Sensatech have developed a capacitive sensor specifically for use on commercial or public service vehicles as a collision warning device.

A version of the unit is intended as a reversing sensor. This is activated when the driver engages reverse gear. The sensor alerts the driver to many of the possible dangers, which may be invisible behind their vehicle, by sounding an audible alarm.

Advantages

Capacitive sensors have advantages over the more frequently used ultrasonic devices for this application.

A fundamental difference is that a capacitive sensor is a field sensing device rather than a beam sensing device and as such is free from blind spots which can occur between beam lobes.

Capacitive sensors also exhibit low sensitivity to target material type and orientation. A wire fence for example would be detected as reliably as a brick wall by a capacitive device whereas a beam device may have difficulty detecting it at all