GB2519370A

GB2519370A - Vehicle safety crossing system

Info

Publication number: GB2519370A
Application number: GB1318574.9A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Yaseen Al-Basri
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2013-10-21
Filing date: 2013-10-21
Publication date: 2015-04-22
Also published as: GB201318574D0

Abstract

The vehicle 2 safety system comprises cameras, body detection sensors, audible and visible alarms, displays 8 and a logic-control unit. The output from the front-mounted camera is displayed on the LED, plasma or LCD display located at the rear of the vehicle, thereby providing vehicles 3 travelling behind with an indication of potential risks in front of the vehicle.

Description

Title; Vehicle Safety Crossing System (VSCS)

Background;

This invention relates to a new application consisting of an implementation of a number of devices designed and programmed specifically to alarm a vehicle driving behind a large vehicle such as a bus, of activities happening, such as pedestrians crossing in front of a bus or truck. Pedestrians crossing in the front of a large vehicle such as a bus that may be stationary whilst passengers disembark or embark at a bus stop is a major danger; it is not controllable and is an unpredictable and continuous problem for vehicle drivers behind and alongside the bus travelling on the same side of the road and travelling in the same direction and who have impaired visibility of pedestrians that suddenly appear from in front of the bus to cross the road.

The Vehicle Safety Crossing System (VSCS) should significantly decrease the risk of a pedestrian getting hit by another vehicle that is passing the large vehicle. By applying the usage of the VSCS on a bus, coach, truck, lorry etc will alert any vehicle which is passing alongside or overtaking the large vehicle of the presence of a pedestrian passing in front of the large vehicle. The VSCS consists of cameras positioned on the front of the vehicle that project an image at the rear of the vehicle displayed on a monitor and visible to drivers in following or passing vehicles and therefore alerting them to activities in front of the large vehicle. The VSCS also comprises a row of body detector sensors at the front of the vehicle detecting the distance and movement of a pedestrian crossing in front of the vehicle where the VSCS will trigger a flashing and optional sound alarm to alert the passing vehicle of any pedestrian crossing at the front.

Statement of invention;

The invention is the application of the VSCS which is the combination of multiple devices functioning together: monitors, body detection sensors, sound alarms, flashing alarms, and the logic-control unit.

The functionality of multiple devices provides a new application aimed at alarming and alerting moving vehicles of the situation in front of larger vehicles such as buses, coaches, lorries, trucks or any vehicle that blocks the vision of vehicles behind them. The VSCS invention is to provide a following or passing vehicle a view of any pedestrians crossing in front of a large vehicle whether it is stationary or slow moving through a monitor positioned at the back of the large vehicle, showing any pedestrians crossing at the front of a vehicle. The VSCS would give a chance for the passing vehicle to come to a halt before possibly making contact with a pedestrian. There is a possibility that the pedestrian has crossed in front of the large vehicle after the passing vehicle has driven passed the monitor, in this case the sound alarm and flash alarm on the front side of the bus will alert the driver to stop. If the vehicle driver acknowledges the side alarms, there is still a possibility of them stopping the vehicle and if not stopping the vehicle in time, the severity of the impact will be reduced.

Advantages; It is commonly known that it is wrong to cross at the front of a bus or in front of any large vehicle.

Large vehicles block the view for smaller vehicles or any vehicle at the rear and for this reason large vehicles often carry warning signs for other vehicle drivers that state pedestrians may be crossing and for them to be careful. This problem is a worldwide issue; many pedestrians make such mistakes i.e. children, old people, people not paying attention whilst talking on mobiles or simply people who have just disembarked from a bus to cross the road. The VSCS enables other vehicles with impaired vision to have awareness and visibility of the situation at the front of the larger vehicle in front of them or at the side of them. The VSCS will reduce the chance of collision between passing vehicles and a crossing pedestrian, which is highly important for saving lives. However, this will depend on both the speed of the passing vehicle and the crossing pedestrian. The system can also record the events of any accident and it will provide useful evidence for both vehicle drivers and pedestrians. In some incidents the pedestrian could be running and crossing too fast for any vehicle to stop in time and in other scenarios the car may be exceeding the road speed limit and be responsible for an accident.

Vehicle Safety Crossing System (VSCS)

Introduction to Drawings;

The description of the VSCS invention is illustrated in the drawing attached.

Figure 1: Shows a side view of a pedestrian (1), Large vehicle (2) and a Small vehicle (3).

Figure 2: Shows a rear view of a pedestrian (1), crossing at the front of the large vehicle (2), appearing on the monitor(s), where small vehicle (3) is at the side of the large vehicle (2), flash side alarm (4) positioned at the side of the large vehicle and flash rear alarm (5) positioned at the rear of the large vehicle (2) Figure 3: Shows the position of small vehicle (3) behind the large vehicle (2), at a position to view the monitor (8).

Figure 4: Shows multiple images of the rear view of a large vehicle with the VSCS and the image that could be seen through a live scenario of a pedestrian (1) crossing and appearing on the monitor(S).

Figure 5: Shows front view of pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2) adjacent to a passing small vehicle (3).

