Vehicle anti-collison device
DC
First Claim
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1. A vehicle anti-collision device comprising:
- a rangefinder for mounting inside a following vehicle near to a windshield thereof for measuring a distance of said vehicle from a leading vehicle,distance sampling means coupled to the rangefinder for sampling measured distances at predetermined time intervals,self-speed determination means for measuring a self-speed of the following vehicle,safety time determination means coupled to the distance sampling means and to the self-speed determination means and responsive to the measured self-speed of the following vehicle for determining a safety time between the following and leading vehicles;
comparing means coupled to the safety time determination means for comparing said safety time with a predetermined threshold, andalarm means coupled to the comparing means for generating an alarm if the safety time is less than said predetermined threshold,wherein the rangefinder is coupled to a steering mechanism of the following vehicle and includes;
a laser light source for emitting a beam of laser light, a first component of which is reflected by the windshield, a second component of which passes through the windshield of the following vehicle so as to be reflected by the leading vehicle,detector means for receiving said first and second components and generating respective first and second detector signals,timing means coupled to the detector means and responsive to the first and second detector signals for measuring an elapsed time between the detection of the first and second components,distance determination means coupled to the timing means and responsive to said measured elapsed time for determining the distance between the following and leading vehicles,turning angle determination means coupled to the steering mechanism for determining a turning radius thereof,lane differentiation means coupled to the turning angle determination means and responsive to said turning radius, to a known dispersion of said laser beam, to a known lane width and to a known vehicle width for determining a maximum distance between the following vehicle and the leading vehicle for which the two vehicles are in identical lanes, andswitching means coupled to the lane differentiation means, to the turning angle determination means and to the detector means for intercepting the reflected first component of the laser beam and directing it to the detector means only if the two vehicles are in identical lanes.
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Abstract
A vehicle anti-collision device comprising a laser rangefinder mounted inside a vehicle near to a windshield thereof. The distance of the vehicle from a leading vehicle is constantly calculated and sampled at predetermined time intervals, enabling the closing velocity of the vehicle with respect to the leading vehicle to be calculated. A digital speedometer is provided for determining the self-speed of the vehicle whereby the safety time between the two vehicles may be calculated. The safety time is displayed and an audible alarm is sounded in the event that the calculated safety time is less than a predetermined threshold. Preferably, the rangefinder is coupled to the vehicle'"'"'s steering mechanism so as to be responsive to a turning radius of the vehicle in order that the rangefinder may distinguish between two vehicles travelling in the same lane and in different lanes, respectively. Likewise, provision is made for compensating for the elevation angle of the rangefinder beam for variations in load distribution within the vehicle.
112 Citations
13 Claims
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1. A vehicle anti-collision device comprising:
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a rangefinder for mounting inside a following vehicle near to a windshield thereof for measuring a distance of said vehicle from a leading vehicle, distance sampling means coupled to the rangefinder for sampling measured distances at predetermined time intervals, self-speed determination means for measuring a self-speed of the following vehicle, safety time determination means coupled to the distance sampling means and to the self-speed determination means and responsive to the measured self-speed of the following vehicle for determining a safety time between the following and leading vehicles; comparing means coupled to the safety time determination means for comparing said safety time with a predetermined threshold, and alarm means coupled to the comparing means for generating an alarm if the safety time is less than said predetermined threshold, wherein the rangefinder is coupled to a steering mechanism of the following vehicle and includes; a laser light source for emitting a beam of laser light, a first component of which is reflected by the windshield, a second component of which passes through the windshield of the following vehicle so as to be reflected by the leading vehicle, detector means for receiving said first and second components and generating respective first and second detector signals, timing means coupled to the detector means and responsive to the first and second detector signals for measuring an elapsed time between the detection of the first and second components, distance determination means coupled to the timing means and responsive to said measured elapsed time for determining the distance between the following and leading vehicles, turning angle determination means coupled to the steering mechanism for determining a turning radius thereof, lane differentiation means coupled to the turning angle determination means and responsive to said turning radius, to a known dispersion of said laser beam, to a known lane width and to a known vehicle width for determining a maximum distance between the following vehicle and the leading vehicle for which the two vehicles are in identical lanes, and switching means coupled to the lane differentiation means, to the turning angle determination means and to the detector means for intercepting the reflected first component of the laser beam and directing it to the detector means only if the two vehicles are in identical lanes. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A vehicle anti-collision device comprising:
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a rangefinder for mounting inside a following vehicle near to a windshield thereof and being coupled to a steering mechanism thereof for measuring a distance of said vehicle from a leading vehicle, distance sampling means coupled to the rangefinder for sampling measured distances at predetermined time intervals, self-speed determination means for measuring a self-speed of the following vehicle, safety time determination means coupled to the distance sampling means and to the self-speed determination means and responsive to the measured self-speed of the following vehicle for determining a safety time between the following and leading vehicles, comparing means coupled to the safety time determination means for comparing said safety time with a predetermined threshold, and alarm means coupled to the comparing means for generating an alarm if the safety time is less than said predetermined threshold; the rangefinder including; a laser light source for emitting a beam of laser light a first component of which is reflected by the windshield, a second component of which passes through the windshield of the following vehicle so as to be reflected by the leading vehicle, detector means for receiving said first and second components and generating respective first and second detector signals, timing means coupled to the detector means and responsive to the first and second detector signals for measuring an elapsed time between the detection of the first and second components, and distance determination means coupled to the timing means and responsive to said measured elapsed time for determining the distance between the following and leading vehicles, and said device further including; turning angle determination means coupled to the steering mechanism for determining a turning radius thereof, lane differentiation means coupled to the turning angle determination means and responsive to said turning radius, to a known dispersion of said laser beam, to a known lane width and to a known vehicle width for determining a maximum distance between the following vehicle and the leading vehicle for which the two vehicles are in identical lanes, and switching means coupled to the lane differentiation means, to the turning angle determination means and to the detector means for intercepting the reflected first component of the laser beam and directing it to the detector means only if the two vehicles are in identical lanes, and an elevation adjustment means coupled to the laser light source for adjusting an elevation angle of the laser beam such that the elevation angle is substantially constant regardless of load distribution within the following vehicle.
