Adaptive Cruise Control Under Poor Visibility Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Adaptive cruise control systems fail to adequately adjust in conditions of poor visibility, such as rain, snow, or fog, leading to safety and driver anxiety concerns due to continued acceleration without proper disengagement.
Innovation Solution
A vehicle control system that calculates poor visibility and disables acceleration and deceleration during adaptive cruise control, enabling constant speed travel and activating windshield wipers or defrosters when visibility thresholds are met, with options to disengage adaptive cruise control if poor visibility persists.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If adaptive cruise control continues to operate in poor visibility conditions, then the system maintains its basic function, but safety is compromised and driver anxiety increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts its operation mode based on detected visibility conditions. When poor visibility is detected (rain, snow, fog), the system transitions from normal adaptive cruise control to a restricted mode where acceleration is disabled but deceleration remains functional. This dynamic adaptation ensures safety while maintaining basic cruise control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of adaptive cruise control based on visibility conditions. Specifically, it modifies the acceleration parameter by disabling it during poor visibility, while keeping deceleration parameter active. This selective parameter modification allows the system to adapt to environmental conditions without complete disengagement.
2Reliability
If acceleration is disabled during poor visibility, then safety is improved, but the system becomes overly restrictive and may cause driver discomfort
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of completely disabling adaptive cruise control during poor visibility, the system applies partial action by selectively disabling only the acceleration function while maintaining deceleration capability. This partial restriction provides sufficient safety improvement without the excessive limitation of complete system disengagement, thereby maintaining driver convenience.
3Reliability
If the system frequently disengages adaptive cruise control in response to visibility changes, then safety is maintained, but driver comfort deteriorates due to frequent interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary assessment of visibility conditions and implements gradual adaptation rather than sudden disengagement. By detecting poor visibility conditions and transitioning to a restricted mode (disabling acceleration only), the system prepares for potential safety issues before they arise, allowing continuous operation to persist longer without abrupt interruptions.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Problem to be Solved] To execute adaptive cruise control adequately in accordance with the situation of poor visibility. [Solution] A vehicle control system of the present invention includes: an external information acquiring device capable of acquiring the presence of a preceding vehicle and an intervehicular distance; a vehicle speed acquiring device capable of acquiring a traveling speed of an ego vehicle; and a control device capable of executing adaptive cruise control of the vehicle. The control device is capable of calculating a poor visibility degree for evaluating poor visibility in front of the vehicle, and the control device disenables acceleration of the vehicle and permits constant speed traveling of the vehicle under adaptive cruise control, when the calculated value of the poor visibility degree is equal to or greater than a predetermined first poor visibility degree threshold.