CAR AND SHIP BLING SPOT-FREE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM

• US 20100076683A1
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Published: 03/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Tech-Cast Mfg. Corp.
• Original Assignee: Tech-Cast Mfg. Corp.
• Inventors: CHOU, RONG-HER
• Application Number:
  US12/237,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20100076683A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/00 Optical viewing arrangements; Real-time viewing arrangements for drivers or passengers using optical image capturing systems, e.g. cameras or video systems specially adapted for use in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/25 to the sides of the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/28 with an adjustable field of view
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 1/30 providing vision in the non-visible spectrum, e.g. night or infrared vision
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/105 using multiple cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/303 using joined images, e.g. multiple camera images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/70 characterised by an event-triggered choice to display a specific image among a selection of captured images
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2300/802 for monitoring and displaying vehicle exterior blind spot views
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/937 of marine craft
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots

Abstract

A car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system includes a plurality of image acquiring units and detecting units externally spaced along the car or the ship, an image processing unit, at least one image display unit, and a power supply unit, all being electrically connected to a control unit. The power supply unit supplies power needed by the system to operate normally. The control unit can determine the car or the ship position and moving direction via gear position of a shift lever and turning direction of a steering wheel, and enable real-time images shot by the image acquiring units corresponding to that position or direction to be processed by the image processing unit and then synchronously displayed on a split screen of the image display unit, so as to eliminate blind spots in driving the car or steering the ship and minimize collision and other accidents.

Claims

1. A car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system for installing on a car or a ship to provide image and distance surveillance to conditions outside the car or the ship, comprising a plurality of image acquiring units, an image processing unit, a control unit, at least one image display unit, a plurality of detecting units, and a power supply unit;

the image acquiring units and the detecting units being externally spaced along the car or the ship;

the control unit being electrically connected to the image acquiring units, the image processing unit, the image display unit, the detecting units, and power supply unit;

the power supply unit supplying power needed by the system to operate normally; and

the control unit being able to determine the car or the ship position and moving direction via gear position of a shift lever and turning direction of a steering wheel, for example, and enable real-time images shot by one or more image acquiring units corresponding to that position or direction to be processed by the image processing unit and then synchronously displayed on a split screen of the image display unit.

2. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image acquiring units each are a camera.

3. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the cameras each are internally provided with an infrared LED as a light source thereof.

4. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting units are distance sensing radars capable of detecting a distance from the car or the ship to an external object.

5. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the detecting units are actuated to emit a warning signal when the detecting units detect a distance from the car or the ship to an external object is smaller than a preset value.

6. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes a plurality of control buttons for a driver or a steersman to push and thereby manually select the image signals acquired by the image acquiring units to be shown on the image display unit.

7. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display unit is a liquid crystal display (LCD).

8. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an RS232 communication interface.

9. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the image display unit includes an A/V input terminal.

10. The car and ship blind spot-free collision avoidance system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an image storing unit electrically connected to the image processing unit for copying and filing the images having been processed by the image processing unit.