RU69814U1 - SPECIAL APPLIANCE TRAFFIC ALARMS - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of traffic safety. It is proposed to use a device for signaling the movement of special-purpose vehicles, containing a laser emitter for emitting a laser beam in front of special-purpose vehicles, a means of generating patterns for projecting signal patterns using a laser beam, made in the form of a removable unit equipped with a control panel for operating modes, a control handle and an installed on a swivel bracket with the possibility of rotation in horizontal and vertical planes, with a connector for power supply from the mouths of the network of special purpose vehicles, and self-powered in the block. The device contains laser emitters of more than one color and is equipped with a removable memory unit with recorded commands to create a pattern of the laser beam. The laser beam emitter is equipped with a beam focusing device in the object illumination mode. In the process of movement of special-purpose vehicles, the operator turns on the device and controls it, projecting a laser pattern onto the surface of movement in front of the vehicle, including the surrounding vertical surfaces, switches the modes of the laser beam modulator, for example, moving directly, to the right, to the left. Laser beams of various colors are modulated according to a given program in terms of color, brightness, movement and ensure the visibility of the laser pattern, warning traffic participants about the priority of traffic for special vehicles.

Description

The invention relates to the field of traffic safety of special vehicles.

One of the important conditions for ensuring the safety of special-purpose vehicles (special vehicles of the sanitary and fire services), using the high-speed mode when driving to their destination and having an advantage when driving in accordance with the rules of the road, are informational signaling methods for warning the surrounding traffic participants, such as coloring of special vehicles, sound and light alarms about their movement.

The same problems arise in other modes of transport, for example, in small water transport with an increase in the intensity and speed of its movement.

Special signals are widely known - flashing beacons installed on special vehicles that use a light source, a color filter and a modulator of changes in light intensity, for example, a rotating reflector. Flashing beacons create a light signal having a uniform circular distribution characteristic.

The disadvantage of these devices is the lack of efficiency when driving at high speeds and in a difficult environment (for example, in an urban environment for vehicles) in the presence of dead zones from which it is not possible to receive special transport signals for surrounding traffic participants when they do not have enough time to react to changes in traffic conditions .

Due to the importance of solving the problem of ensuring traffic safety, automated security systems are being developed for collision warning and its prevention, including motion sensors, computer systems, electronic warning and control systems, etc.

For example, the car-by-car (V2V) system is known, which determines the position of a car relative to others and the movement of cars at a distance of about 400 meters, developed by General Motors Corporation. In the event of a potential accident, the system will warn the driver with a sound signal, flashing indicators on the dashboard or vibration of the seat. If the driver is not able to recognize these signals, the car will stop itself to avoid a collision. The systems are complex and designed for general purpose motor vehicles.

Currently, in order to ensure traffic safety, it is increasingly proposed to use the capabilities of devices with laser light emitters.

Known laser case beacon for wiring moving objects, application for invention No. 94027805 V 63 V 051/00 Design and Engineering Institute "Optics" SB RAS.

The invention relates to ship wiring systems. As a result of the invention, an increase in orientation accuracy is achieved, the ship increases the wiring reliability and range of the beacon. The lighthouse contains two lasers of various colors, optically connected to the reflectors of the first and second scanning devices and the first and second translucent windows of the lighthouse, a control signal generator shifted in time by half the horizontal scanning period, and the optical inputs are coupled through translucent output windows with reflectors. Laser output

the target beacon, alternately scanning beams of lasers of different colors form the orientation zone. According to the color of the flashes, the boatmaster determines the side, and according to the time between the series of flashes, the displacement of the vessel relative to the axis of the alignment.

To ensure traffic safety in conditions of limited visibility, in particular in fog, it is proposed to provide the vehicle moving behind the vehicle with information about the distance separating it from the vehicle moving in front. In this regard, a device is known from WO-A-9520502 that allows a vehicle moving in a vehicle stream to transmit a signal to vehicles immediately following it. This device uses an optical laser beam emitted by the device and directed in the opposite direction to the direction of travel of the vehicle equipped with this device.

