Collision warning system

• US 10,026,319 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2016
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Thunder Power New Energy Vehicle Development Company Limited
• Inventors: Wu, Tai-Te
• Primary Examiner(s): MULLEN, THOMAS J
• Application Number:
  US15/291,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20170193824A1
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 340435, 340436, 340433, 340933, 340936, 340471, 340472, 340457, 3404573, 3405734
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/324 for signalling that a door is open or intended to be opened
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/5035 electronic displays
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/544 for indicating other states or conditions of the vehicle occupants, e.g. for indicating disabled occupants
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/545 for indicating other traffic conditions, e.g. fog, heavy traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 3/80 Circuits; Control arrangements for dashboards B60Q3/16; for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/47
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 5/006 indicating risk of collision between vehicles or with pedestrians
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/007 specially adapted for covering the lateral blind spot not covered by the usual rear-view mirror
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/24 Reminder alarms, e.g. anti-loss alarms
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 6/00 Tactile signalling systems, e.g. personal calling systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 7/06 using electric transmission , e.g. involving audible and visible signalling through the use of sound and light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/181 for receiving images from a plurality of remote sources

Abstract

A collision warning system including a vehicle with a first sensor configured to detect an exit condition, a second sensor configured to detect a collision condition, an external warning signal system configured to emit a warning signal to warn a vehicle occupant about the collision condition, the external warning signal system includes at least one warning device configured to emit the warning signal, and a controller configured to communicate with the first and second sensors and to control the at least one warning device in response to the collision condition.

Claims

1. A collision warning system, comprising:

a first sensor coupled to a vehicle and configured to generate a first signal indicating an exit condition;

a second sensor coupled to the vehicle and configured to generate a second signal indicating neighboring traffic; and

an external warning signal system coupled to the vehicle and configured to

emit an audio and/or visual external warning signal in response to the first signal and the second signal to warn the neighboring traffic about a collision condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the external warning signal system comprises a warning device coupled to the vehicle and configured to emit the audio and/or visual external warning signal.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the external warning signal system comprises a controller configured to:

receive the first signal from the first sensor;

receive the second signal from the second sensor; and

generate a control signal to control the warning device to emit the audio and/or visual external warning signal to warn about the collision condition in response to receiving the first and second signals.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the warning device is a display that displays at least one of a written message and a visual image that warns the neighboring traffic of the collision condition.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the warning device is an audio speaker.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is at least one of a seatbelt sensor, motion sensor, optical camera, ignition sensor, gear sensor, and door handle sensor.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is at least one of an optical camera, infrared camera, motion detector, radar, laser, and ultrasonic sensor.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the visual external warning signal is a light beam.

9. A method for warning traffic of a collision condition around a vehicle, comprising:

receiving a first signal from a first sensor coupled to the vehicle, the first signal indicating an exit condition;

receiving a second signal from a second sensor coupled to the vehicle, the second signal indicating neighboring traffic;

detecting a collision condition in response to the first and second signals; and

emitting, using a warning device coupled to the vehicle, an audio and/or visual external warning signal in response to the first signal and the second signal to warn the neighboring traffic about the collision condition.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first sensor is at least one of a seatbelt sensor, motion sensor, optical camera, ignition sensor, gear sensor, and door handle sensor.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the second sensor is at least one of an optical camera, infrared camera, motion detector, radar, laser, and ultrasonic sensor.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the visual external warning signal is a light beam.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising changing at least one of a color, an intensity, and a flash frequency of the light beam in response to a change in the collision condition.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the warning device is a display.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising displaying with the display at least one of a written message and a visual image as the visual external warning signal.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the warning device is an audio speaker.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising activating the visual external warning signal on a side of the vehicle where a passenger will exit.