Vehicle safety apparatus

• US 7,505,843 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2004
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Okada, Reiko, Naito, Norihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran; Dalena
• Application Number:
  US10/852,109
• Publication Number:
  US 20040254713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,757 Days
• Field of Search: 701/96, 701/200, 701/207, 701/300, 701/223, 701/301, 342/354, 342/357.01, 342/357.08, 342/371, 342/419, 340/438, 340/539.11, 340/539.23, 340/541
• US Class Current: 701/96
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2325/205 Mobile phones
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/102 a signal being sent to a remote location, e.g. a radio signal being transmitted to a police station, a security company or the owner
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/305 using a camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 25/33 of global position, e.g. by providing GPS coordinates
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 15/002 with occupancy simulation

Abstract

When a detection unit (3) detects an approach of an object to a vehicle in which a vehicle safety apparatus is mounted, a main controller (2) determines whether a positional relationship between the vehicle and the detected object reaches a predetermined positional one. The main controller (2) can start a warning unit according to a determination result obtained thereby, and can issue a warning before the vehicle gets damaged.

Claims

1. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:

a detection means for detecting an approach of an object to a vehicle;

a warning means for giving a warning to said object; and

a control means for starting said warning means when said detection means detects an approach of said object to said vehicle and a distance between said vehicle and said detected object reaches a predetermined value,

wherein said control means starts said warning means when said detection means detects an occurrence of an abnormal state in which said distance between said detected object and said vehicle is less than a first predetermined threshold and said detected object has an apparent size larger than a second predetermined threshold.

2. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said warning means is a light means for emitting light and said control means changes a blinking interval of said light means when the abnormal state lasts for a predetermined time period.

3. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a monitor means for displaying an image, and said control means turns on said monitor means when detecting an occurrence of an abnormal state, and changes at least one of brightness and foreground color of said monitor means when said abnormal state lasts for the predetermined time period.

4. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor means for displaying an image, and said control means turns on said monitor means when detecting an occurrence of an abnormal state, and changes at least one of brightness and foreground color of said monitor means when said abnormal state lasts for the predetermined time period.

5. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said distance between said vehicle and said detected object is a distance between a current location of said vehicle and a current location of said detected object.

6. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:

a detection means for detecting an approach of an object to a vehicle;

a warning means for giving a warning to said object; and

a control means for starting said warning means when said detection means detects an approach of said object to said vehicle and a distance between said vehicle and said detected object reaches a predetermined value,

wherein said warning means is a monitor means for displaying an image, said monitor means including a display unit for displaying said image and a holding means for variably holding a direction of said display unit in three dimension, and, when said detection means detects an approach of an object, said control means turns on said monitor means and performs drive control of said holding means so as to aim said display unit at said detected object, and changes at least one of brightness and foreground color of said monitor means.

7. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising an image pickup means for picking up an image so as to obtain image data, and said control means determines whether or not an engine of said vehicle is working, causes said display unit to produce a white screen display and also causes said image pickup means to pick up an image by using said display unit as a flash, and displays the image on said display unit based on the obtained image data.

8. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control means displays an image based on image data pre-stored therein when determining that the engine of said vehicle is working.

9. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a communications means for carrying out communications with mobile terminal equipment, and, when said detection means detects an approach of an object, said control means controls said communications means so as to notify the detection of the approach of an object to said mobile terminal equipment.

10. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising an image pickup means for picking up an image so as to obtain image data, and said control means causes said display unit to produce a white screen display and also causes said image pickup means to pick up an image by using said display unit as a flash, and transmits said obtained image data to said mobile terminal equipment via said communications means.

11. The vehicle safety apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said apparatus receives image data generated by said mobile terminal equipment via said communications means, and said control means displays an image corresponding to said received image data on said display unit.