Advancements in Automobile Technology – GPS, Rear Mounted Radar, Pedestrian Detection & more
Modern times, monotonous speeding life, with rampant urbanization and rapid increase in population, the demand and quest for technological advancements and breakthrough seems to be obviously overwhelming. Life seems to be a race- a race with work and time. And yet advancement in transport facilities is an aid and triggers the amusement in the race with time!
The escalating number of automobiles on the on the busy streets is leading to over-crowdedness and is challenging the extent and capacity of accommodation of vehicles of these roads. The plethora of compact traffic is the root cause for the numerous traffic problems and accidents. To combat such extremely alarming traffic scenario, automobile experts after intensive research have come up with a few lucrative solutions to ensure safety and security of drivers and passengers. Here are a few:
Global Positioning Systems(GPS)
Automatic Vehicle Location (AVL) technology is a means for automatic determination and transmission of the geographical location of a vehicle. This technology uses Global Positioning Systems (GPS) for exact determination of the location and seeks the assistance of SMS, GPRS, a satellite or a terrestrial radio from the vehicle to a radio receiver as the transmission mechanism.
With the prime application of determination of the location of a vehicle, this technology also facilitates managing fleets of vehicles, as service vehicles, emergency vehicles, and especially precious construction equipment, also public transport vehicles (buses and trains). It is also used to track mobile assets, such as non wheeled construction equipment, non motorized trailers, and mobile power generators. This can also be used to track the vehicles of a single staff/crew on an operation like ambulance or rescue team vehicles.
Rear mounted Radar
Increasing number of automobiles has also led to shortage in parking space at shops, malls and offices. This now challenges the skills of the drivers and kills a lot of their precious time in carefully parking their vehicles without hitting or scratching the surrounding vehicles. The Rear mounted radar is a great technology to actually curb this issue and facilitate the parking of vehicles with ease. In comparision to the previously used intelligent gadgets like rear-pointing radar alerted us of the unseen objects immediately behind us like a tree or a fence or a vehicle, this technology is way ahead and extremely pleasing due to its ability to sense the approaching traffic from behind and alert the drivers.
The radar uses the Cross Path Detection System which includes visual indicators and alarm indicators in the outboard mirrors and signals the driver by an alarm/siren sound when it senses the approaching traffic thereby ensuring a safety parking or backing out of a busy parking lot.
Automotive Night Vision with Pedestrian Detection
An automotive night vision system increases a vehicle driver’s perception and facilitates seeing distance in darkness or poor weather conditions beyond the reach of the vehicle’s headlights. This is not a new technology, yet the Pedestrian Detection technology when clubbed up with this adds glitter and glam to this noble safety driving gadget.
The night vision itself uses the near-infrared (near-IR or NIR) and far-infrared (far-IR or FIR, also known as thermal-infrared) to provide thermal imaging and photon detection or image enhancing and ensures safety driving during nights and unfavourable weather conditions. The brilliant blend of the pedestrian detection technology enables the driver to track the pedestrians and show their directions on the dashboard. With the decrease in distance between the pedestrian/bike and the vehicle a warning or signal appears on the night vision monitor thereby helping us to limit the speed and resort at careful and safe driving techniques.
Automatic High Beam Control
The Automatic High Beam Control system is an effective technology that employs a camera mounted near the rear-view mirrors of the vehicles to detect the traffic infront of the vehicle inorder to regulate the vehicle’s head lamp intensity between low beams and high beams avoiding glares for drivers.
The camera also monitors the distance of the vehicle from the traffic infront of it and engages the light beams accordingly. When a heavy traffic is detected or during sharp turns it directs the head lamps to a low beam mode and again re-enagages them to a high beam mode on detection of a traffic-free place. This technology ensures safe driving and and saves drivers from losing the traffic view ahead due to extreme illumination by headlamps of approaching vehicles from the front.