Vehicle door opening warning system

• US 8,650,799 B2
• Filed: 10/14/2011
• Issued: 02/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chung-Hsien Chen
• Original Assignee: Chung-Hsien Chen
• Inventors: Chen, Chung-Hsien
• Primary Examiner(s): Strimbu, Gregory J.
• Application Number:
  US13/273,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20130091770A1
• Time in Patent Office: 858 Days
• Field of Search: 49/26, 49/27, 49/28, 296/146.4, 296/146.1, 296/152
• US Class Current: 49/26
• CPC Class Codes: B60Q 1/324 for signalling that a door is open or intended to be opened
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 15/43 responsive to disruption of energy beams, e.g. light or sound
• CPC Class Codes: E05F 2015/483 for detection during opening
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2400/81 User displays
• CPC Class Codes: E05Y 2900/531 Doors

Abstract

A vehicle door opening warning system for a car includes a sensor for sensing the approaching of another car from behind when a person is opening the car door, a car door-opening control unit stops the car door from being opened when the sensor senses the approaching of the other car from behind, and a warning light and a buzzer are activated to give a visual warning signal and an audio warning signal when the car door is being opened.

Claims

1. A vehicle door opening warning system, comprising a car door-opening control unit installed in a car door that is hinged to a car door frame of a car, wherein a linkage of the car extends out from the car door frame of said car, wherein said linkage is movable with respect to said car door in response to one of an opening and a closing of said car door, a first normally closed contact switch mounted in said car door frame and a normally opened contact switch mounted in said car door frame, an approaching object sensor mounted in said car door, at least one warning light mounted in said car door, a buzzer, a relay, a battery, and a controller, said car door-opening control unit comprising a holder frame having a through hole, said linkage passing through said through hole, a solenoid mounted inside said holder frame and operable to move a reciprocating rod thereof toward said linkage and away from said linkage, a stop bar pivotally mounted to said holder frame and having a free end thereof supported by said reciprocating rod and said free end movable with said reciprocating rod to one of a first position where the free end of said stop bar engages one of a first stop portion of said linkage to prohibit said car door from being opened and a second stop portion of said linkage to prohibit said car door from being opened, and a second position where the free end of said stop bar is spaced from said linkage allowing said car door to be opened, wherein when a person is opening said car door, a pressure of said car door applied to said first normally closed contact switch is released allowing power from said battery to be conducted to said controller to operate said sensor to start sensing and to operate said at least one warning light to give a visual warning;

when said approaching object sensor senses an approaching object while said car door is opening, said approaching object sensor sends a signal to said controller causing said controller to drive said buzzer to give an audio warning signal and to switch on said relay to start said solenoid so that said solenoid moves said reciprocating rod to lift said stop bar toward said linkage to said first position where said stop bar engages said first stop portion of said linkage to prohibit said car door from being opened;

after the approaching object has passed said approaching object sensor and said approaching object sensor senses no signal, said approaching object sensor stops sending said signal to said controller and said controller switches off said relay to cut the battery power to said solenoid causing said reciprocating rod to lower said stop bar away from said linkage to said second position allowing said car door to be opened;

when said approaching object sensor senses another approaching object while said car door is opening, said sensor sends said signal to said controller causing said controller to switch on said relay to start said solenoid again causing said reciprocating rod to lift said stop bar toward said linkage to said first position to engage said second stop portion of said linkage.

2. The vehicle door opening warning system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a second normally closed contact switch mounted in said car door adjacent a handle of said car door, said handle operable to open said car door, wherein when said handle is operated to open said car door, a connection rod of said handle opens said second normally closed contact switch causing said controller to switch off said approaching object sensor and said at least one warning light;

when said car door is closed, said normally opened contact switch causes said controller to put said approaching object sensor into a standby mode.

3. The vehicle door opening warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said car door-opening control unit further comprises a manual push button operably connected to a second normally closed contact switch;

when said manual push button is pressed, said second normally closed contact switch is opened to cut off the battery power to said car door-opening control unit.

4. The vehicle door opening warning system as claimed in claim 1, wherein said car door-opening control unit further comprises a photo sensor for sending a signal to said controller to switch off the approaching object sensor when said photo sensor aligns with a hold in said linkage.