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Your 2-Minute Guide to Vehicle Parking Assist Systems

Author: JasonLancaster
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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.

The most obvious vehicle size increase has been in the pickup truck segment, where "small" trucks like the Dodge Dakota now look like giants beside their early predecessors. Full-size trucks have also been expanding, becoming heavier, wider and taller. Toyota too has participated in this growth trend. The Toyota Tundra was originally a mid-size pickup marketed to full-size buyers. Toyota realized a larger vehicle could fit more customers, and as a result, the 2007 Tundra was much bigger than earlier models 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.

On most vehicles, "parking assist" is a system of sensors in the front and/or rear bumper that create an audible "beep" when your vehicle gets close to an obstacle. Depending on the system, the beeps will begin when you're about 6 feet away, and then increase in frequency until you get about 6 inches away, when the beeps will become a continuous tone. This is a great feature - it can really help with parallel parking, as well as warning you if something small (i.e. a fence post, a mailbox, or even a small child) is near your vehicle. But how does it work?

Basically, a set of eyes are mounted in the vehicle's bumpers. These "eyes", or special sensors, transmit highly focused sound waves at regular intervals from the bumper. When these sound waves come into contact with a solid object, they reflect back towards the sensor. Since the speed of sound is fairly constant through air, a computer uses the time it took for the reflection to be returned in order to calculate the distance between the bumper and the object. This is exactly the same principle employed by submarines using active sonar underwater, except that water transmits the sound waves much better than air, allowing for better range.

The system is effective with detecting stationary objects such as other vehicles, posts and garage doors, but is not sensitive enough to reliably detect smaller moving objects, such as animals, all-terrain vehicles, or children. These small objects might not generate a consistent warning beep, or even any warning at all. Thus, although parking assist systems, also called parking sonar, may be a great tool for parking, they cannot replace driver caution. It's still up to drivers to check that there is no one in the way of their vehicle as they park.

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?

About the Author

Author Jason Lancaster administrates TundraHeadquarters.com, a web site with information, news, and reviews of Toyota Tundra parts and Tundra accessories.