Does your vehicle have any of the advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) installed? If so, it is very important to recalibrate these systems should your vehicle become involved in a crash or your windshield needs to be replaced. At Medina Glass Co., we use the latest technology for windshield calibration: The Autel IA-800 system. It is the latest technology for ADAS optical positioning systems.
What is ADAS?
ADAS is an acronym for Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems. The aim of these systems is to offer vehicle drivers greater safety on the road. ADAS-equipped vehicles use cameras, radar and sensors that feed data into a computer that alerts drivers if there should arise any potential road hazards ahead … or behind.
There are four kinds of ADAS systems used by vehicle manufacturers:
- Adaptive systems change the vehicle’s operation based on data from the surrounding environment, like adaptive cruise control that will change a vehicle’s speed, if needed.
- Automated systems initiate corrective behaviors when the driver is unable to do so in a safe time frame. An example of this is the automated braking system.
- Monitoring systems take data from the automobile’s surrounding environment through the use of sensors and cameras, and sometimes radar, and alert drivers if they need to take corrective measures. Blind-spot monitoring is an example of this kind of system.
- Warning systems issue alerts to drivers when there are potential road hazards, like with a forward warning collision system.
What are some of the features in ADAS-equipped vehicles?
The most popular feature highlighted in commercials is the assisted parking system. But, there are other features. Here is a short list of features auto manufacturers build into their ADAS-equipped vehicles:
- Adaptive Cruise Control: Where your typical cruise control keeps your vehicle driving at a consistent speed, adaptive cruise control is designed to keep your vehicle at a safe following distance. It will adjust your speed if the driver in front of you is moving slower than you.
- Automatic Emergency Braking: These systems are designed to alert drivers about a potential forward crash. If the driver does not take action to avoid or mitigate the crash, the AEB system will begin braking.
- Blind-Spot Monitoring: Through the use of sensors on side mirrors or rear bumper, this system will sound an alert when an object is detected in an adjacent lane.
- Forward Collision Warning: Similar to AEB, these systems provide alerts when you are getting close to the driver in front of you. The system will alert you to take corrective action or assist if your response time takes too long.
- Rear Collision Warning: Newer vehicles have rearview cameras, which helps avoid crashes while backing up. Though backing crashes do not tend to be severe, they can be deadly or critical if a child is behind the vehicle.
- Pedestrian Detection: Some forward collision warning systems are designed to detect pedestrians.
- Lane Departure Alerts: With these systems, cameras monitor lane markings on the road and detect when vehicles drift outside their lane of travel.
Do Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems work?
According to a study from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety and the Highway Loss Data Institute, the answer is, “Yes.” Vehicles equipped with ADAS safety features do provide benefits to drivers. While these systems have not eradicated crashes on the roads, they have reduced the number of accidents by offering a number of road safety features.
In looking at the highlights from their study, you can see forward collision warnings have reduced front-to-rear crashes, and when combined with autobraking, the results are even better.
Lane departure warning systems have reduced motor vehicle crashes by 11% and injury crashes of the same type by 21%.
Rear automatic braking and rearview cameras have helped with collision avoidance, too, as has blind spot detection.
What are features of the IA-800 optical positioning system Medina Glass uses?
President Kathy Long and Vice President Pat Neyhart decided to invest in Autel’s IA-800 because it uses laser technology and six high-resolution cameras to deliver 3-dimensional adjustment for the most accurate frame centering and windshield calibration, which is critical for vehicle distance recognition and other safety benefits.
When a vehicle is involved in a crash, the windshield and frame need to be recalibrated so the safety technology employed by ADAS-equipped vehicles operate property.
Medina Glass is a leader in windshield replacement and repair that services Medina, Brunswick, Wadsworth, Fairlawn, Valley City, Strongsville, Cleveland, and beyond. With auto manufacturers installing advanced driver-assistance systems in more vehicles, Medina Glass wanted to go with the world leader in optical positioning systems so vehicle owners can be confident their windshields have been recalibrated properly to the manufacturer’s exact specifications.
“Onboard cameras are a crucial component to gather data that enables the vehicle to know what lies ahead, particularly what dangers may be in front of your vehicle,” Neyhart said. “Any variance in the aiming of the camera could mean the vehicle may not recognize danger ahead.”
So, it is important the windshield is properly recalibrated after a crash or if it is replaced. A camera that is a millimeter or two off could result in the ADAS system being off by several feet, which is not safe, Neyhart said.
A key aspect of the Autel IA-800 System that Neyhart really appreciates is repeatability. Other systems relied on mechanical measurement with the glass tech putting pencil marks on the floor and taking measurements. This made it virtually impossible to recalibrate a windshield the same way twice.
The Autel system features two-wheel clamp targets and placement precision, and, when combined with the laser system, it ensures accuracy and repeatability.
Medina Glass focuses on windshield calibration
Right now, Medina Glass techs work on ADAS features involving windshield calibration, Neyhart said. The company invested in the complete Autel system, but Neyhart wants to focus on windshields first.
“In the future, we might expand to the other Advanced Driver-Assistance System features,” Neyhart said. “We’re dipping our feet into ADAS-equipped vehicles, and we want to make sure we are doing the windshields correctly.”
Medina Glass works with all insurance companies. All you need to do is tell your insurance agent or claims representative you want Medina Glass to do the work.
For more information about windshield calibration on ADAS-equipped vehicles, visit Medina Glass at 3643 Pear Road in Medina, call (330) 725-4605, or reach out to us on our Contact page.