HK1229299A1 - Collision warning system - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle collision warning system including a vehicle that includes a first sensor configured to monitor for an exit condition a second sensor configured to monitor for a hazard condition, an internal warning signal system configured to emit a warning signal to warn a vehicle occupant about the hazard condition, the internal warning signal system including at least one warning device configured to emit the warning signal, and a processor configured to detect an exit condition using a first signal from the first sensor detect a hazard condition using a second signal from the second sensor and control the at least one warning device in response to the hazard condition.

Description

Collision warning system

Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to a collision warning system for a vehicle.

Background

Vehicles such as cars and trucks are used in a variety of environments. Some of these environments may include densely populated centers, low visibility situations, severe weather conditions, and the like. Sometimes, these environments can be difficult for those attempting to exit the vehicle while still avoiding other vehicles and pedestrians. For example, in densely populated areas, roads may provide limited space for vehicles and pedestrians to travel. Accordingly, an accident may occur when the driver and the passenger attempt to get out of the vehicle during traveling. Traffic accidents may also occur when drivers and passengers leave the vehicle in low visibility situations and in inclement weather.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiments discussed below include a collision warning system that is capable of alerting vehicle occupants and nearby traffic to possible collisions between vehicle occupants that will exit the vehicle and nearby passing traffic. Collision warning systems are capable of detecting hazardous conditions in various environments using one or more collision sensors. These environments may include densely populated centers, low visibility situations, and severe weather conditions. In some embodiments, the impact sensor may be worth mentioning; thus, hazardous conditions can be detected even when some sensors are degraded (e.g., low light, bad weather). In order to warn vehicle occupants and/or adjacent traffic of possible dangerous situations, the collision warning system may comprise an internal warning signal system and/or an external warning signal system. The internal and external warning signal systems include one or more warning devices capable of providing warning signals to vehicle occupants and adjacent traffic. These warning signals may be audible, visual and/or vibratory.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of a vehicle having a collision warning system;

FIG. 2 is an inside view of an embodiment of a vehicle having a collision warning system;

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an embodiment of a vehicle having a collision warning system; and

FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an embodiment of a method showing operation of a collision warning system.

Detailed Description

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of a vehicle 8 having a collision warning system 10; although fig. 1 illustrates a car as the vehicle 8, the vehicle 8 may be any number of other vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, trains, planes, motorcycles, etc.). In operation, the collision warning system 10 warns a vehicle occupant of an approaching hazard 12 before and/or upon exiting the vehicle 8. Approaching hazard 12 may include other vehicles and/or pedestrians. In some embodiments, the collision warning system 10 may also warn of adjacent traffic (e.g., other vehicles and/or pedestrians) that someone is attempting to exit the vehicle 8 or alight, thereby further reducing the risk of a traffic accident.

The collision warning system 10 includes various components that operate together to warn the driver and passengers of a potential hazard 12 and nearby pedestrians, and/or to warn other vehicles that someone is about to exit or is exiting the vehicle 8. These components may include various crash sensors 14 disposed at different locations on the vehicle 8. For example, the impact sensor 14 may be connected to the front of the vehicle 8, the rear of the vehicle 8, the roof of the vehicle 8, a side of the vehicle 8 (e.g., door 16), and/or side view mirror 18, among others. In this way, the collision warning system 10 is able to make a 360 degree collision warning for a hazard 12 that is approaching the vehicle 8. However, in some embodiments, vehicle 8 may only have collision sensor 14 capable of detecting hazard 12 from one direction (e.g., hazard 12 approaching from the rear of vehicle 8).

The impact sensor 14 may include an optical camera, an infrared camera, a motion detector, a radar, a laser, an ultrasonic sensor, and/or any other sensor. In some embodiments, collision warning system 10 may include a sensor assembly 20 that includes one or more collision sensors 14 (e.g., optical cameras, infrared cameras, motion detectors, radar, lasers, ultrasonic sensors, etc.). By including various collision sensors 14, collision warning system 10 may provide redundant detection of hazard 12 under different environmental conditions. For example, during daylight hours, the optical camera may allow for hazard 12 detection, but at night or under low light conditions, the optical camera may not be able to identify hazard 12. In these situations, another impact sensor 14 (e.g., an infrared camera or radar) may then provide hazard 12 detection. In other words, when the performance of one impact sensor 14 is degraded, the other impact sensor 14 can still detect hazard 12. Thus, collision warning system 10 may provide continuous or near-continuous detection of hazard 12 under various conditions (such as rain, low light, snow, fog, sand/storm, among others).

