Collision avoidance and warning system

• US 5,471,214 A
• Filed: 11/25/1992
• Issued: 11/28/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 11/27/1991
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: State of Israel--Ministry of Defence Armament Development Authority Rafael
• Original Assignee: State of Israel--Ministry of Defence Armament Development Authority Rafael
• Inventors: Shteckelman, Shalom, Faibish, Sorin, Shamay, Ezra
• Primary Examiner(s): Sotomayor, John B.
• Application Number:
  US07/982,188
• Time in Patent Office: 1,098 Days
• Field of Search: 342/70, 342/71, 342/72, 342/54
• US Class Current: 342/70
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/343 using sawtooth modulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/60 wherein the transmitter and receiver are mounted on the moving object, e.g. for determining ground speed, drift angle, ground track G01S13/64 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/726 Multiple target tracking
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/865 Combination of radar systems with lidar systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/0254 Active array antenna
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/932 using own vehicle data, e.g. ground speed, steering wheel direction
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9323 Alternative operation using light waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93271 in the front of the vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/93275 in the bumper area
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/04 Display arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/2883 using FFT processing
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4004 of parts of a radar system

Abstract

A collision avoidance and warning system for land vehicles including radar transmission and receiving apparatus for sensing the presence of objects within a spatial range relative to a vehicle, multiple target tracking apparatus receiving an output from the radar transmission and receiving apparatus for tracking a plurality of targets sensed by the radar transmission and receiving apparatus, auxiliary non-radar target sensing apparatus and alarm decision apparatus receiving an input from the multiple target tracking apparatus and from the auxiliary non-radar target sensing apparatus for indicating the alarm status of a target and providing an output indication to alarm generating apparatus.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance and warning system for land vehicles comprising:

a radar transmitter/receiver module for sensing the presence of objects within a spatial range relative to a vehicle;

an auxiliary laser radar including a laser beam generator associated with a target intrusion sensor which detects intrusion of a target into a danger region having laser beam defined walls by generating a trigger signal indicating that one of the walls has been encountered by an object; and

an alarm activator receiving an input from said radar transmitter/receiver module and from said target intrusion sensor for indicating the alarm status of a target and for providing an output indication to alarm generating apparatus.

2. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising an alarm generator for providing an indication of alarm status to a vehicle driver.

3. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said radar transmitter/receiver module comprises plural radar antenna apparatus.

4. A system according to claim 3 and wherein said plural antenna apparatus includes at least one antenna for sensing vehicle ground speed.

5. A system according to claim 3 and wherein said plural antenna apparatus includes a plurality of antennas for target detection.

6. A system according to claim 5 and wherein said plurality of antennas are arranged such that their detection regions are distributed in partially overlapping orientation in azimuth.

7. A system according to claim 6 and wherein said radar transmitter/receiver module also comprises an antenna output inspector for comparing the outputs of more than one of said plurality of antennas relating to a given object in order to define the angular position of said object with enhanced resolution.

8. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said transmitter/receiver module includes a target motion detector for distinguishing moving targets from stationary targets.

9. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said target velocity characterizer includes apparatus for disregarding targets whose vectors do not fall within a danger envelope defined with respect to the velocity vector of a protected vehicle.

10. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said auxiliary laser radar includes a laser system which provides first and second generally vertical beam walls which delimit a range of protection with respect to a protected vehicle.

11. A system according to claim 1 and wherein said auxiliary laser radar includes a laser system which provides a generally horizontal beam fan spaced from the roadway which at least partially delimits a range of protection with respect to a protected vehicle.

12. A system according to claim 1 and also comprising a laser radar operation sensor operative to sense impaired operation of said auxiliary laser radar and to modify the operation of the system in accordance therewith.

21. A system according to claim 1 wherein alarm status defines a plurality of alarm states including the following alarm states:

no alarm, future risk, and imminent danger.

22. A system according to claim 12 and wherein said non-radar operation sensor comprises apparatus for operating said radar transmitter/receiver module in an occupancy probability sensing mode of operation.

13. A collision avoidance and warning method for land vehicles including:

radar sensing the presence of objects within a spatial range relative to a vehicle;

sensing targets by target intrusion sensing techniques which generate laser beams and detect intrusion of a target into a danger region having laser beam defined walls by generating a trigger signal indicating that one of the walls has been encountered by an object; and

receiving a target intrusion sensing input and on the basis thereof indicating the alarm status of a target and providing an output indication to a driver.

14. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said radar sensing includes sensing ground speed of the vehicle.

15. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said radar sensing comprises comparing the outputs of more than one of a plurality of antennas relating to a given object in order to define the angular position of said object with enhanced resolution.

16. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said radar sensing includes distinguishing moving targets from stationary targets.

17. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said sensing targets includes defining first and second generally vertical laser beam walls which delimit a range of protection with respect to a protected vehicle.

18. A method according to claim 13 and wherein said sensing targets includes defining a generally horizontal laser beam fan spaced from the roadway which at least partially delimits a range of protection with respect to a protected vehicle.

19. A method according to claim 13 and also comprising sensing impaired performance of said sensing targets and modifying the method in accordance therewith.

20. A method according to claim 19 and wherein said sensing impaired performance and modifying comprise radar transmission and reception in an occupancy probability sensing mode of operation.