COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM BASED ON DETECTION OF OBSTACLES IN BLIND SPOTS OF VEHICLE

• US 20080291000A1
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Published: 11/27/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CHE Il Electric Wiring Devices Co., Ltd., CHE Il Electronics Ind Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: CHE Il Electric Wiring Devices Co., Ltd., CHE Il Electronics Ind Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Heung Seop, Hur, Won Moo, Kim, Young Hoon, Kim, Hwa Sik, Park, Jong Sup
• Granted Patent: US 7,859,432 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/436
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/04 Systems determining the presence of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 2013/9315 Monitoring blind spots
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/4813 Housing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/167 Driving aids for lane monitoring, lane changing, e.g. blind spot detection

Abstract

The present invention relates to a collision avoidance system based on the detection of obstacles in the blind spots of a vehicle. The collision avoidance system includes turn signal lamp detection means for detecting whether a turn signal lamp of the vehicle is turned on. CCD camera means captures an image for a road environment, and outputs the captured image as road environment data, thus determining whether a current road environment indicates a winding road. Steering angle detection means detects a steering angle of the vehicle and outputs a resulting signal as a steering angle signal. Infrared sensor means transmits or receives infrared light to or from an obstacle present in the blind spot of the vehicle according to the steering angle signal, and outputs an obstacle detection signal. Warning means is configured to provide a warning of possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle to a driver. Control means automatically drives the warning means when the obstacle detection signal for the blind spot is received from the infrared sensor means in a case where a turn signal lamp is determined to be turned on by the turn signal lamp detection means, or where a lane change is determined to be performed by receiving the road environment data from the CCD camera means and the steering angle signal measured by the steering angle detection means.

Claims

1. A collision avoidance system based on detection of obstacles in blind spots of a vehicle, comprising:

turn signal lamp detection means for detecting whether a turn signal lamp of the vehicle is turned on;

Charged Coupled Device (CCD) camera means for capturing an image for a road environment, and outputting the captured image as road environment data, thus determining whether a current road environment indicates a winding road;

steering angle detection means for detecting a steering angle of the vehicle and outputting a resulting signal as a steering angle signal;

infrared sensor means for transmitting or receiving infrared light to or from an obstacle present in a blind spot of the vehicle according to the steering angle signal, output from the steering angle detection means, and outputting an obstacle detection signal;

warning means configured to provide a warning of possibility of a collision between the obstacle and the vehicle to a driver; and

control means for automatically driving the warning means when the obstacle detection signal for the blind spot is received from the infrared sensor means in a case where a turn signal lamp is determined to be turned on by the turn signal lamp detection means, or where a lane change is determined to be performed by receiving the road environment data from the CCD camera means and the steering angle signal measured by the steering angle detection means.

2. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein the CCD camera means comprises:

a light receiving unit for receiving an image of the obstacle;

an image sensor for receiving an obstacle image signal through the light receiving unit, and operating to generate an analog image signal for the obstacle;

an Analog/Digital (A/D) converter for converting the analog image signal from the image sensor into a digital image signal; and

a central processing unit for receiving the digital image signal from the A/D converter and transmitting the digital image signal to the control means.

3. The collision avoidance system according to claim 1, wherein the infrared sensor means comprises:

a single-channel infrared emission unit provided with a single infrared Light Emitting Diode (LED) and configured to emit infrared light;

an optical path change unit provided with a reflective plate that is installed on a light output portion of the single-channel infrared emission unit, and that is configured to allow the infrared light emitted from the infrared LED to travel to the blind spot of the vehicle;

a rotating reflective unit installed parallel to the optical path change unit so that the rotating reflective unit is placed to form a right angle or an obtuse angle with the reflective plate of the optical path change unit, thus rotating while continuously reflecting reflected infrared light toward the blind spot of the vehicle and scattering the infrared light over the blind spot; and

a reception control unit for detecting incident infrared light and performing a control operation to determine presence of an obstacle.

4. The collision avoidance system according to claim 3, wherein the infrared emission unit emits a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM)-controlled signal, in which a driving frequency of the infrared LED is modulated to a carrier frequency.

5. The collision avoidance system according to claim 3, wherein the reflective plate is operated to receive the infrared light emitted from the infrared LED of the single-channel infrared emission unit at an input angle of 45°

, and to allow the infrared light to travel to the rotating reflective prism at an angle of 45°

.

6. The collision avoidance system according to claim 3, wherein the rotating reflector unit comprises:

a deceleration motor for rotating a shaft using externally supplied power; and

a rotating reflective prism for reflecting the infrared light, emitted from the infrared LED, at a different angle while being coupled to the shaft and being rotated.

7. The collision avoidance system according to claim 3, wherein the infrared sensor means further comprises a driving power control unit for controlling the infrared LED such that infrared light is emitted within a range of the blind spot of the vehicle according to a number of rotations per minute of the rotating reflective prism and a reflection angle of infrared light reflected by the rotating reflective prism.

8. The collision avoidance system according to claim 7, wherein the driving power control unit controls emission of infrared light by repeatedly supplying power to the infrared LED in a frequency modulation manner.

9. The collision avoidance system according to claim 7, wherein the infrared sensor means is placed below a mirror provided on a side rear view mirror housing.