Intersection warning system

• US 5,926,114 A
• Filed: 06/17/1998
• Issued: 07/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Andrews, Scott
• Primary Examiner(s): Crosland, Donnie L.
• Application Number:
  US09/098,542
• Time in Patent Office: 398 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901-906, 340/909, 340/910, 340/435, 340/436, 180/167, 180/169, 701/117, 701/118, 701/301
• US Class Current: 340/909
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

An intersection warning system includes a vehicle-side system provided in a vehicle, and a road-side system. The vehicle-side system includes a transmitting unit emitting a radar signal to a forward area of the vehicle, a receiving unit receiving a signal from the forward area of the vehicle, a reflected signal detecting unit determining whether the signal received by the receiving unit is a reflected signal of the radar signal emitted by the transmitting unit, and warning means for issuing a warning when the reflected signal detecting unit determines that the received signal is the reflected signal of the radar signal. The road-side system includes a signal return unit, provided for each of lanes intersecting each other at an intersection, receiving the radar signal from the vehicle approaching the intersection on each of the lanes and returning a virtual reflected signal toward the vehicle, a vehicle watching unit watching the lanes intersecting each other at the intersection and detecting a vehicle approaching the intersection, and a control means for activating the signal returning unit provided for at least one of the lanes when the vehicle watching unit detects vehicles approaching the intersection on the lanes intersecting each other.

Claims

1. An intersection warning system comprising:

a vehicle-side system provided in a vehicle; and

a road-side system, wherein said vehicle-side system comprises;

a transmitting unit emitting a radar signal to a forward area of said vehicle;

a receiving unit receiving a signal from the forward area of said vehicle;

a reflected signal detecting unit determining whether the signal received by said receiving unit is a reflected signal of the radar signal emitted by said transmitting unit; and

warning means for issuing a warning when said reflected signal detecting unit determines that the received signal is the reflected signal of the radar signal, and wherein said road-side system comprises;

a signal return unit, provided for each of lanes intersecting each other at an intersection, receiving the radar signal from the vehicle approaching the intersection on each of the lanes and returning a virtual reflected signal toward the vehicle;

a vehicle watching unit watching the lanes intersecting each other at the intersection and detecting a vehicle approaching the intersection; and

control means for activating said signal returning unit provided for at least one of the lanes when said vehicle watching unit detects vehicles approaching the intersection on the lanes intersecting each other.

2. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises:

running state detecting means for detecting a running state of each of vehicles approaching the intersection; and

warning determination means for determining, based on the running state of each of the vehicles, whether a warning should be issued, wherein when said warning determination means determines that the warning should be issued, said signal return unit is activated.

3. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said signal return unit comprises:

receiving means for receiving the radar signal from the vehicle;

transmitting means for returning the radar signal received by said receiving means as the virtual reflected signal toward the vehicle when being connected to said receiving means; and

switching means for switching connection and disconnection between said receiving means and said transmitting means, wherein said control means controls said switching means so that said receiving means and transmitting means are connected and disconnected.

4. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said road-side system further comprises:

information merger means for merging the virtual reflected signal from said signal return unit with predetermined information, wherein said vehicle-side system further comprises;

merger information determination means for determining whether the predetermined information is included in the signal received by said receiving unit, and wherein when said merger information determination means determines that the predetermined information is included in the received signal, said warning means issues the warning.

5. An intersection warning system comprising:

a vehicle-side system provided in a vehicle; and

a road-side system, wherein said vehicle-side system comprises;

a transmitting unit emitting a radar signal to a forward area of said vehicle;

a receiving unit receiving a signal from the forward area of said vehicle;

a reflected signal detecting unit determining whether the signal received by said receiving unit is a reflected signal of the radar signal emitted by said transmitting unit; and

warning means for issuing a warning when said reflected signal detecting unit determines that the received signal is the reflected signal of the radar signal, and wherein said road-side system comprises;

a signal return unit, provided for each of lanes intersecting each other in an intersection, receiving the radar signal from the vehicle approaching the intersection on each of the lanes and returning a virtual reflected signal toward the vehicle;

a vehicle watching unit watching the lanes intersecting each other at the intersection and detecting a running state a vehicle approaching the intersection on each of the lanes;

signal state detecting means for detecting a state of a traffic-signal provided for each of the lanes at the intersection, the traffic-signal indicating at least a first state for permitting vehicles to pass through the intersection and a second state for prohibiting vehicles from passing through the intersection;

warning determination means for determining, based on the running state of the vehicle detected by said vehicle watching means and the state of the traffic-signal detected by said signal state detecting means, whether a warning should be issued; and

control means for activating said signal return unit when said warning determination means determines that the warning should be issued.

6. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said signal return unit comprises:

receiving means for receiving the radar signal from the vehicle;

transmitting means for returning the radar signal received by said receiving means as the virtual reflected signal toward the vehicle when being connected to said receiving means; and

switching means for switching connection and disconnection between said receiving means and said transmitting means, wherein said control means controls said switching means so that said receiving means and transmitting means are connected and disconnected.

7. The intersection warning system as claimed in claim 5, wherein said road-side system further comprises:

information merger means for merging the virtual reflected signal from said signal return unit with predetermined information, wherein said vehicle-side system further comprises;

merger information determination means for determining whether the predetermined information is included in the signal received by said receiving unit, and wherein when said merger information determination means determines that the predetermined information is included in the received signal, said warning means issues the warning.

8. A vehicle-side intersection warning system comprising:

a transmitting unit emitting a radar signal to a forward area of said vehicle;

a receiving unit receiving a signal from the forward area of said vehicle;

a reflected signal detecting means determining whether the signal received by said receiving unit is a reflected signal of the radar signal emitted by said transmitting unit;

a merger information determination unit determining whether the received signal includes predetermined information; and

warning means for issuing a warning when said reflected signal detecting means determines that the received signal is the reflected signal of the radar signal and said merger information determination unit determines that the received signal includes the predetermined information.