Cruise control

Cruise control - this is a device that takes control of the speed of the car. It can be installed on cars with any transmission, both with a mechanical and with an automatic. Cruise control can be passive and adaptive (otherwise active).

Passive supports the speed of the vehicle at a constant level set by the driver. It is quite comfortable on long trips, because the leg is tired of holding the accelerator constantly. The speed set by the driver will be constant until he himself changes it by pressing the gas or brake pedal, for example, with forced braking or during overtaking of another car on the track. In this case, the cruise control is deactivated, however, after the driver releases the brake or gas again, the set speed is set again, which will be maintained until the next driver action. During the movement, you can also change the settings.

Adaptive or active cruise control can be considered a more advanced version of the passive. He ensures that your car does not approach the ahead of the distance to a distance less than the specified. If the car going ahead, will reduce the speed, then the system will turn on the braking. Such a system differs from passive in that it depends on the operation of the brake safety systems ESP and ABS. In case of a malfunction at least one of them the cruise control switches off, which the driver will recognize by a special signal on the display. After getting rid of defects, you can again ride with maximum comfort.

Adaptive cruise control can be one of two types - radar or laser. The radar type is distinguished by its high cost and efficiency, which is why it has so far been established for executive cars and sports models related to the expensive category. Laser are more affordable, but in bad weather they lose their properties, in addition, they ignore dirty cars. But do not completely trust the cruise control system. The owner should always follow the road, as the system sometimes mistakenly determines the presence of the car going in front.

A little history of the advent of cruise control

The first car, which was equipped with this system, was released in 1958. The model is Chrysler Imperial. This car used a system that reads the speed with which the propeller shaft rotated, and then by means of a solenoid controlling the fuel supply to the combustion chamber. This was the simplest option. Subsequently, systems appeared that controlled the fuel supply, reading the speedometer reading, measuring the speed of rotation of the wheels or the engine speed.

The advent of adaptive cruise control falls on 1999, and it was installed in a Mercedes-Bens car. The emergence of a fundamentally new system, such as a full adaptive cruise control, dates back to 2006. Such a system allows you to make your car completely dependent on the ahead, that is, it stops and accelerates the car to the speed of the vehicle moving in front of it.

What does cruise control do? It deals with throttle regulation, but not like the driver, that is, not with the gas and brake pedals, but with the help of a pneumatic drive. The valve regulates the power and speed of the motor by limiting the air intake. The main part of the cruise control is made in the form of a small computer located under the hood or behind the dashboard. It is connected by sensors to throttle control. All other elements of this system interact with the nodes of the car.