Apparatus and Method for Warning and Prevention of Vehicle Collisions

• US 20080165029A1
• Filed: 12/31/2005
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aurora Operations Incorporated (Aurora Innovation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Jianzhong Fu
• Inventors: Fu, Jianzhong
• Granted Patent: US 7,705,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0134 responsive to imminent contact with an obstacle , e.g. using radar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

The invention teaches a passive vehicle rear end warning and collision prevention method and apparatus thereof, comprising: a traveling data monitoring unit serving to monitor and sample the traveling data of present vehicle; a collision prevention information transmitting and receiving unit serving to transmit and receive the collision prevention information; an electronic control unit serving to analyze and process the sampled data so as to generate the collision prevention information and to receive the collision prevention information from other vehicle, and to control the traveling status of prevent vehicle based on the received collision prevention information so as to avoid rear end collision with other vehicle, so that the purpose of rear end warning and collision prevention is realized by receiving passively the collision prevention information from another vehicle.

Claims

1. A method for passive vehicle rear end warning and collision prevention comprising:

monitoring and sampling of traveling data of a present vehicle, and generating collision prevention information according to the monitored and sampled traveling data, and then radio transmitting said collision prevention information according to a predetermined program so as to prevent rear end collision by other vehicle; and

receiving the collision prevention information transmitted from other vehicle, and comparing the received collision prevention information with the relevant traveling data of the present vehicle so as to adjust and control the traveling status of the present vehicle to avoid rear end collision with other vehicle from which said collision prevention information is transmitted.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said traveling data comprises speed data of the present vehicle, traveling direction data, collision or braking deceleration data, braking pressure data, data of present vehicle emergently pulled off to the road side, data of present vehicle stalled on the way, data of present vehicle traveling in a poor visibility environment, and data of present vehicle requesting passing.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said radio transmitting and receiving of information follows a predetermined program of same frequency time sharing transmitting and receiving, wherein the receiving is prior to the transmitting in the microwave frequency range of above 300 MHz, and an all direction transmitting antenna and a fixed direction receiving antenna are utilized so as to ensure to only receipt of the radio signal from a preceding vehicle only.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing of said received collision prevention information, the comparison of the collision prevention information with the relevant traveling data of present vehicle, and the adjustment and control of traveling status of present vehicle are realized in said electronic control unit (ECU);

and the comparison with the relevant traveling data of present vehicle comprises the steps of;

processing and analyzing the sampled data (sensor sampled data and manual set data) of present vehicle to generate collision prevention information for sending to radio transmitting circuit, and controlling the radio transmitting circuit to transmit the collision prevention information according to the predetermined program of same frequency time sharing transmitting and receiving with the receiving being prior;

comparing the receiving collision prevention information with the relevant traveling data of present vehicle so as to perform the actions of determining the traveling direction, determining the distance range based on the joint control of the signal field intensity of collision prevention information, and comparing the speed data of collision prevention information with the real time speed of present vehicle, whether requesting passing or not; and

outputting the traveling status control command or drive power according to the predetermined program so as to adjust and control the traveling status of present vehicle.

5. A passive vehicle rear end warning and collision prevention apparatus, comprising:

a traveling data monitoring and sampling unit, a microwave radio transmitting and receiving unit, and an electronic control unit, wherein the traveling data monitoring and sampling unit serves to monitor and sample the traveling data of present vehicle;

the sampled data is transmitted to the electronic control unit;

the microwave radio transmitting and receiving unit serves to transmit the collision prevention information of present vehicle, and to receive the collision prevention information transmitted from other vehicle; and

the electronic control unit serves to analyze and process the traveling data of invention, to generate collision prevention information according to the predetermined program or to compare the received collision prevention information with the traveling data of present vehicle, and to output the traveling control command to adjust and control the traveling status of present vehicle so as to realize the function of rear end warning and/or collision prevention.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said traveling data monitoring unit comprises a sensor monitoring and sampling part and a manual set sampling part;

the sensor sampled data includes speed, brake or collision deceleration, braking pressure, traveling direction, and;

the manual set sampled data includes the preset data such as poor visibility, pulled off to the road side, and stalled on the way.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said collision prevention information comprises a rear end warning signal, a collision prevention joint control signal, and a real time speed and traveling direction signal.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said microwave radio transmitting and receiving unit adopts an all direction antenna for transmitting and a fixed direction antenna for receiving.

9. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein said electronic control unit adopts CPU as its core component to realize the functions of:

processing and analyzing the sampled data (sensor sampled data and manual set data) of present vehicle to generate collision prevention information for sending to radio transmitting circuit, and controlling the radio transmitting circuit to transmit the collision prevention information according to the predetermined program of same frequency time sharing transmitting and receiving with the receiving being prior;

comparing the receiving collision prevention information with the relevant traveling data of present vehicle so as to perform the actions of determining the traveling direction, determining the distance range based on the joint control signal field intensity of collision prevention information, comparing the speed data of collision prevention information with the real time speed of present vehicle, whether requesting passing or not; and

outputting the traveling status control command or drive power according to the predetermined program so as to adjust and control the traveling status of present vehicle.