Apparatus for determining impact force upon a vehicle in traveling a curve

• US 4,853,675 A
• Filed: 05/12/1988
• Issued: 08/01/1989
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/1988
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Asa D. Foster
• Original Assignee: Asa D. Foster
• Inventors: Foster, Asa D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Swann, III, Glen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent A.
• Application Number:
  US07/193,729
• Time in Patent Office: 446 Days
• Field of Search: 340/52 H, 340/689, 340/61, 340/666, 340/669, 340/671, 340/429, 340/440, 340/438, 200/61.47, 200/221, 200/222, 200/224, 180/172, 180/282
• US Class Current: 340/429
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 1/04 Special adaptations of driving means
• CPC Class Codes: G01P 15/093 by photoelectric pick-up

Abstract

An apparatus mounted upon an automotive vehicle to determine the impact of centrifugal force upon the vehicle in traveling through a curve of a road for the purpose of ascertaining an upper safe speed limit for posting the curve.

Claims

1. An electronic apparatus mounted upon a vehicle measuring the tilt of the vehicle and the impact force upon the vehicle in passing through a curve to ascertain the upper safe speed limit of travel therethrough for the purpose of posting the curve, having in combination

speed detecting means having an operating connection with the transmission of the vehicle generating timed electrical pulses indicating distance traveled responsive to the rotation of the drive shaft of the vehicle,

a tilt indicating means carried by said vehicle sensing the tilt of the vehicle at each different rate of speed in passing through a curve,

a microprocessor in circuit with said speed detecting means and said tilt indicating means,

said microprocessor having an internal clock and a calibration table counting said pulses to ascertain the distance traveled and the speed of travel, said pulses having first been counted over a pre-measured distance to determine the distance of travel indicated by each pulse.

said microprocessor having a tilt input table interpreting the sensed tilt of said vehicle at each different speed as a degree of tilt, and

said microprocessor outputting a composite factor indicating impact force in digital form and representing the degree of safety experience, in passing through a curve.

2. The structure of claim 1, wherein

said tilt indicating means comprises

an elongated curved tube level,

infra-red emitters and corresponding opposed detectors in a circuit being respectively disposed at each side of said tube,

a ball in said tube movable responsive to the tilt of said vehicle interrupting transmission between corresponding emitters and detectors,

said microprocessor senses the interrupted transmissions and reads the same as positions of said ball, and

a table included in said microprocessor converting the sensed positions of said ball into respective degrees of tilt, said degrees of tilt having implicit therein the influence of the speed of the vehicle and the radius of the curve.

3. The structure of claim 1, wherein

said microprocessor includes a screen and an internal printer to respectively display and print said composite factor, and

means carried by said microprocessor for activating said screen or said printer.

4. The structure of claim 1, wherein

said speed detecting means comprises a proximity sensor, and

means rotated by said drive shaft arranged and constructed to create an electrical pulse with each rotation of said drive shaft in passing by said proximity sensor to indicate distance traveled.

5. The structure of claim 1, wherein

said tilt indicating means comprises

an elongated tube level,

opposed emitters and sensors at each side of said tube level having transmission of light therebetween, means energizing said emitters and sensors,

a ball movable in said tube interrupting said transmission of light between opposed of said emitters and sensors,

said microprocessor sensing the interruptions and thereby the changed positions of said ball in said tube level,

said ball moving with the changed tilt of the vehicle, influenced by the speed of the vehicle and the impact of centrifugal force upon the vehicle,

a table included in said microprocessor receiving said changed positions of said ball,

said table converting said changed positions sensed into a serial data output,

said microprocessor including an internal printer, and

said microprocessor outputting said serial data to said printer.

6. The structure of claim 5, wherein

said microprocessor converts said changed positions of said ball into degrees of tilt having implicit therein the influence of the speed of the vehicle, the radius and superelevation of the curve and the impact of centrifugal force upon the vehicle,

said microprocessor including a screen, and

said microprocessor displaying said degrees of tilt in digital form on said screen.

7. The structure of claim 5, wherein

said serial data output comprises the degree of tilt, the distance traveled and the speed of the vehicle in making a test run of a curve.