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12. A vehicle anti-collision device comprising:
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a rangefinder for mounting inside a following vehicle near to a windshield thereof for measuring a distance of said vehicle from a leading vehicle, distance sampling means coupled to the rangefinder for sampling measured distances at predetermined time intervals, self-speed determination means for measuring a self-speed of the following vehicle, safety time determination means coupled to the distance sampling means and to the self-speed determination means and responsive to the measured self-speed of the following vehicle for determining a safety time between the following and leading vehicles; comparing means coupled to the safety time determination means for comparing said safety time with a predetermined threshold, and alarm means coupled to the comparing means for generating an alarm if the safety time is less than said predetermined threshold; wherein the rangefinder includes; a laser light source for emitting a beam of laser light a first component of which is reflected by the windshield, a second component of which passes through the windshield of the following vehicle so as to be reflected by the leading vehicle, detector means for receiving said first and second components and generating respective first and second detector signals, timing means coupled to the detector means and responsive to the first and second detector signals for measuring an elapsed time between the detection of the first and second components, and distance determination means coupled to the timing means and responsive to said measured elapsed time for determining the distance between the following and leading vehicles; and wherein a laser frequency of the laser light source is randomly selected between predetermined lower and upper thresholds in respect of a specific vehicle, and said device further provided filtering means for filtering out a received signal whose frequency differs from said laser frequency, thereby preventing false alarms owing to receipt of spurious signals in a region of said specific vehicle.
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13. A vehicle anti-collision device comprising:
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a rangefinder for mounting inside a following vehicle near to a windshield thereof for measuring a distance of said vehicle from a leading vehicle, distance sampling means coupled to the rangefinder for sampling measured distances at predetermined time intervals, self-speed determination means for measuring a self-speed of the following vehicle, safety time determination means coupled to the distance sampling means and to the self-speed determination means and responsive to the measured self-speed of the following vehicle for determining a safety time between the following and leading vehicles; comparing means coupled to the safety time determination means for comparing said safety time with a predetermined threshold, and alarm means coupled to the comparing means for generating an alarm if the safety time is less than said predetermined threshold;
the rangefinder including;a laser light source for emitting a beam of laser light a first component of which is reflected by the windshield, a second component of which passes through the windshield of the following vehicle so as to be reflected by the leading vehicle, detector means for receiving said first and second components and generating respective first and second detector signals, timing means coupled to the detector means and responsive to the first and second detector signals for measuring an elapsed time between the detection of the first and second components, and distance determination means coupled to the timing means and responsive to said measured elapsed time for determining the distance between the following and leading vehicles; and further including an elevation adjustment means coupled to the laser light source for adjusting an elevation angle of the laser beam such that the elevation angle is substantially constant regardless of load distribution within the following vehicle.
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Specification
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Litigation Data
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Current AssigneeSilicon Heights Ltd.
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Original AssigneeSilicon Heights Ltd.
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InventorsYavnayi, Amotz, Kantor, Israel, Schechner, Pinchas, Gavish, Moshe
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Primary Examiner(s)Chin, Gary
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Application NumberUS08/017,742Time in Patent Office721 DaysField of Search364/426.04, 364/431.07, 364/460, 364/461, 180/167-170, 180/176-179, 123/350, 123/352, 340/903, 342/454, 342/455US Class Current701/301CPC Class CodesG01S 17/931 of land vehicles
