General Description
The park pilot utilizes four ultrasonic sensors housed in the front panelling and four sensors housed in the rear panelling. The sensors are used to detect the distance of objects and obstacles during parking manoeuvres, alerting the driver by means of an acoustic signal. The park pilot is used to facilitate ease of parking and prevent damage to the front and rear of the vehicle. The system is intended to be an aid to parking, not a protective system.
The park pilot control unit is mounted behind the right wheelhouse panel in the rear compartment. It uses the front and rear sensors to monitor and calculate the distances between vehicle and object before alerting the driver. The alert buzzer is located near the knee panelling under the instrument panel.
The sensors are able to detect objects approximately 0-180 cm to the rear of the vehicle and approximately 0-120 cm to the front.
The series of audible alert signals by the acoustic buzzer become shorter as the distance between vehicle and object is reduced. If the distance is less than 30 cm the alert signal will be continuous.
The diagram below illustrates the front and rear warning zones of the park pilot system.
The table below specifies the intervals of the audible alert warnings for the front sensors.
| Warning Zone | Front Distance Range in cm | Tone On/Off in ms |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0–30 | 80/0 |
| 1 | 30–40 | 100/20 |
| 2 | 40–50 | 120/40 |
| 3 | 50–65 | 150/70 |
| 4 | 65–80 | 180/100 |
| 5 | 80–100 | 240/160 |
| 6 | 100–120 | 400/320 |
The table below specifies the intervals of the audible alert warnings for the rear sensors.
| Warning Zone | Rear Distance Range in cm | Tone On/Off in ms |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0–30 | 80/0 |
| 1 | 30–40 | 100/20 |
| 2 | 40–50 | 120//40 |
| 3 | 50–65 | 150/70 |
| 4 | 65–80 | 180/100 |
| 5 | 80–100 | 240/160 |
| 6 | 100–120 | 400/320 |
| 7 | 130–180 | 530/450 |
The park pilot is initiated as soon as the ignition is switched on, and has three separate modes of operation:
- Active mode
- Standby mode
- Disable mode
The standby mode occurs when the gear lever is in the neutral position (park position for automatic transmission), when the handbrake is on, or when the vehicle speed exceeds 8 km/h (5 mph). This effectively disables the function of the system.
The system is automatically activated as soon as the vehicle is shifted into forward or reverse gears and the vehicle speed is less than 8 km/h (5 mph). When reverse gear is selected, the park pilot control unit performs a diagnostic self test which results in an audible signal from the acoustic buzzer.
The system can be manually disabled by means of a switch on the instrument panel. When the system has been manually deactivated, an LED in the disable switch and a telltale in the instrument panel cluster are illuminated.