The laser beam is emitted in a continuous mode so that the distance between the equipped vehicle and the point of incidence of the specified beam on the road surface approximately corresponds to the safe distance that must be followed by the vehicle immediately following it. This device, in particular, is used during heavy rain or fog.

This device provides the following distance safety information for the next vehicle. However, it does not satisfy all the necessary conditions.

In particular, such a device does not provide accurate information for the next car behind in the event of a traffic accident, in the event of an unexpected stop, or simply to tell the driver the necessary actions when a luminous point is detected on the road surface.

In addition, this device is of interest for the next car behind and does not provide any useful information for the driver of a car equipped with such a device.

Therefore, the use of such a device is very limited, and it provides very limited information to the driver of the next car behind.

It was also proposed to provide the driver of the vehicle with information, in particular regarding traffic jams or possible accidents, through the instrument panel of the equipped vehicle. Thus, the driver can get access to various information about the situation on the road or to the data of a system such as GPS.

However, such systems require appropriate equipment in the car, which can only be installed during its assembly. Therefore, it is very difficult to equip cars that are already on sale with such devices. In addition, such systems require appropriate displays at the level of the instrument panel and relatively sophisticated integrated electronic equipment, which makes such technologies more expensive.

The proposal “Device for optical signaling used on a vehicle” is known, protected by the patent of the Russian Federation 2,266,833 dated 10.26.2001 Bliner Thomas (France) (PCT WO 02/38416 05.16.2002), declaring the elimination of the shortcomings of existing technologies.

Its object is an optical signaling device used on a vehicle, in particular on a car involved in road traffic. The advantage of this device is the provision of optical information to the next car behind in the rain or fog. To this end, the device emits a pattern that can be constant or vary in

Dependence on the information transmitted to the driver of the next car behind.

As a result, the device allows you to warn the driver of the next car behind, for example, about an approaching strip of fog or about a technical malfunction of the car moving in front. According to a preferred embodiment, it may emit an information figure in front of a vehicle equipped with such a device. This pattern may be identical to or different from the pattern emitted in the rear direction, in particular, in order to transmit traffic information to the driver of the equipped vehicle. The device is also designed to transmit optical information on command from an external source or when detecting changes in the state of the road or car.

According to a preferred embodiment, the invention is also intended to assist the driver of an equipped car while driving in low visibility conditions. In this regard, the advantage of this device is claimed to be that it helps to see the demarcation band in front of the car with the help of an emitted laser beam scanning the entire band.

The known optical signaling device used in a vehicle, according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2266833 B 60 Q 1/52, contains a rear emitter for emitting a laser beam in the rear direction relative to the vehicle. At the same time, it has means for generating signal patterns for their projection using a laser beam in the rear direction.

This device is characterized by the following features:

- it contains control means for arbitrary actuation of the rear emitter;

- it contains a front emitter for emitting a laser beam in the front direction, while the front emitter contains a means of generating patterns for projection using a laser beam of the signal pattern in front of the car;

it comprises control means for arbitrarily driving the front emitter;

the control means is connected to one or more sensors to actuate the front emitter when detecting a change in the technical condition of the vehicle’s leg transport or meteorological conditions;

- the control means is connected to the receiver of the external control signal to actuate the front emitter when receiving an external control signal;

- the control means is connected to the receiver of the external control signal for actuating the front emitter when the external control signal is emitted;

- the means for generating patterns is configured to form a specific pattern from an existing set of patterns, and the control means is configured to transmit various commands to the emitter depending on the nature of the pattern being emitted;

- the device is designed to equip a vehicle involved in road traffic, and this device contains at least one camera recording a zone in front of the car in which there are demarcation strips on the road surface, either central or lateral in the normal position of the moving car, the processing means video information for calculating the position of the boundary lines on the road surface relative to the car and automatic means of rotating the front emitter

for positioning the point of incidence of the laser beam relative to the boundary lines on the road surface;

- the rotation means is turned on so that the point of incidence of the beam scans the surface of the boundary strip on the road surface.

