Using parking aids like the PD1 is important if you want to avoid being a statistic and saving your car from an accident. 33 percent of the accidents in parking lots occur because of driver error when reversing. You can take this problem away when you have parking sensors on your vehicle. There are a few different types of parking sensors; however the PD1 is the only one with the electromagnetic parking sensor technology. It is also the only parking sensor that allows you to place the sensor on the backside of your bumper. This means now after market adaptations are needed.

In driving we don’t often think about needing a parking sensor, but they can truly help you out if you have them.  The parking aid allows you to know where your bumpers are at all times.  Even if you can see your bumpers this doesn’t mean that they aren’t useful.  A lot of individuals think that the electromagnetic parking sensor is just for parking, but it can help you in driving as well.  Let’s take a look at how.

 The CAN Bus or Controller Area Network wiring system was created in 1980 by Bosch.  It may surprise you that something created more than 20 years ago is still being used in the parking aids.  The reason for this is the technology.  The systems are an electromagnetic design that offers you the ability to have aid when parking your vehicle.  The wires adhere to almost any bumper without modification.  Then the CAN bus system will send the information along the wiring so that you get the signal the sensor is passing you.  The technology works so that there is no delay in the information given to you when you are parking.

Parking has become extremely problematic due to an increase of shortage of space in parking places and smaller garages. You need a rear parking sensor for the car if you find parking a difficult task. If your vehicle does not give you a good rear view, then a parking sensor is essential.

The PD1 parking sensor kits are the latest in technology and are ideal for the driver to park his/her car in the tightest of spaces without any hassle. A parking sensor will let you know that an obstruction lies in the way and it helps you to park the vehicle in limited parking space safely.

In Part 1 we discussed how a simple technology can help you completely prevent vehicle bumps, scrapes and tragic accidents by helping you park and reverse safely and in total confidence.

This technology is a Parking Sensor, a simple in concept but so effective at preventing accidents. In essence this simple device when fitted to your vehicle will monitor and alert you to all objects that are within the recommended proximity to the rear of your vehicle, when you select reverse gear.

Parking Sensors also known as parking aids, reverse sensors or back up sensors are the answer to your parking and reversing nightmares.

There are 2 types of technology available, with 2 basic designs on offer.

The most common technology is ultra-sonic that typically uses 4 or 6 sensors to emit and receive a signal, detecting all objects that enter this ultra-sonic field. You may haveseen these sensors fitted in the rear bumpers of cars; they tend to stick out quite a bit and can look pretty ugly if not painted to match your bumper colour.

Next is the Electro-magnetic technology that is typically used by the elite car manufacturers and offers a unique design that discretely mounts preserving the ‘new factory look’ of your vehicle, so only you will know it is fitted.

Totally unique in design, the electro-magnetic sensor is known as a superior alternative technology to the older Ultra-sonic type sensors that require you to drill 4 or 6 holes in your bumper, before mounting the ugly black sensors that then need painting to colour code and match the shade of your bumper.

So which is the best technology in design, reliability and performance?

Ultra sonic technology is the older of the 2 technologies and having 4 or 6 visible and exposed sensors does in reality need regular maintenance and cleaning. This technology can be hit and miss if not maintained so if you like your bumper lines to remain as new and you wish to keep as much resale value in the vehicle as possible then it makes perfect sense to use a technology that is hidden from view and totally discrete when fitted.

As many accidents occur because you can’t see the very corners of your car and how far the edge of the bumpers stick out from the rest of the body, you need this area protected, the electro-magnetic design allows for this, as the antenna covers the entire length of the bumper, in this test the ultra-sonic type do under perform slightly and cannot pick up objects at the very corners.

So that’s a brief introduction into parking sensors and the technologies used. To learn more go to Parking Dynamics

In Part 3 we’ll discuss parallel parking in busy towns and city streets.

Speak then
Luke

These days parking has turned into a panic with crunch of space in the parking places and garages. Whether you have a small car or a big one, parking is even not easy in the personal garages with narrow space. Especially for new drivers, parking the car even in the family garage is challenging. Most of us expect drivers to be expert enough to park the cars even without the help of parking aids, but once a mishap occurs, you can’t save your car from damage.

Those with an average sized vehicle, face the daily challenge of getting the car in and out of the garage ensuring that the vehicle has suffered no damages along the sides. Garage parking is even more difficult with those who have large sized cars of 4-by-4. The car backup sensor can be a great assistance while backing up the car into the garage. With a parking sensor, you can safely park the car and drive it through a limited space without any damage done.

