WO2007143990A1

WO2007143990A1 - A safety system for vehicles for avoiding traffic accidents

Info

Publication number: WO2007143990A1
Application number: PCT/DK2007/000226
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ove Sand Kirk
Original assignee: Ove Kirk Design Aps
Priority date: 2006-06-13
Filing date: 2007-05-11
Publication date: 2007-12-21

Abstract

When, according to the invention, a vehicle (13, 14) is equipped with a safety system (1 ), which is capable of detecting the presence of an obstacle close to the sides of the vehicle, and which is capable of warning the driver and initiating stopping, it is ensured that accidents may be prevented in connection with turning manoeuvres. The system is arranged such that its functions are automatically turned on at standstill and at speeds up to a pre-set speed when the indicator switch is activated or a turn sensor pro- duces a signal. A light generator (2) and a light sensor (3) are used, which cover the safety area (B), using coded, infrared light.

Description

A SAFETY SYSTEM FOR VEHICLES FOR AVOIDING TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

The prior art

The invention relates to a safety system for vehicles for avoiding collision, in particular traffic accidents between turning vehicles and cyclists or pedestrians, said system comprising detection means, alarm means and brake means, said system cooperating with a speed sensor, an indicator switch and a turn sensor.

It is a fact, unfortunately, that vehicles - mainly trucks - are frequently involved in accidents where cyclists or pedestrians are injured or killed when a turning manoeuvre is carried out. Right-hand turn accidents, in particular, are dangerous, as a cyclist or a pedestrian may get surprised and be squeezed between the truck and the kerbstone or a lamp stand or the like. Frequently, the soft road-users forget that the sides of a truck cut off the corner obliquely, and that the sides do not follow the curve of the roadside. Unfortunately, the result is that they may be dragged in below the rear wheels and get killed.

Many ideas have been tested in order to remedy the problem, and many informational campaigns have been conducted in order to provide information on the dangers of right-hand turning trucks, and on how to avoid these dangers. Unfortunately, it seems that the good advice is not remembered, because accidents still occur.

In the technical field, it has been attempted for some time to equip the trucks with appliances which might help the drivers to avoid these acci- dents. Thus, one approach has been to equip trucks with shields along the sides between the driver's cab and the rear wheels. However, it has been found that this is not always effective, because a cyclist who is knocked over by the shields only has a very limited amount of time to get away, and if the legs are entangled in a bicycle, it is almost impossible.

Further, trucks have been equipped with additional mirrors which were to assist the driver in getting an overview of the area along the sides of the truck during the turning manoeuvre. The problem of this solution is that the mirrors have to be adjusted correctly in order to work, and it has been found that, frequently, this is not the case. Thus, it often happens that the mechanics at the MOT test garages have to instruct the drivers on how to adjust these additional mirrors. Another problem of the mirrors is that, frequently, they are not able to cover the entire area during an on-going turn- ing manoeuvre, and that the driver's attention is divided between the mirror and the traffic in general.

It has been attempted to equip the trucks with one or more cameras in order to get an overview of the areas which cannot be seen in the mirrors. However, like with the additional mirror, there is the problem that the cameras cannot show the entire area during the turning manoeuvre, and that the image from the camera is displayed on a monitor in the driver's cab, which in turn means that the driver has to divide his attention between the mirrors, the monitor and the traffic in general. In addition, such equipment is relatively expensive and will hardly be attractive to any haulage contractor.

Another known way of solving the problems is disclosed in the document WO 2005/039939, which teaches a solution with pressure-sensitive sensors arranged in long strips secured to the sides of the truck, and with a plurality of proximity sensors, so that the alarm signal may be graduated according to whether there is a distance to the obstacle, or whether there is physical contact between the obstacle and the sides of the vehicle. An alarm, if any, is given via a sound generator in the driver's cab, so that the driver can react. However, the pressure-sensitive strips do not solve any problem, because it is simply too late to react when there is a signal from the sensors, because the cyclist may already have been knocked over. The proximity sensors are adjusted to record an obstacle at a distance of 10 - 15 cm, which, in connection with a right-hand turn, must be considered to be much too small for a cyclist to be discovered in time.

