I've searched this forum and google and can't find anything about this, figured some electronic genius here could help. I'm fairly competent with electronics but know that I couldn't be the first to think of this.
We already have a multi sensor reverse monitor system. Mine has three lights, one for right, left, and center. It seems to me that I could add two sensors on the sides that come on only when the vehicle is in drive instead of reverse. If these sensors sensed and object we could illuminate a light mounted in view of the appropriate side view mirror.
Does anyone have a wiring diagram, or any information on where the reverse sensor module is located?
Poor OP. Everybody just makes fun of his question and then starts bantering back and forth. Sorry OP, I'm no help, but I do like the idea of blind spot monitoring systems despite what these guys say about old fashion mirrors. Good luck though.
[MENTION=87499]Crawlerdog[/MENTION] in all seriousness there is a reason that I turned the subject away to silly mirrors when I saw the OP's post and I'm quite sure [MENTION=65614]Antman[/MENTION] and [MENTION=66300]Intruder[/MENTION] know too.
I'm not an electrical systems engineer or a safety engineer. I do recognize serious potential major league problems with the OP's premise of using our parking sensors as blind spot monitors though:
1. I'm "fairly competent with electronics." He only has a few posts so we don't know if he is being facetious or he is really a Sheldon Cooper of physics and electronics.
2. Using a simple parking sonar sensor designed for a few miles per hour and expecting it to be a proximity electromagnetic radar signal designed to work at 80 miles per hour. Those are very different sensors that have strengths and weaknesses depending on operation. Sort of like the difference between Statics and Dynamics in my world.
When I first read his post I thought of this example:
He wires up a few lights to his parking sensors. He tests it out driving down the subdivision for 20 minutes or so and determines it works pretty good. He then takes it out on a highway and it still seems it works OK. He brings it home, explains the mod to his wife and goes inside for a beer. His wife then takes the baby in the 4Runner out to a mall 20 minutes away on the interstate. While driving at 75 mph she notices the lights do just fine and is comfortable. She then goes to pass a truck and seeing no light, she goes into the left lane, clipping a car that was going to pass her and spinning through the median... well you get my drift.
I don't know if using a sonar based sensor at speed around lots of other moving objects is fine or not. I CAN say though that if this parking sensor, it's location on the vehicle and it's ability to determine if there is an object in the 4Runner's blind spot at speed was good enough for the OEM engineers to convert into a blind spot monitor by just adding a few lights then they would have did so already.
This is by far one of the worst ideas for a mod I have read in this forum since I have joined. It has the very real potential to cause death and destruction at the worst and at the least cause major property damage.
The problem is maybe the OP is a brilliant physicist and has completed the 1000's of hours of testing and research required to do this safely and just need some help with wiring. Probably not, but I really don't know.
I know that when an idea gets into someone's head they will do it no matter what. I should have made this post right after I read his original idea but I hoped by posting about mirrors and such he would get the point that his idea could go wrong on so many different levels and just forget about it.
So, [MENTION=98714]Nomad33fw[/MENTION] if you are reading this, unless you are AN EXPERT IN SENSOR DESIGN AS IT RELATES TO SPATIAL LOCATIONS, please just add floor mats, wheels or side steps. Or a bug shield or vent visors. Thanks for reading.
