How Cruise Control Works
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Cruise Control, a feature that has combined safety and comfort beautifully over the years, was invented in 1948 by mechanical engineer Ralph Teetor. Known by different names around the world (Speed Control, Autocruise, Tempoma) Cruise Control was incubated out of the sheer frustration Teetor experienced as his lawyer sped up and slowed down as he spoke.
While Cruise Control systems were developed with the sole objective of maintaining a constant vehicle speed, they have evolved to do a lot more nowadays. Today, the most basic of Cruise Control systems accelerate and decelerate at the touch of a button, disengage when the brake pedal is tapped, and also prevent the system from being activated at speeds below 40 km/h.
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The basic function however remains the same, and is made possible as the Cruise Control system actuates the throttle value with a cable connected to a vacuum actuator. In turn, the actuator controls the throttle value, controlling the amount of air the engine takes in.
While there has been an increase in the number of vehicles on the streets globally, Cruise Control systems haven’t declined in popularity. In fact, with the introduction of Adaptive Cruise Control, safety and comfort have both been heightened to new levels.
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Automatically adjusting the speed of a vehicle to maintain a preset distance with the vehicle in front, Adaptive Cruise Control systems use a radar headway sensor, digital signal processor and longitudinal controller to control both, the acceleration and braking of a vehicle.
As Alfred North Whitehead rightly claimed, “Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them.” And today, over 65 years since the incubation of Cruise Control, there’s just one thing left to say, thank you Ralph Teetor!
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