The document WO 90/13103 discloses a safety system for avoiding collision, which is composed of a detection unit which operates with reflected light, said detection unit being activated by an indicator switch. Upon detection of an object, an alarm is given in the cab exclusively in the form of light or sound. There are no signals to the brake system of the vehicle. The safety system may be activated by the indicator switch only, and, therefore, situations may occur where an alarm is given without this being desired.

The document GB 2265744 A describes a blind spot indicator with associated warning system. The system is operative during the entire drive, but the sound alarm may be disconnected by a timer. The system generates sound and light alarms when a road-user is detected in the blind spot field, and also if a turn sensor detects that the driver begins turning into the path in front of the other road-user. The detection method is based on reflection of sound or light. The system will generate alarms each time another road- user passes by, which will be a great inconvenience when the traffic is carried in several lanes, when manoeuvring in restricted space and in many other situations.

The document US 2003/0090570 A1 describes a system of controlling the image selection for a monitor, where the system, through selection of camera, may cause the monitor to show images of the surroundings of the car from the front, from both sides or from the rear. The selection of camera is determined by the position of the gear, a turn sensor and the speed. The system is primarily intended as an aid for manoeuvring in darkness and in restricted space, and has no special alarm or brake functions. It will not be expedient to the driver to have to divide his attention between the image display and the traffic.

The document US 4838617 describes a system whose purpose is to ensure that a school bus remains braked for a pre-set amount of time after children have disembarked and the door has been closed, so that they have time to get away from the bus in safety. The system is not adapted to detect road-users in its vicinity and then give an alarm and initiate a brake function.

The document US 2006/0116801 A1 describes a system whose purpose is to enhance the turning ability of a vehicle by initiating a braking operation on the wheel disposed internally in the turning curve in response to speed and steering angle, in order to force the vehicle to negotiate a tighter turn. The object is not to provide a system for avoiding collision or to create safety during turning.

In the known solutions, the monitoring system is turned on as soon as the vehicle is started. Systems giving an alarm will cause false alarms during normal driving, if the range of the system is not restricted considerably. This is in contrast to the desire of being able to monitor a wider area along the sides of the truck.

The object of the invention

It is the object of the invention to remedy these many drawbacks, and this is achieved by means of a safety system which is arranged such that the detection, alarm and brake means are turned on when the speed recorded by the speed sensor is lower than a pre-set speed, at the same time as the indicator switch is activated, or when the speed recorded by the speed sen- sor is lower than a pre-set speed, at the same time as the turn sensor produces a signal.

It is ensured thereby that the detection, alarm and brake means of the system are turned on and ready to operate when the vehicle stands still and waits for the green light in order to make a turn and during the entire turning manoeuvre. Further, during normal driving at speeds above the pre-set speed, it is ensured that it is possible to navigate through the traffic without any alarms, even if the flasher is turned on. Only when the speed gets below the set speed and the indicator switch or the turn sensor is activated, are all the function means turned on again.

When, as stated in claim 2, the system is arranged such that the alarm means and the brake means are activated by a signal from the detection means when an obstacle is recorded in the protected area, it is ensured that the alarm functions and the brake functions are controlled solely by the detection means.

When, as stated in claims 3 and 4, a switch function is introduced, which is time-controlled, and which is capable of turning off the detection means for a period of time, which switch is exclusively activatable at standstill, and which may be activated by the driver on the operating unit of the system, it is ensured that reverse and turn-around manoeuvres may be carried out during that period without the driver being bothered by the alarm and brake functions of the system.

When, as stated in claims 5, 6 and 7, the detection means are equipped with a light generator and a light sensor which operate with coded light and with infrared light, and the light generator and the light sensor are additionally equipped with a diaphragm with aperture and are mounted on telescopic holders, a sturdy system is achieved, which provides a signal when the light is broken in the field formed by the diaphragm apertures.

When, as stated in claim 8, the alarm means comprise a sound generator and a light generator, which are capable of producing pulsed signals, it is possible to make the driver attentive to the risk of collision.

Finally, it is expedient, as stated in claim 9, to be able to stop the vehicle by means of a coupling device, e.g. a magnetic valve in engagement with the brake system of the vehicle. This ensures that the vehicle is stopped or cannot start driving if there is an obstacle in the area of detection.

