sensor AUDI A6 2012 User Guide

78 Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
Adaptive cruise control
and braking guard
Introduction
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise co ntrol
The adaptive cruise control system assists the
driver by regulating vehicle speed and helping
to maintain a set distance to the vehicle
ahead, within the limits of the system . If the
system detects a moving vehicle up ahead,
adaptive cruise control can brake and then ac­
celerate your vehicle . This helps to make driv ­
ing more comfortable both on long highway
stretches and in stop -and-go traffic.
Aud i braking guard can warn you about an im­
pending collision with a vehicle up ahead that
is slower or has slowed down and start slow­
ing your vehicle down with the brakes
<::> page 84.
Adaptive cruise control and Audi braking
guard have technical limitations that you
must know, so please read this section care­
fully, understand how the system works and
use them properly at all times.
General information
General information
Applies to vehicles: with adaptive cruise control
Fig. 77 Front of th e ve hicle : senso rs a nd vi deo camera
The areas that contain the radar and ultrason­
ic sensors and the video camera
c::> fig . 77
must never be covered by stickers, or other
things or coated with dirt, insects, snow or ice
that will interfere with the Adaptive cruise
control system and Audi braking guard . Re­
move snow with a hand brush and remove ice with a de-icing spray that does not contain
solvents.
The function of the Adaptive cruise control
system and Audi braking guard is limited un­
der some conditions.
- Objects can only be detected when they are
within sensor range
c::> page 80, fig. 80.
- The system has a limited ability to detect
objects that are a short d istance ahead, off
to the side of your vehicle or moving into
your lane from the front or moves into your
lane from the side.
-When driving through curves
r=;>page 79.
- Some kinds of vehicles are hard to detect;
for examp le motorcycles, vehicles with high
ground clearance or overhanging loads may
be detected when it is too late or they may
not be detected at all.
- Stationary objects
c::> page 79 .
A WARNING
Improper use of the adaptive cruise con­
trol can cause collisions, other accidents
and serious personal injury. -
-Never let the comfort and convenience
that adaptive cruise control and Audi
braking guard offer distract you from the
need to be alert to traffic conditions and
the need to remain in full control of your
vehicle at all times,
- Always remember that the adaptive
cru ise control and Audi braking guard
have lim its -they will not slow the vehi­
cle down or maintain the set distance
when you drive towards an obstacle or
something on or near the road that is not
moving, such as vehicles stopped in a
traffic jam, a stalled or disabled vehicle.
If registered by the radar sensors, vehi­
cles or obstacles that are not moving can
trigger a collision warning and if con­
firmed by the video camera, an acute col­ lision warning.
- Always remember that the adaptive
cruise control cannot detect a vehicle
that is driving towards you in your traffic
lane and that it cannot detect narrow
~

Adaptive cruise control and braking guard
vehicles such as motorcycles and bicy­
cles.
- The adaptive cruise control system can­
not detect people, animals and cannot
detect objects or traffic that crosses your
lane of travel.
- Never drive at speeds that are too fast
for traffic, road and weather conditions.
- Never use adaptive cruise control when
you cannot drive safely at a steady
speed, including on winding roads or
when road conditions are poor (for exam­
ple, in construction sites, on ice, gravel,
in fog, heavy rain or on wet roads that in­
crease the risk of hydroplaning).
- Never follow a vehicle so closely that you
cannot stop your vehicle safely. The
adaptive cruise control cannot slow or
brake the vehicle safely when you follow
another vehicle too closely. Always re­
member that the automatic braking
function cannot bring the vehicle to a
sudden or emergency stop under these
conditions.
- Never rest your foot on the accelerator
pedal, especially when the adaptive
cruise control is being used. Pressure on
the accelerator will override the adaptive
cruise control braking function and pre­
vent the brakes from being applied when
adaptive cruise control detects a situa­
tion when the brakes must be applied.
- Never use adaptive cruise control when
the radar sensors cannot accurately de­
tect vehicles moving in traffic. The radar
sensor's vision can be reduced by heavy
rain, ice, snow, heavy road spray and re­
flections from guard rails, tunnel entran­ ces, etc. These and similar conditions can
prevent vehicles from being accurately
detected and in some cases they may not
be detected at all.