There are many garage parking sensors, which can be fitted to the walls of your garage to alarm you from colliding with any object. These parking sensors start sensing and raise an alarm, when the vehicle is in danger of hitting an obstacle. These are ultrasonic sensor units, which determine the distance between the car and the wall. It provides a guide light that is displayed to the driver on the "traffic light" display. 

There is other laser-guided garage parking sensors aid, which is more reliable and easy to handle. This device makes it easier to know that the car is heading towards the garage wall. These devices are equipped with lights. The color of the lights change and indicate when you need to advance or when you should slow down, or when its time to halt. The unit also enables calculation of the distance between the garage wall and your car. Further, the system also encloses a memory module, which remembers the preferences of the driver.           

Another sophisticated garage parking sensor is The Park ‘n Place, which is quite simple to use. Moreover, it is easy install the unit. Just the different parts have to be snapped together and set in. The face of the sign lights up when the car hits the sign and it will move slightly.       

Built-in Parking Sensors

There are built-in backup sensors, which might help to park cars in garage. However, these do not correspond to the average dimension of all garages. These are especially ineffective with the large cars, which are not planned according to average garage size.  
   
However, the latest electromagnetic sensors score far over other sensors. The Parking Dynamics PD1 is one such system, which offers excellent reverse parking sensor or garage parking sensor. These can be installed on the front and rear bumpers for greater parking protection. Just wire the PD1 with an independent switch, which can be placed in front or rear of the vehicle. Now, you can drive your car safely into the garage. Moreover, PD1 is 100% accurate in all weather conditions and its easy 3-wire easy installation does not even require you to make holes on the car bumpers. 

Parking is no more a child’s play as it used to be, when parking spaces were large. The situation gets worse for the driver, especially when parking in unfamiliar and tight places. Often the cars get dents in the bumpers or underbody panel while reversing. There are every chances of colliding with bollards or low wall lying behind the car, which are not visible through rear view mirror. This problem can be effectively solved by parking sensors, which makes driving easier and safer. The sensors are fitted at the front and back of the car. These determine the proximity of an obstruction behind the car and provide an audible warning to the drive.

In some vehicles, sensors come as factory-fitted item. Further, there are different parking sensors available in market to fit different vehicles. However, since there are different parking sensors it is quite difficult to determine their efficiency without knowing their operational capabilities.
 
Types of Parking Sensors
 
In general, the parking sensors can be divided into two categories - Electromagnetic systems and Ultrasonic systems.

Essentially, the ultrasonic sensor emits an ultrasonic signal, which is reflected by an obstruction. When the sensor gets closer to the object, it starts emitting signals faster to the sensor. This signal is converted into audible sound. This is received in the form of an audible warning. Depending on the distance of the object, the beat of the audible sound lowers or grows louder.  The driver has to react to the audible noise.

The ultrasonic system is an older technology with 4 to 6 sensors mounted in the bumper and are visible to all. In order to mount the sensors, holes have to be drilled in the bumper that might spoil the look of your car. Further, you need to paint them to match color of the bumper. Some of the cars enclose crash protection bar behind the bumper, in such cases the ultrasonic system has to be installed in depth of the bumpers. There are quite a lot of hassles involved with ultrasonic parking sensors, which has popularized the more competent system of electromagnetic sensors.  The electromagnetic sensors have overcome the shortcomings of the ultrasonic parking sensors to a greater extent.  

The PD1 is one of the most successful parking systems making use of the unique Electromagnetic Technology, which is typical with only a few privileged cars manufacturers. These sensors are immaculately designed to be fitted easily, without compromising with the ‘new factory look’ of your car. This electromagnetic system operates by creating an electromagnetic field in the vicinity of the sensors. Any kind of intrusion in the force field generates a warning.   

In contrast to Ultrasonic technology with 4 to 6 exposed sensors, which requires regular cleaning and maintenance, the electromagnetic technology is concealed and self diagnostic. Therefore, it requires no maintenance.       

Some of the cars have edges on the bumpers, projecting from the rest of the body. Most often these edges are battered, since the driver is unable to see the corners. The electromagnetic units are designed to avoid such collisions. The antenna of the electromagnetic system covers the entire length of the bumper, which detects objects at the corners and sides.      

Further, the electromagnetic parking sensors have no visible parts. These are fitted discretely and are hidden. It is only the driver who knows that it is fitted. It ensures that there is no problem with installation. The PD1 can be fitted without drilling the bumper and it is completely discrete and invisible when on the vehicle. With the electromagnetic sensors your car now has higher value and is a more desirable car.

