Introduction
Blind spot warning system manufacturers portrayed monitors as an assist for the driver. But the unnoticed technical hiccups within them can risk human lives.
According to AAA research studies, 25% of drivers do not look for incoming vehicles, and 80% over-rely on blind spot systems. This trust forces drivers to turn a blind eye toward obstacles in case of a malfunction. As a result, that causes terrible collisions.
Users can do nothing but stay conscious about their surroundings even after blind spot monitor integration. On the contrary, vendors and manufacturers can massively minimize malfunctions within products. This article will summarize how all that is made possible by giving you an inside overview of blind spot monitor companies.
Possible Errors in Every Blind Spot Warning Manufacturer
Blind spot systems are now the new craze, but these still aren’t purely far from errors. Automobile manufacturers try to integrate them into modern vehicles for safety in an ideal way to prevent malfunctions. Moreover, people consider such vehicles to be next-gen automobiles. As a result, it elevates sales.
However, integration of a blind spot system isn’t just that simple. The first step is to create an error-free product that can serve the purpose. But why are malfunctions dangerous? And how do vendors get rid of them? Below, you’ll find answers to all these questions.
Starting from the enlistment of malfunction, here are a few common across companies.
False Detection
As the name states, in this error, the system can’t detect any object ideally. That means;
- It can detect any stationary object
- It can delay the detection
- It can give false alarms without the presence of any obstacle
All these conditions are equally dangerous. In the case of delayed detection, drivers won’t get enough time to react. As for the false alarms, drivers may move the steering wheel towards an obstacle, causing an unintentional collision. So, manufacturers tend to minimize them using different strategies.
No Detection
This malfunction transforms the system into a completely useless product. The main working principle of blind spot monitors is around detecting objects. Once it fails that objective, there’s nothing valuable left in the product for the user.
It may be due to simple errors such as battery short circuits, power supply damage, or algorithmic failure. Some of them are easily fixable from the user’s perspective. However, manufacturers can also improve the quality to minimize these.
Switched Warnings
This error may not seem dangerous, but it severely threatens drivers and road individuals. Its outcome is about the same as false detection. Therefore, it can result in possible collisions. As for visual presentation, the warning lights start giving alerts.
That means the right LED light will warn the driver if an obstacle is around the left side. Conclusively, the driver’s false turn will result in an unintentional collision.
Irregular Alarming Behavior
It is something found commonly in most systems. However, people don’t focus on it as a primary problem because it only hits them sometimes. Usually, the blind spot system starts behaving oddly due to various environmental initiatives.
For instance, while driving through a tunnel or around the roundabout, you may experience repeated alerts for a few seconds. A few seconds’ warnings won’t bite the drivers. However, this sudden alert may startle some individuals and cause unintentional mergings.
Three Ways Blind Spot Warning System Manufacturers Use To Prevent Malfunctions
Every blind spot warning system manufacturer tends to make its product immaculate. Therefore, every vendor tries different strategies. These may include the addition of extra components or upgrading the previous ones. All in all, the main objective of every tactic is the same.
To make a blind spot system perfectly error-free, manufacturers use numerous techniques. However, we brought three methods suggested by experts that are bound to yield a positive output.
1. Test The System Electronically
A blind spot warning detection system is an electrical product. That is the reason it has electrical circuits integrated all around its structure. Vendors run different electronic tests to ensure that every one of them is working ideally. Here are a few procedures manufacturers use to test their blind spot systems:
a. Test The Power
The electric input of a product determines its rate of work and success. That means the power supply, power source, and transmission collectively make a product worth the money.
Testing the power generally focuses on collective assessment of electric input elements. For instance, the first step is to test the supply. The best way to do so is by using different voltage inputs. This process helps vendors determine which voltage and current levels are ideal for the product.