- Always turn off adaptive cruise control
when entering turn lanes, exit lanes and
construction zones or in similar situa­
tions because the vehicle will automati­ cally accelerate to the stored speed when
the road ahead is clear. -
To prevent unintended operation, always
switch ACC off when it is not being used .
(D Note
The sensors can be moved by impacts or
damage to the bumper, wheel housing and
underbody. Damage in these areas could
change the way the adaptive cruise control
system and Audi braking guard work to­
gether. Have your authorized Audi dealer
check to make sure that the adaptive
cruise control system is working properly if
your vehicle had a minor frontal impact or
was damaged in the area of the sensors.
In curves
Applies to vehicles: wi th adaptive cruise control
Fig. 78 Example: driving into a cu rve
When driving into a curve ¢ fig. 78 and out of
a curve, the adaptive cruise control may react
to a vehicle in the next lane and apply the brakes. You can override or prevent the brak­
ing by pressing the accelerator pedal briefly.
Stationary objects
Applies to vehicles: wit h adaptive cruise control
Fig. 79 Example : object c hanging lanes and stat iona ry
o~ect
~
79

84 Adapti ve crui se control and bra king guard
@ Tips
- Di sta nce 3 is set automatically each time
you switch the ignition on.
- Your standard settings are automatically
stored and assigned to the remote con­
trol key being used.
Audi braking guard
Description
Ap plies to vehicles: with a daptive cruise co ntrol
Fig. 86 Inst rument cluster: app roach wa rning
Aud i braking guard uses radar sensors and a
video camera. It is act ive at speeds above
about 6.2 mph (10 km/h) and also works
within system limits when adaptive cruise contro l is switched off.
On vehicles with adapt ive cruise control and
Aud i side assist (Audi p re sense plus), system
functions also engage when a co llision is im­
minent
¢ page 187.
What c an Audi br aking gu ard do?
When detected in time, the system can assess
situations when a vehicle ahead brakes sud­
denly or if your own veh icle is trave ling at a
h igh speed and approachi ng a veh icle up
ahead that is moving more slowly . A udi brak­
i ng guard does not react if it ca nnot detect
the sit uat ion .
The system advises you of various situations:
- The
distan ce w arn ing is given if you are too
close to the vehicle ahead for a long time . If
the vehicle ahead brakes sharply, you will not be able to avoid a coll is ion . The ind icator
ligh t
I in the disp lay comes on. Take imme- diate action to avoid the collision and in­
crease the distance to the vehicle up ahead
.
- The
appr oach warning is given when a de­
tected vehicle up ahead in your lane is mov­
ing much more slowly that you are or if it
brakes sharp ly. When this warning is given,
it may only be possible to avo id a co llision
by swerving or brak ing sharp ly. The indicator
light
I and the symbol in the display will
warn you about the danger¢
fig. 86. You
w ill also hear an acoustic signal.
If you do not react fast enough or do not react
at all to the situation, Aud i braking guard w ill
intervene by braking and the message
br aking
guard interv ention
w ill appear.
- If a collis ion is imminent, the system will
first provide an
a cute warning by braking
sharply .
- If you do not react to the acute warning, Au­
di braking guard will brake w ith increased
force in severa l stages to reduce the speed
in a poss ible coll is ion. O n veh icles with
adapt ive cr uise con tro l a nd Aud i side assist
(Audi pre sense plus), the system can brake
w it h increas ing fo rce up to max imum dece l­
eration shortly before a sensed collision
¢page 187.
- If
the Audi braking guard senses that you
are not braking hard enough when a colli­
sion is imminent, it can increase the braking
force.
Audi braking guard takes the driver's reaction
time into consideration in order to provide
t imely warnings. The system reaction time de­
creases automat ically in some situations, for
example when it detects acce lerator pedal use
or steering input. The Audi braking guard in ­
tervent io n stops in certa in situations, for ex­
amp le if you p ress the accele ra to r pedal to
pass the vehicle moving a head of you in your
lane.
Which function s can be controlled?
You can switch Aud i brak ing guard and the
distance/approach warning on or off in the
MM I ¢page 85, Settings in the MMI.

