Title page for ETD etd-71198-0145

Type of Document

Master's Thesis

Author

McLaughlin, Shane Brendan

Author's Email Address

shane@vt.edu

URN

etd-71198-0145

Title

Measurement of Driver Preferences and Intervention Responses as Influenced by Adaptive Cruise Control Deceleration Characteristics

Degree

Master of Science

Department

Industrial and Systems Engineering

Advisory Committee

Advisor Name	Title
Barfield, Woodrow S.
Serafin, Colleen
Dingus, Thomas A.	Committee Chair

Keywords

Driver Behavior
Deceleration
Adaptive Cruise Control
Braking

Date of Defense

1998-06-29

Availability

unrestricted

Abstract

In comparison to conventional cruise control, adaptive cruise control (ACC) vehicles are

capable of sensing forward traffic and slowing to accommodate as necessary. When no forward

vehicles are present, ACC function is the same as conventional cruise control. However, with

ACC, when a slower vehicle is detected, the ACC system will decelerate and follow at a selected

time-based distance. While slowing to follow, the driver will experience a system-controlled

deceleration of the ACC vehicle. An experiment was conducted to evaluate driver preferences

for the distance at which the primary deceleration occurs and the level of deceleration that is

obtained. Driver intervention was required in one trial and driver response behavior was

measured. Ten men and ten women in two age groups evaluated the decelerations from a cruise

speed of 70mph to a following speed of 55mph behind a confederate lead vehicle on the

highway. Evaluations can be made using four scales: Good vs. Bad, Comfortable vs.

Uncomfortable, Jerky vs. Smooth, and Early vs. Late. Decelerations of approximately 0.06g

which occur approximately 200ft to 250ft behind the lead vehicle were most preferred. Prior to

intervention, foot position ranged from a point directly below the brake pedal to 16.4in from the

brake pedal. Foot motion began between 21.12s time-to-collision (TTC) and 3.97s TTC. Eighty

percent of the participants paused to "cover" the brake before final motion to activate the brake.

The older age group intervened (braked) later than the younger age group. Driver braking after

intervention ranged from 0.16g to 0.32g.

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