Stop and go controller for adaptive cruise control

In the field of vehicle control, conventional cruise control systems have been available on the market for many years. During the last years, modern cars include more and more electronic systems. These systems are often governed by a computer or a network of computers programmed with powerful software. One of those new services is adaptive cruise control (ACC) (or autonomous intelligent cruise control, AICC), which extends the conventional cruise control system to include automated car following when the preceding car is driving at a lower speed than the desired set-speed. The focus of ACC has mainly been directed towards high-speed highway application, but to improve the comfort to the driver also low-speed situations must be considered. The paper presents an ACC system that is capable of car following in low-speed situations, e.g. in suburban areas, as well as in high-speed situations. The system is implemented in a test car and the result is evaluated.