ANTI-COLLISION APPARATUS FOR VEHICLES

• US 3,680,085 A
• Filed: 01/21/1970
• Issued: 07/25/1972
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Giovanni Del Signore
• Original Assignee: Giovanni Del Signore
• Inventors: Del Signore, Giovanni
• Primary Examiner(s): Tubbesing, T. H.
• Application Number:
  US05/004,537
• Time in Patent Office: 916 Days
• Field of Search: 343/14,17.5,112CA
• US Class Current: 342/128
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/345 using triangular modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 367/909 Collision avoidance

Abstract

A safety apparatus or anti-collision device to be installed on motor vehicles for detecting and indicating obstacles encountered on a road during conditions of poor or reduced visibility. The apparatus includes wave propagation means to emit a continuous periodically frequency modulated wave with, for example, a triangular pattern. The wave is emitted by an antenna and echo waves reflected by obstacles are received and mixed with a portion of the transmitted wave to obtain a raw signal which is passed through filters to activate one of a plurality of transducers including, for example, light bulbs which are illuminated to indicate the presence and distance of the obstacles. Arrangements are made to limit the number of light bulbs which are illuminated.

Claims

1. Apparatus adapted for being installed on a vehicle for detecting obstacles and indicating the distance thereof, said apparatus comprising wave propagation means to emit a continuous periodically frequency modulated wave in accordance with a predetermined time pattern, receiving means for receiving the wave when it is reflected by said obstacles and for interacting the emitted wave with the reflected wave to obtain a beat frequency raw signal whose form depends on the presence and distance of the obstacles, analyzing means to obtain from said raw signal at least one signal substantially clear of disturbing elements and representing the presence and distance of the obstacles, transducer means to transform the cleared signals into a signal of a kind perceivable by an operator to communicate to him information concerning the obstacles, said analyzing means comprising a plurality of circuits each associated with a limited frequency band of beat signals and consequently to a limited range of distances of obstacles, said transducer means including transducer devices connected to a respective analyzing circuit to transform the signal into a signal of different kind, directly perceptible by an operator, each transducer device being activated by the corresponding frequency of the raw signal and indicating to the operator the presence of an obstacle in the range associated with the corresponding frequency, and means for limiting the number of transducer devices which can be activated simultaneously, and for allowing only the activation of the transducer device corresponding to the lowest frequency range contained in the raw signal.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, including means for allowing only the activation of two transducer devices corresponding to the two lowest frequency ranges contained in the signal.

3. Apparatus adapted for being installed on a vehicle for detecting obstacles and indicating the distance thereof, said apparatus comprising wave propagation means to emit a continuous periodically frequency modulated wave in accordance with a predetermined time pattern, receiving means for receiving the wave when it is reflected by said obstacles and for interacting the emitted wave with the reflected wave to obtain a beat frequency raw signal whose form depends on the presence and distance of the obstacles, analyzing means to obtain from said raw signal at least one signal substantially clear of disturbing elements and representing the presence and distance of the obstacles, transducer means to transform the cleared signals into a signal of a kind perceivable by an operator to communicate to him information concerning the obstacles, said analyzing means comprising a plurality of circuits each associated with a limited frequency band of beat signals and consequently to a limited range of distances of obstacles, said transducer means including transducer devices connected to a respective analyzing circuit to transform the signals into a signal of different kind, directly perceptible by an operator, each transducer device being activated by the corresponding frequency of the raw signal and indicating to the operator the presence of an obstacle in the range associated with the corresponding frequency, and means for taking part of the current supplied to each transducer and applying it at least to part of the analyzing circuits tuned to all the higher frequencies than the one to which the latter said transducer is connected.

4. Apparatus adapted for being installed on a vehicle for detecting obstacles and indicating the distance thereof, said apparatus comprising wave propagation means to emit a continuous periodically frequency modulated wave in accordance with a predetermined time pattern, receiving means for receiving the wave when it is reflected by said obstacles and for interacting the emitted wave with the reflected wave to obtain a beat frequency raw signal whose form depends on the presence and distance of the obstacles, analyzing means to obtain the said raw signal at least one signal substantially clear of disturbing elements and representing the presence and distance of the obstacles, transducer means to transform the cleared signals into a signal of a kind perceivable by an operator to communicate to him information concerning the obstacles, said wave propagation means including a transmitting and receiving antenna characterized by a beam width of 1* to 5* in the horizontal and by a substantially larger beam width in the vertical, said antenna having a scanning movement in the horizontal, and control means to allow the activation of said transducer means only when the antenna faces in selected directions.

5. A method for indicating obstacles in the path of a vehicle and indicating the distance of the obstacles, said method comprising generating and transmitting a continuous wave periodically frequency modulated according to a predetermined time pattern, receiving echo waves reflected by the obstacles, beating the transmitted wave with the reflected echo waves to obtain a raw signal whose form depends on the presence and distance of the obstacles, processing the raw signal to obtain a substantially purified signal free of disturbing elements and representing desired information relative to at least one obstacle, and the transforming of the thusly processed signal into a signal of a kind directly perceptible by the operator of the vehicle to communicate to him the desired information;

said method further including splitting the raw signal into a spectrum of component signals with frequencies included in determined bands corresponding to obstacles situated at different distances, and transforming a limited number of these component signals contained in the lowest frequencies band into signals of a kind directly perceptible by the operator to eliminate the component signals of higher frequencies.