Cruise Control Controls on a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Steering Wheel

Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or Autocruise) is a system to automatically control the speed of an automobile. The driver sets the speed and the system will take over the throttle of the car to maintain the same speed. Speed (symbol: v) is the rate of motion, or equivalently the rate of change of position, expressed as distance d moved per unit of time t. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... In an engine, the throttle is the mechanism by which the engines power is increased or decreased. ...

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 for use in locomotives. It uses centrifugal force to adjust throttle position as the speed of the engine changes with different loads (e.g. when going up a hill). A centrifugal governor is a specific type of governor that controls the speed of an engine by regulating the amount of fuel admitted, so as to maintain a near constant speed whatever the load or fuel supply conditions. ... // Events and trends The 1910s represent the culmination of European militarism which had its beginnings during the second half of the 19th Century. ... Peerless was an American automobile produced by the Peerless Motor Company of Cleveland, Ohio. ... James Watt James Watt (19 January 1736 – 19 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. ... Matthew Boulton. ... 1788 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A locomotive (from Latin loco motivus) is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train, and has no payload capacity of its own; its sole purpose is to move the train along the tracks. ... Centrifugal force (from Latin centrum center and fugere to flee) is a term which may refer to two different forces which are related to rotation. ...

Modern cruise control 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 Corporation Imperial in 1958. This system calculated ground speed based on driveshaft rotations and used a solenoid to vary throttle position as needed. 1945 (MCMVL) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Ralph Teetor, a prolific (and blind) inventor, invented cruise control. ... The Chrysler Corporation was a United States-based automobile manufacturer that existed independently from 1925–1998. ... 1926 Imperial E-80 Indianapolis 500 pace car The Chrysler Imperial, introduced in 1926, was the companys top of the range vehicle for much of its history. ... 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Cardan driveshaft with universal joints A driveshaft or driving shaft or Cardan shaft is a mechanical device for transferring power from the engine or motor to the point where useful work is applied. ... Various solenoid actuators from Trombetta Motion Technologies A solenoid is a loop of wire, often wrapped around a metallic core, which produces a magnetic field when an electrical current is passed through it. ...

Theory of operation

In modern designs, the cruise control may or may not 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. Or simply tapping the brake on most cars equipped with cruise control will disable it. 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 some General Motors vehicles or on a dedicated stalk like those found in Toyota vehicles. A modern road cars steering wheel A modern Formula One cars steering wheel has buttons and knobs to control various functions A steering wheel is a type of steering control used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... Turn signals (US English) or indicators (British English) are a set of lights on a vehicle (be it a car, truck/lorry, tractor, motorcycle, etc. ... General Motors Corporation, also known as GM, is the worlds largest automaker. ... Toyota redirects here. ...

The driver must bring the car 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 or from the engine's RPM. Most systems do not allow the use of the cruise control below a certain speed (normally 35 mph/55 km/h) to discourage use in city driving. The car will maintain that speed by pulling the throttle cable with a solenoid or a vacuum driven servomechanism. On the latest vehicles fitted with electronic throttle control, cruise control can be easily integrated into the vehicle's engine management system. Most systems can be turned off both explicitly and automatically, when the driver hits the brake or clutch. Cruise control often includes a memory feature to resume the set speed after braking and a coast feature to reset the speed lower without braking. When the cruise control is in effect, the throttle can still be used to accelerate the car, but once it is released the car will then slow down until it reaches the previously set speed. Cardan driveshaft with universal joints A driveshaft or driving shaft or Cardan shaft is a mechanical device for transferring power from the engine or motor to the point where useful work is applied. ... Speedometer gauge on a car, showing the speed of the vehicle in miles and kilometre per hour on the out– and inside respectively. ... rpm or RPM may mean: revolutions per minute RPM Package Manager (originally called Red Hat Package Manager) RPM (movie) RPM (band), a Brazilian rock band RPM (magazine), a former Canadian music industry magazine In firearms, Rounds Per Minute: how many shots an automatic weapon can fire in one minute On... In an engine, the throttle is the mechanism by which the engines power is increased or decreased. ... Look up Vacuum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Small R/C servo mechanism 1. ... Electronic throttle control (ETC) is an automobile technology which severs the direct link between the accelerator pedal and the throttle. ... For other uses, see Brake (disambiguation). ... Rear side of a Ford V6 engine, looking at the clutch housing on the flywheel Single, dry, clutch friction disc. ...

Cruise controls currently being developed include the ability to automatically reduce speed when the speed limit decreases. This is an advantage for those driving in unfamiliar areas.

Advantages and disadvantages

Cruise control has many advantages but also some serious vices.

Some of those advantages include:

• Its usefulness for long drives across sparsely populated roads. This usually results in better fuel efficiency.
• Some drivers use it to avoid unconciously violating speed limits. A driver who otherwise tends to unconsciously increase speed over the course of a highway journey may avoid a speeding ticket. Such drivers should note, however, that a cruise control may go over its setting on a downhill which is steep enough to accelerate with an idling engine.

However, cruise control can also lead to accidents due to several factors, such as: A road ascends a mountainside using hairpin bends in the French Alps. ...

• The lack of need to maintain constant pedal pressure, which can help lead to accidents caused by highway hypnosis or incapacitated drivers; future systems may include a penalty switch to avoid this.
• When used during inclement weather or while driving on wet or snow- and/or ice-covered roads, the vehicle could go into a skid. Stepping on the brake – such as to disengage the cruise control – often results in the driver losing control of the vehicle.

