Short range ultrasonic distance warning system for motor vehicle
First Claim
1. A short range ultrasonic distance warning system for use in a vehicle as a parking aid, comprisinga rear-end transmitter and receiver arrangement,a front-end transmitter and receiver arrangement having at least one transmitter and receiver unit for a central front area of the vehicle and one transmitter and receiver unit for front corner areas of the vehicle,a controller for activating and deactivating the transmitter and receiver arrangements and at least one of acoustic and optical warning elements which, when the transmitter and receiver arrangements are activated, are operatively associated therewith to generate warning signals as a function of the output signals thereof,wherein the front-end and the rear-end transmitter and receiver arrangements are operatively configured to be activated when a reverse gear is active and speed of travel of the vehicle has not exceeded a prescribed first deactivation limiting value, only the front-end transmitter and receiver arrangement is activated when reverse gear is not active and the speed of travel has not exceeded a prescribed second deactivation limiting value, and transmitter and receiver arrangements are deactivated during all other driving conditions.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A short range ultrasonic distance warning system is used as a parking aid in a motor vehicle. The entire system is active in the case of reverse gear being selected and low speed, and is deactivated automatically at higher speed. If reverse gear is not being selected, only the system part for front space monitoring is active at low speed of travel, while the system is once again automatically kept inactivated at higher speed. This implements a parking aid which is convenient and avoids unnecessary system activations.
61 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A short range ultrasonic distance warning system for use in a vehicle as a parking aid, comprising
a rear-end transmitter and receiver arrangement, a front-end transmitter and receiver arrangement having at least one transmitter and receiver unit for a central front area of the vehicle and one transmitter and receiver unit for front corner areas of the vehicle, a controller for activating and deactivating the transmitter and receiver arrangements and at least one of acoustic and optical warning elements which, when the transmitter and receiver arrangements are activated, are operatively associated therewith to generate warning signals as a function of the output signals thereof, wherein the front-end and the rear-end transmitter and receiver arrangements are operatively configured to be activated when a reverse gear is active and speed of travel of the vehicle has not exceeded a prescribed first deactivation limiting value, only the front-end transmitter and receiver arrangement is activated when reverse gear is not active and the speed of travel has not exceeded a prescribed second deactivation limiting value, and transmitter and receiver arrangements are deactivated during all other driving conditions.
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9. An ultrasonic distance warning method for use as a parking aid in a vehicle, comprising the steps of
(a) activating front-end and rear-end transmitter arrangements when a reverse gear is active and a speed of travel of the vehicle has not exceeded a prescribed first deactivating limiting value, (b) activating only the front-end transmitter and receiver arrangement when reverse gear is not active and the speed of travel has not exceeded a prescribed second deactivation limiting value, and (c) deactivating both the front-end and rear-end transmitter and receiver arrangements during driving conditions other than those specified in steps (a) and (b) above.
Specification