CSE 435 Traffic Jam Assist

Project Background

Software-based electronic control systems are increasingly being used in the automotive industry to provide convenience and safety features to vehicle drivers and passengers, with increasing levels of automation and control authority. A growing trend is to assist the driver in maintaining safe control over the motion of the vehicle in a variety of circumstances including, but not limited to, congested traffic conditions, adverse weather and road conditions, varying states of health of vehicle equipment, and varying skill levels of drivers.

Project Description

Traffic Jam Assist (TJA) is an embedded system for automotive vehicles, and is an extension of Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) to the TJA system. The system will enable the driver to follow a vehicle and stay in the lane. The system will use a number of sensors to detect the vehicle ahead and stay a set distance behind it, while maintaining a constant speed. The system will maintain a set speed and adjust its speed based on its closing rate to the target vehicle ahead of it. To determine the closing rate the system uses forward looking radar, and a forward looking camera is used to help keep the vehicle in its lane. Now unlike ACC, TJA has the ability to gradually come to a complete stop and accelerate as traffic starts moving again. The main purpose of TJA is to allow the driver to remain at ease when in a traffic jam, by not requiring the driver to constantly switch between the brake and gas pedal. TJA will alleviate stress for the driver, and this new tool will benefit drivers who drive on LAHs and are caught in traffic.