UFO Sightings

Vehicles of virtually every type and make have been steadily growing over the past ten years. “Entry level” cars by companies like BMW are almost the same size nowadays as a mid-size car from a decade ago. One of the consequences of vehicle sizes expanding is that parking now is harder than ever.

Nowhere is this gigantism more visible than in the pickup truck segment, where even previously ’small’ trucks like the Dodge Dakota have inflated until they now dwarf their predecessors. In turn, full-size trucks have fought their own battle of the bulge, getting heavier, wider and taller. Toyota has not been immune to these market forces. The first generation Toyota Tundra was a mid-size pickup marketed to the full-size crowd, and when Toyota realized that they could cram more buyers into a larger vehicle, the 2007 Tundra re-design greatly increased the capacity of the truck in almost every dimension.

Size may have its benefits, but it has its downfalls as well. The biggest problem with bigger vehicles is that parking has become a lot harder. Sitting behind the wheel of a new Toyota Tundra, it might be hard to gauge just where the truck begins and ends. To make things easier, vehicle designers have introduced “parking assist” as an aid to drivers struggling with parking their new vehicles.

The “parking assist” is a system of sensors that on most vehicles will be mounted on either front or rear bumpers, or both. The sensors emit an audible beep when the vehicle gets too close to an obstacle, beginning from about 6 feet away, depending on the system, and increasing in frequency until becoming a continuous tone at about 6 inches away. The system can help drivers parallel park, and warn them if something small, such as a mailbox or child, is near the vehicle. If you’re curious about how the “parking assist” works, read on.

The system works using a set of “eyes”, or special sensors, mounted in the vehicle’s bumpers. The sensors regularly transmit highly focused sound waves from the bumpers, which are reflected back towards the sensor whenever they hit a solid object. Since sound travels at a fairly constant speed through air, a computer can calculate the distance between the bumper and object based on the amount of time it takes for the signal to return to the bumper. Submarines using active sonar underwater employ the same basic principle, although water transmits sound better than air, which results in better range for the submarine sensors.

While the system is effective when dealing with stationary objects like parked vehicles, posts and garage doors, the sensors are not quite sensitive enough to pick up smaller objects moving past the sensors. This means that small children, animals, or all-terrain vehicles might not generate a warning beep - or at least not a consistent warning beep. So, while parking assist - aka parking sonar - is definitely a useful tool, it is not a replacement for caution. Drivers must still do their best to ensure that there is no one behind or in front of their vehicle when parking.

Some high-end luxury cars are beginning to feature the next generation of parking assist systems, which are amazing devices. A video camera and complex computer program are used to enhance the accuracy of traditional sound sensors. Instead of simply emitting warnings when the driver is close to an object, the newer parking assist systems can actually steer and park the car for you. This is an amazing tool for parallel parking - as long as you’re ready to give your car control of the steering, gas and brake. Whatever will they dream up next?

Filed under: Vehicles