Systems and methods for motorbike collision avoidance

• US 10,173,588 B2
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Issued: 01/08/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Karl Lenker
• Original Assignee: Karl Lenker
• Inventors: Lenker, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): Condra, Darlene P
• Application Number:
  US15/373,568
• Publication Number:
  US 20170158118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 760 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2603 Attenuation of the light according to ambient luminiosity, e.g. for braking or direction indicating lamps
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/52 for indicating emergencies
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/12 Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 27/00 Safety equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 3/12 Buzzers; Horns with electrically driven airflow
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/4151 for sensing lateral inclination of the cycle
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 45/4152 for sensing longitudinal inclination of the cycle
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 6/057 Automatic activation, e.g. by sensors
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/16 by integrating acceleration or speed, i.e. inertial navigation
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/08 using communication transmission lines G08B13/19658, G08B21/0286, G08B25/016 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096758 where no selection takes place on the transmitted or the received information
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/40 for vehicles, e.g. vehicle-to-pedestrians [V2P]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/46 for vehicle-to-vehicle communication [V2V]

Abstract

Described herein are systems and methods for motorbike collision avoidance. One or more sensors or devices can be used to monitor the operating conditions of a motorbike and, upon a determination that a collision or drop has occurred, or is likely to occur, an alert system can be activated. The alert system can comprise one or more auxiliary illumination devices and/or acoustic devices configured to draw the attention of other motorists. The alert system may aid the other motorists in noticing the motorbike and approximating the motorbike'"'"'s position, size, distance, or speed. The alert system can also be activated by the motorbike rider to communicate to other motorists that the rider believes a collision is possible or that a situation requires caution.

Claims

1. A system for illuminating an emergency light source of a motorbike based on a rider'"'"'s behavior, comprising:

a non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform stages for illuminating the emergency light source of a motorbike; and

the processor, configured to execute the instructions and perform the stages comprising;

receiving input from a plurality of motorbike components;

determining whether the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation; and

if the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing the emergency light source to illuminate,

wherein the processor receives input from a horn of the motorbike, and

wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises determining that the horn has been activated for a duration exceeding a predetermined time threshold, or that the horn has been activated more than once during a predetermined period of time.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor receives input from at least a front or a rear brake system of the motorbike, and wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises determining that either the front or rear brake system is engaged at a pressure beyond a threshold pressure, or that either the front or rear brake system is engaged more than once during a predetermined period of time.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor receives input from a high-beam switch, and wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that the high-beam switch has been activated at least a threshold number of times within a predetermined time period.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor receives input from an inertial-measurement device, and wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that the motorbike is decelerating at a rate beyond a threshold rate.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor receives input from an inclinometer, and wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting an angle of inclination of the motorbike that exceeds a predetermined threshold.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor performs an additional stage of, in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing a communication device to send a communication to a contact of the rider.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor performs an additional stage of, in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder comprises sending a BLUETOOTH instruction to the communication device.

9. A method for illuminating an emergency light source of a motorbike based on a rider'"'"'s behavior, comprising:

receiving input from a plurality of motorbike components;

determining whether the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation; and

in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing the emergency light source to illuminate,

wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that a high-beam switch has been activated at least a threshold number of times within a predetermined time period.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises determining that a horn has been activated for a duration exceeding a predetermined time threshold, or that the horn has been activated more than once during a predetermined period of time.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises determining that either a front or rear brake system is engaged at a pressure beyond a threshold pressure, or that either the front or rear brake system is engaged more than once during a predetermined period of time.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that the motorbike is decelerating at a rate beyond a threshold rate.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein determining an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that an angle of inclination of the motorbike exceeds a predetermined threshold.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising, in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing a communication device to send a communication to a contact of the rider.

15. The method of claim 9, in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder comprises sending a BLUETOOTH instruction to the communication device.

17. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium containing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform stages comprising:

receiving input from a plurality of motorbike components;

determining whether the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation; and

in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing the emergency light source to illuminate,

wherein determining whether the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation comprises detecting that a front brake lever of the motorbike has been activated at least three times within a predetermined time period.

18. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the processor performs an additional stage of, in response to determining that the received input comprises an indication of an emergency situation, causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder.

19. The non-transitory, computer-readable medium of claim 18, wherein causing a communication device to send a communication to an emergency responder comprises sending a BLUETOOTH instruction to the communication device.