The drawing

Preferred exemplary embodiments will be described more fully below with reference to the drawing, in which

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the safety system with connections, and

Fig. 2 shows a tractor-trailer type vehicle seen from above prior to turning with an indication of the area monitored, and

Fig. 3 shows a tractor-trailer type vehicle seen from above during turning with an indication of the area monitored. Description of the exemplary embodiments

Exemplary embodiments shown in Fig. 1 , Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, respectively, will be described more fully below.

Fig. 1 shows a block diagram of the safety system 1 with the associated connections. The safety system comprises a control box 10, which contains electronics and a code system for detection means 16 with associated light generator unit 2 and light sensor 3, as well as control and connection cir- cuits for an indicator switch 7, a turn sensor 9, a speed sensor 11 , as well as brake means 18 with a brake valve 8, an operating unit 15, on which a time-controlled switch 5, alarm means 17 with a sound generator 4, and a light generator 6 are arranged.

The system 1 is arranged so as to allow for the conditions during normal forward driving and the conditions at standstill and during turning manoeuvres. Further, the special situation where reverse and turn-around manoeuvres are carried out in restricted space is also allowed for.

In order to distinguish between normal forward driving and driving at low speeds and during turning, a limit value of the speed at which the functions of the safety system are turned on and off, has been introduced. This limit may e.g. be selected from 10 to 30 km/hour.

During normal forward driving at speeds above the set speed, it is not expedient to have the detection, alarm and brake functions turned on, as the traffic in general might trigger alarms in certain cases, because it gets close in quite normal traffic conditions. It may be extremely unfortunate or dangerous, if the vehicle suddenly brakes. Accordingly, the detection, alarm and brake functions are turned off, when the speed sensor 11 reports that the speed is above the set speed. This state is maintained until the speed again gets below the set speed, and until the indicator switch 7 is activated, or the turn sensor 9 reports that a turning manoeuvre is going on. This ensures that the vehicle may move slowly forwards in traffic queues with several lanes.

At standstill, the detection, alarm and brake functions are turned off, as long as the indicator switch 7 is not activated, or as long as the turn sensor 9 has not recorded that a turning manoeuvre is going on.

Fig. 2 shows a tractor-trailer type vehicle consisting of a tractor 13 and a trailer 14, which is equipped with a safety system 1 according to the invention. The vehicle is shown in the drawing prior to the initiation of a turning manoeuvre. The light generator 2 and the light sensor 3 are arranged on the holders 12 so as to face each other. The dashed line indicates a beam of light which defines the safety area A. Both the light generator and the light sensor are shielded and have a horizontal diaphragm aperture, which allows propagation and reception of light at a horizontal angle a and β, respectively.

Fig. 3 shows the same tractor-trailer type vehicle during a turning manoeuvre. Owing to the various movements of tractor and trailer during a turning manoeuvre and the configuration of the diaphragm aperture of the light generator and the light sensor, the safety area A is expanded to the area B, and it is now possible to detect an obstacle which would previously have been disposed in a blind angle for the driver.

At standstill prior to a turning manoeuvre and with the indicator switch activated, the detection, alarm, and brake functions are turned on, and the alarm and brake functions will be activated if an obstacle interrupts the beam of light which defines the safety area A. Thus, the driver cannot start driving until the obstacle has been removed and the functions have been reset. If the driver has forgot to activate the indicator switch, the alarm and brake functions will be activated as soon as the turn sensor 9 records that a turning manoeuvre is initiated. Alarm and braking are initiated if there is an obstacle in the safety area A or B.

During the turning manoeuvre the safety system is active and, if an obstacle is present in the safety areas A or B, will give an alarm in the driver's cab by means of the sound generator 4 and the light generator 6. The alarm will be given as sound pulses and as flashes. The brake function is activated by means of the coupling device 8, which may be a magnetic valve in engagement with the brake system of the vehicle.

In order to increase the safety area A or B, the light generator 2 and the light sensor 3 are mounted on their respective telescopic holders 12. As mentioned, this results in a larger safety area when the holders are in their extended position, and the light generator and the light sensor are protected against collision with obstacles when the holders are retracted behind the side plane of the vehicle.

