SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR COLLISION AVOIDANCE

• US 20170337820A1
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Published: 11/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: GLATFELTER, John William, HOWICK, David Lee
• Granted Patent: US 10,636,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 17/003 for fork-lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/0755 Position control; Position detectors
• CPC Class Codes: B66F 9/24 Electrical devices or systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/52 Surveillance or monitoring of activities, e.g. for recognising suspicious objects recognising microscopic objects G06V20/69
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/10 Human or animal bodies, e.g. vehicle occupants or pedestrians; Body parts, e.g. hands
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

Systems and methods for collision avoidance include a plurality of sensors respectively disposed on a plurality of movable objects, wherein each sensor is configured to transmit signals indicating the location of the movable object. The system further includes a receiver configured to receive the transmitted signals and a controller in communication with the receiver. The controller is configured to monitor the received signals from the plurality of sensors indicating the locations of the movable objects to determine a direction of travel of each movable object based on locations of the movable objects over time. The controller is further configured to determine an intersection region of the direction of travel of at least two movable objects and generate an output signal to provide an alert at the intersection region of the at least two movable objects, when at least one movable object is within a predetermined proximity of the intersection region.

Claims

1. A system for collision avoidance, the system comprising:

a plurality of sensors respectively disposed on a plurality of movable objects, wherein each sensor is configured to transmit signals indicating the location of the movable object on which the sensor is disposed;

a receiver configured to receive the transmitted signals; and

a controller in communication with the receiver, the controller configured to monitor the received signals from the plurality of sensors indicating the locations of the movable objects to determine a direction of travel of each movable object based on locations of the movable objects over time, the controller further configured to determine an intersection region of the direction of travel of at least two movable objects and generate an output signal to provide an alert at the intersection region of the at least two movable objects, when at least one movable object is within a predetermined proximity of the intersection region.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a projection device configured as an illuminating device for emitting the alert as a lighted indicia at the intersection region of the movable objects.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the projection device is controlled by the controller to move as the intersection region moves to thereby move the projected lighted indicia.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the lighted indicia comprises an alert message, the light indicia being projected on a floor of a building.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising an alert device configured to generate one of an audible alert or a tactile alert when the at least one movable object is within the predetermined proximity of the intersection region.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a database defining a safety radius for each of a plurality of types of objects defined by different mass ranges, and wherein the intersection region is determined based on the safety radius.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to generate the output signal to provide the alert at the intersection region when the safety radiuses of at least two of the objects overlap.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the two movable objects is an individual.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sensors include at least one radio-frequency (RF) sensor an at least one GPS sensor.

10. A method for collision avoidance, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting, from each of a plurality of sensors respectively disposed on a plurality of movable objects within a building, signals indicating the location of the movable object on which each sensor is disposed;

monitoring, with a controller, the signals from the plurality of sensors indicating the locations of the movable objects;

determining, by the controller, a direction of travel of each movable object based on each a location of the object over time;

determining, by the controller, an intersection region of the direction of travel of at least two movable objects; and

generating an output signal when at least one movable object is within a predetermined proximity of the intersection region, to provide an alert at the intersection region of the at least two movable objects.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising emitting with a projection device the alert as a lighted indicia at the intersection region of the movable objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising moving the projection device to move the intersection region as the objects move to thereby move the projected lighted indicia.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising projecting the lighted indicia on a floor of the building.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating one of an audible or tactile alert when the at least one movable object is within the predetermined proximity of the intersection region.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising defining a safety radius for each of a plurality of types of objects defined by different mass ranges, and determining the intersection region based on the safety radius.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising generating the output signal to provide the alert at the intersection region when the safety radiuses of at least two of the objects overlap.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the two movable objects is an individual and further comprising continuously monitoring the location of the individual.

18. An anticipatory collision avoidance system comprising:

a plurality of sensors respectively disposed on a plurality of movable objects, wherein each sensor is configured to transmit signals indicating the location of the movable object on which the sensor is disposed; and

a controller configured to monitor the transmitted signals from the plurality of sensors indicating the locations of the movable objects, the controller configured to anticipate a possible collision of two or more of the objects using two or more of mass information, position information, momentum information and stopping distances of the movable objects, the controller further configured to generate an alert when a possible collision is anticipated.

19. The anticipatory collision avoidance system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to anticipate a possible collision of two or more of the objects that do not have a line of sight to each other.

20. The anticipatory collision avoidance system of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to generate as the alert a real-time warning of the possible collision.