POLARAMETRIC BLIND SPOT DETECTOR WITH STEERABLE BEAM

• US 20020011926A1
• Filed: 04/01/1999
• Published: 01/31/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lear Automotive Dearborn, Incorporated (Lear Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lear Automotive Dearborn, Incorporated (Lear Corporation)
• Inventors: KING, JOSEPH DAVID
• Granted Patent: US 6,734,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/003 Bistatic radar systems; Multistatic radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93274 on the side of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/026 involving the transmission of elliptically or circularly polarised waves

Abstract

A blind spot detection system includes a transmitter directing a circularly polarized signal into a blind spot adjacent a vehicle. A receiver also mounted on the vehicle receives a reflection of the circularly polarized signal which is oppositely circularly polarized. An indicator indicates to the driver of the vehicle when the reflected signal is detected, thereby indicating the presence of an object in the blind spot. An indicator is also directed toward the blind spot generating a warning when the presence of an object in the blind spot is detected and an indication of a turn or lane change by the vehicle is detected, such as turn signal switch activation.

Claims

1. A blind spot detector for a vehicle comprising:

a transmitter generating a circularly polarized signal into the blind spot;

a receiver receiving a reflection of said circularly polarized signal, said reflection being circularly polarized opposite said circularly polarized signal, said blind spot detector detecting the presence of an object in the blind spot based upon said receiver receiving said reflection.

2. The blind spot detector of claim 1 wherein said transmitter selectively steers said circularly polarized signal and sweeps said circularly polarized signal across the blind spot.

3. The blind spot detector of claim 2 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally horizontally generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

4. The blind spot detector of claim 2 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally vertically gene rally perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

5. The blind spot detector of claim 4 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally horizontally generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

6. The blind spot detector of claim 1 wherein said transmitter includes a circularly polarized antenna of opposite circular polarization of a circularly polarized antenna of said receiver.

7. The blind spot detector of claim 1 further including an indicator indicating the presence of the object in the blind spot based upon said receiver receiving said reflection.

8. The blind spot detector of claim 7 wherein the indicator is visible from the blind spot.

9. The blind spot detector of claim 8 wherein the indicator indicates a warning based upon an indication that the vehicle will change lanes.

10. A blind spot warning system for a vehicle comprising:

a blind spot detector determining the presence of an adjacent vehicle in a blind spot; and

an indicator directed toward the blind spot indicating the presence of the adjacent vehicle in the blind spot.

11. The blind spot warning system of claim 10 wherein the indicator indicates a warning based upon an indication that the vehicle will change lanes.

12. The blind spot warning system of claim 11 wherein the indication that the vehicle will changes lanes is based upon a turn signal switch.

13. The blind spot warning system of claim 10 wherein the indicator is visible from the blind spot.

14. A method for detecting the presence of an object adjacent a vehicle including the steps of:

a) generating a circularly polarized signal into a spot adjacent the vehicle;

b) receiving a reflection of said circularly polarized signal, said reflection being circularly polarized opposite said circularly polarized signal; and

c) detecting the presence of the object in the spot based upon said step b).

15. The method of claim 14 further including the step of indicating the presence of the object to a driver of the vehicle based upon said step c).

16. The method of claim 14 further including the step of directing an indication of the presence of the object in the spot toward the spot.

17. The method of claim 16 further including the step of generating a visible warning to an adjacent vehicle in the spot based upon said step c).

18. The method of claim 14 wherein said transmitter selectively steers said circularly polarized signal and sweeps said circularly polarized signal across the spot.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally horizontally generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally vertically generally perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein said transmitter sweeps said circularly polarized signal generally horizontally generally parallel to a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.