Vehicle collision prevention system using the Doppler effect

• US 5,453,740 A
• Filed: 03/23/1994
• Issued: 09/26/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: James N. Hess, Phillip M. Gallagher
• Original Assignee: James N. Hess, Phillip M. Gallagher
• Inventors: Hess, James N., Gallagher, Phillip M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery A.
• Application Number:
  US08/216,343
• Time in Patent Office: 552 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 340/904, 340/554, 340/693, 367/909, 367/94, 342/70
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/10 using transmission of interrupted, pulse modulated waves determination of distance by phase measurement G01S13/32
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9322 using additional data, e.g. driver condition, road state or weather data
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93273 on the top of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93276 in the windshield area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/03 Details of HF subsystems specially adapted therefor, e.g. common to transmitter and receiver
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/06 Cathode-ray tube displays or other two dimensional or three-dimensional displays

Abstract

A vehicle collision prevention system for preventing a source vehicle from colliding with an obstruent object comprising detection circuitry adapted for detecting and providing an indication of an impending collision with an obstruent object, the detection circuitry further comprising transmission circuitry adapted to transmit a preselected reference signal with a known frequency; reception circuitry adapted to receive a modulated reference signal reflected from an obstruent object; compensation circuitry adapted to receive environmental inputs external to the source vehicle and provide a measure of source vehicle velocity; processor circuitry coupled to the transmission circuitry, reception circuitry, and compensation circuitry, the processor circuitry adapted to control and monitor the transmission and reception of a reference signal, calculate its propagation time to and from an obstruent object, and determine its reflected strength, determine the approximate propagation velocity of the reference signal and obstruent object with respect to the environmental inputs, determine the frequency of the reflected reference signal based upon the Doppler effect, and determine the approximate distance to the obstruent object based upon the reflected reference signal frequency, signal strength and propagation velocity and generate a distance signal indication; indication circuitry coupled to the detection circuitry and adapted for providing an indication of the distance to the obstruent object based on distance signal indications; and a energizing mechanism for energizing the detection circuitry and indication circuitry.

Claims

1. A vehicle collision prevention system for preventing a source vehicle from colliding with an obstruent object comprising, in combination:

a rigid and hollow container;

a coupling mechanism adapted for coupling the container to a front windshield of a source vehicle, the coupling mechanism having a U-shaped bracket with a bottom portion pivotally coupled to the container and a top portion extending upwardly therefrom, a chuck coupled to the top portion of the bracket, an elongated and upwardly extending peg having a ball joint formed on one end with the ball joint disposed within the chuck for allowing the container to be rotated and angularly pivoted, a compression ring coupled around the peg for damping vibrational forces directed towards the container, an elongated base plate coupled to the peg remote from the ball joint, and a pair of upwardly extending suction cups coupled to the base plate and adapted for coupling to the front windshield;

detection circuitry disposed in the container adapted for detecting and providing an indication of an impending collision with an obstruent object, the detection circuitry further comprising;

transmission circuitry adapted to transmit a preselected reference signal with a known strength and frequency;

receiving circuitry adapted to receive a degraded and modulated reference signal reflected from an obstruent object;

compensation circuitry adapted to receive environmental inputs external to the source vehicle and provide a measure of source vehicle velocity;

processor circuitry coupled to the transmission circuitry, receiving circuitry, and compensation circuitry, the processor circuitry adapted to control and monitor the transmission and reception of the reference signal, calculate its propagation time to and from an obstruent object, and determine its reflected strength, determine the approximate propagation velocity of the reference signal and obstruent object with respect to the environmental inputs, determine the frequency of the reflected reference signal based upon the Doppler effect equation FN=F(V±

Vo/V∓

Vs), where FN is the reflected reference signal frequency, V is the propagation velocity of the reference signal, Vo is the approximate velocity of the obstruent object, and Vs is the approximate velocity of the source vehicle, and where the positive sign in the numerator of the equation is used when the source vehicle is moving toward the obstruent object and the negative sign is used when the source vehicle is moving away from the obstruent object, and the negative sign in the denominator is used when the obstruent object is moving away from the source vehicle and the positive sign is used when the obstruent object is moving toward the source vehicle, and determine the approximate distance to the obstruent object based upon the reflected reference signal frequency, signal strength and propagation velocity and generate a distance signal indication;

visual circuitry coupled to the processor circuitry and adapted for providing a visual indication of the distance to the obstruent object based on receipt of distance signal indications, the visual circuitry having a plurality of light sources arranged in sequence to define a range bar for representing impending collision distance, the range bar having an illuminated portion that grows in extent as the source vehicle moved closer to the obstruent object;

audio circuitry coupled to the processor circuitry adapted for providing an audible indication of distance to the object based on receipt of distance signal indications, the audio circuitry having a speaker adapted for producing a plurality of audible beeping sounds that increase in frequency as the source vehicle moves closer to the obstruent object;

a power cable for energizing the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry, the power cable having one end for transmitting power to the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry and another end adapted to be coupled with a cigarette lighter socket of the source vehicle for receiving power, the power cable having fuse circuitry coupled between the ends thereof for preventing excessive power from reaching the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry; and

switch means coupled between the power cable and the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry, the switch means having one orientation for activating the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry when power is applied and another orientation for de-activating the detection circuitry, visual circuitry, and audio circuitry.