VEHICLE SAFETY WARNING AND INFORMATION SYSTEM

• US 20130141251A1
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Published: 06/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stratus Technologies Pty., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Stratus Technologies Pty., Ltd.
• Inventors: Sims, Stephen James, Maxwell, Wayne David, White, Jason Edward, Perkins, Andrew Philip, Ballard, Norman George
• Granted Patent: US 8,952,830 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/905
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/205 Indicating the location of the monitored vehicles as destination, e.g. accidents, stolen, rental
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/207 with respect to certain areas, e.g. forbidden or allowed areas with possible alerting when inside or outside boundaries

Abstract

The present invention provides an improved vehicle safety warning system which enables a warning of a potential or an actual hazard to be transmitted via a signal between two or more vehicles, a device for use in such a system and an improved vehicle rally safety warning and information system.

Claims

1. An improved system of communication of safety information suitable for communication between at least two vehicles on a route said system comprising:

a) providing a signal transmission means and a signal reception means to a first vehicle and;

b) providing a compatible signal transmission means and a compatible signal reception means to at least one other vehicle;

c) providing a communication signal means to the vehicles which means is acitvatable by one or more of a driver, the vehicle or a sensor in the vehicle and results in;

d) the information being displayed as a persistent visual indicator (until deactivated) which has a predetermined meaning recognizable by the drivers.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the signal transmission means and signal reception means comprises UHF transceivers and wherein the warning is activatable by sensors in the vehicles according to predetermined parameters and/or manually.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator is a coloured light and/or colour screen.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the safety information comprises the speed and/or condition of the other vehicle within range on the route, speed restrictions on a particular part of the route, a major collision on the route, a roadway which is partly or fully blocked and/or another vehicle breakdown and wherein the visual indicator comprises a coloured light and/or screen.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator can be changed manually by upgrading it to a more serious warning or downgrading it to a less serious warning, as required.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator is given if the hazard or potential hazard is a distance of about 2000 m or less from a vehicle.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator is given if the hazard or potential hazard is a distance of about 1000 m or less from a vehicle.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the visual indicator is given if the hazard or potential hazard is a distance of about 500 m or less from a vehicle.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication signals are networked between vehicles and/or relay stations and/or master control.

18. An electronic communication device when used in the system of claim 1.

4. (canceled)

6. An improved vehicle rally safety warning system which allows communication of hazards or potential hazards between drivers and/or their vehicles or other relevant information between master control and drivers and/or vehicles by providing a visual indicator for predetermined conditions selected from a set of distinguishable visual indicators said system comprising a first vehicle having a signal transmission means and a signal reception means;

at least a second vehicle having a compatible signal transmission and reception means and optionally a master control having a compatible signal transmission means and a signal reception means, whereby a communication signal means is activatable by one or more of a driver, a vehicle or a sensor in the vehicle and/or by said master control and activation results in a visual indicator in one or more of the vehicles, which indicator persists until deactivated.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the visual indicators comprise coloured lights or a coloured display on a display unit which colours correspond to international racing convention warning flags.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein the visual indicators also comprise information about location and/or distance to a hazard.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein an automated warning system is provided which system generates a signal to event controllers and/or the other vehicles on a mapped route, when a vehicle moves outside of one or more predetermined parameters on the route, said predetermined parameters being detected by GPS.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the other information includes vehicle speed, vehicle orientation relative to the route and road edge coordinates.

11. (canceled)

17. An electronic communication device for a vehicle said device suitable for gathering and relaying relevant information about other vehicles fitted with a similar device on a route, said device comprising:

one or more signal transmission means and one or more signal reception means, an information display means for displaying the information, sensors for detecting predetermined conditions and a processor and associated software for managing the information and signals.

19. (canceled)