The Controller Area Network or CAN bus is an integrated electronic control system installed in the vehicles and machineries to save construction, building and cabling. It is a specifically designed computer network protocol and bus that enables communication between devices and micro controllers without any hosting computer. The CAN bus control system has been widely successful and popular with the vehicles.        

Initially developed for automotive application, CAN bus is compatible with international standards. For this reason, it is extensively used to for generating control system. Since CAN bus is used in huge volumes, all its components are available at affordable rates. It has high transmitter reliability and high transfer rate. In addition to recognizing data error, the system is perfect for controlling noisy environments.   

 Most of the automobiles today have Electronic Control Units (ECU) for different subsystems. Normally, engine control unit is the biggest processor in such a system. Other units are also included like cruise control, audio systems, windows, mirror adjustment, transmission, airbags, anti-lock braking etc. Out of these, there are some subsystems, which work independently, however the others need to communicate with each other to function. The subsystem must obtain feedback from sensors as well as manage the actuators. This communication is accomplished through CAN.  

PD1 CAN Bus Wiring Systems

 One of the most compatible CAN bus wiring systems - Parking Dynamics PD1 is easy to install and requires no adjustment or extra equipments to install. This CAN Bus multiplex wiring system are successfully used in cars and vehicles. Moreover, these systems are more popular than other ultrasonic systems which require extra wiring and relay components to integrate with the CAN bus.  

How it works?

CAN is connected to Electronic Control Units (ECUs) through different serial bus standards. Each node uses a host-processor to send or receive message. However, this is not done simultaneously. The message with an ID (chosen to identify the message sender or type) is transmitted serially onto the bus. A message of up to eight bytes can be sent with each bit transferred one-by-one. The signal-pattern codes the message and all the nodes interpret it.  

The vehicles may use the CAN bus to connect the transmission to engine control unit, or connect the seat control, door locks, climate control, etc. on a different bus. Due to the low cost of CAN controllers and processors, these also serve as field bus in general automation environments.  However, for official use of CAN, it is required to pay a fee to acquire a CAN Protocol License.

EPS Parking sensor is an extremely sophisticated electromagnetic technology that detects the objects behind a vehicle. Electromagnetic parking sensors have been developed to prevent accidents by providing acoustics signals. The sensor in the device gets automatically activated once the back gear is inserted and assists in making the parking operation easier. Adding to facilities, the device offers an easy process of installation.    

The best electromagnetic parking sensor - PD1 from Parking Dynamics is installed through a 3-wire installation method. Moreover, it is provided with Universal Installation Instructions, which makes the process of installation not only easier, but also more safe and simple. Going through the instructions even a novice may accomplish the job of installation perfectly.

The Parking Dynamics PD1 systems are no drill, ultra discreet, reliable and high performance product, which can be easily fitted into a range of cars. The PD1 is compatible with most of the vehicles with plastic bumpers. However, it’s not a matter of concern even if the bumper is partly metallic.

For successful Electromagnetic Parking Sensor installation, you need to follow the process provided below:  

Mounting the Unit

To begin with, install the unit adjacent to the reversing light behind the trim and attach to the trim or body. However, it would better to choose the passenger side. Now, the antenna wire from the unit is passed through the hole (provided by manufacturer) with the grommet fitted joining the antenna on the bumper. However, if the hole is not provided it can be drilled, and the wire can be passed through it with the grommet. In case, there is no space behind the vehicle, the unit can be behind the bumper.        
      
Electrical Connections

The black wire is used for earth connection. It is connected to the ground chassis of the car. Attach the earth wire close to the light cluster at rear of the vehicle.   

The red wire is a 12V supply wire, which lightens up when the reverse gear is selected. It has to be connected to the light cluster situated at the rear of the vehicle. The white 4 pin of the connector should be plugged into the electronic control unit.      

The black twin wires have to be added to the spade terminal. Fit the white connector to the electronic unit and run wire with spade.  Connect it to an adhesive antenna with the connector. 

Mounting the Speaker

The speakers of the parking sensor can be mounted on the rear parcel shelf or the plastic trim or shelf with the help of adhesive mount. The unit has a good volume enough for a warning, even when it is mounted on the trim. It can be done through a push fit connection.   
 
Removal of Bumper

Most of the vehicle bumpers are made from plastic. Depending on the car, Electromagnetic Parking Sensor installation like PD1 can be accomplished by removing the bumper or just by relaxing the bumper by loosening the screw.  

If you are not willing to do it yourself, you can also hire a mechanic, auto electricians, or body shop technicians for installation, who will do the job, literally within minutes.