Figure 6: Shows front view of large vehicle (2) showing the VSCS devices: flash side alarm (4) on the side, cameras on the front of the vehicle (6) and body detecting sensors (7).

Figure 7: Shows rear view of a large vehicle (2), flashing side alarm (4), flashing rear alarm (5) and monitor (8).

Figure 8: Shows a side view large vehicle (2), rear alarm (5), side alarm (4) and camera (6).

Figure 9: Shows a front view of pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2).

Figure 10: Shows a front view of pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2), detected by detecting sensors (7).

Figure 11: Shows a front view of pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2), the movement is detected by the body detecting sensors (7) and camera (6) filming the movement.

Figure 12: Shows a front view of pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2), detected by body detecting sensors (7) and flashing side alarm (4) is activated.

Figure 13: Shows a front view of pedestrian (1) positioned in front of small vehicle (3), flashing side alarm is activated (4).

Figure 14: Shows a multiple of isometric views, pedestrian (1) crossing in front of large vehicle (2) at the same time the small vehicle (3) moving beside large vehicle (2) in a collision course with pedestrian (1).

Figure 15: Shows a side view of pedestrian (1) positioned in front of small vehicle (3).

Figure 16: Shows an isometric view of pedestrian (1) positioned in front of vehicle (3).

Figure 17: Shows a flow chart of the Vehicle Safety Crossing System (VSCS) functionality, the body detecting sensors (7) and the camera (6) transmit the information to the Logic processing unit (9) to analyse the information received, then upon a logical decision the rear alarm (5), and side alarm (4) will be activated, as well as the sound alarm (10) will be activated, the camera (6) can transmit the video signal directly to the monitor (8), the logic processing unit (9) can also transmit a signal to monitor (8) for extra visual warning too.

Vehicle Safety Crossing System (VSCS)

Description;

This invention relates to a new application consisting of an implementation of a number of devices designed and programmed specifically to alarm a vehicle driving behind a large vehicle such as a bus, of activities happening, such as pedestrians crossing in front of a bus or truck. By applying the usage of the VSCS on a large vehicle such as a bus, the system will alert any other vehicle which is passing from behind or alongside the bus of any pedestrian crossing at the front of the bus. The VSCS consists of cameras at the front of the bus, interacting and projecting an image displayed on a monitor at the rear of the bus. The VSCS also comprises a row of sensors positioned at the front of the bus detecting the distance and movement of any pedestrian crossing at the front of the bus and a flashing and sound alarm to alert any passing vehicles alongside the bus of any pedestrian crossing at the front of the bus.

The VSCS can be implemented in different ways using varying combinations of the components that comprise the VSCS:- 1-The VSCS can transmit live images from the cameras at the front of the large vehicle to the monitor at the rear of a large vehicle which will be useful to give information to vehicles passing from behind.

2-The VSCS can utilise the body detector sensors at the front of the large vehicle to detect body movement and to activate the alarm at the back and side of the large vehicle. In addition, the monitor at the rear of the large vehicle can display graphical images to represent moving objects at the front of the large vehicle or can project live video images from the camera show moving pedestrians at the front of the large vehicle.

3-Alternatively, pedestrian movement can be analysed from the video signals received from the cameras at the front of the large vehicle using a software program in the logic processing unit.

This unit is a computerised system to predict pedestrian movement that will activate the alarm units accordingly. This can be processed by using the video signal from the camera only or can take a dual feed of information from both the camera video signal and from the body detecting sensors. The analysis will operate based on the prediction of body movement taking into consideration the speed and direction of the pedestrian body, so the slower movement of both pedestrian and the passing car means the lower risk of collision and the faster of both pedestrian and car, the higher risk of collision. This prediction of movement will then influence the trigger of the alarms on the back and side of the large vehicle.

The sound alarm activation can work for both the passing car on the side and the pedestrian trying to cross, the warning for the pedestrian can be a recorder or synthesized speech or siren alarm.

The VSCS system can be partially implemented in large vehicles for the use of monitoring only, and by using the camera at the front and a monitor at the rear end. This arrangement will benefit the smaller vehicles at the rear of large vehicles to enable the drivers to see the condition of the road at the front of the large vehicle.

The video transmission to the monitor at the rear of the large vehicle can be the original video signal displayed from any suitable angle or the data can be analysed and presented to the rear monitor as a simple graphical image to give an illustration of movement.

Claims

Claims; 1-A system to be implemented on a large vehicle comprising a number of devices; monitor, cameras, body detection sensors, sound alarm, front and side flashing alarms and a logic-control unit, the functionality of all these devices providing a warning system aimed to display to any vehicle the scenery in front of a large vehicle where visibility of the scene at the front of the large vehicle is blocked at its rear or side.

2-The system as claimed in claim 1, the monitor being a LED, plasma, LCD or other display systems, showing the original projections.

3-The system as claimed in any preceding claims, the original signal transmitted by the cameras or detected by the body detection sensors being the original video signal or a graphical simulation.

4-The system as claimed in any preceding claims, being a combination of a camera and monitor only without a central processing unit or alarm device.