METHODS AND APPARATUS TO DETECT AND WARN PROXIMATE ENTITIES OF INTEREST

• US 20120025964A1
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Original Assignee: Rite-Hite Holding Corporation
• Inventors: Beggs, Ryan P., Boerger, James C., Hoffmann, David J., Muhl, Timothy, Nelson, Kyle, Oates, James, Senfleben, Jason, Markham, Ken, McNeill, Matthew
• Granted Patent: US 9,230,419 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/26 the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/2673 on parts worn by the driver, e.g. clothes, gloves or bags, specially adapted to provide auxiliary vehicle signalling
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2400/50 Projected symbol or information, e.g. onto the road or car body
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 2800/20 Utility vehicles, e.g. for agriculture, construction work
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/003 for fork-lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• 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: G08G 1/005 including pedestrian guidance indicator
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Systems and methods to detect and warn proximate entities of interest are described herein. An example signal generation system for a vehicle capable of different modes of movement includes a detector to determine at least one property of vehicle movement and an output representative of that at least one property and a selectively variable signal generator includes an input to receive the at least one output representative of the at least one property of vehicle movement and, responsively, generates a selected signal based on the received output. In some examples, a detector on a pedestrian detects the selected signal from the signal generator and, responsively, provides an output indicative of a vehicle in proximity to the pedestrian. In some examples, a trajectory vector is generated for at least two entities of interest based on at least one characteristic of movement of each entity. Each entity'"'"'s trajectory vector is expanded and each entity'"'"'s expanded trajectory vector is analyzed for overlap with the other entity'"'"'s expanded trajectory vector to assess the possibility of a collision between them.

Claims

1. A signal generation system for a vehicle capable of movement and including a selector to select between different modes of movement for the vehicle, the generation system comprising:

a detector to determine which of the different modes of movement has been selected on the selector and to produce an output indicative of that mode of movement; and

a signal generator including an input to receive the output indicative of the vehicle mode of movement from the detector and to generate a selected signal based on the received output.

2. A signal generation system as in claim 1, wherein the modes of movement include forward, reverse, and neutral.

3. A signal generation system as in claim 2, wherein the selected signal is in a forward direction relative to vehicle travel when forward is chosen on the selector.

4. A signal generation system as in claim 1, wherein the selected signal is a form of a magnetic signal, a RF signal, an optical signal, or an infrared signal.

5. A signal generation system for a vehicle capable of different modes of movement, the generation system comprising:

a detector to determine a property of vehicle movement and to produce an output representative of the property; and

a signal generator including an input to receive the output representative of the property of vehicle movement and, responsively, to generate a selected signal based on the received output.

6. The signal generation system of claim 5, wherein the property of vehicle movement is a static property.

7. The signal generation system of claim 6, wherein the static property is whether a vehicle selector is engaged in a forward position or rearward position.

8. The signal generation system of claim 5, wherein the property of vehicle movement in a forward or rearward direction is a dynamic property.

9. The signal generation system of claim 8, wherein the dynamic property is the speed of the vehicle.

10. The signal generation system of claim 8, wherein the dynamic property is the position of the vehicle steering wheel.

11. The signal generation system of claim 8, wherein the dynamic property is the rotational direction in which the vehicle steering wheel is being rotated.

12. The signal generation system of claim 11, wherein the selected signal is in an opposite rotational direction as compared to the rotational direction in which the vehicle steering wheel is being rotated.

13. The signal generation system of claim 5, further comprising a plurality of detectors, each of the detectors to determine a property of vehicle movement and to produce a property-representative output, and a signal generator to generate a selected signal based on the property-representative outputs from the detectors.

14. The signal generation system of claim 5, wherein the selected signal is light.

15. The signal generation system of claim 14, wherein a color of the light is selected based on the received input.

16. A system to prevent a vehicle from moving and contacting a pedestrian in proximity to the vehicle, the system comprising:

a signal source on the vehicle to generate a signal in the vicinity of the vehicle indicative of a stationary proximity of the vehicle;

a detector on a pedestrian to detect the signal from the signal source and, responsively, to provide an output indicative of a stationary vehicle in proximity to the pedestrian; and

a warning system associated with the pedestrian to receive the output indicative of a stationary vehicle in proximity to the pedestrian and to generate a warning signal to at least one of the pedestrian, the vehicle, or both the pedestrian and the vehicle.

