Vehicle collision warning apparatus and method

• US 9,233,642 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: Lin, Yi-Chun, Chen, Syuan-Yi, Lin, Shih-Yang, Huang, Chung-Ming
• Primary Examiner(s): Swarthout, Brent
• Application Number:
  US14/265,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20150197196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 623 Days
• Field of Search: 340/903, 340/435, 340/436, 701/301
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/161 Decentralised systems, e.g. inter-vehicle communication

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and a method for warning of vehicle collision. The positioning and state-reporting signal of a present vehicle is sensed and that of a target vehicle received. The signals are respectively converted to velocities. The relative velocity of the vehicles and the relative position of the vehicles after a time interval are obtained. The driver of the present vehicle is warned when the normal distance from the present vehicle to the line indicating the direction of the relative velocity is determined to be at a minimum and not greater than a warning distance.

Claims

1. A vehicle collision warning apparatus comprising:

a sensing module, sensing a first signal, the first signal comprising a first position;

a communication module, receiving a second signal, the second signal comprising a second position;

a computing unit, coupled to the sensing module and the communication module, receiving the first signal and the second signal, converting the first signal and the second signal respectively to a first velocity and a second velocity to obtain a relative velocity and a relative position, performing a vector computation to generate a normal distance, a time to closest point of approach (TCPA), and a first result, and determining, based on the first result, whether to perform a warning computation to generate a second result; and

a warning component, coupled to the computing unit to send a warning based on the second result;

wherein the normal distance is the perpendicular distance from the first position to the line indicating the direction of the relative velocity, and the TCPA is the time of arrival at the relative position from the second position based on the relative velocity; and

wherein the warning computation comprises determining, based on the first result, whether the normal distance is not greater than a warning distance, and generating the second result when the normal distance is not greater than the warning distance, and the warning distance is determined by a length, a width, and a steering angle of at least one vehicle.

2. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication module is further coupled to the sensing module and adapted for sending the first signal.

3. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vector computation comprises determining whether a first distance from the second position to the relative position is not less than a second distance from the second position to the first position, and generating the first result when the first distance is not less than the second distance.

4. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the vector computation comprises determining whether the normal distance is at a minimum, and generating the first result when the normal distance is at the minimum.

5. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the warning computation comprises determining, based on the first result, whether the TCPA is not greater than a warning time, and generating the second result when the TCPA is not greater than the warning time.

6. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a storage component, coupled to the computing unit to record at least the normal distance.

7. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first velocity is of a first object, the second velocity is of a second object, and the relative velocity is of the second object relative to the first object.

8. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the relative position is of a first object and a second object based on the relative velocity after an interval, the interval being the time the computing unit needs to complete the vector computation.

9. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the warning comprises a voice prompt or a light prompt.

10. The vehicle collision warning apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first signal or the second signal further comprises a length, a width, and a steering angle of at least one vehicle.

11. A vehicle collision warning method comprising:

sensing, by a sensing module, a first signal, the first signal comprising a first position;

receiving, by a communication module, a second signal, the second signal comprising a second position;

converting, by a computing unit, the first position and the second position respectively to a first velocity of a first object and a second velocity of a second object, in order to obtain a relative velocity of the second object relative to the first object;

obtaining, by the computing unit, a relative position based on the relative velocity;

performing, by the computing unit, a vector computation to generate a normal distance, a time to closest point of approach (TCPA), and a first result;

determining, by the computing unit based on the first result, whether to perform a warning computation to generate a second result; and

sending, by a warning component, a warning based on the second result;

wherein the normal distance is the perpendicular distance from the first position to the line indicating the direction of the relative velocity, and the TCPA is the time of arrival at the relative position from the second position based on the relative velocity; and

wherein the warning computation comprises;

determining, based on the first result, whether the normal distance is not greater than a warning distance, wherein the warning distance is determined by a length, a width, and a steering angle of at least one vehicle; and

generating the second result when the normal distance is not greater than the warning distance.

12. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the vector computation comprises:

determining whether a first distance from the second position to the relative position is not less than a second distance from the second position to the first position; and

generating the first result when the first distance is not less than the second distance.

13. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the vector computation comprises:

determining whether the normal distance is at a minimum; and

generating the first result when the normal distance is at the minimum.

14. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the warning computation comprises:

determining, based on the first result, whether the TCPA is not greater than a warning time; and

generating the second result when the TCPA is not greater than the warning time.

15. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the relative position is of a first object and a second object based on the relative velocity after an interval, the interval being the time the computing unit needs to complete the vector computation.

16. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the warning comprises a voice prompt or a light prompt.

17. The vehicle collision warning method of claim 11, wherein the first signal or the second signal further comprises a length, a width, and a steering angle of at least one vehicle.