Cruise Control
Cruise Control
Cruise Control
Cruise control
Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or
autocruise) is a system that automatically controls the
speed of a motor vehicle. The system takes over the
throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by
the driver.
History
Speed control with a centrifugal governor was used in
automobiles as early as the 1910s, notably by Peerless.
Peerless advertised that their system would "maintain
speed whether up hill or down". The technology was
invented by James Watt and Matthew Boulton in 1788 Cruise control mounted on a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Steering
Wheel
to control steam engines. The governor adjusts the
throttle position as the speed of the engine changes
with different loads.
Modern cruise control (also known as a speedostat) was invented in 1945 by the blind inventor and mechanical
engineer Ralph Teetor. His idea was born out of the frustration of riding in a car driven by his lawyer, who kept
speeding up and slowing down as he talked. The first car with Teetor's system was the Chrysler Imperial in 1958.
This system calculated ground speed based on driveshaft rotations and used a solenoid to vary throttle position as
needed.
Theory of operation
In modern designs, the cruise control may need to be turned on before use — in some designs it is always "on" but
not always enabled, others have a separate "on/off" switch, while still others just have an "on" switch that must be
pressed after the vehicle has been started. Most designs have buttons for "set", "resume", "accelerate", and "coast"
functions. Some also have a "cancel" button. Alternatively, depressing the brake or clutch pedal will disable the
system so the driver can change the speed without resistance from the system. The system is operated with controls
easily within the driver's reach, usually with two or more buttons on the steering wheel spokes or on the edge of the
hub like those on Honda vehicles, on the turn signal stalk like in many older General Motors vehicles or on a
dedicated stalk like those found in, particularly Toyota and Lexus. Earlier designs used a dial to set speed choice.
The driver must bring the vehicle up to speed manually and use a button to set the cruise control to the current speed.
The cruise control takes its speed signal from a rotating driveshaft, speedometer cable, wheel speed sensor from the
engine's RPM or from internal speed pulses produced electronically by the vehicle. Most systems do not allow the
use of the cruise control below a certain speed (normally around 25 mph/). The vehicle will maintain that speed by
pulling the throttle cable with a solenoid, a vacuum driven servomechanism or by using the electronic systems built
into the vehicle (fully electronic) if it uses a 'drive-by-wire' system.
All cruise control systems must be capable of being turned off both explicitly and automatically, when the driver
depresses the brake and often also the clutch. Cruise control often includes a memory feature to resume the set speed
after braking and a coast feature to disengage the system without braking. When the cruise control is engaged, the
throttle can still be used to accelerate the car, but once the pedal is released the car will then slow down until it
reaches the previously set speed.
Cruise control 2
On the latest vehicles fitted with electronic throttle control, cruise control can be easily integrated into the vehicle's
engine management system. Modern "adaptive" systems (see below) include the ability to automatically reduce
speed when the distance to a car in front, or the speed limit, decreases. This is an advantage for those driving in
unfamiliar areas.
The cruise control systems of some vehicles incorporate a "speed limiter" function, which will not allow the vehicle
to accelerate beyond a pre-set maximum; this can usually be overridden by fully depressing the accelerator pedal.
(Note that most systems will prevent the vehicle accelerating beyond the chosen speed, but will not apply the brakes
in the event of overspeeding downhill.)
References
External links
• Overview of intelligent vehicle safety systems (http://www.esafetysupport.org/en/
learn_about_esafety_systems/)
• Intelligent Transport Systems (http://www.ertico.com/)
• Tempomat.ro - pilot automat pt gama auto VAG (http://www.tempomat.ro/)
• Preventive safety applications and technologies (http://prevent-ip.org/en/)
• Cruise [Un]Control: Driver sets the cruise control on his vehicle, then slips into the backseat for a nap (http://
www.snopes.com/autos/techno/cruise.asp) at Snopes.com
Article Sources and Contributors 4
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
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