SYSTEM AND METHOD OF CHANGING VEHICLE COLOR ACCORDING TO RISK

• US 20130162447A1
• Filed: 08/06/2012
• Published: 06/27/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: PARK, Seung Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,791,811 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/902
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/50 for indicating other intentions or conditions, e.g. request for waiting or overtaking
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/525 automatically indicating risk of collision between vehicles in traffic or with pedestrians, e.g. after risk assessment using the vehicle sensor data

Abstract

Disclosed are a system of changing a vehicle color and a method of changing a vehicle color according to a risk of an accident. According to the present invention, a driver of a vehicle and a surrounding pedestrian and drivers of other vehicles can easily recognize a risk situation and take measurement according to the recognized risk situation, such that it is possible to safely drive the vehicle.

Claims

1. A system of changing a vehicle color, comprising:

an information acquiring sensor configured to acquire surrounding information including relative distance, position, and direction angle information with a surrounding environment of a vehicle;

a risk measuring unit configured to determine a risk through the acquired surrounding information and dynamic information including velocity, acceleration, and a direction relating to the driving of the vehicle;

a color determining unit configured to determine what color is expressed by using a predetermined algorithm for selecting a color to be expressed according to the measured risk; and

a color emitting unit configured to express the determined color.

2. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein the color determining unit further includes a position recognizing unit configured to determine whether a possibility of a risk situation is high at any position around the vehicle by considering the acquired surrounding information and the determined risk, and the color determining unit determines which color will be expressed for each position by using a predetermined algorithm according the determined position and the determined risk.

3. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein the information acquiring sensor acquires image information by using a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOS), or a photodetector.

4. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein the information acquiring sensor measures a distance up to a surrounding object by using a laser or an ultrasound wave.

5. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein the information acquiring sensor receives situation information from a surrounding vehicle or an infrastructure.

6. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein at least one information acquiring sensor is attached to the outside of the vehicle to acquire the surrounding information.

7. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 1, wherein the color emitting unit is attached to the outside of the vehicle or included in the vehicle by replacing a portion forming the appearance of the vehicle.

8. The system of changing a vehicle color of claim 7, wherein in the case where the color emitting unit is attached to the outside of the vehicle, the vehicle further includes a transparent layer capable of transmitting light on the outside of the vehicle, and the color emitting unit is disposed at the lower portion of the transparent layer.

9. A method of changing a vehicle color according to a risk, comprising:

an information acquiring step of acquiring surrounding information including relative distance, position, and direction angle information with a surrounding environment of a vehicle;

a risk measuring step of determining a risk through the acquired surrounding information and dynamic information including velocity, acceleration, and a direction relating to the driving of the vehicle;

a color determining step of determining what color is expressed by using a predetermined algorithm for selecting a color to be expressed according to the measured risk; and

a color emitting step of expressing the determined color.

10. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the color determining step further includes a position recognizing step of determining whether a possibility of a risk situation is high at any position around the vehicle by considering the acquired surrounding information and the determined risk, and the color determining step determines which color will be expressed for each position by using a predetermined algorithm according to the determined position and the determined risk.

11. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the information acquiring step acquires image information by using a charge-coupled device (CCD), a complementary metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (CMOS), or a photodetector.

12. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the information acquiring step measures a distance up to a surrounding object by using a laser or an ultrasound wave.

13. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the information acquiring step receives situation information from a surrounding vehicle or an infrastructure.

14. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the information acquiring step acquires the surrounding information through an information acquiring sensor, and at least one information acquiring sensor is attached to the outside of the vehicle to acquire the surrounding information.

15. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 9, wherein the color emitting step expresses the color through a color emitting device, and the color emitting device is attached to the outside of the vehicle or included in the vehicle by replacing a portion forming the appearance of the vehicle.

16. The method of changing a vehicle color of claim 15, wherein in the case where the color emitting device is attached to the outside of the vehicle, the vehicle further includes a transparent layer capable of transmitting light on the outside of the vehicle, and the color emitting device is disposed at the lower portion of the transparent layer.