In operation, the impact sensor 14 transmits a signal (e.g., wirelessly, through a wired connection) to a controller 22 (e.g., a computer). The controller 22 may include one or more processors 24 that execute instructions stored on one or more memories 26 to process signals (e.g., data) from the impact sensors 14. For example, the controller 22 may receive signals (e.g., data) from an optical camera. The processor 24 may then execute a program stored on the memory 26 that identifies objects (e.g., cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, etc.) in the images captured by the optical camera. If processor 24 detects hazard 12, processor 24 executes instructions to activate internal warning signal system 28 and/or external warning signal system 30. For example, the controller 22 may detect a hazard in less than 0.1, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 seconds, etc. In some embodiments, controller 22 may continuously receive feedback from impact sensor 14, thereby enabling controller 22 to track changes in potential hazard 12 and determine whether those changes change the hazard conditions (e.g., increase the risk of impact, decrease the risk of impact, or release the risk of impact). These changes may include changes in the speed of hazard 12, changes in the distance between hazard 12 and vehicle 8, changes in the direction of travel of hazard 12, and so forth. For example, threshold distances, threshold speeds, etc. may be stored in memory 26 and accessed by processor 24 to determine whether a hazardous condition exists. Further, in some embodiments, controller 22 may receive feedback from multiple impact sensors 14 (e.g., impact sensors 14 having the same or overlapping coverage areas) simultaneously to enable controller 22 to more accurately identify hazards 12 (e.g., cross-reference, verify) and determine whether a hazardous condition or situation exists.

In some embodiments, the collision warning system 10 may be connected to a remote server 32, the remote server 32 processing signals from the collision sensors 14. Indeed, instead of including a processor 24 on the vehicle 8 capable of processing feedback from the crash sensors 14, a remote server 32 having one or more processors 34 may process signals from the crash sensors 14 using instructions (e.g., a program) stored on one or more memories 36. For example, the collision warning system 10 may include a transmitter/receiver 38 that receives signals directly from the collision sensor 14 or through the controller 22. The transmitter/receiver 38 then transmits the sensor signals (e.g., over a cellular network, a wireless network, etc.) to the server 32, which server 32 then processes the signals and identifies whether a hazardous condition exists. If the server 32 identifies a hazardous condition after processing the signals from the sensors 14, the server 32 transmits a signal to the controller 22 to activate the internal warning signal system 28 and/or the external warning signal system 30. In some embodiments, the controller 22 and server 32 may redundantly process signals from the impact sensors 14, or, if the controller 22 is unable to do so, the server 32 may only process feedback from the impact sensors 14.

FIG. 2 is an inside view of an embodiment of a vehicle 8 having a collision warning system 10. As described above, once a hazardous condition is identified, the controller 22 activates the internal warning signal system 28. The internal warning signaling system 28 may include any number of warning devices 50 that communicate with the vehicle occupant in one or more ways (e.g., visual, audible, vibratory). For example, one warning device 50 may be a display within the vehicle 8 that provides a warning message (e.g., center console display, instrument panel display, seat display, overhead display). For example, the message may be a text message that flashes, scrolls, etc. on the display. In some embodiments, the message may be a picture illustrating vehicle 8 and potential hazard 12 with indicia (e.g., dots, vehicle indicia, pedestrian indicia). The display may also illustrate the location of potential hazard 12 relative to vehicle 8. Moreover, in some embodiments, controller 22 may be capable of identifying the type of hazard 12 and then displaying the particular type of hazard 12 (e.g., pedestrian, vehicle, animal) on the display, thereby providing more situational awareness to the vehicle occupants.

In some embodiments, the internal warning signal system 28 may include one or more warning devices 50 that provide an audio warning signal. For example, the one or more warning devices 50 may be an audio speaker (e.g., a display speaker, a vehicle speaker, etc.). These audio speakers may provide a brief audio message that alerts the vehicle occupants to potential hazards 12 outside of the vehicle 8. The audio message may be a general warning or a special warning that gives additional details about the type of hazard 12 (e.g., pedestrian, vehicle, animal, location, etc.).

