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Radar For Safer Driving
KarmaOverDogma writes "The New York Times reports that in the next few years, auto manufacturers may look to use low powered phased-array radar in the back of cars, in combination with enhanced mirror displays, to help reduce accidents related to so-called 'blind-spots.' The system currently under devlopment is a result of a partnership between Valeo, an auto parts supplier, and Raytheon, a military contractor. They note that according to data from the NHTSA, In the last 10 years such (blind-spot) accidents led to 1.5 million injuries and caused more than $360 billion in damage in the United States alone. With an expected cost of around $500.00 (depending on the configuration), will this low-power radar system from the 1970's really help make driving safer?"
A slightly longer version of the article can be found here: http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/techscience/story /0,4386,233212,00.html
And here is the NYT Text for those of us who value privacy online:
Radar Brings Vision to Cars' Blind Spots By TIM MORAN
Published: February 2, 2004
Valeo Raytheon Systems A radar system that scans adjacent lanes and flashes a warning icon in the rearview mirror could reduce lane-change collisions. PHASED-ARRAY radar, a technology used by the military to guide missiles to their targets, is about to take on a civilian mission: alerting drivers to the presence of vehicles in the cars' "blind spots."
Miniaturized and drawing a small fraction of the power required to track targets like supersonic fighter jets, the automotive radar systems are designed to detect vehicles lurking in areas blocked from the driver's view. These so-called blind spots can be a result of improperly positioned rearview mirrors, structural necessities like the pillars that support the car's roof, or a cargo load that blocks the driver's line of sight.
Drivers often compensate for blind spots by turning their heads to glance out the side window. But there is a drawback to doing this when changing lanes or merging into the flow of freeway traffic - the driver's eyes and attention are diverted from the road ahead. And older drivers may have difficulty twisting to catch that quick glimpse.
Systems that electronically patrol the space around a vehicle are already available on some new models. Employing sonar, laser or radar technology, the devices detect unseen objects very close to the car or operate an advanced cruise control that maintains a set distance from the cars ahead, rather than simply enforcing a predetermined limit on vehicle speed.
The newly developed blind spot monitoring system, which required scaling down the military-type phased-array radar units to fit automobiles, could be in showrooms within a few years. Like the latest Doppler radar that tracks approaching storms, phased-array systems can determine the distance and closing rate of an approaching vehicle, and also add the capability to track its path continuously. The system was developed jointly by Valeo, an auto parts supplier, and Raytheon, a military contractor.
W. Scott Pyles, a business development manager at Valeo Raytheon Systems, the companies' joint venture, said his company's analysis of National Highway Transportation Safety Administration data indicated that some 300 people a year died in accidents caused by side-to-side collisions. In the last 10 years, such accidents led to 1.5 million injuries and caused more than $360 billion in damage, according to the data.
While that may be a small fraction of the 42,815 deaths reported in 2002, it is a fraction that has been mostly ignored - and one that could be reduced, Mr. Pyles said.
"All of the efforts have gone into solving the damage that occurs when a side impact happens, such as air bags, but nobody has done much to stop them from happening in the first place," he said.
Phased-array radar is an ideal foundation on which to build an early-warning system, as it is able to collect data rapidly and to track moving objects. With styling trends shifting toward higher beltlines - the lower edge of door windows seems to rise with every new design study unveiled on the auto show circuit, encroaching on the driver's view - the need for blind-spot detection devices would seem to be increasing.
Traditional radar systems broadcast high-frequency electromagnetic waves, determining the distance to an object's location by analyzing the echo reflected from the target. Rotating antennas, a common sight around airports, sweep the radar beam around the horizon to develop a 360-degree view, but the picture is updated only when an antenna completes another full revolution. Doppl
How many roads must a man walk down? 42.
if one of the things they taught in driving school was how to adjust your side mirrors properly.
Most people have their side mirrors adjusted so as to point back down the side of the vehicle, which is not very useful. If you adjust them to point into the next lane over, you can completely eliminate the blind spot. A good way to set this up is to put your head against the side window and adjust the left mirror so that the side of the car is just barely visible, then align your head with the centerline of the car and do the same with the right mirror. With a little tweaking, you should be able to track passing cars on either side from the inside mirror to the side mirror to the side window without ever losing sight of them.
There's one for sale here:
Panoramic Rear View
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Your car already has a convex mirror on the outside, opposite the driver. That is reason it has that "Warning: Objects ..." message printed on it. For the inside mirror, a convex surface would cause more confusion than the extra viewing area is worth. Espcially given that most of the extra area will be blocked by the door frames/pillars and people's heads. Given the current legal climate, lawsuits would undoubtedly result.
You can buy add-on convex mirrors that stick-on to your existing exterior mirrors, and increasingly heavy-duty trucks and vans offer them as factory options with their towing packages. Also very common on buses, delivery-vehicles and semi-trucks.
will this low-power radar system from the 1970's really help make driving safer?
Phased arrays are still state of the art for military radar targeting systems. They are unbelievably complicated systems when designed for highspeed target tracking and I'm sure whatever was used in the 70's doesn't even compare to what is used today. While modern naval warfare systems are not going to be employed in a car, I really doubt the tech implemented will totally lack the advances made since in the last >3 decades. This will be a damn cool gadget from a pure geek perspective.
Like most tools, the effectiveness will depend on the user. Side view mirrors are highly effective, but in my experience most drivers have no idea how to use them correctly (using them to view the side of their vehicle rather than expanding the rear view provided by the center mirror).
Additional phased array radars, AN/FPS-115's, were built in California (Beale AFB) and Massachusetts (Otis AFB) expressly for the purpose of missile warning. Later, another was built along the Gulf Coast to take over the AN/FPS-85's missile warning role, leaving the old beast to its original task, tracking satellites and space junk. The radar that took over the FPS-85's missile warning role has since been decommissioned.
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- and it's called "Il Tempo Gigante"
Some photosof its making and introduction.
there is no spoon
"will this low-power radar system from the 1970's really help make driving safer?"
The reason this is being investigated now is that 24GHz and 77GHz systems are now feasible at a reasonable costs. Therefore, a phased-array antenna is small enough to put in a car bumper.
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