In situations where the vehicle is to drive into courtyards or into places in order to load or unload, it is often necessary to carry out complicated turnaround and reverse manoeuvres. The safety system is therefore equipped with a switch 5 which is capable of turning off the detection, alarm and brake functions via a time relay for a period of time determined by the time relay. The switch function can be activated only when the vehicle stands still. The function is time-controlled so that the system will activate itself again, so that safety is not jeopardized.

In this safety system, light is taken to mean any form of radiation in the area comprising infrared light over visible light to ultraviolet light. Preferably, however, light in the infrared area is used. Coded light is taken to mean any generally known form of coding of light emission, e.g. pulse width modulated light, or any other known form of modulation or coding, so that only light coded by the transmitter 10, 2 can be detected by the sensor 10, 3 and supply a signal which activates alarm or stopping.

In this system, the turn sensor 9 may be any form of sensor which is capable of recording when the steering wheel is turned. Such a sensor may be constructed in several generally known ways, e.g. with contact points, or according to a potentiometer principle, to indicate an angle of turning or a displacement, so that the system may record that the vehicle turns or has been made ready for turning. Advantageously, the sensors may be disposed so as to follow an angular turning of the steering column or a displacement of a rack in the steering system.

The speed sensor 11 is the generally known speed sensor which converts the number of revolutions of the wheel into a speed which is displayed on a speedometer, with which all vehicles are equipped. The signal is supplied to the safety system, where it is compared with the pre-set speed value.

The coupling device 8 is taken to mean any device which is capable of initiating a brake function. The brake systems in larger vehicles, such as trucks or tractors and trailers, are generally based on compressed air and/or hydraulics and equipped with a servo function, so that the brake function may be carried out with a reasonable pressure on a brake pedal. The coupling device may e.g. be inserted into the servo circuit, so that it activates or interrupts the power brakes independently of the brake pedal. The coupling device may e.g. be a magnetic valve.

The operating unit 15 is arranged in the driver's cab at a position where it is directly visible for the driver. Moreover, the unit is arranged so as to be within the range of the driver. It is within the scope of this invention to equip the vehicle with several sets of light generators 2 and light sensors 3. For instance, a set may be mounted on both sides of the vehicle, just as one or more sets may be mounted at suitable heights, so that both high and low obstacles may be detected. The indicator switch or the turn sensor will tell whether it is a right-hand turn or a left-hand turn.

Likewise, it is clear that a tractor equipped with the safety system may be coupled together with any form of trailer equipped with a light generator, because the coded light signal is generated in the control box, is transmitted to the light generator, and is received by the light sensor which passes on the signal to the control box, where the code is controlled.

Claims

PATENT CLAIMS

1. A safety system for vehicles for avoiding collision, in particular traffic accidents between turning vehicles and cyclists or pedestrians, said system comprising detection means, alarm means and brake means, said system cooperating with a speed sensor, an indicator switch and a turn sensor, c h a ra cte ri z e d in that the system (1) is arranged such that the detection means (16), the alarm means (17) and the brake means (18) are turned on when the speed recorded by the speed sensor (11) is lower than a pre-set speed, at the same time as the indicator switch (7) is activated, or when the speed recorded by the speed sensor (11) is lower than a pre-set speed, at the same time as the turn sensor (9) produces a signal.

2. A safety system according to claim 1, characterized in that the alarm means (17) and the brake means (18) are activated when the detection means (16) signal presence of an obstacle.

3. A safety system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the detection means (16) are deactivated when a time-controlled switch (5) is activated.

4. A safety system according to claim 3, characterized in that the switch (5) can be activated only at standstill, and that it is activated on an operating unit (15) arranged in the driver's cab.

5. A safety system according to claim ^characterized in that the detection means (16) comprise at least one light generator (2) and at least one light sensor (3), and that they work with coded light which comprises infrared light.

6. A safety system according to claim 5, characterized in that the light generator (2) and the light sensor (3) are equipped with a diaphragm aperture (α, β) of rectangular cross-section, whose longest side extends horizontally.

7. A safety system according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the light generator (2) and the light sensor (3) are mounted on their respective holders (12), said holders being telescopic.

8. A safety system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the alarm means (17) comprise a sound generator (4) and a light generator

(6), and that the alarm signals are supplied as sound pulses and as light flashes.

9. A safety system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the brake means comprise a coupling device (8) in engagement with the brake system.