Gone are the days when a car was only a transportation vehicle whose purpose was to transport us from one place to another.
True, when we decide to buy a new one, this is the main reason that leads us to do so, but in the purchase decision increasingly weigh more sensors that integrates. That’s right, a car’s sensors can help us to prevent breakdowns and accidents, to park our vehicle without mishaps and, very soon, they will also be able to drive our vehicle autonomously.
Today’s cars offer a multitude of sensors that make driving and maintaining our vehicles much easier, which makes them much safer. Moreover, in the coming years this is only going to increase, that’s why we are here to tell you everything you need to know about car sensors and what you can expect from this type of equipment!
What types of sensors can we find in the vehicle?
There are more and more types of sensors in every vehicle and all of them have a reason for being and usually even more than one different utility. These instruments are used to measure certain parameters and give us information that makes our driving experience even more pleasant. In fact, many already incorporate even the ability to send us messages to our smartphones in case of need, a real folly if we had thought about it just a decade ago.
Let’s take a look at the main car sensors and what each one is used for!
Position sensors
They are divided into circular or linear position sensors, and serve to determine the location of a certain element within a circuit in which everything must be perfectly identified.
Within the section of position sensor we find for example the ultrasonic sensors of the bumpers that act as a parking sensor of the car or those that measure the amount of fuel or oil remaining in the car in real time.
Pressure sensor
Controlling the pressure of the different liquid and gaseous elements of a vehicle is essential not only for its operation, but even for its start-up in the case of a newly manufactured car. A pressure sensor determines whether a car’s brake system is in perfect condition, whether the tires need to be inflated, whether there are problems with the air conditioning gas or whether the hydraulic pressure in the power steering is correct.
Car temperature sensor
The temperature of certain elements of the car is crucial for the proper functioning of this four-wheeled device. That is why it is important that our vehicle’s control unit receives information from each temperature sensor to be able to adapt the engine’s performance to the existing conditions. There is a temperature sensor in the car’s cooling or air conditioning systems, but also in the fuel tank, the bodywork or the oil sump, among many other elements.
RPM Sensor
The acronym RPM refers to ‘revolutions per minute’, or in other words, how many times a certain element turns while the car is in motion.
The car’s ABS sensor, for example, measures how many times each wheel turns, but there are other, somewhat less obvious RPM sensors, such as the one that measures how many times an engine’s crankshaft turns, which is essential to ensure controlled engine operation.
Power sensor
A power sensor or force sensor is vital for safety during any type of journey. Power sensors are present, for example, in the vehicle’s pedals, as this is how the car understands exactly what we want when we step on them. However, they also monitor aspects such as whether a seat is occupied in order to remind the driver to wear a seat belt, or whether the vehicle is carrying an excessive load.
Accelerometers
Although from their name it might seem that they are in charge of making the car go faster, in reality an accelerometer sensor is a safety system. Yes, it takes into account the acceleration of the vehicle, but not as we usually think.
In reality, they are systems that prepare the vehicle to respond to a possible problem at certain speeds. They are, for example, those that guarantee that an airbag will always deploy in time regardless of the speed at which we drive, or that the seat belts will exert the necessary pressure to prevent us from being thrown out of the car if necessary.
Flow meters
The flow meter of a car, as its name suggests, is a sensor that measures the air flow, in this case the air that enters the engine of a car, and is crucial to determine how much fuel it needs to operate with maximum efficiency. In addition, it also monitors the level of gases emitted by the vehicle.
Other types of car sensors
Sensors, as their name suggests, are in charge of ‘sensing’, in this case what is happening to the car, and notifying the control unit (your brain) or the driver himself if he needs to be aware of something.
In addition to those already mentioned, there are the detonation (or knock) sensors, the exhaust temperature sensor, the lambda probe, which determines the amount of oxygen in the exhaust gas… A modern car could not function without all of them, and many more, although it is the safety sensors that are becoming more important in recent times.
- Car rain sensor, to automatically activate the windshield wipers in case of need.
- Car light sensor, which automatically turns them on in any circumstance in which they are necessary, such as sunset or when entering a tunnel (be careful, in reversible lanes they do not turn on by themselves!).
- Lane Departure Warning System sensor, so that the car does not invade a neighboring lane due to a driver’s inattention.
- LiDAR sensor, a radar that positions the vehicle in space, as well as potential hazards, and enables autonomous driving.
Again, these are just a few examples of car sensors that are already in use or, like the latest, are being tested to revolutionize the driving experience as we know it today.