HRP20201841A1 - System for detection of obstacles for protection of roof baggage on vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

The obstacle detection system disclosed here for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles comprises at least one detector (200) and a device for communicating with the detector (300) in the form of a smartphone. The detector (200) comprises a communication interface and a detection circuit, the detection assembly being in fact a laser rangefinder. The detector (200) and the device for communication with the detector (300) are connected in such a way that the detector (200) notifies the smartphone or the device for communication with the detector (300) that the roof luggage is in front of the vehicle (100) 102,104) finds an obstacle (110) in the direction of movement of the vehicle. In addition to the protection of roof luggage, it is possible to use this obstacle detection system as an early warning system for truck drivers to encounter an obstacle lower than the truck, trailer or semi-trailer height (106) with the roof luggage function (102,104) being replaced by trailer or semi-trailer (106). The system for detection of obstacles for protection of roof baggage on vehicles comprises at least one detector (200) and a device for communication with the detector (300) in the form of a smartphone. The detector (200) comprises a communication interface and a detection assembly, the detection assembly being in fact a laser distance meter. The detector (200) and the device for communication with the detector (300) are connected in such a way that the detector (200) notifies the smartphone, that is the device for communication with the detector (300), that in front of the vehicle (100) there is an obstacle (110) in the direction of movement of the vehicle at the height of the roof luggage (102,104). In addition to the protection of roof luggage, it is possible to use this obstacle detection system as an early warning system for truck drivers encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, trailer or semi-trailer height (106) with the roof luggage function (102,104 ) being replaced by trailer or semi-trailer (106).

Description

Technical field to which the invention relates

This invention relates to systems for detecting obstacles or objects, especially to systems for detecting obstacles for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles, which systems are installed in new or used vehicles. Also, it is about systems for early warning of truck drivers when encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, the height of the trailer or semi-trailer, also applicable to all tall vehicles such as campers, vans and the like.

Technical problem

The inventor is a vehicle owner and a fan of cycling in the countryside. He often transports the bicycle on racks on the roof of the vehicle. It has happened to him more than once that the bicycle he was transporting on the racks on the roof of the vehicle got stuck on an obstacle when entering his own garage, for the simple reason that he forgot that there was luggage on the roof, namely a bicycle. Therefore, the inventor's goal was to find a solution in the situation when a bicycle is being transported on the roof of the vehicle, but also any other load on the roof racks of the vehicle, based on which solution the driver would be warned in time that he was encountering an obstacle so that the driver would stop the vehicle and prevent damage . Namely, it is important for the driver of a vehicle with roof luggage to have timely information, if there is an obstacle under which the vehicle with luggage cannot pass, in order to avoid damage to the roof luggage and the vehicle.

Such lapses in driving also happen to other drivers, either when they enter their own garage or a public or underground garage, because they simply forget that they have roof luggage, and the Internet is full of pictures of such damage, where the damage can amount to ten thousand or more kuna, due to this, there is damage to the bicycle, roof racks, and often the roof of the vehicle, as well as cracking of the rear window of the vehicle.

Also, a common problem is that tractors pulling semi-trailers that are taller than tractors "forget" that the height of the semi-trailer is the basis on which they evaluate or determine the possibility of passing under an overpass or other height obstacle (telephone or electric wires, etc.), and at the same time hitches, which in addition to causing damage to the semi-trailer also causes damage due to damage to other people's property.

State of the art

Based on the performed search of the state of the art, the inventor did not establish the existence of such patents. The problem of existing systems used for obstacle detection in general, such as for example a bat uses an echolocation system, is that they cover the detection area too widely, which is not suitable at longer distances because the existence of an obstacle that is not actually in the direction of the vehicle is too often detected. The application of some other technologies enables the detection of only large obstacles, however, it is not possible to precisely determine whether the height at which the obstacle is located is high enough to prevent the load on the roof of the vehicle from coming into contact with the obstacle itself, so it is of limited use in situations where it is just it is necessary to determine more precisely whether a vehicle with roof luggage can safely pass under such an obstacle.

The alternative to the solution presented here is much more complicated, and that is to use advanced signal analysis (eg video signal) to discern what is an obstacle and what is not. The existing state of the art does not have affordable systems based on video signal analysis technology. In addition, due to the signal analysis time, the driver is not alerted on time, and such a solution is several times more expensive than the solution presented in this invention.

