In other Toyota news, the company has developed an innovative low-speed cruise control system designed to lessen driver fatigue in congested urban traffic and reduce the incidence of rear-end collisions.

The new radar-based cruise control system allows a car to move smoothly in heavy stop-start traffic. It has been under development in Japan for three years and has near-future production capability.

Toyota’s new system keeps track of the preceding vehicle at speeds of 30km/h or lower.

Toyota has for some time been experimenting with radar cruise control and first installed vehicle-to-vehicle cruise control in a production car in Japan in 1997.

That system catered for cruise control in the 40-100km/h range, which accounts for the majority of normal driving. Further development and new technology advances have allowed Toyota’s engineers to expand the working range of radar cruise control down to 30km/h.

The system is designed to ease the driving burden in congested traffic and reduce the likelihood of common rear-end collisions. Part of the development program has involved a new generation braking system capable of providing the smooth low-speed operation that is crucial to the system’s function.

The system enables the vehicle to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead with minimal driver input. When the preceding vehicle stops completely, the system provides visual and sound warnings urging the driver to apply the brakes.

If the driver’s response is slow to the point that a collision is possible, the system slows the vehicle automatically to a complete stop.

“This is an exciting new development and clearly has great potential benefits for motorists,” said Toyota Australia’s divisional general manager, marketing, Scott Grant. “The system will reduce the amount of pedal-work involved in driving in peak hour traffic and will therefore make driving less tiring and safer. Although few accidents that occur at these low speeds have serious consequences, they are very common and result in unnecessary vehicle damage and inconvenience.”

Testing on the often-congested Tokyo Metropolitan Expressway found that the system’s low-speed mode, coupled with a conventional mode for mid-to-high speed range, covered 92 percent of driving-speed situations.

A further four percent of the time, the vehicle was stopped, leaving just 4 percent outside the range of either mode. The new system processes inputs from the throttle actuator, brake actuator, brake ECU, wheel speed sensor and forward-looking laser sensors together with those from a vehicle distance sensor.

 

I just love the integration of these new technologies!
B]WHEN?![/B]

Next I'll be looking forward to telling the car "home" and I can take a snooze.

 

Infiniti will have this in the new M.

 

Automated highways here we come...Nice concept. I can only imagine the thngs we will start to see on our daily commutes to work now

 

Just what we need....another device to keep drivers from actually paying attention.

 

 

Finally Toyota has something with "near-future production capability" that MB has put on the market for two years (and I heard it's been working great)?

Seriously, as a software guy, I don't see how it would be more difficult to program for complete-stop-capable active cruise control than to program for a normal speed one. If they have already had a normal speed ACC available, what took them three (!!!) years to extend the same algorithm for use at lower speeds is beyond me, especially given the Japanese electronics talents.

Can someone please enlighten me on this?

 

It's a good idea in concept but is it really good idea in reality ?

 

What you mean?
MB's system doesn't work at low-speeds.

 

Too many drivers are doing that NOW.

 

I can't wait till someone builds a machine to dress me in the monring, go to work for me, chew my food for me, have fun for me, and live for me ...........

If this "way of driving" persists, a lot of people will never learn to enjoy the sport of driving.

 

I see your point... but i wouldn't really consider sitting in rush hour traffic part of the 'sport of driving'

 

MATRIX

There have been times that setting the cruise on a nicely flowing surface street would be nice. Beach Blvd if you catch it just right will go from the 91 FWY to the 22 FWY with one stop. I haven't tried setting the cruise since it would be at or below 45 MPH. Some streets flow well at 35 MPH. I would have use for a low speed cruise setting.