The internal warning signal system 28 may also include a warning device 50 that is a light. For example, the warning device 50 may be a cabin light, a reading light, a light in a rear view mirror, a light in a side view mirror, a light on a door, a light on a vehicle frame, or any combination thereof. These lights may flash, remain fully on, change color, etc. For example, if hazard 12 is vehicle 8, controller 22 may flash the lights quickly, and if hazard 12 is a pedestrian, the lights may flash slowly. In some embodiments, controller 22 may increase light intensity, increase flashing, and/or change color, etc., as hazard 12 approaches, maintains speed, speeds up, etc. For example, if hazard 12 is outside of a threshold distance, a green light may blink slowly to inform the vehicle occupant that hazard 12 is approaching but still far enough so that the vehicle occupant may exit the vehicle while avoiding a collision. These lights may change from a green flash to a yellow flash if hazard 12 is closer, speeding up, etc. If hazard 12 is approaching and a collision is imminent or most likely to occur, the lights may change from yellow to red to indicate that the vehicle occupant should remain in the vehicle until hazard 12 passes. Also, if the hazard conditions change (e.g., hazard 12 decreases speed, changes direction, etc.), the lights may decrease brightness, decrease flash rate, and/or change color, etc. In some embodiments, controller 22 may activate the lights at specific locations in vehicle 8 depending on the location of hazard 12 and/or the location where the vehicle occupant will be away from vehicle 8. For example, if hazard 12 is on a particular side of vehicle 8, the lights may be activated only on the side of vehicle 8 where hazard 12 may cause a collision.

To assist the disabled, the internal warning signal system 28 may include one or more warning devices 50 capable of warning the disabled. As described above, the internal warning signal system 28 may include a visual and/or audio warning device 50. However, audio and visual warnings may be ineffective for visually and/or audibly impaired populations. Thus, by including the vibratory alert device 50, the internal warning signal system 28 is able to alert/remind disabled persons of the potential hazard 12 when they leave the vehicle 8. The vibratory alert device 50 may be disposed at various locations in the vehicle 8. For example, the vibration warning device 50 may be disposed on the floor of the vehicle 8 to enable occupants to feel vibrations through their feet. The vibratory alert device 50 may also be disposed in a seat, armrest, backrest, door handle, or the like. In some embodiments, controller 22 may change the manner in which vibratory warning device 50 operates in response to a hazardous condition. For example, if hazard 12 is outside of a threshold distance, vibratory warning device 50 may periodically turn on and off to indicate that hazard 12 is present but that hazard 12 is outside of a threshold distance from vehicle 8. If hazard 12 is within a threshold distance, vibratory warning device 50 may activate and remain on, increase brightness, vibrate rapidly, etc., until the hazardous condition has passed.

Although the above examples of warning devices 50 have been discussed separately, some embodiments of internal warning signal system 28 may combine all or some of these different types of warning devices 50 together. For example, the internal warning signal system 28 may combine a warning device 50 that provides a visual message (e.g., a display and/or a light) with a warning device 50 that provides an audio message. In some embodiments, the internal warning signal system 28 may warn a vehicle occupant through a warning device 50 that provides vibratory, visual, and audible signals.

In operation, internal warning signal system 28 may be triggered by feedback from alighting sensor 52 and/or the location of hazard 12. To determine where the vehicle occupant is about to exit the vehicle, the controller 22 may use one or more alighting sensors 52 (e.g., vehicle occupant sensors). The disembarking sensors 52 may include motion sensors, optical cameras, seat belt sensors, ignition sensors, vehicle motion sensors, weight sensors, gear sensors, door handle sensors, and the like. In some embodiments, the controller 22 may use feedback from the off-board sensors 52 and the collision sensors 14 in order to alert all vehicle occupants or to customize the alert signal (e.g., for some subset of vehicle occupants). For example, the controller 22 may receive a signal indicating a location of a vehicle occupant (e.g., front seats, rear seats, driver's seats, etc.) that is about to exit the vehicle 8. In response, if hazard 12 is approaching the right side of vehicle 8 and the vehicle occupant is descending from the left side of vehicle 8, controller 22 may not activate warning device 50. However, if there is a vehicle occupant descending from the right side of the vehicle 8 and the hazard condition is on the right side, the controller 22 may activate the warning device 50 located on the right side of the vehicle 8 or located throughout the vehicle 8.

Fig. 3 is a rear view of an embodiment of a vehicle 8 having a collision warning system 10. As described above, the collision warning system 10 may also use the external warning signal system 30 to warn vehicle occupants that nearby traffic is about to or is leaving the vehicle 8. In other words, the collision warning system 10 is able to warn vehicle occupants and those traffic external to the vehicle 8 of a dangerous condition. The collision warning system 10 may do so by a visual, audible warning device 50, or by a combination of visual and audible signals. As shown, the external warning signal system 30 includes a warning device 50. The warning device 50 may be a lamp (e.g., a tail lamp, turn signal lamp, headlight, and/or a dedicated lamp used by the collision warning system 10). These lights may be automatically activated when the vehicle occupant triggers one or more drop-off sensors 52 (e.g., releases the seatbelt, grasps the door handle, stops, extinguishes, presses a button, or combinations thereof). In some embodiments, the lights may be turned on only when a hazardous condition has been identified.

