Modular collision warning apparatus and method for operating the same

• US 8,994,557 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2009
• Issued: 03/31/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAFEmine AG (Hexagon AB)
• Original Assignee: SAFEmine AG (Hexagon AB)
• Inventors: Stegmaier, Peter A., Rothacher, Urs M.
• Primary Examiner(s): BEE, ANDREW W.
• Application Number:
  US13/515,191
• Publication Number:
  US 20130021146A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,936 Days
• Field of Search: 340/902, 340/903, 701/300, 701/301, 342/455
• US Class Current: 340/903
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/162 event-triggered
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3233 particular used as part of a sensor or in a security system, e.g. for automotive radar, navigation systems
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/3275 mounted on a horizontal surface of the vehicle, e.g. on roof, hood, trunk

Abstract

A collision warning apparatus, to be mounted to a vehicle, has a roof mount unit (40), to be fixed to the vehicle'"'"'s roof, as well as a cabin mount unit (41) to be located in the driver'"'"'s cabin. A digital transmission line (42) is provided for connecting the two. The roof mount unit (40) houses the antennas as well as the analog circuitry of the apparatus, while the cabin mount unit (41) comprises a display (26). The data sent through the transmission line (42) is digital, which allows to make the transmission line thin and flexible. The roof mount unit (40) has a magnet (43) and batteries (48) mounted in its base section (46), with the lighter components, in particular the antennas (30a, 31a, 32a) located in its head section (47).

Claims

1. A collision warning apparatus comprising

a positioning receiver for a radio based positioning system, said positioning receiver comprising a first antenna and first analog and first digital circuitry,

a radio transceiver for sending and receiving radio messages to/from other collision warning apparatus, said radio transceiver comprising a second antenna, and second analog and second digital circuitry,

an operator information unit for issuing collision warnings,

a control unit processing data from said positioning receiver and said radio transceiver for generating said collision warnings,

a roof mount unit for being mounted on a vehicle roof, wherein said first and said second antenna as well as said first and said second analog circuitry are arranged in said roof mount unit,

a cabin mount unit for being mounted in a passenger cabin, wherein said operator information unit is arranged in said passenger cabin,

a digital transmission line connecting said roof mount unit and said cabin mount unit,

wherein said collision warning apparatus has an idle state and an active state, wherein, in said idle state, said collision warning apparatus has a smaller power consumption than in said active state, said collision warning apparatus further comprising an acceleration detector, wherein said control unit is adapted to put said collision warning apparatus into said active state upon detection of an acceleration by said acceleration detector.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said operator information unit comprises a display and/or a loudspeaker.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said digital transmission line is wirebound.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said digital transmission line is a wireless link.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said roof mount unit comprises a first attachment for mounting said roof mount unit to the vehicle roof.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein said first attachment comprises a magnet for mounting said roof mount unit to the vehicle roof.

7. The apparatus of, claim 5 wherein said roof mount unit comprises a base section and a head section, wherein said base section comprises said first attachment and batteries and said head section comprises said first and second antenna.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said cabin mount unit comprises a second attachment.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein said second attachment comprises a suction cup for mounting said cabin mount unit in said passenger cabin.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a third radio communication unit for communicating through a wireless data transmission network in addition to said radio transceiver, wherein said third radio communication unit comprises a third antenna, and third analog and third digital circuitry, wherein said third antenna and said third analog circuitry are arranged in said roof mount unit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control unit is arranged in said cabin mount unit.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted to issue on the operator information unit not only collision warnings but also further information.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said further information to issue on said control unit includes parameters depending on location or speed.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said control unit is adapted and structured to have an alert mode that can be activated by a user of said apparatus, and wherein said control unit is adapted to emit, through said radio transceiver an apparatus status dataset comprising a flag indicative of whether said apparatus is in said alert mode.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising at least one rechargeable battery and an inductive coupler for inductively coupling energy into said battery.

16. The apparatus of claim 1

wherein said positioning receiver is disabled in said idle state and operating in said active state.

17. A method for operating an apparatus of claim 1 comprising the steps of

mounting or unmounting said roof mount unit on a roof of a vehicle and

mounting or unmounting said cabin mount unit in a passenger cabin of said vehicle.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of

obtaining a position of said apparatus by means of said positioning receiver,

comparing said position to a predefined geographical area and, if said position is not within said predefined geographical area, further comprising the step of

issuing at least one warning message.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said warning message, is issued on said operator information unit, or sent to a central server, and/or said apparatus is made unusable.

20. The method of claim 17 further comprising the steps of

sending a message from a central server to said apparatus using a cellular phone network,

receiving said message by said apparatus and issuing said message on said operator information unit.

21. The method of claim 17 further comprising the step of storing a trajectory of said apparatus, alarms issued during said trajectory, and/or other information for later retrieval and use.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one receiver device is located at an actuator, wherein, if said receiver device detects a proximity of the apparatus, said receiver device actuates said actuator after testing access rights of an object attributed to said apparatus.

23. The method of claim 17 comprising the steps of

measuring, by at least a first apparatus, a signal strength (S_ji) of a signal received from a second apparatus, and

transmitting, by said first apparatus, an identity (j) of a third apparatus and said signal strength (S_ji),

receiving said identity (j) and said signal strength (S_ji) by a second apparatus and estimating a position of said third apparatus therefrom.

24. The method of claim 17 comprising steps of

obtaining a position of said collision warning apparatus by means of said positioning receiver,

storing said position of said collision warning apparatus in a first device status dataset of said collision warning apparatus, wherein said first device status dataset comprises a unique identifier of said collision warning apparatus, and

transmitting said first device status dataset as a radio message by means of said radio transceiver.

25. The method of claim 24 further comprising steps of

receiving by means of said radio transceiver of said collision warning apparatus a second device status dataset of another collision warning apparatus, wherein said second device status dataset comprises a position of said other collision warning apparatus, and

calculating a distance (d) between said collision warning apparatus and said other collision warning apparatus using said position of said collision warning apparatus and using said second device status dataset.