Automotive panel warning and protection system

An automotive collision detection system, comprising:

• a video camera attached to an underside of an automotive vehicle, wherein the video camera is configured to capture images representing one or more spatial relationships between a portion of the underside of the vehicle and an object external to the vehicle;
• a sensor configured to measure a vertical clearance of the portion of the underside of the vehicle with respect to the object;
• a processor configured to calculate a difference between the vertical clearance and a vertical clearance threshold;
• and
• one or more display screens located within a cabin area of the vehicle and coupled to at least the video camera, wherein the one or more display screens are configured to display the images in real-time as the vehicle approaches the object and display the difference, the vertical clearance, the vertical clearance threshold, or a combination thereof, wherein the one or more display screens are further configured to display a virtual grid superimposed on the images, the vertical grid comprising lines demarking vertical clearance increments with respect to the underside of the vehicle.

A method of protecting against collision between a portion of an underside of an automotive vehicle and an object external to the vehicle, the method comprising:

• determining, using a sensor attached to the vehicle, a location of a vertical top-most portion of the object where the object extends to its greatest height from the ground and a location of a horizontally-closest portion of the object that is horizontally closest to the portion of the underside of the vehicle;
• measuring, using the sensor attached to the vehicle, a vertical clearance of the portion of the underside of the vehicle with respect to the vertical top-most portion of the object external to the vehicle;
• measuring, using the sensor, a horizontal distance between the horizontally-closest portion of the object and the portion of the underside of the vehicle;
• determining that the horizontal distance is less than a horizontal threshold;
• calculating a difference between the vertical clearance and a vertical clearance threshold;
• determining that the vertical clearance is less than or equal to a the vertical clearance threshold;
• and
• alerting an operator of the vehicle using a user-interface component located within a cabin area of the vehicle in response to determining that the horizontal distance is less than the horizontal threshold and that the vertical clearance is less than or equal to the vertical clearance threshold.

An automatic collision detection system, comprising:

• a sensor coupled to a vehicle, the sensor being configured to measure a vertical clearance between the sensor and an vertically highest point of an object external to the vehicle and to measure a horizontal distance between the sensor and a point on the object that is horizontally closest to the sensor;
• a processor coupled with the sensor and configured to receive data indicative of the vertical clearance and the horizontal distance from the sensor and to calculate a difference between the vertical clearance and a vertical clearance threshold and to compare the horizontal distance and the horizontal clearance;
• and
• a user-interface component coupled with the processor, the user-interface component being configured to alert an operator of the vehicle when both the vertical clearance is less than the vertical clearance threshold and the horizontal distance is less than the horizontal threshold.