However, the technical solution according to the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2266833 B 60 Q 1/52 has the following disadvantages:

- it involves equipping production vehicles with such devices. However, with the massive use of devices with laser radiation sources, there is a problem of the danger of drivers being blinded by laser beams, which, on the contrary, will reduce driving safety. For example, when the distance between cars is reduced or because of the terrain, radiation may get into the cab of a rear or neighboring car. Moreover, it offers automatic scanning of the boundary line. Automatic tracking of laser radiation does not take into account specific dangerous situations and the problem of protection against blinding is not solved. Reducing the power of the laser radiation source, as proposed in the description of the invention, as an attempt by the author to solve this problem, contradicts the purpose of the invention, which declares work in fog and rain conditions. The light absorption of the laser emitter by atmospheric precipitation is especially large and the decrease in the power of the source is inefficient;

- the invention is aimed at informing mainly behind a running car. The design of the information figure in front of the car is defined as an additional tool (paragraph 3 of the claims). However, the risk of head-on collisions is higher both in terms of risk and severity of consequences. Therefore informing

moving ahead, as well as other participants in the movement seems to be more priority;

- the invention considers the use of a laser emitter of only one color, it is noted that in the embodiment according to claim 8, a white laser emitter is preferable, which is not typical for the nomenclature of the laser radiation spectrum. The massive use of a complex optical information system with a single color source does not sufficiently solve the problem of facilitating the identification of signals by traffic participants. For example, in the analogue of the application for the invention No. 94027805 V 63 V 051/00 “Laser target beacon for conducting moving objects”, the device contains two lasers of different colors, so that in turn the scanning beams of these lasers are used to form an orientation zone;

- the proposed system is installed permanently on the car and does not have the ability to work autonomously or quickly change to another mode of transport;

- in the claims (paragraph 4) arbitrary control of the emitter is protected, however, the term arbitrary control is not structurally defined. In the description, arbitrary control is disclosed as the arbitrary inclusion of a laser emitter when the state of the car changes or the weather conditions change. Design features of the motion control of the laser emitter itself are not indicated;

- the invention proposes scanning a light source in which the point of incidence of the laser beam is positioned on the boundary line on the road surface and scans the surface of the boundary strip on the road surface. Such a solution requires the installation on cars of a complex system for reading and processing video information using a video camera and

electronic equipment and means of automatic rotation of the emitter. But it can only be used on roads with high quality coatings and appropriate marking. In water transport, such a solution is not applicable.

As a prototype, the “Optical signaling device used in a vehicle” is adopted, protected by the patent of the Russian Federation No. 2266833 60 Q 1/52.

The aim of the present invention is to improve the safety of special-purpose vehicles, including road and water.

The present invention eliminates the disadvantages of already known technologies.

The advantage of this device is to expand its scope to all types of transport, both land and water, as well as expanding the ability to work not only as part of the onboard equipment of one transport, but also at other objects and in an autonomous portable mode, for information purposes so for lighting purposes.

In the claimed device, the level of security is increased to the extent possible blinding others. This is achieved by the fact that the optical signaling device is installed only on vehicles having a higher priority of movement in accordance with the rules of the road for vehicles and regulatory documents governing movement for water vessels.

Such a solution and also the use of manual control of the emitter eliminates the disadvantage of known technologies associated with the possibility of temporary blindness of traffic participants and others.

The advantage of this device is compactness, the relative simplicity of the technical solution and the versatility of use, since this unit can be used for various purposes, for example, when following to the place of emergency situations, and in the process of eliminating them. The proposed device allows the possibility of its autonomous use for informational warning purposes, for illumination and lighting of the working area.

