Vehicle obstacle avoidance system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A vehicle system for warning of obstacles, the system comprising:
- detection means for detecting the relationship of said obstacles to said vehicle;
discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is moving or stationary, said discrimination means determines whether said vehicle is stationary by determining if said vehicle is in park or stopped;
logic means for interpreting said vehicle state and said relationship of said obstacles and for automatically causing forward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is within a predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is forward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating a brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving forward into said obstacle, and for automatically causing rearward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is within said predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is rearward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating said brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving rearward into said obstacle; and
overriding means for overriding said inhibition of said vehicle movement upon acknowledgment of said obstacle by said driver.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system for warning a vehicle driver of obstacles to the front, rear and sides of the vehicle. If the vehicle is stopped and a front or rear obstacle is detected, the vehicle is prevented from moving forward or reverse, respectively. The inhibition of movement can be overridden by the driver once he acknowledges the obstacle. Similarly, the driver is warned of front, rear and side obstacles while the vehicle is moving. In the case of side obstacles, only when it appears that the driver will move the vehicle toward the obstacle is he warned.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A vehicle system for warning of obstacles, the system comprising:
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detection means for detecting the relationship of said obstacles to said vehicle; discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is moving or stationary, said discrimination means determines whether said vehicle is stationary by determining if said vehicle is in park or stopped; logic means for interpreting said vehicle state and said relationship of said obstacles and for automatically causing forward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is within a predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is forward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating a brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving forward into said obstacle, and for automatically causing rearward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is within said predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is rearward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating said brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving rearward into said obstacle; and overriding means for overriding said inhibition of said vehicle movement upon acknowledgment of said obstacle by said driver. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A system for warning a driver of a vehicle of obstacles, said system comprising:
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detection means for detecting the relationship of said obstacles to said vehicle; discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is moving or not moving, said discrimination means determines whether said vehicle is not moving by determining if said vehicle is in park or stopped; a turn signal apparatus having a directional lever actuable by said driver for indicating said driver'"'"'s intent to change the attitude of said vehicle to the left or to the right; and logic means for interpreting said vehicle state, said relationship of said obstacles and said turn signal, and for causing a perceptible warning to be issued when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is left of said vehicle and said turn signal indicates said driver wishes to move said vehicle leftward, and for causing said warning to be issue when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is right of said vehicle and said turn signal indicates said driver wishes to move said vehicle rightward, and for automatically preventing forward movement of said vehicle without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is not moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is in front of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating a brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said user from inadvertently driving into said obstacle, and for automatically preventing rearward movement of said vehicle without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is not moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is behind said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating said brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said user from inadvertently driving into said obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12)
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13. A system for warning a driver of a vehicle of obstacles, said system comprising:
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detection means for detecting the relationship of said obstacles to said vehicle; discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is moving or stationary, said discrimination means determines whether said vehicle is stationary by determining if said vehicle is in park or stopped; steering heading indicator means for indicating vehicle steering heading; and logic means for interpreting said vehicle state, said relationship of said obstacles and said vehicle steering heading, and for causing a perceptible warning to be issued when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is left of said vehicle and said vehicle steering heading indicates said driver has begun to move said vehicle leftward, and for causing said warning to be issued when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is moving and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is right of said vehicle and said vehicle steering heading indicates said driver has begun to move said vehicle rightward, and for automatically causing forward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is in front of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating a brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said user from inadvertently driving into said obstacle, and for automatically causing rearward movement of said vehicle to be inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates said obstacle is behind said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating said brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said user from inadvertently driving into said obstacle. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
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17. A collision warning system in a vehicle for warning of an incipient collision in the blind spots of the vehicle located in adjacent lanes, wherein said vehicle has at least a first blind spot located toward the left of the vehicle to the rear of the driver in a left adjacent lane and a second blind spot located toward the right of the vehicle to the rear of the driver in a right adjacent lane, said system comprising:
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detection means for detecting the presence of objects, said detection means operable to detect the presence of objects positioned in the first blind spot and the second blind spot regardless of the type of object or whether said objects are stationary, opening or closing with respect to the vehicle and regardless of the speed of the vehicle; discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is stationary or moving; steering heading indicator means for indicating vehicle steering heading when a driver changes the direction of travel of the vehicle toward the left adjacent lane or the right adjacent lane; logic means for interpreting said vehicle state and said presence of said objects and for automatically preventing forward movement of said vehicle when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is not moving and said detection means indicates an object is in front of said vehicle, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving forward into said object; and warning means for issuing a localized audible warning to the driver when an object is detected in the first blind spot and said steering heading indicator means indicates the driver is traveling toward the left adjacent lane and when an object is detected in the second blind spot and said steering heading indicator means indicates the driver is traveling toward the right adjacent lane, wherein the localized audible warning will provide an audible warning inside the vehicle emanating from the left when an object is detected in the first blind spot located toward the left of the vehicle and emanating from the right when an object is detected in the second blind spot located toward the right of the vehicle for audibly warning the driver where the object is located.
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18. A vehicle system for warning of warm-bodied, cold-bodied, non-moving and moving obstacles, the system comprising:
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detection means for detecting the relationship of said obstacles to said vehicle, said detection means operable to detect and distinguish between warm-bodied, cold-bodied, non-moving and moving obstacles; discrimination means for determining the state of said vehicle, said state including whether said vehicle is moving or stationary, said discrimination means determines whether said vehicle is stationary by determining if said vehicle is in park or stopped; and logic means for interpreting said vehicle state and said relationship of said obstacles and for causing forward movement of said vehicle to be automatically inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates that said vehicle is stationary and when said detection means indicates one of said obstacles is within a predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is forward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating a brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving into said obstacle, and for causing rearward movement of said vehicle to be automatically inhibited without driver interaction when said vehicle state indicates said vehicle is stationary and said detection means indicates one of said obstacles is within said predetermined proximity of said vehicle and when said obstacle is rearward of said vehicle by automatically preventing said vehicle to be put in gear if said vehicle is in park or by automatically actuating said brake if said vehicle is stopped, thereby automatically preventing said driver from inadvertently driving into said obstacle.
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Specification