Adaptive cru ise co ntrol and b rakin g guar d 85
& WARNING
The Audi braking guard is an assist system
and cannot prevent a collision by itself .
The driver must always intervene. The driv­
er is always responsible for braking at the
correct time.
- Always pay close attention to traffic, even when the Aud i braking guard is
switched on. Be ready to intervene and
be ready to take complete control when­
ever necessary. Always keep the safe and
legal distance between your vehicle and
vehicles up ahead.
- Audi braking guard works within limits
and wi ll not respond outs ide the system
l imits, for examp le when approaching a
stopped vehicle or s tationary obstacle
(end of a traffic jam or vehicle that has
broken down in traffic).
- Always remember that the radar sensor
for the A udi braking guard works only
within defined detection and range limits
that may prevent the proper detection of
other vehicles.
- The radar sensor's function and range
can be reduced by rain, snow and heavy
spray. moving vehicles up ahead may not be promptly detected or may not be de­
tected at al l.
- Reflective surfaces includ ing crash barr i­
ers or tunnel entrances may impair the
function of the radar sensor .
(j) Tips
Lack of attention can cause coll is ions, oth­
er accidents and ser ious persona l injuries.
- You can stop the Audi braking guard in-
tervention w ith increas ing braking force
by applying the b rakes yourself or by ac­
ce lerat ing rapidly.
- Audi braking guard error messages
<=> page
85.
Settings in the MMI
App lies to vehicles : wi th adap tive c ruise contro l
.,. Select: I CAR I function button > Car s ystem s
cont ro l butto n > Driver a ssist > Audi brak ­
ing gua rd .
Sy stem -
Switch Audi b raking guard On and
Off . When you switch the ign it ion on, t he
message
Audi braking guard off a ppears in
the instr ument cluster d isp lay if the system is
switched off.
Early warning -The distance and approach
warnings in the d isp lay can be switched
On/
Off.
(D Tips
- Yo ur settings are automatically stored
and assigned to the remote cont ro l key
being used at the times the settings are
made.
- I f you switch the ESP to spor t mode, A u­
di braking gua rd switches off a utomati ­
cally ¢page
191.
Messages
Applies to vehicles : wi th adap tive c ruise control
ACC una vailable
ACC and braking guard: unavailabl e
The system cannot detect moving vehicles up
ahead co rrectly and is switched off . The sen­
sors have been d isplaced or are not working
proper ly. The Audi pre sense funct ions may a l­
so be affected.
ACC: unavailabl e at this time. No sensor vi­
s ion
ACC and b rak ing gu ide: una vailable at this
time . No s enso r vision
This message appears if the sensor view is ob­
structed, for examp le by leaves, snow, heavy
spray or d irt . Clean the sensors¢ page
78,
fig. 77.
ACC: unavailable at this time . Incline too
steep

Audi side assist Lane Change Assistant
Description
App lies to vehicles: with si de assist
The side assist helps you when changing
lanes .
H AUDI I
Fig. 87 Rear bumper : Pos ition of rada r sen sors (not
v isib le on outs ide)
Fig . 88 S ig n al l ight on the outside m irro r - drive r's side
Side assist uses radar sensors (not visib le on
outside)
c::> fig. 87 to help the driver check
blind spots, and see what is happening in traf­
f ic beh ind the veh icle
c::> page 88, fig. 89 .
Signal lights are built into both outside mir­
rors <=>
fig. 88. The signal light on the left out­
side mirror assists when moving over into the left lane and the signal light on the right out­
side m irror assists when moving over into the
right lane .
The signal light comes on to tell you that side
assist has detected a vehicle on that side and
that the position of this other vehicle should be taken into account if yo u were to change
lanes. This is called the
informati onal stag e
s ignal
c::> page 89. The informational stage
signal is designed so that you notice it only
when yo u are look ing in the outside mirro r.
Aud i side assist 8 7
When you activate the turn signal and side as ­
sist detects a vehicle in a notable location, the
corresponding signal on the outside mirror
c::> fig . 88 (D flashes br iefly and brightly sever­
al times . This is the
aler t stage signal
c::> page 89 .
Activating and deactivating
Applies to vehicles: wit h side assist
Activating
.., Press the button @c::> page 87, fig. 88 . The
ind icator on the button lights up .
