Delphi Enhances Innovative Back-up Aid Technology

TROY, Mich., Oct. 22 -- Delphi Corporation has enhanced its Forewarn® Back-up Aid (BUA) to give the system more design flexibility as well as a more compact and inconspicuous package. The all- radar BUA system, which will be available for 2005 model year vehicles, can be completely hidden in the bumper and will integrate a dual-beam radar sensor and controller, resulting in a compact package that requires fewer connections.

Delphi's Forewarn BUA provides even greater peace of mind because it helps improve the driver's ability to avoid accidents while backing up. This enhanced system will replace the single-beam radar/ultrasonic sensor configuration for a dual-beam radar design. With a combination or all-radar- based system, the rear detection zone is three times deeper than ultrasonic- only parking assist systems.

The driver's inability to see all areas behind the vehicle is not only inconvenient -- it can be dangerous. In a recent report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that vehicle-backing accidents resulted in more than 2,700 emergency room treatments in the United States from July 2000 - June 2001.

Measuring as high as three feet and two vehicle lengths long, the blind spot can hide a variety of obstacles. Back-up Aid assists the driver in detecting children, pets, vehicles and other objects in the driver's rear blind spot.

"The blind spot is a very real concern, especially in larger vehicles. Delphi's Forewarn® Back-up Aid helps drivers know what's behind them," said Mary Schafer, business line executive for Delphi's Chassis and Safety Electronics Product Line. "That capability is great for everyone, especially when there are small children around."

Delphi's Forewarn BUA that is currently in production is the first radar- based obstacle detection-system on the market coupling ultrasonic sensors with a single-beam radar sensor in the rear bumper. This combination offers the longest, most comprehensive rear-sensing detection range available today. The radar sensor can detect objects in a range up to 16.4 feet (5 meters). The two ultrasonic sensors on the current generation fill in the corner areas, helping to complete the rear detection zone. The larger detection area effectively extends BUA's useful speed range -- from parking speeds (generally less than 2 mph) to normal backing speeds (up to 7 mph).

In addition, the larger detection area can help give drivers more time to avoid impacts. In a Back-up Aid equipped vehicle, drivers receive an audible (and on some models, visual) alert when an object is in the vehicle's rear path. The alerts intensify as an object gets closer.

Back-up Aid is a 2003 PACE Award finalist and is now available, as Extended Parking Assist, on select 2003 Lincoln vehicles, including the Lincoln Navigator and Lincoln Town Car, and as Reverse Sensing System on the 2003 Ford Expedition.