ADAS Calibration in Collision Repair
The automotive sector continually advances, introducing innovative solutions for both drivers and passengers, with a strong emphasis on safety.
Your vehicle can warn you or react by steering or braking when you unintentionally veer out of your lane, experience drowsiness behind the wheel, or approach another vehicle too rapidly.
Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems, or ADAS, rely on sensor technology to achieve these functions. To fully harness the potential of this technology, it is essential to understand the significance of an ADAS system calibration, particularly when performing collision repairs.
What is ADAS Calibration?
Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems technology is designed to provide advanced vehicle safety and enhance the driving experience. These systems primarily depend on cameras, sensors, and radar technology to collect data from the vehicle's surroundings and environment, delivering safety warnings.
ADAS calibration involves the meticulous process of aligning, testing, and electronically configuring the sensors responsible for the functioning of your vehicle's advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as:
Automatic Emergency Braking: A life-saving feature that assists in braking or automatically braking the vehicle in the event of a road hazard.
Forward Collision Avoidance: This advanced system detects if and when an object ahead is too close and a collision is imminent. It then alerts the driver with a warning and sometimes even deploys the brakes to prevent a crash from occurring.
Lane Keeping Assistance: LKA typically uses a camera to identify lane markings and monitor the vehicle's position. If a driver unintentionally drifts out of their lane, this system automatically intervenes by warning the driver. In some vehicles the system takes action using steering or braking to return the vehicle back to its lane.
Adaptive Cruise Control: The purpose of ACC is to maintain a safe driving distance between vehicles using special radar sensors. It does this by automatically adjusting the vehicle's speed or applying brakes to match the car's speed in front.
Blind Spot Monitoring: This driver assistance system uses ultrasonic and or radar sensors to detect vehicles or objects approaching the blind spots, minimizing the chances of a collision.
Driver Fatigue Detection: These systems also analyze driving input behavior, including erratic steering and lane deviations, to identify signs of driver fatigue.
Advanced driver drowsiness detection systems utilize cameras, eye-tracking sensors, and other hardware to observe visual cues such as yawning, eye blinking, eye movement, head motion, and facial expressions as indicators of drowsiness.
How Long Does ADAS Calibration Take?
Several factors influence the duration of ADAS calibration. These include the specific ADAS system type, the quantity of sensors requiring calibration, and the intricacy of the calibration procedure.
Static calibration process involves preparing vehicles for the calibration with correct tire pressure and fluid levels as required by the vehicle manufacturer. The technician will place specific targets at the location designated by vehicle manufacturers’ exact specifications. Using a scan tool with correct software, the technician will initiate the calibration.
A dynamic calibration process must be carried out for some ADAS systems. In contrast to static calibration, where adjustments are made in a fixed location, dynamic calibration involves driving the vehicle on a designated road surface.
Remember, other factors can also affect the time required for calibration, such as access to specialized equipment and the technician's expertise.
Importance of ADAS Calibration
Proper calibration ensures that your vehicle’s ADAS components accurately detect and respond to potential hazards on the road. It also ensures optimal performance of your vehicle as the manufacturer intended.
ADAS calibration becomes even more important when a vehicle is involved in an accident and repairs or replacements are made. In such circumstances, the alignment and calibration of ADAS components may be disrupted, potentially resulting in system malfunctions that pose a safety risk to both the driver and passengers.
Many modern vehicles are equipped with ADAS as part of regulatory requirements for improved safety. Indeed, 92.7% of new cars in the U.S. have at least one ADAS feature. Proper calibration ensures compliance with these regulations, avoiding potential legal and safety issues.
How Does ADAS Calibration Relate to My Windshield?
Many of the sensing devices integral to ADAS are frequently positioned behind the windshield or directly mounted on it. These devices include cameras, computer imaging software, radars, and other sensors. This means that even minor physical alterations to your vehicle, especially to the windshield, could result in the malfunction of these sensing devices.
Therefore, every manufacturer requires an ADAS system calibration in the following scenarios:
- After a windshield replacement
- After a collision repair
- Following minor adjustments such as wheel alignment, changing the tire size, or camera repositioning
- ADAS lights are on or flashing
ADAS Calibration Solutions
ADAS Calibration should always be performed by qualified technicians using specialized equipment and procedures aligned with the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) guidelines.
Not all ADAS sensors can identify when they are out of calibration. Only automotive professionals with in-depth knowledge of ADAS can assess and verify the system's proper operation.
If your vehicle requires an evaluation of its ADAS sensors related to a windshield replacement, our skilled technicians at Caliber are ready to conduct ADAS System Calibration Services. This ensures that the advanced driver-safety systems function at their best, offering the safety assurance you require.
Caliber Auto Glass’ team of experts are ready to answer any ADAS calibration questions related to windshield replacements. Please request an estimate and we will promptly get back to you.