Newest technology in car sensors

Car sensors are very common and they vary from one type of car to another. Which comes about depending the purpose of installing the sensors. Their main function is to pass alerts to the driver about the condition of the car’s parts. Further, there are sensors who’s function is to prevent the collision of the car against an obstacle or another car.

Installing these types of car sensors is one of the modifications that affect insurance premiums. How so? As you modify the vehicle it is advisable to declare it to the insurance company.  Now, the insurance company checks if the modification increases risk or it reduces it. If it decreases risk, they decrease the premiums and the vise versa.

Most OEM sensors are in place but some are not present in all car models. Hence having knowledge about these sensors may help you to understand the types of car sensors that you don’t have.  When sourcing for the aftermarket sensors, ensure that you choose the one that has the best alert system. Some  of the alerts include, beeping, images if the sensor is coupled with a  dashboard screen an flashy dashboard warning lights with unique images.

The types of sensors are mainly divided into two categories, the parking sensors and the engine sensors.

Parking sensors.

They are used to give the driver an estimated distance between the car and any obstacle. The parking sensors are found on the car’s bumper, wheel wells and some around the side mirrors and door locks. This entirely depends on the manufacturer’s choice. But you can install the aftermarket sensors that the car doesn’t have on the car’s body kit. Installing the parking sensors gets your insurance premiums reduced.

The car battery is responsible for powering these sensors. Parking sensors emit a beeping sound that increases infrequency when the object gets too close. If there is a dashboard screen and a camera, the sensors may display an image of the car’s exterior surrounding. Parking sensors are also known as proximity sensors that are available in two types;

1. Ultrasonic sensors.

They use soundwaves to estimate the object’s proximity to the car. Ultrasonic sensors are mostly present on the car’s bumper. They release a high frequency sound wave that is bounces back incase there is a nearby object. One variation amongst them is that they don’t emit frequency sound waves at the same distance.

The sound waves reaches the object and bounces back to the receiver of the sensor which catches it. Then the sensor emits a sound beep that increases in sound and rate as the proximity decreases. The problem is that these sensors suffer from interruption by specific metallic materials that prevent the receiver from catching the sound waves.

2. Electromagnetic parking sensors.

They are proximity sensors that are able to check the car’s entire surrounding’s proximity to objects. Electromagnetic sensors are all over the vehicle’s body including the bumpers, wheel wells, doors and side mirrors.

Electromagnetic sensors usually emit an electromagnetic field that surrounds the entire vehicle. This acts as the car’s perimeter.  So, incase any object enters the electromagnetic field of the car, the sensors send a warning to the driver. This trait makes them more sensitive than the ultrasonic sensors.

Engine Sensors.

There are a number of functional engine parts that require a lot of monitoring. In order to achieve this goal, the manufacturers put sensors in place. Their alert system includes dashboard warning lights. But the number of the dashboard warning lights on the vehicle’s computer changes from one manufacturer to another. But some of the common types of engine sensors include;

1. Mass Airflow Sensor.

The mass airflow sensor tells the engine how much air is flowing in through the air intake. Some simple car modifications can help with increasing the amount of air going into the engine. The amount of air going into the engine burns the fuel in the combustion chamber to produce power.

So the fuel economy of the car depends on the amount of the air flowing in. The mass air flow sensor usually regulates the amount of air and the amount of the fuel being injected into the combustion chamber.

2. Intake air temperature sensors.

Air going into the engine affects the performance because it regulates the amount of power coming from combustion. The intake air temperature sensor monitor’s the air’s temperature as it goes into the engine’s combustion chamber. Too hot air has low oxygen levels and therefore the fuel won’t burn accordingly. So if the intake air temperature sensor sees high air temperatures, the engine ensures that low fuel is injected in.

3. Oxygen sensors.

oxygen sensors are mostly located within the exhaust system. Their work is to measure the oxygen and fuel mixture at the exhaust pipe. The presence of oxygen within the exhaust fumes will alert the sensor whether the catalytic convertor is working effectively.

4. Oil level sensors.

This sensor usually measures the level of oil within the oil pan to ensure it is sufficient. If there is an oil leakage, the levels of the oil will drop and this sensor will alert the driver using a dashboard warning light. If there isn’t sufficient oil, it is advisable to make sure that you top it off before driving off. You will find this sensor inside the oil pan at the lowest part so as to tell when the oil is running low.

5. Oil Pressure sensors.

It measures the oil pressure after the oil pump. The oil pump is responsible for ensuring that sufficient oil circulates the engine block to offer lubrication and protection. So if the oil pump does not push out sufficient oil depending on the engine’s performance, this sensor detects it. This sensor is found near the fuel filter and alerts are in the form of the oil pressure dashboard warning lights.