Once activated, the controller 22 may change/adjust the lights in response to changing conditions around the vehicle, which may flash, change color, change brightness, etc. For example, controller 22 may increase light intensity, increase flashing, and/or change color as hazard 12 approaches, maintains speed, speeds up, etc. For example, if hazard 12 is outside of a threshold distance, a light (e.g., a yellow light) may blink slowly to notify upcoming traffic of the hazard condition. As hazard 12 approaches, speeds up, comes within a threshold distance of vehicle 8, etc., the lights may change from yellow to red, increase brightness, increase flashing frequency, or perform a combination thereof. In some embodiments, controller 22 may activate lights at specific locations on vehicle 8 depending on the location of hazard 12 and whether the vehicle occupant is about to exit vehicle 8 into or near the path of hazard 12. For example, if hazard 12 is on a particular side of vehicle 8, the lights may be activated only on the side of vehicle 8 where hazard 12 is likely to cause a collision. In some embodiments, the warning device 50 may be part of the external warning signal system 30 or assist the external warning signal system 30, the warning device 50 being part of the internal warning signal system 28. As described above, the internal warning signal system 28 may include a light connected to the door 16. These lights may remain activated when the door 16 is opened to provide additional warning to adjacent traffic. In some embodiments, when the controller 22 senses that the doors are open and the traffic is able to see the lights at this time, the lights on the doors 16 may turn on, change color, change brightness, begin flashing, and the like.

The warning device 50 of the external warning signal system 30 may also include one or more displays (e.g., overhead displays, monitors, etc.) as the warning device 50. The display may be within the vehicle 8 or connected to the exterior of the vehicle 8. In operation, the display may provide a text message, such as "caution" or "warning," that flashes, scrolls, etc. on the display. In some embodiments, the message may be an indicia, such as an arrow, a stop sign, an image that a person is alighting from the vehicle, and the like. In some embodiments, the display may combine a text message with a tag/picture. For example, the display may alternately present text messages and labels/pictures; presenting text messages and labels/pictures simultaneously; etc., so that adjacent traffic can more clearly understand the potential hazardous conditions.

The external warning signal system 28 may also include an audio speaker as the warning device 50. In operation, these audio speakers may provide a brief audio message that alerts traffic near the vehicle 8 that a person is attempting to exit the vehicle 8. The audio message may be a warning noise (e.g., beep, horn), a recorded message (e.g., a message that repeats "caution", "warning"), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, an audio speaker used by the external warning signal system 28 may be connected to the door 16 and activated when the door 16 is opened.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart diagram 70 of an embodiment of a method of operation of the collision warning system 10. In some embodiments, operation of the collision warning system 10 begins when the controller 22 receives one or more signals from one or more drop-off sensors 52 (step 72). The departure sensors 52 may include motion sensors, optical cameras, seat belt sensors, ignition sensors, vehicle motion sensors, door handle sensors, and the like. The controller 22 may then process the signal from the alighting sensor 52 to determine whether an alighting condition exists (e.g., whether the occupant is preparing for or may be exiting the vehicle 8) (step 74). For example, the controller 22 may receive a signal from an off-board sensor 52 (e.g., a vehicle motion sensor, a seat belt sensor) indicating that the vehicle 8 is no longer moving and the seat belt is unfastened. In some embodiments, controller 22 may receive a signal from off-board sensor 52 indicating that vehicle 8 is now in a park position and/or that the vehicle has been turned off. The controller 22 may then process these signals using a program stored in the memory 26 to determine whether this is an exit vehicle condition. If an alighting condition exists, the controller 22 activates one or more of the crash sensors 14 (step 76). If not, the controller 22 waits for additional signals from the drop-off sensor 52 (step 72).

Once the impact sensor 14 is activated, the impact sensor 14 begins transmitting to the controller 22 and/or the server 32 (step 78). The controller 22 and/or server 32 receives signals (e.g., data) from the impact sensors 14 (step 80). After receiving the signals, the controller 22 and/or server 32 processes the signals using one or more programs stored in the memories 26, 34 to determine if a hazardous condition exists (e.g., if nearby traffic can hit them when the vehicle occupants exit the vehicle 8) (step 82). If no hazardous conditions exist, the impact sensor 14 may continue to send signals from the impact sensor to the controller 22 and/or server for monitoring. In some embodiments, the collision warning system 10 may continue to monitor the collision sensors 14 until all vehicle occupants have left the vehicle 8 (e.g., until the vehicle is locked, etc.). For example, the controller 22 may continue to monitor signals from the alighting sensor 52 (e.g., weight sensor, motion sensor) until all vehicle occupants have departed.

