Adaptive Cruise Control for Intelligent Vehicles Considering Circumferential Collision Avoidance

The Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system, which reduces driver workload and improves driver safety, still faces the challenge of avoiding a collision with a vehicle that suddenly cuts in from arbitrary directions. To address the issue, a new hierarchical ACC structure with circumferential crash avoidance (RISE) is proposed. The upper planner employs Model Predictive Control (MPC) by considering the longitudinal and lateral dynamic models. Simultaneously, the lower controller incorporates a second-order sliding mode controller that takes into account the maximum longitudinal tire force on various road surfaces. To meet the multi-objective requirement, the proposed system employs a 2-level Time-to-Collision (TTC)-based switching mechanism, allowing it to seamlessly transition between car-following and circumferential crash avoidance modes. The driver-in-the-loop platform is created to validate the controller and evaluate the real-time performance of the proposed methods. By manipulating acceleration, deceleration, and steering, this innovative ACC structure is capable of successfully avoiding collisions with vehicles that change lanes from adjacent lanes.