Vehicle deceleration control apparatus

Abstract

If a driver of a vehicle has slowed-down the vehicle, a deceleration controller does not apply deceleration to the vehicle within a specified time after the driver has finished slowing-down of the vehicle. The deceleration controller is a device that automatically decelerates the vehicle if a distance between the vehicle and another vehicle running in front of the vehicle is less than a specific distance to avoid collision of the two vehicles.

1. A vehicle deceleration control apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
 a detector that detects a parameter that represents a relationship with an object;  
 a deceleration controller that decelerates the vehicle based on the parameter;  
 a deceleration-operation detector that detects whether the vehicle is subjected to a deceleration operation performed by a driver; and  
 a deceleration-application prohibiting unit that prohibits the deceleration controller from applying deceleration to the vehicle,  
 wherein, when the deceleration-operation detector detects an end of a deceleration operation performed by a driver, the deceleration-application prohibiting unit is activated for a specified period to prohibit the deceleration controller from applying deceleration to the vehicle.  
 
     
     
       2. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the specified period is decided based on the parameter. 
     
     
       3. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the specified period is set shorter if a target deceleration decided from the parameter is larger. 
     
     
       4. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein if a speed of the vehicle is high, the specified period is set shorter as compared with a case when the speed is low. 
     
     
       5. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the specified period is set short in either one of a case where the object and the vehicle are approaching each other and a case where the object and the vehicle are close to each other. 
     
     
       6. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the specified period is either one of a specified time and a specified travel distance. 
     
     
       7. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a risk determining unit that determines amount of risk when the deceleration-application prohibiting unit is activated; and  
 an invalidation unit that invalidates activation of the deceleration-application prohibiting unit if the amount of risk determined by the risk determining unit is higher than a specified value.  
 
     
     
       8. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 7 , wherein the risk determining unit obtains the amount of the risk based on any one or more of a possibility in which the driver does not notice danger in front, possibility in which the driver does not perform appropriate deceleration operation, and a distance between the object and the vehicle. 
     
     
       9. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the deceleration-application prohibiting unit continues prohibiting deceleration from being generated even while the deceleration-operation detector is detecting whether the driver performs the deceleration operation. 
     
     
       10. A vehicle deceleration control apparatus mounted on a vehicle, comprising:
 a detector that detects a parameter that represents a relationship with an object;    a deceleration controller that decelerates the vehicle based on the parameter;    a deceleration-operation detector that detects whether the vehicle is subjected to a deceleration operation performed by a driver; and    a deceleration-application suppression unit that suppresses deceleration to the vehicle applied by the deceleration controller,    wherein when the deceleration-operation detector detects an end of a deceleration operation performed by a driver, the deceleration-application suppressing unit is activated for a specified period to suppress deceleration of the vehicle.    
     
     
       11. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the specified period is decided based on the parameter. 
     
     
       12. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the specified period is set shorter if a target deceleration decided from the parameter is larger. 
     
     
       13. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the specified period is either one of a specified time and a specified travel distance. 
     
     
       14. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 10 , further comprising:
 a risk determining unit that determines an amount of risk when the deceleration-application suppressing unit is activated; and    an invalidation unit that invalidates activation of the deceleration-application suppressing unit if the amount of risk determined by the risk-determining unit is higher than a specified value.    
     
     
       15. The vehicle deceleration control apparatus according to  claim 10 , wherein the deceleration-application suppressing unit continues suppressing deceleration applied even while the deceleration-operation detector is detecting whether the driver performs the deceleration operation.