GPS collision avoidance apparatus

• US 7,209,831 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Issued: 04/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Hilliard, Glenda E., Hilliard, Christina A., Hilliard, Michael P., Hilliard, Donald P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Black; Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): WEISKOPF, MARIE
• Application Number:
  US10/746,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20050143918A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,212 Days
• Field of Search: 701/301, 701/213, 340/436, 340/573.1, 340/901, 340/903
• US Class Current: 701/301
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/19 Sporting applications
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 19/52 Determining velocity

Abstract

A GPS collision avoidance apparatus which uses Global Positioning System (GPS) information and computer processing to determine the location of man made and natural occurring obstacles to allow a user to avoid a collision with these obstacles. The collision avoidance apparatus has a collision decision processor which analyzes position and motion dynamics data including a direction of motion, a velocity and an acceleration for a user utilizing collision avoidance apparatus to determine whether a collision will occur and then to provide protection for the user in the event a collision is likely to occur.

Claims

1. A GPS (Global Positioning System) collision avoidance apparatus comprising:

(a) a GPS processor having a GPS receiving antenna, said GPS receiving antenna continuously receiving radio frequency carrier signals containing GPS data from an external source which generates said GPS data, said GPS processor processing said GPS data calculating current position data for said collision avoidance apparatus including a latitude, a longitude and an elevation for said collision avoidance apparatus;

(b) a clock for providing time data;

(c) a motion dynamics processor connected to said GPS processor and said clock, said motion dynamics processor including a computer having computer software for performing calculations on the current position data provided by said GPS processor and the time data provided by said clock to determine position and motion dynamics data for said collision avoidance apparatus, said position and motion dynamics data including current position, direction of motion, velocity and acceleration data for said collision avoidance apparatus and a user of said collision avoidance apparatus;

(d) a stored obstacle locations device having digital memory for storing locations for stationary obstacles, which are in a path of said user of said collision avoidance apparatus, said stored obstacle locations device providing location data indicative of the locations of said stationary obstacles including man made and natural occurring obstacles in the path said user is traveling;

(e) a collision decision processor connected to said motion dynamics processor and said stored obstacle locations device, said collision decision processor comparing said location data for said stationary obstacles in the path of said user with said current position, direction of motion, velocity and acceleration data for said user of said collision avoidance apparatus, said collision decision processor determining a distance between said user of said collision avoidance apparatus and a closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user and then calculates a probability for a collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user; and

(f) a collision protection system connected to said collision decision processor, said collision decision processor sending said collision protection system an activation signal whenever said collision decision processor calculates that there is insufficient time to avert said collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user, said collision protection system, responsive to said activation signal, activating a protection device to prevent serious bodily harm to said user.

2. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a collision warning system connected to said collision decision processor, said collision decision processor sending a collision warning signal to said collision warning system whenever said collision decision processor determines that there is an impending collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user, said collision warning system, responsive to said collision warning signal providing an audio signal to said user indicating said impending collision allowing said user to take evasive action to avoid the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user.

3. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 2 wherein said audio signal consist of low audible tones when the probability of said collision occurring between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is less than twenty percent.

4. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 2 wherein said audio signal consist of high pitch audible tones when the probability of said collision occurring between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is at least sixty percent.

5. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a collision warning system connected to said collision decision processor, said collision decision processor sending a collision warning signal to said collision warning system whenever said collision decision processor determines that there is an impending collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user, said collision warning system, responsive to said collision warning signal providing visual representation of said impending collision to said user allowing said user to take evasive action to avoid the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user.

6. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 1 wherein said insufficient time to avert collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is from two to ten seconds.

7. The GPS collision avoidance system of claim 1 wherein said digital memory in said stored obstacle locations device comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.

8. A GPS (Global Positioning System) collision avoidance apparatus comprising:

(a) a GPS processor having a GPS receiving antenna, said GPS receiving antenna continuously receiving radio frequency carrier signals containing GPS data from an external source which generates said GPS data, said GPS processor processing said GPS data calculating current position data for said collision avoidance apparatus including a latitude, a longitude and an elevation for said collision avoidance apparatus;

(b) a clock for providing time data;

(c) a motion dynamics processor connected to said GPS processor and said clock, said motion dynamics processor including a computer having computer software for performing calculations on the current position data provided by said GPS processor and the time data provided by said clock to determine position and motion dynamics data for said collision avoidance apparatus, said position and motion dynamics data including current position, direction of motion, velocity and acceleration data for said collision avoidance apparatus and a user of said collision avoidance apparatus;

(d) a stored obstacle locations device having digital memory for storing locations for stationary obstacles, which are in a path of said user of said collision avoidance apparatus, said stored obstacle locations device providing location data indicative of the locations of said stationary obstacles including man made and natural occurring obstacles in the path said user is traveling; and

(e) a collision decision processor connected to said motion dynamics processor and said stored obstacle locations device, said collision decision processor comparing said location data for said stationary obstacles in the path of said user with said current position, direction of motion, velocity and acceleration data for said user of said collision avoidance apparatus, said collision decision processor determining a distance between said user of said collision avoidance apparatus and a closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user and then calculates a probability for a collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user;

(f) a collision warning system connected to said collision decision processor, said collision decision processor sending a collision warning signal to said collision warning system whenever said collision decision processor determines that there is an impending collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user, said collision warning system, responsive to said collision warning signal providing an audio signal to said user indicating said impending collision allowing said user to take evasive action to avoid the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user; and

(g) a collision protection system connected to said collision decision processor, said collision decision processor sending said collision protection system an activation signal whenever said collision decision processor calculates that there is insufficient time to avert said collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user, said collision protection system, responsive to said activation signal, activating a protection device to prevent serious bodily harm to said user.

9. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 8 wherein said audio signal consist of low audible tones when the probability of said collision occurring between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is less than twenty percent.

10. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 8 wherein said audio signal consist of high pitch audible tones when the probability of said collision occurring between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is at least sixty percent.

11. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 8 wherein said insufficient time to avert said collision between said user and the closest one of said stationary obstacles in the path of said user is from two to ten seconds.

12. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 8 wherein said digital memory in said stored obstacle locations device comprises an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory.

13. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 8 wherein said direction of motion for said collision avoidance apparatus and said user of said collision avoidance apparatus as determined by said motion dynamics processor is given by the following expression:

Δ

P₁₂=P₂−

P₁=(x₂−

x₁)i+(y₂−

y₁)j+(z₂−

z₁)k

where Δ

P₁₂ is a direction vector defining said direction of motion, and P₂ and P₁ are position points representing two consecutive positions for said collision avoidance apparatus and said user that are currently being sampled by said GPS processor.

14. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 13 wherein said velocity for said collision avoidance apparatus and said user of said collision avoidance apparatus as determined by said motion dynamics processor is given by the following expression:

15. The GPS collision avoidance apparatus of claim 14 wherein said acceleration for said collision avoidance apparatus and said user of said collision avoidance apparatus as determined by said motion dynamics processor is given by the following expression: