Digital Media Concepts/Adaptive Cruise Control

Adaptive cruise control or ACC for short is a far more advanced cruise control that uses sensors, cameras, radar, and other hardware giving the vehicle a smarter capability to drive in traffic conditions on the highway. The system maintains a fixed speed and distance from both your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. If the system starts sensing a slow down in traffic the car is able to progressively slow down the car and bring it to a complete stop and is able to resume the speed of traffic based on the condition. Apart from the traditional cruise control, drivers with this new system won’t have to cancel and reset their cruise control settings because it adjusts based on the technology to meet the traffic needs.

Adaptive Cruise is shown on the VW Golf in the center instrument cluster.

Types of Adaptive Cruise Control

Different Types Systems

Some of the different types of systems that exist for adaptive cruise control include:

• Radar-Based Systems
• Laser-Based System
• Binocular Computer Vision Systems
• Assisting Systems
• Multi-Sensor Systems
• Predictive Systems.

Different Variations

Some of the two variations of adaptive cruise control are:

ACC: A type of cruise control that can both speed up or slow down based on the car owners’ distance of there car and the distance of the car in front of them. The driver is also able to set a comfortable distance between there car and the car in front of them.

ACC w/ Stop and Go: A type of cruise control that can speed up, slow down, come to a complete stop in traffic, and can resume speed of traffic based on the traffic conditions.

Advantages

Some of the advantages of having adaptive cruise control is that keeps safer because the car uses cameras and sensors to keep you at a safe distance between your car and the car in front of you. The system can also help limit accidents by slowing down with the flow of traffic. It also can help traffic the overall flow of traffic.  

Disadvantages

Some of the disadvantages of this system would be driving in extreme weather conditions such as rain, snow, and fog. Weather conditions can make it harder for the system to operate at its full capacity. IlHS states that the system is a work in progress, some models can’t manage all traffic conditions just yet that is why driver intervention is important because the car isn’t fully autonomous.

Hardware/Cost

Traditional Cruise Control

Some of the hardware that is used to make adaptive cruise control possible is cameras, sensors, radar, and lasers. Depending on the type of vehicle, some systems have cameras and sensors, while others have a combination of hardware.

The cost of this system can vary from $2000 to $2500 depending if the buyer combines the system with other driver assistance aids to the vehicle upon a new delivery with a factory system. If drivers want to go the aftermarket route, their systems like “Comma Two” allow drivers to add features like ACC to their vehicles depending on the year and make of their car. Camma Two devkit starts at about $999.00 which is one of the more affordable options for consumers.

History

“Lidar-Based detection system” has been around since the 1990s. The Japanese automaker Mitsubishi had a very limited system in their Debonair vehicle that used a camera and a lidar system the car was able to slightly slow down the vehicle by downshifting. Another company that was also in the market in the 1990s was General Motors specifically William Chundrlik and Pamela Labuhn they filled a patent was gear towards their higher-end vehicles.