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Sensors help enable adaptive cruise control
“Maintain a safe following distance!” It’s an instruction frequently given to new drivers by wide-eyed instructors and frazzled parents. It’s good advice, and provides those few extra critical seconds in emergency situations. Adaptive cruise control, in concert with the vehicle’s brakes and accelerator, uses sensing technology to automatically adjust vehicle speed and keep a set distance behind another vehicle.
Eagle-eyed shoppers can often identify vehicles equipped with this technology by the presence of a small sensor in the vehicle’s grille or front bumper. These sensors are generally radar or lidar based and are designed to continually scan the road ahead. Ranges vary by make, but can go up to about 200 metres.
Like conventional cruise control, adaptive cruise will maintain a vehicle’s pre-set speed, established by the driver, if the road is clear. When adaptive technology senses a slower vehicle, the system automatically reduces power output from the engine and/or gently applies the brakes. This holds the vehicle at a safe, pre-defined distance from the vehicle ahead, leaving space for an appropriate reaction time.
When the sensor “sees” the road ahead is clear, it signals the accelerator and the vehicle returns to its previously set speed. These systems are typically capable of tracking their surroundings, but it’s important to remember that the driver needs to keep control of the vehicle and keep their attention on driving.
