How does adaptive cruise control work

Adaptive cruise control is evolving each year. Car companies are continuously making adjustments to this technology and, in doing so, creating more common and affordable options that can be purchased with a new car or added to older car models, making driving safer for everyday people. New Cars. Buyer's Guide. Type keyword s to search. Today's Top Stories. Future Cars Worth Waiting For: — Kiyoshi Hijiki Getty Images. What Is Adaptive Cruise Control? Adaptive cruise control is one of 20 terms used to describe its functions so that you might see adaptive cruise control as the following in advertisements and vehicle descriptions: Active cruise control Dynamic cruise control Radar cruise control Automatic cruise control Intelligent cruise control ACC functions by sensory technology installed within vehicles such as cameras, lasers, and radar equipment, which creates an idea of how close one car is to another, or other objects on the roadway.

Limitations of Adaptive Cruise Control Although there are many advantages to adaptive cruise control, there are still limitations to consider. History of Adaptive Cruise Control U. Types of Adaptive Cruise Control Radar-Based Systems According to eInfoChips, radar-based systems work by placing radar-based sensors on or around plastic fascias to detect your vehicle's surroundings.

Laser-Based Systems As mentioned by Electronic Design , this type of ACC system operates out of a large black box typically placed in the grille of your vehicle. Assisting Systems Assisting systems are radar-based add-ons that customers can buy together. Multi-Sensor Systems According to Fierce Electronics , adaptive cruise control systems sometimes integrate more than one type of sensor to aid in a vehicle's operation.

Predictive Systems As mentioned by Autoblog, prediction systems are a type of ACC that uses sensory data to predict the actions of neighboring vehicles. For any feedback or correction requests please contact us at research caranddriver. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. More From Research. Also note that while adaptive cruise control may be the most common name, it can also be referred to as active cruise control, autonomous cruise control, radar cruise control, and intelligent cruise control.

Whatever term you use, there is no denying that this innovative technology is changing the way cars are driven. We hope you found this overview of adaptive cruise control helpful. We will leave you with one word of caution: while adaptive cruise control is perfectly safe to use, it does not replace the need for the driver to stay focus and remain in control at all times ACC does not equal a fully autonomous and automated car.

That day may come in the not too distant future, but we are not there yet. We are the premier independent body shop network delivering world-class customer service and high-quality collision repairs across the U. All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced in any form, by any means, without written permission from Fix Auto USA.

Locations Request Appointment What is adaptive cruise control? How does adaptive cruise control work? These radars or lasers are used to help determine the distance between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you. Once the driver selects the set speed and distance between the 2 vehicles, the Smart Cruise Control system will automatically maintain the set conditions and adjust accordingly based on the surrounding traffic conditions.

For example, if the vehicle ahead happens to slow, then your vehicle will also detect the change in speed and also slow down. The same would apply if the vehicle in front of you were to speed up. The SCC with Stop and Go does everything that Smart Cruise Control does, with an adjacent feature that recognizes that the vehicle ahead has stopped or has suddenly started moving forward once again.

Once it is safe to do so, your vehicle will start to accelerate back to the pre-set speed and distance based on the current driving situation. While Cruise Control and Smart Cruise Control share the same name, the two systems are quite different.

However, the driver needs to stop the vehicle when using Cruise Control since the vehicle is unable to adjust the speed nor stop on its own.