Mode awareness of a dual-mode adaptive cruise control system

This paper presents results of an experimental study on mode awareness in an adaptive cruise control system with two operational modes. Two cognitive experiments were conducted using a low-fidelity driving simulator. First, the understandability of the system behaviors was investigated in a situation in which the system lost sight of a target vehicle. The simulated driving under suppression on the system state information shows that some participants exhibited difficulty in predicting the system behavior in complicated situations. Through an analysis of participants´ behaviors and understanding, valuable information that may improve their mode awareness was identified. The second experiment examined and compared design alternatives for the activatable and operational speed ranges in terms of the convenience and understandability. The results suggest that it may be possible to emphasize the convenience in the use of the ACC system without leading greater confusions in drivers´ mode awareness.