Vehicle contact avoidance system

• US 9,177,478 B2
• Filed: 11/01/2013
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan North America Incorporated (Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Konet, Heather, Probert, Neal, Chambers, Jeremy, Goudy, Roy, Christensen, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Previl, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/070,356
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123778A1
• Time in Patent Office: 732 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/540, 340/679, 340/685, 340/425.5, 340/436, 340901-903, 340/945, 340/961, 340/636.15, 340/636.1, 340/686.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/02 Alarms for ensuring the safety of persons
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

A vehicle contact avoidance system includes a detection system, a warning system, and a controller. The detection system is configured to detect a remote obstacle in proximity to a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle contact avoidance system, including information related to at least one of a speed, a direction and a distance of the remote obstacle relative to the host vehicle. The warning system is configured to emit a warning sound to notify a driver of the host vehicle of imminent contact between the host vehicle and the remote obstacle. The controller is programmed to determine whether contact between the host vehicle and the remote obstacle is imminent based of the information supplied to the controller by the detection system, and programmed to cause the warning system to emit the warning sound. The warning sound includes a non-speech portion and a speech portion.

Claims

1. A vehicle contact avoidance system comprising:

a detection system configured to detect a remote obstacle in proximity to a host vehicle equipped with the vehicle contact avoidance system, including information related to at least one of a speed, a direction and a distance of the remote obstacle relative to the host vehicle;

a warning system configured to emit a warning sound to notify a driver of the host vehicle of imminent contact between the host vehicle and the remote obstacle; and

a controller programmed to determine whether contact between the host vehicle and the remote obstacle is imminent based of the information supplied to the controller by the detection system, and programmed to cause the warning system to emit the warning sound, wherein

the warning sound includes a non-speech portion and a language portion.

2. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the non-speech portion of the warning sound includes a horn sound lasting between 0.4 and 0.8 seconds.

3. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 2, wherein

the host vehicle includes a horn configured to be activated by the driver of the host vehicle, and the horn of the warning sound has a frequency that is different from a frequency of the horn of the host vehicle.

4. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 2, wherein

the warning system emits the language portion of the warning sound after the non-speech portion of the warning sound.

5. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 2, wherein

the language portion lasts about 0.6 seconds.

6. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, further comprising

ambient noise sensors configured to detect ambient noise in the host vehicle, wherein

the warning system emits the warning sound 3-5 dB louder than the ambient noise detected by the ambient noise sensors.

7. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, further comprising

vehicle driving sensors configured to sense information related to at least one of yaw rate, direction, speed and acceleration of the host vehicle, and wherein

the controller is programmed to determine whether contact between the host vehicle and the remote obstacle is imminent based on the information supplied to the controller by the vehicle driving sensors.

8. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the warning sound is less than or equal to 1.7 seconds in duration.

9. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the warning system includes a visible indicator, and

the controller is configured to cause the warning system to activate the visible indicator upon the controller determining that contact between the host vehicle and the remote vehicle is imminent.

10. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the detection system includes at least one of radar, a camera and a laser.

11. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the remote obstacle is a remote vehicle, and the detection system includes a global positioning system and a receiver configured to receive data transmitted by the remote vehicle.

12. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the warning system includes at least one speaker configured to emit the warning sound.

13. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 12, wherein

the at least one speaker is configured to be disposed in an instrument panel of the host vehicle proximate to the driver.

14. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the controller includes a low pass filter configured to omit high frequency content of the warning sound.

15. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the non-speech portion of the warning sound includes a horn sound having a frequency of 2.5 KHz or lower.

16. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 15, wherein

the horn sound lasts between 0.4 and 0.8 seconds.

17. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 16, wherein

the warning system emits the language portion of the warning sound after the non-speech portion of the warning sound horn sound, and the language portion lasts about 0.6 seconds.

18. The vehicle contact avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein

the language portion includes a directional indication of the remote obstacle.