Hazardous vehicle alert system and method based on reaction time, distance and speed
OwnerTom McCarthyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hazardous vehicle alert system comprising a control module, a special graphical user interface, a speed and distance detector, and an alarm module where the user sets alarm triggers based on reaction time until potential impact from the hazardous vehicle. The user can assess the landscape, traffic patterns, and specifics of the task at hand to determine the required reaction time to take evasive maneuvers from the threat of on-coming hazardous vehicles and create alarm triggers to yield this reaction time. A software package is used to drive the graphical user interface, control module, alarm module, and detector module. The system includes modes ranging from one to four pieces and a mode that can be installed in a vehicle.
Claims9
A hazardous vehicle alert system comprising:
- a control module, comprising:
- a processor, a data storage medium, and a software package;
- a graphical user interface, comprising:
- at least one display screen, at least one hand operated control, a required reaction time input, a minimum vehicle speed input, and a minimum vehicle distance input,
- a vehicle speed and distance radar detection device with an operating range of at least 1 500 feet and a conical-shaped send and capture operational zone;
- an alert module;
- and
- at least one power source, wherein
- said control module is controllably coupled to said graphical user interface, said vehicle speed and distance radar detection device, and said alert module, and electrically coupled to said at least one power source,
- said graphical user interface, said vehicle speed and distance radar detection device, and said alert module are electrically coupled to said at least one power source,
- said software package is installed on said data storage medium and produces said graphical user interface on said at least one display screen, where said inputs may be adjusted with said at least one hand operated control, with data transfer essentially continuously flowing to and from said graphical user interface from said data storage medium through said processor, which executes a set of instructions contained in said software package,
- said instructions including the continuous update of required reaction time input, said minimum vehicle speed input, and said minimum vehicle distance input in said graphical user interface according to the relationship:
- said reaction time input=said minimum vehicle distance input/said minimum vehicle speed input, where the most prior adjusted input parameter between said three input parameters is held constant during said continuous recalculation, where the most prior adjusted input parameter is a rolling designation as input parameters are iteratively adjusted, until the final said three input parameters is chosen by the user and saved into said control module,
- said control module sends commands to said vehicle speed and distance detection device for it to report back to said control module with the actual vehicle speed of detected vehicles at designated said minimum vehicle distance location;
- and
- in response to said speed reports from said vehicle speed and distance detection device to said control module, said control module sends commands to said alert module to start an alert process when it receives vehicle speed measurements at or above said minimum vehicle speed at said minimum vehicle distance, thereby alerting personnel to hazardous vehicles.
A method of alerting persons located near a roadside work zone to hazardous vehicles entering said roadside work zone comprising:
- setting up said hazardous vehicle alert system at the leading boundary of said roadside work zone;
- aiming said vehicle speed and distance detection device so that one leg of the point of a conical detection area of said vehicle speed and distance detection device coincides with the boundary between said roadside work zone and the non-work zone area where traffic may freely travel;
- determining a reaction time required to take evasive maneuvers from a speeding vehicle traveling through said roadside work zone;
- determining a distance at which it would be prudent to notice or discover a speeding vehicles traveling through said roadside work zone, or, alternatively, determining a speed at which it would be prudent to notice or discover a speeding vehicles traveling through said roadside work zone;
- entering said reaction time and said distance or said speed into said a graphical user interface;
- and
- being notified with an alarm sequence of a vehicle traveling through said roadside work zone when said vehicle is at said distance, traveling at said speed or faster.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.