Vehicle spacing detector and notification system

• US 7,782,228 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 08/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David A. Saar, David C. Maxwell
• Original Assignee: David A. Saar, David C. Maxwell
• Inventors: Maxwell, David C., Saar, David A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu; Julie
• Application Number:
  US11/556,713
• Publication Number:
  US 20070103339A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 340/932
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0175 by photographing vehicles, e.g. when violating traffic rules
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/164 Centralised systems, e.g. external to vehicles

Abstract

A device for the detection of tailgating between vehicles on a roadway. The device may emit ultrasonic signals on to a roadway and receive said reflected signals. The device has a processor adapted to use the received signals to determine the presence or absence of a vehicle. The processor also determines whether a vehicle is tailgating another vehicle by detecting if the time spacing between two sequential vehicles traveling in the same direction in the same lane is two second or less. The processor alerts a remote receiver when tailgating is detected. The device may also include a camera to take pictures of any vehicle determined to be tailgating. The device is preferably compact and easily portable.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting tailgating between vehicles traveling in the same direction comprising:

a portable housing which houses at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, the portable housing is adapted to be mounted on the side of the road,

the at least one transmitter is adapted to automatically transmit a signal substantially at a right angle into a preselected lane of which a vehicle traverses,

the at least one receiver adapted to receive the signal as reflected by the vehicle to detect the presence of a vehicle in the preselected lane,

a processor connected to the at least one receiver and adapted to receive information from the receiver and to determine the tailgating distance between a leading vehicle and a trailing vehicle based upon successive detection of the presence of traversing vehicles,

a memory connected to the processor containing a predetermined time interval correspondence to a predetermined tailgating limit, and

notification means for notifying a law enforcement officer if the determined distance between the leading and trailing vehicles in the preselected lane are closer than a predetermined time interval.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one transmitter is at least one ultrasonic transmitter and the at least one receiver is at least one ultrasonic receiver, and both the at least one ultrasonic transmitter and the at least one ultrasonic receiver are connected to a transducer.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said notification means comprises;

an external transmitter means for generating a radio signal indicative of the detection of tailgating; and

,

a remote receiver mean to receive said radio signal and notify said law enforcement office so said officer can issue a traffic ticket.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein said apparatus is set up to monitor one, and only one, lane of traffic at a time.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said apparatus detects if the time interval is less than 2.0 second and, if it is, causes said notification means to notify said law enforcement official.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising:

a camera attached to said apparatus for recording a image of said tailgating vehicle.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said predetermined time interval is approximately 2 seconds or less.

8. A method for detecting tailgating between vehicles traveling in the same direction comprising:

arranging an easily portable housing comprising a portable housing which houses at least one transmitter and at least one receiver adjacent to a roadway,

sending signals from the transmitter into a preselected lane of the roadway without assistance of a human attendant,

receiving the signals at the receiver from the roadway as reflected by vehicles in the preselected lane,

processing the signals to determine the time spacing of vehicles with respect to each other; and

,

if the time spacing between two vehicles is less than a predetermined time limit, sending a message to notify a law enforcement officer.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein said signals are in the ultrasonic range.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein said predetermined time limit is 2.0 seconds or less.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

capturing the image of any vehicle that travels on the roadway.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

sending said image to said law enforcement officer.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein the signals from the transmitter are focused on a single traffic lane.