Brief content of the essence of the invention

A high-quality driver assistance system, especially a system for detecting obstacles on the road in the direction of movement of the vehicle, must have a high degree of reliability, and this means that an existing obstacle should be identified without false detection, especially in the case of fog or rain. Bearing in mind the speed of driving in places where obstacles are expected, the maximum speed of which is up to 40 km/h, and the fact that at such speeds the braking distance for a passenger vehicle to stop is 10 to 15 meters, a system that has the ability to detect an obstacle at 20 up to 30 meters away. This invention is not generally concerned with the detection of obstacles on the road, but with the detection of obstacles at the height of the roof luggage that the vehicle may have mounted on the roof racks on the roof of the vehicle.

The problem of detecting whether something approaches a car moving forward is difficult at the start because the car moves forward and approaches all detected objects. Because of this problem, it is necessary to "target" or in some other way recognize only the dangerous obstacle. The wide-angle sensor captures too many surrounding objects in traffic that do not represent an obstacle, and the sensor cannot distinguish them from a real obstacle. Examples of wide-angle sensors are ultrasonic sensors and radio antennas. In addition to the angle, the problem with the ultrasonic sensor is the maximum detection distance, which is about 6m and must be placed outside the car. Radio antennas (eg the one used by the traffic police) use a 24 GHz frequency and the detection angle is about 30 degrees. Such an antenna could be directed "up", but then the alarm would also sound for underpasses, traffic lights, trees, etc. Also, if the antenna is directed upwards, then the actual distance cannot be calculated because it is not known at what angle the obstacle was detected . So, the solution is in something that will be directed forward in the direction of the car's movement and insensitive to objects that are not obstacles. By conducting actual measurements, the inventor determined that the ideal detection angle is 4 to 8 degrees, and the detection distance from the obstacle is 10 to 20 meters, where it is possible to alert a driver driving at a speed of 18 km/h to 36 km/h in time, which are satisfactory speeds when it is about approaches to own garages and shopping centers. So, from all the measurements carried out, the inventor determined that the latest laser ToF sensor of class1 power can meet the needs of obstacle detection. This invention, based on empirical research, specifically includes the protection of roof luggage from obstacles such as garages where assumed vehicle speeds are from approx. 1km/h to 35km/h using the latest technology based on class1 ToF sensors. The inventor empirically established that the detection of obstacles at the level of roof luggage up to 20m will not cause false alarms to be sounded too often due to traffic detection, and such detection can be reduced to a minimum with additional software improvements. The whole concept is based on empirical measurements of some real situations and tests of a ToF sensor that had a detection angle of 4 degrees and a distance from an obstacle between 10 and 20 meters. Under real situations, the inventor took into account other types of obstacles that are usually encountered, at least domestically.

The obstacle detection system disclosed here for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles contains at least one detector and a device for communicating with the detector, wherein the detector contains a communication interface and a detection circuit, and wherein the detector and the device for communicating with the detector are connected in such a way that the detector reports device for communication with the detector to detect obstacles in the direction of movement of the vehicle in front of the vehicle at the height where the roof luggage is located. The detector usually contains a transmitter and a receiver, where the transmitter transmits waves, and the receiver receives waves that are possibly reflected by an obstacle if it exists in the vehicle's path. In the event that the detector contains several pairs of receivers and transmitters, they are paired so that the transmitter in the pair transmits waves of a certain wavelength, and the receiver receives the waves sent by the transmitter from the pair, which waves are possibly reflected by the obstacle. The detector can be installed in the vehicle in a convenient place so that the waves have a free path in the direction of the vehicle's movement, or the detector can be attached to the roof luggage.

The advantage of the laser compared to the ultrasonic sensor is that the sensor can be installed inside the vehicle, because unlike ultrasonic waves, the glass on the vehicle passes laser light with a wavelength of 850 nm. The possible positioning of the sensor is at the place of the interior rear-view mirror. In this case, we can talk about the invention of a new application of the rearview mirror, which, in addition to checking the rear situation, can raise an alarm if an obstacle appears in front of the car. A possible application is to calculate how fast a car is moving towards an obstacle (eg a car that has stopped). Such a rear-view mirror could, in addition to the audible one, also give a light alarm, for example, the rear-view mirror frame turns red.

The transmitter sends out waves in pulses or packets, so that it achieves improved detection of the existence of the obstacle itself as well as the distance at which it is located.

Usually, the device for communicating with the detector is a smartphone. The communication between the device for communicating with the detector and the detector takes place either via a bluetooth connection, wireless Internet or some other wireless connection, and if it is a system that is already installed in the vehicle when the vehicle is manufactured, the connection can be wired.

