blocking the transmission of the drive force of the thermal engine to the drive wheels without stopping the thermal engine when an amount of fuel consumed in an idling state of the thermal engine is small.