Dea ctivating
.., Press the button again. The indicator light
on the button goes out.
The system works at speeds faster than 19 mph (30 km/h).
A WARNING
-
- Improper reliance on the side assist sys-
tem can cause collisio ns and serious per­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on s ide assist whe n
changing lanes.
- Always check rear view mir rors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all veh icles un­
de r al l conditions- danger of accident!
- Side assist cannot detect vehicles in time
to a le rt you when they approa ch from
behind a t very high speed, or fall drop
back very q uickly.
- The radar sensor's
vision can be red uced
or entire ly blocked by rain, snow, and
heavy spray . This can resu lt in side assis t
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at all.
Always keep an eye on the direction you are traveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle .
- Please note that s ide assist indicates
there are approac hing vehicles, or vehi­
cles in your blind spot, on ly afte r you r ve­
hicle has reach ed a driv ing speed of at
least 19 mph (30 km/h).
~

88 Audi side a ssis t
- Side assist signal does not work around
t ight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet or 100 m).
- Side assist is no rep lacement for the driv­
er's full attent ion. The dr iver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar dr iv ing maneuvers . Always keep an eye
on the di rection yo u are traveling and the
relevant area around the vehicle.
(D Note
- To ensure that you do not adversely af­
fect side assist, do not block the area on
the rear bumper whe re the radar sensors
are located with foreign objects (such as
stickers o r bicy cle racks).
- Make sure that the signa l light on the
outside m irror is not blo cked by st ickers
or other items.
@ Tips
- Side assist a utomat ica lly deactivates if it
detects that the radar sensors a re
blocked E} page 93. The ind icator light
on the bu tton goes out.
- The area on the bumper where the radar
sensors are located must consis tently re­
main free of snow, ice, and heavy soiling
so that side assist can function properly .
Fo llow the additional notes on
c> page 93.
-Additional tinting on the front side win­
dows can make it harder to see and cor­
rectly understand the signa l light on the
outside mirror.
- For Declarat ion of Compliance to United
States FCC and Industry Canada regula­
tions
c> page 281.
Sensor detection area
Applies to veh icles: w ith side assist
F ig. 89 Schemat ic ill ust rat ion : Sensor detect ion a rea
The detection c> fig. 89 of the radar sensor de­
tection area is made up of:
- the approach area (light red area)
(D , about
230 feet (70 m) behind the vehicle, and
- the "b lind spot" (dark red area)@.
T he rada r sensors cover the adjace nt left and
right lanes. Other lanes a re
not covered by the
radar sensors.
(0 Tips
Side assist does not measure a ctual lane
wid th. The system assumes a fixe d lane
width. Detection in the left and right lanes
is based on this assumed lane width .
When driv ing on narrow roads or when
driving to the left or right of the center of
a travel lane, it is possible that vehicles
will be detected that are
not in the lane
next to the lane you are us ing
c> page 92.
Operation
Applies to veh icles: w ith s ide assist
S ide assist compares t he d istance and diffe r­
ence in speed of detected vehicles wi th the
speed of your vehi cle. Wheneve r the d iffe r­
ence in speed and distance is registered as no ­
tab le if you were to change lanes, a signal
li ght appears on the respective mirror.
T he signa l can ligh t up if yo u are passed by a
vehicle or if you are passing another vehicle.
If you pass another vehi cle slowly (difference
in speed less than 9 mph, o r 15 km/h), the ..,.

signal light will come on as soon as the other
vehicle is in your blind spot and is detected by
side assist. When the difference in speed is
greater, the signa l light will not come on.
Informational and alert stage signals
App lies to vehicles: with side assist
Side assis t has two s ignal stages:
- the informationa l stage signal, and
- the a le rt stage signa l.
Side assist he lps you by usi ng the approp riate
signal s tage, depending on whether or not
you have activ ated the tu rn signal, and thus
have indicated that you are or are not chang ­
ing lanes .
Informational stage signal
As long as you have not a ctivated the tu rn sig­
n al , side a ssis t inf orms you of detec ted vehi­
cles th at are registered as being in a notable
l ocation if you were to change lanes. Whenev­
er the detected vehicle's difference i n speed
and d istance is registered by side assist as no­
table, the signal lig ht on the respective m irror
prod uces muted illuminat ion.
