Driver tailgating and following aid

• US 6,737,963 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Issued: 05/18/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Trajkovic, Miroslav, Gutta, Srinivas, Colmenarez, Antonio
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C.
• Application Number:
  US09/822,432
• Publication Number:
  US 20020140551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,145 Days
• Field of Search: 340/435, 340/436, 340/903, 340/932, 701/301, 701/45, 348/143, 348/148, 348/161, 180/271, 180/275, 180/250
• US Class Current: 340/435
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 9/008 for anti-collision purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/12 using electromagnetic waves other than radio waves

Abstract

A tailgating safety system for a vehicle includes a distance determiner for determining a distance of the vehicle from objects which are leading or following the vehicle. The system also includes a speedometer for determining a speed of the vehicle and an alarm. If the speed of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined speed, and the distance of the vehicle from another object is less than a predetermined distance, then the alarm is activated to advise the driver that at the speed the vehicle is traveling, the distance between the vehicle and the object is not a safe traveling distance.

Claims

1. A tailgating safety system for a vehicle comprising:

an object identifier for visually identifying an object in front or behind the vehicle, and for determining whether the identified object is a vehicle;

a distance determiner for determining a distance of the vehicle from an identified vehicle;

a speedometer for determining a speed of the vehicle;

a Central Processing Unit (CPU);

a look-up table, whereby said CPU looks up a safe distance from the vehicle to the identified vehicle based on the determined speed of the vehicle; and

a monitoring unit for monitoring the reaction time of a driver of the vehicle;

wherein said CPU will change the looked-up safe distance to a greater distance if the monitoring unit detects a slow reaction time.

2. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising:

a display showing the driver the determined distance of the vehicle from the identified vehicle, the current speed of the driver'"'"'s vehicle, and the recommended safe distance from the identified vehicle, and warning the driver if there is an unsafe distance is present in a forward or rearward direction of travel of the vehicle.

3. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, wherein the system is coupled to a braking mechanism of the vehicle of the driver such that after actuation of an alarm, the system actuates the braking system to reduce the speed of the vehicle of the driver, wherein said alarm is actuated by the CPU when the CPU determines that an identified vehicle located forward in the direction of travel is an unsafe distance from the vehicle.

4. The tailgating safety system of claim 3, wherein the system actuates the braking system of the vehicle of the driver at a predetermined time interval after actuation of an alarm, wherein said alarm is actuated by the CPU when the CPU determines that an identified vehicle located forward in the direction of travel is an unsafe distance from the vehicle.

5. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising:

an alarm which is responsive to actuation by the CPU when the CPU determines that an identified vehicle is at an unsafe distance.

6. The tailgating safety system of claim 5, wherein the alarm comprises at least one of an audible alarm, a visual alarm, and a tactile alarm.

7. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, wherein the CPU activates an alarm if it is determined that (i) the determined speed of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined speed, and (ii) the determined distance from the vehicle to the identified vehicle is less than a predetermined distance.

8. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, wherein the CPU activates an alarm if it is determined that the determined distance from the vehicle to the identified vehicle is one of about equal to or less than the looked-up safe distance.

9. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, wherein the monitoring means comprises:

means for monitoring a time in which it takes the driver to move a foot of the driver from an accelerator pedal to a brake pedal.

10. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

means for actuating a braking mechanism of the vehicle in order to automatically reduce a speed of the vehicle, wherein said braking actuating means can be activated by the CPU; and

means for actuating an accelerator of the vehicle in order to automatically increase a speed of the vehicle, wherein said accelerator actuating means can be activated by the CPU.

11. The tailgating safety system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises both the braking actuating means and the accelerator actuating means.

12. The tailgating safety system of claim 10, wherein the at least one actuating means actuates after actuation of an alarm, wherein said alarm is actuated by the CPU when the CPU determines that the determined distance of an identified vehicle is one of about equal to or less than the looked-up safe distance.

13. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for monitoring braking capabilities of the vehicle;

wherein the CPU will change the looked-up safe distance to a greater distance if the braking capability monitoring means detects a less than maximum braking capability.

14. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising:

means for monitoring at least one of weather and road conditions;

wherein the CPU will change the looked-up safe distance to a greater distance if the at least one of weather and road condition monitoring means detects poor driving conditions.

15. The tailgating safety system of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one camera positioned on the vehicle, wherein the at least one camera is coupled with at least one of the object identifier and the distance determiner.

16. The tailgating safety system of claim 15, wherein the object identifier is coupled to the at least one camera, and the object identifier analyzes image signals provided by the at least one camera to determine whether a vehicle is in a field of view of the at least one camera.

17. The tailgating safety system of claim 16, wherein the object identifier determines whether a vehicle is in a field of view of the at least one camera by extracting objects in the field of view, and then classifying the extracted objects.

18. The tailgating safety system of claim 15, wherein the distance determiner is coupled to the at least one camera, and the distance determiner analyzes image signals provided by the at least one camera to determine a distance to a vehicle in a field of view of the at least one camera.

19. A method for identifying an unsafe distance between a vehicle and another vehicle comprising the steps of:

identifying another vehicle in front or behind the vehicle;

determining a distance from the vehicle to an identified vehicle;

determining a present speed of the vehicle;

looking up a safe distance in a look-up table using the determined present speed;

monitoring a reaction time of a driver of the vehicle in order to determine if the driver has a slow reaction time;

adding to the looked-up safe distance if it is determined that the driver has a slow reaction time;

determining whether the determined distance of an identified vehicle is one of about equal to or less than the looked-up safe distance; and

performing a safety action if it is determined that the determined distance of an identified vehicle is one of about equal to or less than the looked-up safe distance.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the step of monitoring a reaction time of a driver comprises the step of:

monitoring a time in which it takes the driver to move a foot of the driver from an accelerator pedal to a brake pedal.