The program support built into the device for communicating with the detector, usually on a smartphone, functions in such a way that information about the height of the roof luggage is entered into the smartphone, which information is then transferred to the detector interface, after which the detector starts working. The detector continuously performs the function of detecting an obstacle while driving, and if it detects an obstacle, it sends an alarm signal to the device for communicating with the detector. The user should perform a check and, if necessary, stop the vehicle in order to avoid running into an obstacle or the impact of the roof luggage into the obstacle. If the detector does not detect an obstacle, the obstacle detection process is repeated, and this process continues until the detector receives the information that the drive is over. The versions of the detector itself can be different, for example, it is possible that it contains a laser system for object detection and distance measurement, or that it contains a laser scanner and a stereo vision system.

In another version, the position where the sensor is located is more important than the height of the luggage, that is, the highest height that we want to protect. The difference between the place where the sensor is placed and the height of the luggage is important because of the correct placement of the angle of the sensor in order to achieve the greatest possible detection distance. In other words, the more we direct the sensor towards the sky, the shorter the horizontal detection distance. In this case, it is ideal for the sensor to be at the same height as the highest point of the luggage to be protected and to be directed horizontally. In this case, it is not necessary to enter the height of the luggage in the application, because the ideal settings are achieved by correctly placing the sensor.

Application of this system is also possible for use on trucks. In that case, it would be a system for early warning of the truck driver when encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, the height of the trailer or semi-trailer, and which system contains the obstacle detection system described earlier, with the function of the roof luggage being replaced by a truck trailer or semi-trailer.

This solution can be used to protect the load on the trailer, but it should be remembered that the target maximum detection distance is about 20m. Regarding the proposed ToF sensors, the situation in the applied solutions is as follows: distance at 5m=8 degrees, at 10m=4 degrees, at 20m=2 degrees, at 30m=1 degree. In tests of the functioning of this system, it was shown that the ideal angle of detection is between 4 and 8 degrees. Of course, greater detection can be achieved with more paired devices, but then the price is higher.

Brief description of the drawing

The accompanying drawings, which are included in the description and form part of the description of the invention, illustrate the best mode of carrying out the invention thus far considered and assist in explaining the basic principles of the invention. This invention is in no way limited by the drawings which are an integral part of this invention.

Figure 1. Display of the obstacle detection system for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles with a detector mounted inside the vehicle

Figure 2. Display of the obstacle detection system for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles with a detector mounted on the roof luggage

Figure 3. Presentation of the communication of the detector and the device for communication with the detector

Figure 4. Presentation of the flow diagram of the obstacle detection system for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles

Figure 5. Display of the system for early warning of the truck driver when encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, the height of the trailer or semi-trailer

List of used call signs

100-vehicle

102 roof box as roof luggage

104-bicycle as overhead luggage

106-trailer or semi-trailer

110-obstacle

200-detector

202-waves emitted by the transmitter

210-communication link

300 - device for communication with the detector

310-input of luggage height

320-data transfer to the detector interface

330-detector start

340-obstacle detection

350-sending an alarm to the device to communicate with the detector

360-signal that the ride is over

370-checking and stopping the vehicle

380-end of ride

A detailed description of at least one way of realizing the invention

The system presented here for the detection of obstacles for the protection of roof luggage 102,104 on vehicles 100 is made in such a way that a standard available laser system for detecting objects and measuring the range distance of approx. 30 meters (these are class 1 lasers that do not damage the eyes) which is built into the housing of the detector 200, in which, in addition to the laser rangefinder in question, there is electronics in the form of a communication interface that enables the communication of the detector 200 via a bluetooth communication connection 210 with a smartphone that is in operation, a device for communication with the detector 300. The mentioned laser system for object detection and distance measurement has all the necessary electronics to detect the laser beam, actually pulses of the laser beam, which hit an object in front of it, which is located in the direction of the vehicle's movement reflected from that object, and on the basis of the time that has passed since the pulse was transmitted and the detection of the reflected transmitted pulse, the distance from the object or obstacle 110 is determined. The use of ToF (time of flight) technology does not recognize the wavelength shift, but calculates the pulse reflection time. Impulses are transmitted at a precisely determined time interval. Objects that actually represent an obstacle 110 are detected in the direction of movement of the vehicle 100. The communication interface notifies the mobile device if an obstacle 110 is detected so that the driver of the vehicle can take the necessary actions, i.e. stop the vehicle. Through the built-in algorithm, the system recognizes if it detects an object or another vehicle moving forward in the direction of travel, and its height corresponds to the height of the roof luggage and recognizes such a situation.

In one possible version of this system, the angle of the detector should be manually adjusted for different roof luggage heights. In practice, the angle of the detector would always be the same because there are no big differences in the height of the load, and the obstacles are approximately between 2 and 3 m high.

