VEHICULAR ANTICIPATORY SENSOR SYSTEM

• US 20140104051A1
• Filed: 12/20/2013
• Published: 04/17/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/20/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Intelligent Technologies International, Inc.
• Inventors: Breed, David S
• Granted Patent: US 9,007,197 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/82 wherein continuous-type signals are transmitted
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/08 for measuring distance only indirect measurement G01S17/46; active triangulation systems G01S17/48
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/86 Combinations of lidar systems with systems other than lidar, radar or sonar, e.g. with direction finders
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 17/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/41 Differential correction, e.g. DGPS [differential GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/43 using carrier phase measurements, e.g. kinematic positioning; using long or short baseline interferometry
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/56 exterior to a vehicle by using sensors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/58 Recognition of moving objects or obstacles, e.g. vehicles or pedestrians; Recognition of traffic objects, e.g. traffic signs, traffic lights or roads
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09626 where the origin of the information is within the own vehicle, e.g. a local storage device, digital map
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096741 where the source of the transmitted information selects which information to transmit to each vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 where the origin of the information is a central station
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096783 where the origin of the information is a roadside individual element
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096791 where the origin of the information is another vehicle
• 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 1/163 involving continuous checking
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/165 for passive traffic, e.g. including static obstacles, trees
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/0021 located in the aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 5/065 : Navigation or guidance aids, e.g. for taxiing or rolling

Abstract

System and method for preventing collisions between a vehicle and objects in a path of the vehicle includes a laser system arranged to direct at least one laser beam outward therefrom and which is in an eye-safe portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, an imaging receiver for receiving at least one laser beam reflected from objects in the path of the laser beam, a processor coupled to the receiver and arranged to receive signals derived from the received laser beam and process the signals to determine a distance between the laser system and the objects from which the laser beam has been reflected, and one or more reactive systems coupled to the processor. The processor controls the reactive system to indicate the presence of objects at specific distances from the vehicle. This indication may be used to take preventive action to avoid the collision, either manually or automatically.

Claims

1. A vehicle including a system to prevent collisions between the vehicle and objects in a path of the vehicle, comprising:

a laser system arranged to direct at least one laser beam outward from said laser system, said laser system being arranged to generate at least one laser beam in an eye-safe portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at a wavelength above 1.4 microns;

an imaging receiver for receiving at least one laser beam reflected from objects in the path of the at least one laser beam and creating at least one image from the received at least one laser beam;

a processor coupled to said receiver and arranged to receive signals derived from the received at least one laser beam and process the signals to determine a distance between said laser system and an object from which the at least one laser beam has been reflected, said processor being further configured to determine a range gate including the determined distance between said laser system and the object and then configure said receiver to receive additional reflections of the laser beam from any objects only in the determined range gate; and

a reactive system coupled to said processor, said processor being arranged to control said reactive system to indicate the presence of objects in the determined range gate.

2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an airplane.

3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said laser system is arranged to project a bright spotlight in the eye-safe portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in a direction in which the vehicle is heading or in a direction forward of a front of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said processor comprises a pattern recognition algorithm arranged to process the signals to determine whether any objects are in the vehicle'"'"'s path and optionally an identification of the objects determined to be in the vehicle'"'"'s path.

5. The vehicle of claim 4, wherein said pattern recognition algorithm comprises a trained neural network, a combination neural network or an optical correlation system.

6. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said reactive system comprises a heads-up display which is controlled by said processor to project an image into a field of view of an occupant of the vehicle, the image being derived from the object.

7. The vehicle of claim 6, wherein said processor is arranged to select a form of the image to project into the field of the view of the occupant based on the received signals.

8. The vehicle of claim 6, further comprising a system for determining a location of the occupant'"'"'s head or eyes, said heads-up display being controlled by said processor to project the image into the field of view of the occupant based on the determined location of his or her head or eyes.

9. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein said reactive system comprises an alarm system which provides a visual and/or audible warning to an occupant of the vehicle when an object is determined to be within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

10. A method for preventing collisions between a vehicle and objects in a path of the vehicle, comprising:

directing at least one laser beam outward from a laser system on the vehicle, the at least one laser beam being in an eye-safe portion of the electromagnetic spectrum at a wavelength above 1.4 microns;

receiving at least one laser beam reflected from an object in the path of the at least one laser beam by means of a laser beam receiving system;

processing, using a processor, the received at least one laser beam on the vehicle to determine, based on an image derived from the received at least one laser beam, a distance between the vehicle and the object from which the at least one laser beam has been reflected;

determining a range gate including the determined distance between the vehicle and the object;

then receiving additional reflections of the at least one laser beam only from any objects in the determined range gate; and

then controlling a reactive system on the vehicle to indicate the presence of objects in the determined range gate.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the vehicle is an airplane.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of directing at least one laser beam outward from the laser system of the vehicle comprises projecting a bright spotlight in the eye-safe portion of the electromagnetic spectrum in a direction in which the vehicle is heading or in a direction forward of a front of the vehicle.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of processing, using the processor, the received at least one laser beam comprises deriving signals from the received at least one laser beam and processing the signals in a pattern recognition algorithm which is programmed to determine whether any objects are in the vehicle'"'"'s path and optionally an identification of the objects.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the pattern recognition algorithm comprises a trained neural network, a combination neural network or an optical correlation system.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the reactive system comprises a heads-up display, the step of controlling the heads-up display comprising projecting an image into a field of view of an occupant of the vehicle derived from the object.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

identifying the object using a processor; and

selecting a form of the image for the heads-up display to project into the field of the view of the occupant based on an identification of the object.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising determining a location of the occupant'"'"'s head or eyes using the processor, the heads-up display being controlled to project the image into the field of view of the occupant based on the determined location of his or her head or eyes.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the reactive system comprises an alarm system which provides a visual and/or audible warning to an occupant of the vehicle when an object is determined to be within a threshold distance from the vehicle.

19. The method of claim 10, further comprising controlling the laser system and the laser beam receiving system to adjust the range gate based on each of a plurality of different objects such that all objects in each range gate are individually imaged and identified.

20. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

identifying the object using a processor;

assessing potential for a collision between the vehicle and the identified object; and

effecting countermeasures when the potential for a collision is present.