The advantage of the device is the use of laser emitters of various colors when constructing the information pattern, which allows to increase the identification efficiency of a moving object and reduce the reaction time of the participants in the movement.

The advantage of the device is the presence of a removable memory device in the control unit for modulating the information drawing, which allows to expand the artistic and technical capabilities when creating the nomenclature and type of projected information drawings due to the quick changeover of control programs and the expansion of the long-term memory of the control unit.

According to the embodiments described below, the device is characterized by the following features:

it is made in the form of a removable unit equipped with a control panel for operating modes, a control handle and mounted on a hinged bracket with the possibility of rotation in horizontal and vertical planes, with a connector for power from the on-board special-purpose transport network and an autonomous power source in the block;

contains laser emitters of more than two colors;

means for generating patterns for projecting signal patterns using a laser beam is provided with a removable memory unit with recorded commands for creating a pattern of the laser beam;

the laser beam emitter is equipped with a beam focusing device in the object illumination mode.

The essence of the claimed technical solution is illustrated by the drawings.

In figure 1. A block diagram of a device for signaling traffic for special purposes

In figure 2. The layout of the device in a special-purpose vehicle cab is presented.

In figure 3. The passage of special vehicles through the intersection is presented directly.

The device consists of a laser beam emitter containing laser light sources 1, preferably of different colors [Fig. 1], a laser beam modulation unit 2, signal pattern generating means or modulation mode programmer 3, a beam focusing system 4, a power supply 5 with a connector to the on-board power supply 6, the operating mode switch 7 with the control panel 8 and the control knob 9. The device is arranged in a housing 10 located on a hinge mount 11 mounted on the dashboard 12 in the transport cab social purpose 13. The means for generating patterns of drawings can be equipped with a removable memory node 14 with recorded programs to create a pattern of the laser beam 15.

The work is as follows.

In the process of movement of special-purpose vehicles 13 [Figure 2], the operator from the driver’s cab during driving to the destination controls the device, turns on the laser light source, then sets the modulation program, which determines the pattern drawn by the laser 15, directs the beam to the front hemisphere in the direction traffic of special purpose vehicles, to hazardous areas according to traffic conditions, i.e. places where other participants in the movement 16 may appear, for example, those who have not accepted the standard

special transport signals due to being in the dead zone, or not noticing them. The power of the laser light source is limited by the requirement to ensure safety for surrounding viewers as much as possible blinding. The operator designs the signals on the motion surface, switches the modes of the modulator of the laser beam, for example, the movement directly [Figure 3], right, left. To increase the efficiency of traffic signals for special vehicles, not only the traffic surface, but also the surrounding vertical surfaces of buildings and structures are used. The proposed device, equipped with green or blue lasers, provides a pattern that is noticeable in the air and in standalone mode can be used to send signals to atmospheric formations. In some cases, for example, when eliminating the consequences of emergency situations, the device is used to illuminate and illuminate the working area.

The positive effect of the application of the proposed technical solution is determined by increasing the safety of special vehicles by increasing the effectiveness of warning information sent to the site before the appearance of special vehicles in it, which increases the allowed time for the reaction of traffic participants, increases the visibility of the signal by increasing brightness and recognition.

Claims (4)

1. An optical signaling device about the movement of special-purpose vehicles, comprising an emitter for emitting a laser beam in front of a special-purpose vehicle, a pattern generating means for projecting signal patterns using a laser beam, characterized in that it is made in the form of a removable unit equipped with a control panel for operating modes, control handle and mounted on a swivel bracket with the possibility of rotation in horizontal and vertical planes, with a connector for power supply from the side howling special-purpose transport network and an autonomous power source in the unit. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that it contains laser emitters of more than two colors. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the means of generating patterns for projecting signal patterns using a laser beam is equipped with a removable memory unit with recorded commands to create a pattern of the laser beam. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the laser beam emitter is equipped with a beam focusing device in the lighting mode of the object.