ABSOLUTE ACCELERATION SENSOR FOR USE WITHIN MOVING VEHICLES

• US 20150102944A1
• Filed: 10/28/2014
• Published: 04/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vision Works IP Corp.
• Original Assignee: Vision Works IP Corp.
• Inventors: Braunberger, Alfred S., Braunberger, Beau M.
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• 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 1/447 with indication of the braking strength or speed changes, e.g. by changing the shape or intensity of the indication
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0075 Automatic parameter input, automatic initialising or calibrating means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/804 Relative longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/143 Speed control B60W30/16 takes precedence

Abstract

A communication system for a vehicle comprises a receiver to receive a signal corresponding to a traveling speed of a lead vehicle, a response device that generates an alert to warn of a change in the traveling speed of the lead vehicle, and a control device coupled to the receiver and the response device, wherein the receiver sends a signal to the control device corresponding to the traveling speed of the lead vehicle and the control device operates the response device in a manner dependent on the traveling speed of the lead vehicle. In some embodiments, the signal comprises one or more of infrared, radio frequency, wireless, WiFi, and Bluetooth®. In some embodiments, the communication system further comprises a speed control system coupled to the control device, wherein the control device operates the speed control system in a manner dependent on the traveling speed of the lead vehicle.

Claims

1-32. -32. (canceled)

33. A communication system for a vehicle, comprising:

a. a vehicle speed sensor to detect a traveling speed of the vehicle;

b. an alerting device that transmits a non-visual signal corresponding to the traveling speed of the vehicle to a receiver placed in a following vehicle; and

c. a control device coupled to the vehicle speed sensor and the alerting device, wherein the vehicle speed sensor sends signals to the control device and the control device operates the alerting device in a manner dependent on the traveling speed of the vehicle.

34. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 33, wherein the non-visual signal corresponds to a deceleration status of the vehicle.

35. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 33, wherein the non-visual signal comprises digital information.

36. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 33, wherein the non-visual signal corresponds to the actual speed of the vehicle.

37. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 33, wherein the non-visual signal is an infrared signal modulated at a specific frequency which is received by the receiver which recognizes the signal only at the specific frequency.

38. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 37, wherein the specific frequency comprises 38 KHz.

39. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 37, wherein the specific frequency comprises 100 Hz.

40. The communication system for a vehicle of claim 33, wherein the non-visual signal comprises one or more of infrared, infrared laser, radio frequency, wireless, WiFi, and Bluetooth®

.

41. A communication system for a vehicle, comprising:

a. a pointable rangefinder to calculate a distance between the vehicle and an object;

b. a vehicle speed sensor to sense a speed of the vehicle;

c. a response device that generates an alert; and

d. a control device coupled to the rangefinder, the vehicle speed sensor, and the response device, wherein the control device receives a signal from the rangefinder and the vehicle speed sensor and operates the response device in a manner dependent on the signal received from the range finder and the vehicle speed sensor.

42. The communication system of claim 41, wherein the object is a leading vehicle.

43. The communication system of claim 42, wherein the response device generates an alert to indicate an unsafe following distance between the vehicle and the leading vehicle.

44. The communication system of claim 42, wherein the response device generates an alert to indicate an unsafe closure rate between the vehicle and the leading vehicle.

45. The communication system of claim 41, wherein the range finder uses one or more of infrared, infrared laser, sonar, and radar to calculate the distance between the vehicle and an object.

46. The communication system of claim 41, wherein the range finder uses trigonometry methods and is one or more of a stadiamettric range finder, parallax range finder, and a coincidence range finder.

47. The communication system of claim 42, wherein the range finder is pointable in the same direction of travel as the lead vehicle.

48. The communication system of claim 41, wherein the object is a following vehicle.

49. The communication system of claim 48, wherein the response device generates an alert to indicate an unsafe distance between the vehicle and the following vehicle.

50. The communication system of claim 48, wherein the response device generates an alert to indicate an unsafe closure rate of the following vehicle.

51. The communication system of claim 48, wherein the range finder is pointable in the same direction as the following vehicle as the vehicle is making a turn.

52. The communication system of claim 41, further comprising a speed control system coupled to the control device, wherein the control device operates the speed control system in a manner dependent on the signal received from the range finder and the vehicle speed sensor.

66. The communication system of claim 41 wherein the rangefinder is actively pointable.

67. The communication system of claim 47 wherein the rangefinder is pointable in the same direction of travel as the lead vehicle as the lead vehicle is making a turn.

68. The communication system of claim 48 wherein the rangefinder is pointable in the same direction of travel as the following vehicle as the following vehicle is making a turn.

69. The communication system of claim 51 wherein the rangefinder comprises an accelerometer to determine direction and degree of turn.

70. The communication system of claim 67 wherein the rangefinder comprises an accelerometer to determine direction and degree of turn.

53. A communication system for a vehicle, comprising:

a. a vehicle speed sensor to sense a speed of the vehicle;

b. a warning device that generates an alert to warn of the vehicle; and

c. a control device coupled to the vehicle speed sensor and the warning device, wherein the vehicle speed sensor sends a signal to the control device corresponding to a speed of the vehicle and the control device operates the warning device in a manner dependent on the speed of the vehicle.

54. The communication system of claim 53 wherein the vehicle is a motorcycle.

55. The communication system of claim 53 wherein the warning device flashes a white light.

56. The communication system of claim 55 wherein the white light flashes to a front of the vehicle.

57. The communication system of claim 55 wherein the white light flashes to a side of the vehicle.

58. The communication system of claim 55 wherein the white light flashes to the front and to a side of the vehicle.

59. The communication system of claim 53 wherein the control device activates the warning device once the vehicle reaches a predetermined speed.

60. The communication system of claim 55 wherein the warning device continuously flashes the white light.

61. The communication system of claim 55 wherein the warning device flashes the white light at a rate correlated to a traveling speed of the vehicle.

62. The communication system of claim 53 further comprising a rangefinder to calculate a distance between the vehicle and an object, wherein the control device is further coupled to the rangefinder and further, wherein the control device receives a signal from the rangefinder and the vehicle speed sensor and operates the warning device in a manner dependent on the signal received from the range finder and the vehicle speed sensor.

63. The communication system of claim 62 wherein the object is a leading vehicle.

64. The communication system of claim 62 wherein the object is one or more of a stoplight and a stop sign.

65. The communication system of claim 62 wherein the object is an object located to a side of the vehicle.