Thread: Blind Spot Detection System - SEMA 2010

So not stealth vehicles (acoustic absorbing) nor people etc.

And I presume smart enough for normal presence (parking, lights, queues, speed).


I presume it handles rain etc? (Else indicates non-functionality etc?)


Alas we have too many fruit bats (Primates!), dolphins, etc her so it would probably be banned.

I would love to test this system and see how well it works in the real world. It would be nice if it could give a range to the other vehicles. At 20 meters away in traffic for instance, that is plenty of room to change lanes in front of that oncoming car, as long as it wasn't going excessively faster that you are.

If there is an output level that could be tied into, some logic could easily be added in the form of a plugin.

Something like:

If turn signal is on AND car is 15 meters away AND car is getting further away, (Means you are going faster than thy are) then do not warn.


With this information, you could also add a nice graphical display on the CarPC screen. taking a kind of sonar approach, you could easily display a static image of your car, as well as dynamically where other cars are located around you. This could easily be done by "pinging" a vehicle that is approaching you. When it gets to 20 meters from you, it then draws an indicator of that car on the screen, next to your car, showing where the approaching vehicle is, compared to you.

I could see other applications for this as well, such as facing the sensors forward. You could then monitor your speed, in relation to a car that is breaking quickly for instance, and give a warning that you are approaching something too quickly.


I really like this type of technology. With most modern cars having built in iPod docs, navigation and such, the CarPC has started to become more of a novelty. With technologies such as Tire Pressure monitoring, Parking distance monitors, Blind spot detection, these make the CarPC a safetly device as well. Sure you can get these features on higher end cars, if you want to shell out $100,000 for a car

That or you buy all of these items aftermarket, and have a dash full of displays for each individual one

Originally Posted by JohnWPB

At 20 meters away in traffic for instance, that is plenty of room to change lanes in front of that oncoming car, as long as it wasn't going excessively faster that you are.

Therein lies the problem - idiots will think it means okay to change lanes. Speed differential probably won't matter.


We already have idiots here in the wrong lanes because their GPS (which was NOT bought in Nuremberg) "told me to take it"! Admittedly the last was a bus lane, but despite its orange road surface and passing at least 3 signs "bus lane only", the fool blamed the GPS. (Maybe he thought that was a valid excuse.)


The day that technology is used properly is the day that vehicles are fully automated - you state your destination & it does the rest - well at least here the way things are going (Australia).

Originally Posted by OldSpark

Therein lies the problem - idiots will think it means okay to change lanes. Speed differential probably won't matter.

Speed differential would make all the difference actually. If I am doing 65 MPH for instance, and the person 20 meters behind me and in the lane to the right of me, is doing 55 MPH, then there is absolutely no reason that it would not be OK to change lanes.

If however, they were doing 75 MPH, and I was doing 65 MPH, if I move over into their lane, then I would be cutting him off essentially.

A true blind spot detection device should take this into consideration. As it is now, I would be willing to bet in the first scenario, that it would still sound the alarm and warn me, when it is absolutely ok and safe to change lanes.

And to be even better, it would need to know what speed you are going. If traffic is moving at 25 MPH, you certainly not need to be warned about a car 20 meters behind you

[ PS: JohnWPB - no apology needed! It's a classic ambiguity - nothing wrong with your interpretation. In fact, yours is arguably the correct interpretation, but certainly you were correct to err on the safe side and explain in case anyone did wrongly "believe" what I wrote. Thanks! If anything it is my bad - not the reader's! ]
[ PPS - I should have written "Dang! I wrote ambiguously again! ]


Dang! Misinterpreted again.

I meant "Speed differential probably won't matter" as applying to "diots will think it means okay to change lanes...".

I should have written "Speed differential probably won't matter to them.

My bad. I get slack when conversing with (fellow?) non-stupid people.


I also figure that a mere 30m range is insufficient - 30m being way to little with excessive speed; wet weather, & reaction time.

Only true vision systems will work - ie, white light probably with infra-red enhancement as a minimum.
Less that that is nothing other than and AID to be used by an intelligent system - ie, the drivers brain.

Volve and the new Infinitis have this tech. Very annoying if you ask me, because the system always err on the side of safety, which is usually too safe for me.

Same thing with intelligent cruise control. Their closest settings go for 2-2.5 sec at most, then 3.5 and 4.5 or so (and always start on the lowest setting which you have to manually change then via steering wheel button). I think 2sec rule is fine for cruising, but the system should take into account the car braking abilities. I find that this too should be user dependent, as I rather get closer than 2sec most of the times, thus avoiding being cut off at the same time.

For this to be interesting for me it would just for possibility of cool graphics on the basis of it, like suggested above. As a serious warning though, are you kidding me?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hi9CANjPenk

Olsspark, yea I misunderstood what you were saying entirely. sorry about that.

Rippinghurst, yea I totally agree. As to make a decision as to if it is safe is up to the driver for sure.

On the other hand, I think it could be a good aid in making that decision. When someone is in your blind spot, obviously you do not see them, So a beep to get your attention when activating the turn signal when someone is there, would be nice.

As for the sensitivity of it, that is where the plugin comes in We could alter distances, how we are alerted and have it all set to what WE want, not the auto manufacturer which will ALWAYS err on the side of extreme caution.

Thinking a bit more on this, I think a simple skin / screen would be in order. Simply an overhead view of your car, with colors to the rear sides of the display. (red yellow green kinda thing) Then it would just be a glance at the screen to see if there is anything in that area before you tried to change lanes. Maybe that screen brought to the front, or a overlay screen, when the turn signal is activated.

Wow, they took kinda long to come out with this product. Also, those sensors for the back are large and ugly. I couldnt even fit parking distance sensors into my bumper, how are these going to fit?

For my car I opted to just use cameras. It was about $90.00 for 3 cameras. Then used a $60.00 DQP to show me all images at the same time. You simply connect the DQP to you screen and right there you have spent only $150.00. The middle camera gets most of the cars hiding in blind spots because the viewing angle is greater. I have caught several people trying to hide in it to try to cause me to hit them. The side cameras arent as wide, but still way wider then what the standard mirror can supply.




Another way to beat that $180.00 price is maybe buy a parking distance with front and back sensors. Then simply place front on the left side, and back on the right side. Would work the same.

Originally Posted by OldSpark

Therein lies the problem - idiots will think it means okay to change lanes.

This is soo true... i've seen this system in infinitis and a lot of the time drivers get so dependent on it they forget to look. I would be willing to bet accidents actually increase with these types of systems because drivers forget how to drive.