The brightness of the informat io na l stage sig ­
na l is designed not to be as intense, so that it
does not interfere wit h your view of the road
when you are driving and have no intention of
changing lanes. When you look in the o utside
mirror, you can clear ly see the info rmat iona l
stage signal.
Alert stage signal
When you activate the turn signa l, and side
assist has detec ted a vehicle i n a notable loca­
tion o n that particular side, the s ignal l ight on
this sid e mirro r flashes b right ly . The repeated
b rie f and bright flashing of the alert stage
signal re minds yo u to carefully check tr aff ic to
the rear in the o utside mirror and ove r your
shoulder, so that yo u can safe ly complete the
l ane change
c:> & in Safety tips on page 93.
Aud i side assist 89
@ Tips
The br ightness of the s ignal li ght on the
outside m irr ors can be adjusted with the
MMI c:> page 92.
Driving situation: Fast approaching
vehicles
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
@
Fig. 9 0 Side as sis t: Fast approac hing ve hicle s
@ Signal on outside mirror does not light
up
No vehicle was detecte d by the sensors . The
s ignal on the o utside mirror does not lig ht up
c:> .&. in Safety tips on page 93 .
@ Informational stage signal lights up
A fast appro ach ing vehicle -in the left-h and
l ane fo r example - was detected by the sen­
sors . Although this vehicle is still fa r away, it
sho uld be taken into accou nt if yo u were to
c hange lanes, due to the cons iderab le differ­
ence in speed. The informationa l stage s ignal
o n the outside mirror lig hts up
r=> page 89. ..,.

right of your travel lane, depending on wheth ­
er you driv e in the center of your lane or closer
to the edge .
I f yo u drive in narrow lanes, s ide ass ist's de ­
tection area may a lso include other lanes -es ­
pecia lly if you tend to drive on the edge of
your lane¢
fig. 95. Under these condit ions,
ve hicles can also be detected that are two
lanes away, and side assist then could sw itch
between the informat ional and warn ing stage
sig nals .
When driving in very w ide lanes, vehicles in
the adjacent lane may not be detected be­
cause they are not inside the detection area .
Notes
Messages in instrument cluster display
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
If side assist turns off automatically, the indi­
cator light on the button wi ll go out and you
will see a message in the instrument cl uster
d isplay:
Aud i side a ssist : not availab le. s en sors
blocked
T he side assist sensors are built into the rear
bumper on the left and right (not visible on
the outside) ¢
page 87, fig. 87. To ensure that
you do not adversely affect the way side assist functions, foreign objects (such as stickers o r
b icycle racks) shou ld not be attached to the
a rea on the rear bumper where the sensors
a re loca ted.
If side ass ist func tions a re ad­
versely affected, yo u will see this message in
the instrument cluster display. Remove any­
thing that may be blocking the sensors .
If no vehicle is detected for a longer period of
time while driving, side assis t will a lso switch
off a utomatica lly.
Audi side as sist currently not available
If there is a tempora ry problem (such as the
veh icle's battery charge being low), s ide ass ist
cannot be activated tempo rarily.
Audi side a ssis t 93
Audi side assist: system fault
Have the system checked by an author ized Au­
di dealer or qualified workshop .
Audi side assist: not available when
to wing
T he radar sensor's view is limited when tow ­
ing a trai ler . F or vehicles with a facto ry instal ­
led towing hitch or a trailer hitch that was in­
stalled later according to factory specifica­
tions, side assist is automatically deactivated
a s soon as the electrical connection to the
trailer 's electrical socket is made, and this sta­
tus message appears in the instrument clus ­
ter display . Deactivation cannot be guaran­
teed when using a ret rofitted towing hitch
that was
not installed acco rd ing to facto ry
spe cifica tions.
Safety tips
Applies to vehicles: with side assist
T he side assist detection may be limited when
driving around narrow street corners, on hi lly
streets, and under poor weather conditions.
It is possible that the radar sensors may a lso
detect other objects, s uch as high or stag ­
gered guardrails .