17. A method for designating the threat level for a particular hazard in a building, comprising:

determining the threat level for the hazard in particular zones within the building;

classifying the threat levels into at least first and second threat levels;

designating a zone with the first threat level with a first detectable indicator; and

designating a zone with the second threat level with a second detectable indicator.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising providing the first detectable indicator as a color.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the first detectable indicator as a color comprises coloring the flooring of the zone with the first threat level with the color.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein providing the first detectable indicator as a color comprises coloring lighting associated with the zone with the first threat level with the color.

21. The method for designating of claim 17, further comprising:

providing a vehicle capable of moving between zones with the first and second threat levels with a detector to distinguish between the first and second detectable indicators; and

modifying an operational parameter of the vehicle based on which of the first and second detectable indicators is detected by the at least one detector.

22. A method for detection of a particular hazard in different areas of a building, the method comprising:

determining threat levels for the hazard in respective ones of the different areas;

selecting first and second detection systems to detect the particular hazard, the first detection system has a first ability to detect the particular hazard, the second detection system having a second ability to detect the particular hazard, the first ability being larger than the second ability;

employing the first detection system to detect the particular hazard in a first one of the areas assigned a first threat level; and

employing the second detection system to detect the particular hazard in a second one of the areas assigned a second threat level.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first threat level is higher than the second threat level.

24. A method for assessing the possibility of a collision between two entities, each having their own characteristics of movement, the method comprising:

sampling the movement of each entity at least two points in time;

generating a trajectory vector for each entity based on the movement sampling;

expanding each entity'"'"'s trajectory vector based on at least one characteristic of movement of that entity; and

analyzing each entity'"'"'s expanded trajectory vector for overlap with the other entity'"'"'s expanded trajectory vector to assess the possibility of a collision between them.

25. A method for assessing the possibility of a collision between two entities, each having their own characteristics of movement, the method comprising:

creating a safety zone surrounding each entity, the size of the safety zone being based on a first characteristic of movement of the respective entity;

modifying the safety zone for each entity based on a second characteristic of movement of that entity; and

analyzing each entity'"'"'s modified safety zone for overlap with the other entity'"'"'s modified safety zone to assess the possibility for a collision between them.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first characteristic of movement of a given entity is a range of speed.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the second characteristic of movement of a given entity is a current direction of travel.

28. A device for conveying audible warning signals to a person, comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of audible warnings; and

a user interface to allow the person to choose which of the audible warnings are provided to him for given hazardous conditions.

29. The device of claim 29, in which the plurality of audible warnings are recorded by the person.

30. A visual warning device for conveying warning signals to a person, comprising:

glasses worn by the person which include a controllable light source visible to the person; and

a controller to receive input signals to illuminate the light source to provide warning to the person.

31. The device of claim 30, wherein the light source has multiple colors, and the control electronics illuminate different colors dependent upon the input signals.

32. A system for warning a forktruck operator of a potentially hazardous interaction with a pedestrian, comprising:

a hazard discriminator to detect the potentially hazardous interaction; and

an illumination device on the pedestrian that illuminates in response to detection of the potentially hazardous interaction such that the illumination device can be seen by the forktruck operator.

33. A hazard warning system for a forktruck, comprising:

a controllable light source to project light onto the floor adjacent the forktruck;

a hazard discriminator to determine when the forktruck poses a hazard to pedestrians in the vicinity of the forktruck, and responsively generates a hazard output; and

a controller to receive the hazard output to control the light source such that the light source is in a first state when the hazard output is not received, and a second state when the hazard output is received, the first state being different than the second state.

34. An audible warning system for a person, the system being responsive to hazard-indicative signals that range from a low level of imminence of a threat to a high level of imminence, the warning system comprising:

an audio source in which an output audio signal is to be modulated according to one or more of;

volume, pitch, periodicity of repetition, and rhythm; and

a controller responsive to the imminence level of the hazard-indicative signals to modulate the characteristics of the audio signal to create a greater conspicuity for higher imminence.

35. A visual warning system for a person, the system being responsive to hazard-indicative signals that range from a low level of imminence of a threat to a high level of imminence, the warning system comprising:

a light source, in which the output light signal is to be modulated according to one or more of the characteristics of;

brightness, color, periodicity of repetition, and rhythm; and

a controller responsive to the imminence level of the hazard-indicative signals to modulate the characteristics of the light signal to create a greater conspicuity for higher imminence.

36-46. -46. (canceled)