Black Boxes for Automobiles

The Black box is the technical term for a device with an input and output attributes. According to some sources, an object can be technically called a black box though it’s not literally black; a transistor; a cassette or any recording device may be called a black box.

Black box is a device or object which records audible data. In aircraft technology, it records all communications made in the cockpit of an aircraft while in flight. This had been very popular and helpful in reporting and detecting the causes of aircraft crashes.

Today, this technology is being thought of to be installed on automobiles. Adolfo V. Bague, an Argentine inventor has won a patent for a data recorder designed to be installed in cars to capture information about traffic accidents. He claims that his invention is not merely a modification of the black boxes which are used in aircrafts. He explained that an aircraft black box is large, heavy and very power consuming which proves to be impractical for cars. Despite, it uses very expensive technology which can disappoint car buyers. Bague claims, that he originally designed a recording device that are ideal for cars.

The invention includes multiple sensors, a microphone and cameras. A microprocessor and a data storage memory are housed in a tamperproof, waterproof and fire resistant box that can be removed from the car after an accident. The information that can be recorded during the accident are ''braking pressure, brake temperature, brake line hydraulic pressure, average speed, acceleration or deceleration in one or more dimensions, rate of turning, steering angle, compass direction of travel, impact, tire pressure, cruise control status, windshield wiper status, fog light status, defroster status, and geographical positioning information,'' Mr. Bague wrote in his patent.

Come to a bad time

The 2009 model year version of the Ram looks like a Charger. And that makes the Ram look more aggressive. The body and the rear of the 2009 Ram is unchanged. But since production of the 2009 Ram is still far off, it is possible that there will also be changes made to the rear and body of the Dodge Ram. With General Motors and Toyota both having new full-size pickups in showrooms, Ford is understandably keen to push up the development cycle of its pivotal Ford F-150, likely due as a 2009 model.

The ford and Chrysler came to sudden fall and at horrible time as they get ready to bring their new updated pickups to the market, the full-sized pickup segment. At 1.65 billion the segment is expected to fall about 500,000 units this year to an all-time-low.

The Ford’s best-selling vehicle is the Ford F-Series and the Dodge Ram is no less for Chrysler. Before the market gets any worse both companies were counting heavily on the two updated models but are now scrambling to get rid of their 2008 inventories. With the $4 a gallon average aside, even devoted large-pickup can’t afford to buy a new model since the trade-in values are decreasing significantly as demand weakens. For the past three months sales in the pickup segment have been falling. Ford’s F-Series, the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. lost its number one spot last month to the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and the Toyota Camry.

Ford CEO Alan Mulally says, “The most important thing is to just bring down the production but also have a very successful launch,” “Later on, we’ll figure out what is the right (production) footprint for the long term.”