Remember, the electric input in vehicles usually comes from the battery. It isn’t a single type of voltage battery used in every car. Some use electrode-dipped electric inputs. In comparison, some batteries are lithium-ion. Testing the power supply also helps detect the ideal battery type for successful product usage.
b. Fluctuation Tests
Electric current is unpredictable. Therefore, you can’t expect a constant current value, especially from the batteries. Manufacturers know that the fluctuating voltage and current may damage the circuits. As a result, they tend to use variable current amounts to judge the part that can cause problems. For instance, if the warning light circuit gets heated and fails to function while the current fluctuates, vendors will improve its quality. All in all, testing the fluctuations helps the product withstand harsh conditions.
2. Test The System in A Vehicle Prototype
A product can only behave naturally if the environment around it is ideal. Customized inputs will lead to artificial or inaccurate results. For that reason, most manufacturers integrate the product into a vehicle to check its potential.
Before inducing the product in any vehicle, there are a few impactful factors that the manufacturer needs to focus on.
There is no doubt that there are universal blind spot systems ideal for every vehicle on the road. However, it is a relatively easy and fast fact that these systems will work effectively with every car, truck, SUV, and motorbike.
A list depicts highly compatible products when a manufacturer launches a new product. For instance, some blind spot systems work ideally only in cars created after 2010. In contrast, some are functional in SUVs only.
Therefore, before choosing any vehicle as the prototype, ensure it is compatible with the product. Otherwise, you won’t be able to get rid of malfunctions easily.
3. Push The System to Its Limits
Pushing the system to the limits may seem bad, but it can surely highlight primary errors faced by users. A vendor must exceed its working capacity to drag a system toward its limits. That means the product must be kept in a stressful condition where environmental factors threaten it.
For instance, manufacturers tend to increase the voltage to the maximum level. It helps determine the last level of power supply value on which the system can work perfectly.
Moreover, some manufacturers test these using environmental factors such as road bumps and speed friction. That way, they understand how the product would behave in the real world.
How Do Testing Tactics Help?
Previously, we stated that testing the product is an expert-suggested way. Moreover, it is sure that you’ll find decent results from these tactics. But what’s in these that makes them so perfect? Here are a few ways how these strategies help reduce malfunctions:
Better Instruction Manuals
It isn’t always the company that is responsible for malfunctions within the product. Sometimes, the users become the main reasons why products fail to function.
To minimize user-related malfunctions, vendors provide instruction manuals to help drivers use the product ideally. Creating those manuals is only possible by testing the system prior. That is why manufacturers use testing strategies to help check the limits a blind spot system can withstand.
Individual Cause Detection
Problems are always challenging to deal with in the first place. They can be the cause of single or multiple stimuli. The first step in solving any issue is to find its source. Blind spot warning system manufacturers use testing techniques to get to the root of a problem.
It helps them get the ideal fix that is applied easily and swiftly. Remember, the cause of any problem can be more than one. For instance, if a blind spot warning system fails to detect an obstacle, it can cause damage to radar or power supply.
Therefore, while devising a technique to fix any issue, ensure that you are all in touch with its possible causes. That is the only way to prevent that malfunction from bouncing back.
Determine Functional Ranges
In the working of a blind spot monitoring system, there are certain limits a user must follow. These can be variable voltages, detection distance, speed limits, or lane turns. The testing procedures help vendors determine an ideal range in which the product will work ideally without any malfunction.
For example, the ideal voltage range of most blind spot detection systems is 12 to 24 volts. If the battery voltage stays within the range, there are very few chances that the product will meet any errors.
Bottom Line
Blind spot warning system manufacturers keep trying to improve their products with the passing years. It is the only way to help them retain a superior place among the contenders. However, dealing with malfunctions and preventing them earlier isn’t a piece of cake, especially if your product is as complex as a blind spot monitor.
If you are a blind spot system vendor, you will get excellent results using the above strategies. Furthermore, being a potential blind spot system user, you can choose the manufacturer with the above testing tactics to get your hands on an error-free product.
