Apparatus and method for detecting obstacles in a vehicle path
First Claim
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1. An apparatus for detecting an object in a path of a land vehicle comprising;
- light beam source means for sending a collimated light beam transversely towards said object from said land vehicle, the diameter of said collimated light beam is about constant at all distances; and
mounting means for mounting said light beam source means at an upper most portion of said land vehicle;
wherein said light beam contacts the object when said object is in the path of said uppermost portion of said land vehicle and the reflection of said light beam on said object is visually observed by a person in said land vehicle, thereby providing an indication that said object is in said path of said land vehicle to determine if there is sufficient clearance for the height of said land vehicle to pass under said object.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for detecting when an object is in a path of a vehicle by transversely transmitting a light beam from the uppermost portion of the vehicle towards the object. The light beam contacts the object when the distance to the object from the ground is smaller than the height of the vehicle and the object is in the path of the vehicle. The reflected beam can be observed by a person in the vehicle alerting the person of insufficient clearance for the vehicle. Preferably, the light beam is a collimated beam emitted from a semiconductor laser diode.
52 Citations
13 Claims
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1. An apparatus for detecting an object in a path of a land vehicle comprising;
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light beam source means for sending a collimated light beam transversely towards said object from said land vehicle, the diameter of said collimated light beam is about constant at all distances; and mounting means for mounting said light beam source means at an upper most portion of said land vehicle; wherein said light beam contacts the object when said object is in the path of said uppermost portion of said land vehicle and the reflection of said light beam on said object is visually observed by a person in said land vehicle, thereby providing an indication that said object is in said path of said land vehicle to determine if there is sufficient clearance for the height of said land vehicle to pass under said object. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3)
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4. A method of detecting an object in a path of a land vehicle comprising the steps of:
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sending a collimated light beam transversely from the uppermost portion of said land vehicle, the diameter of said collimated light beam is about constant at all distances; and visually observing a reflection of the collimated light beam on the object when the object is in the path of said land vehicle, wherein the observation of the reflection indicates that the height of said object is in the path of said land vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (5)
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6. An apparatus for detecting an object in a path of a vehicle comprising;
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light beam source means for sending a collimated light beam transversely towards said object from said vehicle; mounting means for mounting said light beam source means at an upper most portion of said vehicle; and photo detector means for determining if said light beam is being sent from said light beam source means; wherein said light beam contacts the object when said object is in the path of said uppermost portion of said vehicle and the reflection of said light beam on said object is observed by a person in said vehicle, thereby providing an indication that said object is in said path of said vehicle. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. An apparatus for detecting an object in a path of a vehicle comprising;
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light beam source means for sending a collimated light beam transversely towards said object from said vehicle, the diameter of said collimated light beam is about constant at all distances; and mounting means for mounting said light beam source means at an upper most portion of said vehicle, said mounting means comprises magnets; wherein said light beam contacts the object when said object is in the path of said uppermost portion of said vehicle and the reflection of said light beam on said object is visually observed by a person in said vehicle, thereby providing an indication that said object is in said path of said vehicle.
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13. An apparatus for detecting an object in a path of a vehicle comprising;
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light beam source means for sending a collimated light beam transversely towards said object from said vehicle, the diameter of said collimated light beam is about constant at all distances; and mounting means for mounting said light beam source means at an upper most portion of said vehicle, said mounting means is attached to a load carried on said vehicle; wherein said light beam contacts the object when said object is in the path of said uppermost portion of said vehicle and the reflection of said light beam on said object is visually observed by a person in said vehicle, thereby providing an indication that said object is in said path of said vehicle.
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Specification