2005 Cadillac
STS. |
But beneath that
exterior, they have also been busy developing new
powertrains, suspensions and electronic features.
The new 2005 Cadillac STS's cruise control system is
one of many interesting new developments.
Cadillac calls it Distance Sensing Cruise
Control, or DSCC. This option uses a 76-gigahertz
radar system to monitor both the road and traffic to
control the Cadillac's speed. Developed by
Continental Temic, part of the same company that
produces Teves ABS brake systems, the cruise control
does much more than just maintain vehicle speed.
The key components of the DSCC include a radar
sensor and module located behind the grille, a
Head-Up Display, and driver's information centre to
provide feedback information to the driver and
cruise control switches on the signal light stalk
and steering wheel. During operation, the system
operates just like any other cruise control - set
the speed and the car will stay there. The
difference with this system is when traffic or road
conditions change.
If the DSCC senses that there is another vehicle
ahead, it switches to "follow" mode. The DSCC module
slows the car to match the speed of the vehicle in
front. The distance between the two vehicles can be
set by the driver by pressing + or - on the "Gap"
switch on the steering wheel. Pressing the + side
will increase the distance upward from one second to
a maximum of two seconds' following distance -- a
safe distance to allow for braking when travelling
at 100 km/hr. If the vehicle in front changes lanes
or turns, the DSCC will automatically accelerate the
Cadillac back to the cruise control's set speed.
The DSCC module can detect more than cars. The
design parameters are such that it must be able to
sense a one-square-metre vehicle in a 3.6-metre-wide
wide lane at 100 metres, or about the size of a
small motorcycle. (I wonder if it would detect deer
as well.)
The DSCC also senses the shoulders of the road.
If the roadway in front of the vehicle curves, the
DSCC module detects the sharpness of the corner and
displays a "tight curve" message to the driver,
while simultaneously slowing the vehicle for the
corner.
Collision warnings are also built into the
system. If the gap between the two vehicles is
decreasing rapidly, such as when the front driver
brakes, the DSCC module will flash a red warning
icon to the driver, chime a warning on the radio
speaker, and brake the car automatically at a
maximum rate of .3Gs, while turning on the brake
lights to warn following drivers. Decelerating at
.3Gs is not that fast, but it definitely wakes the
driver up and decreases reaction time, so the driver
is able to brake or steer to avoid the vehicle in
front.
However, the system may not be able to detect a
stopped vehicle quickly enough to warn the driver
and allow enough reaction time. The driver must
still stay alert to traffic conditions.
Snow and dirt can affect the radar signal, so
drivers may get a message that DSCC is not available
if they have been driving in inclement weather. Wash
off the Cadillac grill emblem in front of the DSCC
module and you are ready to cruise again.
There are many vehicles now on the market with
optional cruise control systems that use radar or
sonar sensing, including Jaguar, Lexus,
Mercedes-Benz and Toyota. The Cadillac system is
similar in operation to others but represents the
latest in cruise control technology.