S ide assist does not measure act ual lane
width. The system assumes a fixed lane width.
Detection in the left and right lanes is based
on this ass umed lane width . When driving on
narrow roads or when driving to the left or
right of the center of a travel lane, it is poss i­
ble that vehicles will be detected that are
not
in the lane next to the lane you are using .
A WARNING
-Improper reliance on the side assist sys­
tem can cause coll is ions and serio us pe r­
sonal injury:
- Never rely on ly on side assist when
changing lanes .
- Always check rear view mirrors to make
sure that it is safe to change lanes.
- Side assist cannot detect all vehicles un-
der all conditions- danger of accident!
~

94 Audi side ass is t
- Side assist cannot detect vehicles in time
to alert you when they approach from
behind at very high speed, or fall drop
back very quickly .
- The radar sensor 's
vision can be reduced
or entirely blocked by rain, snow, and heavy spray . Th is can result in side assist
not adequately detecting vehicles or, in
some cases, not detecting them at a ll.
Always keep an eye on the d irection you
are t raveling and the relevant area
around the vehicle .
- Please note that side assis t indicates
there are approaching vehi cles, o r vehi­
cles in your blind spot, only after your ve­
hicle has reached a driving speed of at
least 19 mph (30 km/h).
- Side assist signal does not work around
tight corners (turning radius less than
328 feet, or 100 m) .
- Side assist is no rep lacement for the driv­
er's f ull attent ion . The dr iver alone is re­
sponsible for lane changes and similar
dr iving maneuvers. A lways keep an eye
on the direction you are traveling and the
relevant area around the vehicle.
(D Note
To ensure that side assist is not adve rsely
affected, you should not block the area on
the rear bumper where the radar sensors
are located with fo reign objects (such as
w ith stickers or bicycle racks) .
(D Tips
If the positions of the radar sensors have
been changed as a result of a rear end-col­
lision, fo r instance, have side assist
checked by a n author ized Audi dealer for
safety reasons.

Parking system
General information
Appl ies to vehicles: Audi parking system plus/Audi park­
ing system plus with rear view camera
Depending on your vehicle's equipment, vari­
ous parking aids will help you when parking
and maneuvering.
The
Audi parking system plus assists you
when parking by providing audio and visual
warn ings about objects
in front of and behind
the vehicle ¢page 113.
The Audi parking system plus with rear view
came ra
shows the area behind the vehicle in
the display . This image helps you when paral­
lel parking or cross parking. The system also
provides the parking aid aud io and visual sig­
nals
~ pag e 114 .
@ Tips
For information on cleaning , refer to
q page206.
Audi parking system
plus
De script ion
Appl ies to vehicles: with parking system plus
Audi parking system plus provides audio and
visual signals when parking .
Sensors are located in the front and rear
bumpers . If these detect an obstacle, audible
and v isual signals warn you. The range at
which the sensors begin to measure is approx ­
imately:
front
rear side
center
side
center
--~-
3 ft (0.90 m)
4 ft (1.20 m)
2 ft (0.60 m)
5.2 ft (1.60 m)
The closer you get to the obstacle, the shorter the interval between the audible signa ls. A
continuous tone sounds when the obstacle is
less than approximate ly 1 foot (0.30 meters)
away. Do not continue driving farther!
Parking system 113
If the distance to an obstacle remains con­
stant, th e volume of the distance warning
gradually drops after about four seconds (this
does not apply in the continuous tone range).
Switching on and off
Applies to vehicles: with parking system plus
Fig. 119 Ce nt er co nsol e: Parkin g sy ste m sw it c h
Fig. 120 MMI di splay : v is u al d istance display
Switching on
.. Switch the MMI on
.. Activate
comfort or auto mode in Audi drive
select
q page 95.
.. Shift into reverse or
.. Press the switch~ in the center conso le
q fig. 119 . A short confirmation tone
sounds and the indicator light in the switch
lights up.
Switching off
.. Drive faster than 6 mph (10 km/h) , or
.. press the switch
~ or
.. switch off the ignition.
Segments in the visual display
The red segments in front of and behind the
vehicle
¢ fig. 120 help you to determine the
distance between you and an obstacle. As
your vehicle comes closer to the obstacle, the .,..