Informing apparatus for cruise control system

• Main Authors: TERAMURA EIJI, ISOGAI AKIRA, NISHIMURA TAKAO, KATO HISANAO, SAKAI NORIHIKO
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 01.05.2001
• Edition: 7
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVEREDIN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; BLASTING; COMBUSTION ENGINES; CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE ORDIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; CONTROLLING COMBUSTION ENGINES; HEATING; HOT-GAS OR COMBUSTION-PRODUCT ENGINE PLANTS; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; LIGHTING; MEASURING; MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION,OR SHOCK; MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICS; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TOTHE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT; SIGNALLING; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; TESTING; TRAFFIC CONTROL SYSTEMS; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

An informing apparatus is designed for use with a cruise control system having at least one of a function of inter-vehicle control for enabling a present vehicle to follow a preceding vehicle and a function of constant-speed travel control for enabling the present vehicle to travel at a constant speed. In the informing apparatus, a determination is made as to whether or not a main switch is in its ON position. The main switch is designed for setting a state in which the cruise control system can start to operate. A determination is made as to whether or not a set switch is in its OFF position. The set switch is designed for commanding execution of cruise control. A speed of the present vehicle and a setting lower limit vehicle speed are indicated on a contradistinction basis when it is determined that the main switch is in its ON position while the set switch is in its OFF position. The setting lower limit vehicle speed denotes a lower limit of a vehicle speed range in which the cruise control is enabled.