Adaptive Cruise Control

According to Norman Martin:



" The first OEM application of adaptive cruise control - a radar-based system that looks ahead and automatically adjusts the speed of the vehicle according to traffic - is rolling off Mercedes-Benz's S-Class line in Sindelfingen, Germany, this month. But a number of companies are hot on the heels of the German automaker, targeting low-cost ACC, as it's called, for passenger cars. The competitors include Delphi's Delco Electronics group and Eaton Corp. And while the Mercedes system costs thousands of marks now, industry experts predict higher volume and dropping electronics hardware prices could put the tab for the ACC systems at a few hundred dollars within years.

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The Mercedes system, known by the catchy name Distronic intelligent autonomous cruise control, uses a radar sensor and microcomputer to maintain a safe distance. If the two cars get too close, the device automatically backs off the gas and applies limited braking, if necessary. Mercedes engineer Walter Klinkner stresses that ACC isn't an automatic emergency brake, and it isn't supposed to eliminate the driver.

'He (the driver) still has to pay attention to traffic,' Klinkner says. Mercedes tested ACC both on its massive simulator in Berlin, and on stretches of the German autobahn at speeds of up to 90 mph (145 kph).

The Mercedes ACC pulse-Doppler radar system was developed by Automotive Distance Control (ADC of Auburn Hills, Mich., a joint development effort of Contentinal Teves (formerly ITT), Daimler-Benz's Temic, and the optics company Leica. Leica has been developing infrared laser systems for years, while Temic has focused on radar-based systems. ITT was examining braking issues. The circular 3.2:inch (80mm)-radar sensor is located in the grille of the S-Class. ADC supplies both infrared and 76.5 GHz radar sensors."

Source:

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3012/is_1998_Oct_1/ai_53179685/