What is the principle of a parking sensor?
2 Answers
The principle of a parking sensor is: during reversing, it utilizes ultrasonic waves. The sensor, installed on the rear bumper of the vehicle, emits ultrasonic waves that reflect off obstacles. The system then calculates the actual distance between the vehicle and the obstacle and alerts the driver, making parking or reversing easier and safer. Parking sensors are safety assistive devices for vehicles when parking or reversing. They inform the driver about surrounding obstacles through sound or more intuitive displays, eliminating the hassle of checking around the vehicle when parking, reversing, or starting, and helping the driver overcome blind spots and unclear vision.
Backup radar is actually quite fascinating—it utilizes ultrasonic technology, much like how bats navigate. Those small circular dots on the car's bumper are the radar sensors, which activate as soon as you shift into reverse. The sensors emit sound waves inaudible to the human ear, and when these waves hit an obstacle behind the vehicle, they bounce back. The system calculates the round-trip time of the waves and then determines the distance based on the speed of sound. The closer you get, the more urgent the beeping becomes, with some advanced systems even displaying color-coded distance bars on the screen. From my own experience, heavy rain can reduce its effectiveness, and mud covering the sensors may cause misjudgments, so it's best to wipe those small dots with a damp cloth every few months. Nowadays, many cars come equipped with six sensors, covering the sides as well, making them far more reliable than the older two-sensor systems.