Many countries establish that it is illegal to drive within city limits with the cruise control feature activated. Highway hypnosis is a mental state in which the person can drive an automobile great distances, responding to external events in the expected manner, with no recollection of having consciously done so. ... A penalty switch is a device that ensures a human operator is alert and on the job and sooner or later take some action if the operator falls asleep or takes ill. ...

Autonomous cruise control system

Some modern vehicles have autonomous cruise control (ACC) systems. These use either a radar or laser setup to allow the vehicle to slow when approaching another vehicle and accelerate again to the preset speed when traffic allows. Some systems also allow the driver to choose a preset headway or following distance. The system warns the driver if a vehicle in front - given the speed of both vehicles - comes too close. Mercedes-Benz was the first to offer such a system, under the Distronic name, but similar adaptive systems are now offered by other manufacturers. For 2006, Mercedes-Benz refined the Distronic system to completely halt the car if necessary (now called 'Distronic Plus' and offered on their S-Class range of luxury saloons), a feature now also offered by Bosch as 'ACC plus' and available in the Audi Q7. The system also goes under the names of active cruise control (ACC) , adaptive cruise control (ACC) or intelligent cruise control (ICC) This long range RADAR antenna, known as ALTAIR, is used to detect and track space objects in conjunction with ABM testing at the Ronald Reagan Test Site on the Kwajalein atoll[1]. RADAR is a system that uses radio waves to detect, determine the direction and distance and/or speed... Experiment using a (likely argon) laser. ... This page is about the Mercedes-Benz brand of automobiles and trucks from the DaimlerChrysler automobile manufacturer. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Toyota's Lexus vehicles were second to market with "DLCC" (Dynamic Laser Cruise Control). Other vehicles with adaptive cruise control include the Acura RL, Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi Q7, BMW 3 Series (called Active Cruise Control), BMW 5 Series, BMW 7 Series, Cadillac STS, Cadillac XLR, Infiniti M, Infiniti Q45, Jaguar XK-R, Jaguar S, Lexus LS430/460, Lexus ES-350, Nissan Primera T-Spec Models (called Intelligent Cruise Control),Mercedes-Benz S-Class, E55 AMG, CLS, SL, CL, Range Rover Sport, Toyota Sienna XLE (limited availability), Volkswagen Phaeton and Volvo S80. The system is available on most cars as an option for approx. 2000 usd/euro. Toyota redirects here. ... Lexus is Japanese car maker Toyotas brand name for its luxury automobile division. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Honda Legend. ... The Audi A6 is a mid-size luxury car / executive car produced by the German automaker Audi. ... A rare 2001 Audi A8 L 6. ... The Audi Q7 is a full-size luxury crossover SUV produced by the German automaker Audi since 2006. ... The BMW 3 Series is a line of compact luxury sports sedans manufactured by BMW since May 1975. ... The BMW 5 Series is a series of midsize luxury automobiles manufactured by BMW in Germany. ... The BMW 7 Series is a luxury sedan made by BMW. It replaced the New Six models in 1977. ... The STS (Seville Touring Sedan) is a luxury car sold by Cadillac. ... The XLR is a luxury sports car sold by Cadillac and is assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... The M30, M45, and M35 are luxury cars from Nissans Infiniti marque. ... The Infiniti Q45 is a fullsize luxury car and serves as the flagship of Nissans Infiniti marque. ... The Jaguar XK8 began production in 1996 (model year 1997) and was the first 8 cylinder vehicle produced by Jaguar, introducing the new Jaguar AJ-V8 engine. ... The Lexus LS (sold as the Toyota Celsior in Japan) is a V8-powered, rear wheel drive luxury car that serves as the flagship of Toyotas luxury Lexus division. ... The Lexus ES series is a family of mid-size sedans produced by the Lexus division of Toyota from 1989 to the present and built in Tsutsumi, Japan. ... The Nissan Primera is a mid-sized range of automobiles manufactured in the United Kingdom and Japan. ... The Mercedes-Benz S-Class is the common description for a series of large luxury flagship sedans produced by Mercedes-Benz, a division of Daimler-Chrysler. ... The Land Rover Range Rover Sport is a high-performance, five-passenger, on-road SUV to be sold starting in the Summer of 2005. ... The Toyota Sienna is a minivan built in the United States for the North American market, and shares its platform and engine with the Toyota Camry. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Volvo S80 is a mid-size executive car produced by the Swedish automaker Volvo and introduced in 1998 as a replacement for the aging Volvo 960/S90 sedan. ...

General Motors Cadillac division now offers Adaptive Control on the DTS series of its luxury vehicles. This is most notable by sensors mounted on the front bumper of the DTS. One must look closely because they are seamlessly integrated into the front of the vehicle. The system will also be offered on the 2007 Infiniti G35 sedans. General Motors Corporation (NYSE: GM), also known as GM, is an American automobile maker with worldwide operations and brands including Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Holden, Hummer, Opel, Pontiac, Saturn, Saab and Vauxhall. ... Cadillac is a brand of luxury automobile, part of the General Motors Corporation, produced and mostly sold in the United States and Canada; outside of North America, they have been less successful. ... The Cadillac DTS (DeVille Touring Sedan) replaces the Cadillac DeVille as that carmakers largest luxury car for the 2006 model year. ...

External links

• Overview of intelligent vehicle safety systems
• Intelligent Transport Systems
• Preventive safety applications and technologies
• Article at HowStuffWorks
• Cruise [Un]Control: Driver sets the cruise control on his vehicle, then slips into the backseat for a nap. (Snopes.com)
• How to automatically reduce speed when the speed limit decreases