The perfect Cruise Control
 

What can the perfect Cruise Control do?

Lets decide that: ECOModder Cruise Control Version .01a

The purpose of this thread is to describe what the perfect cruise control would do, and what it would require to do it. I'll consolidate the main topics and how one could accomplish it.

After i'm done with my RFID integration with Arduino (RFID Car Start) i think i'll start work on this. Either way, it'll be a fun exercise for all.

Laser Range Finder :
Purpose:
To determine distance to the next car, forward and aft.
Benefits:
1. Cruise control can calculate weight of vehicle passengers and cargo. Then using that information (mostly pre programed) can determine the distance the vehicle can move, before hitting obstacles. This can be done in active or passive mode.

2. Using this feature, the cruise control can automatically engage ECO, Disengage ECO & provide amateurs with distance to brake* data.

3. Using distance to brake* data & the range to the vehicle in front of you (Such as a stop light) the cruise control will let you know the distance your car can coast.

Example 1:
Your coming up to a stop light, your HUD displays their is 400 feet before you meet the car in front of you, and if you coast now, you wont have to brake.

Example 2:
Using your cruise control your range finder sees no vehicles. So it starts EOC and continues to do so, until a vehicle or other sensor data tells it to stop.

*Distance to brake
This feature calculates the weight of the vehicle and speed. Then gives you an idea of how far you can coast.

Inclinometer:
Purpose: Determine angle of slope
Benefit:
1. Cruise control can auto determine if it should cut back on power to conserve MPG's. This would also require some other features but would assist in mpg's on hills?

2. Cruise control determines it is traveling down hill, and can take advantage.

3. If used with GPS and Data Logging could be just a good as a pro eco driver.

Drawback:
May no be you'd get in trouble for speeding down hills?
Cant determine length of hill therefor could run out of power, and need to downshift to make it up the hill?

GPS / Data Logging / Data Sharing
Purpose: To log your car's actions during cruise control driving. Then share it with other drivers.
Benefit: Allow other drivers to help compile data on given areas. Then for example your cruise control would all ready know the 35 degree incline only lasts 100 feet and you can coast the entire distance for optimum gas mileage.

the inclinometer would be nice even all by its self, so that I can tell the slope. that would let me gauge the need for power over coasting to the top. it would also be nice to see the roads that look "flat" what angle they are at. it would help me weed out one factor in my instant MPG read out.

set it to hold a given MPG or a set range. IE: I want to keep the MPG between 41 and 45. That would allow a balance between FE and time needs. Hills might be an issue but in combo with the angle measurement, it could try to hold it up till X.XX degree slope.

Unless it is coupled to the bumper of the vehicle in front of it, I don't want it to drive itself. the world is not a closed circuit and stuff happensch , and I don't trust a couple lasers and a spot of silocone to care as much as me about not dying or killing.

hu?

sorry, the range finder made me think of an autopilot, and people already don't pay enough attention behind the wheel IMO.

Oh! Gotcha, no my idea was more to help guys like me who want to time perfect coasts in urban settings.

It would just gimme values to start coasting to arrive at the destination at a calculated time.

The other feature would be to switch from typical cruise to that other thing where you speed up and coast. Forgetting the name atm.

With the laser range finder, it should also have the ability to see the color of a traffic light ahead.

Why not the ability to change the color of a traffic light ahead? :)

The ability to hold a fixed throttle position.

I live in a hilly area, but do get on the flatlands on occasion.

I would like to see the ability to either add a cruise control or modify a factory installed one preferably using using the CAM built into the car.

A 'drive nice' mode, where it gets 'better than normal' milage but doesn't make drivers around me mad, as well as a real 'hypermiler' mode, and a 'useless' mode that is the 'normal' cruise control.

The ability to have it turn on off my engine (and AC) when stopped at a drive-in or light, and start them quickly (don't let the engine cool down to much). -- this feature is not on my current vehicles.

I have one car with an automatic, and another that is standard.

For the one with the standard, have it 'suggest' shift points. I did have an add-on cruise control on an old car with standard. I would like one on my current standard vehicle also, but have it with some of the same features as the 'automatic' version I was talking about above.

I would rather the throttle position to vary in order to hold the peak BSFC for a given power requirement at some given RPM.

Just my personal preference.

If it can tell what color the light is, I would love to know for how long it has been that color. Since you may or may not get green arrows, then the length of a green or red light would vary, but I sure hope that a three-second yellow is standard. I doubt that it could tell me if I can make a green light or if the light will turn green before I coast to it, but it would be very useful to know if I can make a yellow light. You would think that I would be able to judge it by now, but many times I am wrong, needing to brake at the last second, or stopping unnecessarily.

Agreed, keep the engine within it's "sweet" zone as much as possible.