In some more complex versions of this system, which contain several transmitters and receivers in the detector, it is possible to enter parameters such as the height of the luggage or the height at which the built-in detector is located via a smartphone. Namely, the above is important if a bicycle 104 is placed on the roof of the vehicle on the supports, because in that case the obstacle detection area is the entire height of the bicycle 104, while in the case of a roof box, the obstacle detection height area is much lower. In one embodiment, there is a program application in the smartphone that functions in such a way that, as a first step, data on the height of the roof luggage 310 is entered into the device for communicating with the detector 300 (smartphone), which data is then transferred from the smartphone via bluetooth connection 210 to sensor detector interface 320, and after that the detector starts working 330 and performs the function of detecting an obstacle 340, and if it detects an obstacle 110, it sends an alarm signal to the device for communicating with the detector 350, i.e. a smartphone, after which the user performs a check and stops the vehicle 370, i.e. if the detector 200 does not detect the obstacle 110, the obstacle detection procedure 340 is repeated until the detector 200 receives the information that the drive is completed 360.

Tests performed show that this system, at a vehicle speed of 20 km/h, detects a tubular ramp placed at the entrance to a public parking lot at approx. 20 meters away. Testing shows that with a detection distance of up to 20m, the driver will on average stop a vehicle moving up to 36km/h. Tests also show that the specified detection distance with a detection angle of 4 degrees has a very low number of false alarms. With additional software algorithms, the number of false alarms can be reduced to a minimum.

This system can also be implemented on trucks, thus providing a system for early warning of the truck driver when encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, the height of the trailer or semi-trailer 106.

In a further embodiment, the detector is installed in the central rearview mirror, which is already equipped as standard with sensors such as rain detectors for turning on the wipers and video cameras. It is also possible, in one of the versions, to install an additional sensor in the rearview mirror that automatically recognizes whether the car has luggage on the roof.

Claims (12)

1. An obstacle detection system for the protection of roof luggage on vehicles, characterized in that it contains at least one detector (200) and a device for communicating with the detector (300), wherein the detector (200) contains a communication interface and a detection circuit, and wherein the detector (200) and the device for communicating with the detector (300) are connected in such a way that the detector (200) informs the device for communicating with the detector (300) that in front of the vehicle (100) at the height where the roof luggage (102,104) is located obstacle (110) in the direction of movement of the vehicle. 2. Obstacle detection system according to the first patent claim, characterized by the fact that the detector (200) contains a transmitter and a receiver, where the transmitter transmits waves (202), and the receiver receives waves that are possibly reflected from the obstacle (300) if it exists on vehicle path (100). 3. The detection system according to the second patent claim, characterized in that the detector (200) contains several pairs of receivers and transmitters paired so that the transmitter in the pair transmits waves (202) of a certain wavelength, and the receiver receives the waves sent by the transmitter from the pair that the waves are possibly reflected from the obstacle (300). 4. The detection system according to any preceding patent claim, characterized in that the detector (200) is installed in the vehicle (100). 5. The detection system according to any of the first to third patent claims, characterized in that the detector (200) is attached to the roof luggage (102, 104). 6. The detection system according to any preceding patent claim, characterized in that the device for communicating with the detector (300) is a smartphone or on-board computer in the vehicle. 7. A detection system according to any preceding patent claim, characterized in that the device for communicating with the detector (300) and the detector (200) communicate via the connection (210) bluetooth, wireless Internet or some other wireless or wired connection. 8. Obstacle detection system according to any previous patent claim, indicated by the fact that data on the height of the roof luggage (310) is entered into the device for communication with the detector (300), which data is then transferred to the interface of the sensor detector (320) and after then the detector starts working (330) and performs the function of obstacle detection (340), and if it detects an obstacle (110) it sends an alarm signal to the device for communicating with the detector (350), after which the user performs a check and stops the vehicle (370), or if the detector (200) does not detect an obstacle (110), the obstacle detection procedure (340) is repeated until the detector (200) receives the information that the ride is over (360). 9. Obstacle detection system according to any preceding patent claim, characterized in that the detector (200) contains a laser system for object detection and distance measurement. 10. Obstacle detection system according to the ninth patent claim, characterized by the fact that the laser is class 1 type. 11. Obstacle detection system according to the ninth or tenth patent claim characterized in that the angle of the laser beam in relation to the surface on which the vehicle is standing is in the range of 4 to 8 degrees. 12. A system for early warning of a truck driver when encountering an obstacle lower than the truck, the height of the trailer or semi-trailer (106), characterized by the fact that it contains an obstacle detection system according to any previous patent claim, with the function of the roof luggage (102, 104) being replaced by a trailer or semi-trailer(106).