If the controller 22 and/or server 32 detects a hazardous condition, the controller 22 activates the internal and/or external warning signal systems 28, 30 (step 84). As described above, the internal warning signal system 28 may use various warning devices 50 to communicate with the vehicle occupant through audible, visual, and/or vibratory signals. Likewise, when a person leaves the vehicle 8, the external warning signal system 30 communicates a possible hazard condition with traffic (e.g., other vehicles, pedestrians) through the warning device 50. As described above, the warning device 50 of the external warning signal system 28 may communicate using a visual signal, an audible signal, or a combination of audible and visual signals. Once activated, the internal and external warning signal systems 28, 30 may remain on until the vehicle is locked, until the controller 22 determines that no more vehicle occupants are present, until no more hazardous conditions are present, and/or a certain period of time elapses, etc.

Embodiments may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or various combinations thereof. The embodiments may also be implemented as instructions stored on a machine-readable medium, which may be read and executed using one or more processing devices. In one embodiment, a machine-readable medium may include various mechanisms for storing and/or transmitting information in a form readable by a machine (e.g., a computing device). For example, a machine-readable storage medium may include read-only memory, random-access memory, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash-memory devices, and other media for storing information, and a machine-readable transmission medium may include various forms of propagated signals (including carrier waves, infrared signals, digital signals), and other media for transmitting information. While firmware, software, routines, or instructions may be described in the above disclosure in terms of particular exemplary aspects and implementations that perform certain actions, it will be apparent that such descriptions are merely for convenience and that such actions in fact result from computing devices, processing devices, processors, controllers, or other devices or machines executing the firmware, software, routines, or instructions.

Further, aspects and embodiments may be described in the foregoing disclosure as a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but it will be apparent that each aspect and embodiment may or may not include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with a particular aspect or embodiment, it is understood that such feature, structure, or characteristic may be included with other aspects or embodiments, whether or not explicitly described. Accordingly, various changes and modifications may be made to the above disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, and it is intended that the specification and drawings be considered as exemplary only, with the scope of the invention being determined only by the appended claims.

Claims (20)

1. A vehicle collision warning system comprising:

a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of an alighting condition;

a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a traffic condition;

an internal warning signal system configured to issue a warning signal to warn a vehicle occupant of a hazardous condition, the internal warning signal system comprising:

at least one warning device configured to issue a warning signal; and

a processor configured to:

receiving the first signal from the first sensor;

receiving the second signal from the second sensor; and is

Detecting a hazard condition based on the first signal and the second signal; and is

In response to detecting the hazardous condition, generating a control signal to cause the at least one warning device to issue the warning signal to warn the vehicle occupant of the hazardous condition.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first sensor is at least one of a seat belt sensor, a motion sensor, an optical camera, a seat belt sensor, an ignition sensor, a vehicle motion sensor, a gear sensor, and a door handle sensor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the second sensor is at least one of an optical camera, an infrared camera, a motion detector, a radar, a laser, and an ultrasonic sensor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning signal is a visual warning signal.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning signal is a light beam.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning device is a display.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning signal is an audible warning signal.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning device is an audio speaker.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the warning device is configured to provide a vibratory warning signal.

10. A method for warning a vehicle occupant of a hazardous condition, the method being implemented by a vehicle collision warning system comprising:

a processor for processing the received data, wherein the processor is used for processing the received data,

a first sensor configured to generate a first signal indicative of an alighting condition,

a second sensor configured to generate a second signal indicative of a traffic condition, an

An internal warning signal system configured to issue a warning signal to warn a vehicle occupant of a hazardous condition, the internal warning signal system comprising:

at least one warning device configured to issue a warning signal, wherein the method comprises:

receiving the first signal from the first sensor;

receiving the second signal from the second sensor; and is

Detecting a hazard condition based on the first signal and the second signal; and is

In response to detecting the hazardous condition, generating a control signal to cause the at least one warning device to issue the warning signal to warn the vehicle occupant of the hazardous condition.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first sensor is at least one of a seat belt sensor, a motion sensor, an optical camera, a seat belt sensor, an ignition sensor, a vehicle motion sensor, a gear sensor, and a door handle sensor.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the second sensor is at least one of an optical camera, an infrared camera, a motion detector, a radar, a laser, and an ultrasonic sensor.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning signal is a visual warning signal.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning signal is a light beam.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning device is a display.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning signal is an audible warning signal.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning device is an audio speaker.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the warning device is configured to provide a vibratory warning signal.

19. A vehicle collision warning system comprising the technical features or any combination of the technical features of any one of claims 1 to 9.

20. A method comprising any feature or any combination of features of any one of claims 10 to 18.