Vehicle collision anticipating device

Claim 2

A vehicle collision anticipating device comprising wave processing means for transmitting a wave by a transmitting antenna installed at a predetermined position and angle of a vehicle, for receiving a reflected wave from an object by a receiving antenna installed at a predetermined position and angle of the vehicle and for generating a low frequency wave by mixing said transmitted and reflected waves, said receiving antenna being so installed that the beam axis of said receiving antenna may intersect that of said transmitting antenna in a predetermined range, analog signal processing means connected to said wave processing means for signal processing said low frequency wave and at least one Doppler signal obtained from said low frequency wave, and for generating signals, collision distance detecting means connected to said analog signal processing means for detecting a distance between the vehicle and object in response to the signals from said analog signal processing means, and for generating a signal when the object enters a predetermined distance range, minimum level detecting means connected to said analog signal processing means for detecting an intensity of a Doppler signal obtained from said low frequency wave, and for generating a signal when said intensity of a Doppler signal reaches a predetermined minimum level so as to detect the object to enter a predetermined detection range determined by the positions and angles of the transmitting and receiving antennas, and decisions means connected to said collision distance detecting means and minimum level detecting means for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting means and minimum level detecting means, there by anticipating a collision of the object against the vehicle.

Claim 3

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising relative velocity detecting means connected to said analog signal processing means for detecting a relative velocity of the object with respect to the vehicle in response to the signals from said analog signal processing means and for generating a signal when said relative velocity reaches a predetermined velocity, and wherein said decision means is further connected to said relative velocity detecting means for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting means, minimum level detecting means and relative velocity means.

Claim 4

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 2, further comprising direction detecting means connected to said analog signal processing means for detecting a direction of a relative movement of the object with respect to the vehicle in response to the signals from said analog signal processing means, and for generating a signal when the object approaches the vehicle, and wherein said decision means is further connected to said direction detecting means for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting means, minimum level detecting means, relative velocity deteCting means and direction detecting means.

Claim 5

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 3, wherein said collision distance detecting means comprises means for computing an intensity ratio between the maximum values of at least two Doppler signals and generates a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the predetermined distance, said relative velocity detecting means comprises means for detecting an angular frequency of the Doppler signal so as to detect the relative velocity of the object with respect to the vehicle, and said direction detecting means comprises means for detecting a phase relation between at least two Doppler signals so as to detect the direction of the relative movement of the object with respect to the vehicle.

Claim 6

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said wave processing means comprises two wave processing units, each of said wave processing units comprising a sine wave generator, a microwave modulator connected to said sine wave generator, a microwave oscillator connected to said microwave modulator, a coupler connected to said microwave oscillator, a transmitting antenna connected to said coupler, a receiving antenna connected to said coupler, and a first mixer connected to said coupler, and the transmitting and receiving antennas being so mounted on the right and left of the vehicle that the beams may intersect each other to form the predetermined detection ranges, said analog signal processing means comprises two analog signal processing units, said collision distance detecting means comprises two collision distance detecting units for generating a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the distance of one meter from the vehicle, said minimum level detecting means comprises two minimum level detecting units, said relative velocity detecting means comprises two relative velocity detecting units in which said relative velocity is predetermined to be 30 Km/h, said direction detecting means comprises two direction detecting units for detecting a phase relation between at least two Doppler signals, and said decision means comprises a decision unit for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting units, minimum level detecting units, relative velocity detecting units and direction detecting units.

Claim 7

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 5, wherein said analog signal processing unit comprises a wideband amplifier connected to said first mixer of said wave processing unit, a first bandpass filter connected to said wide band amplifier, a first AC-DC converter connected to said first bandpass filter, a first wave shaping circuit connected to said first bandpass filter, a second mixer connected to said wideband amplifier and to said sine wave generator, a second bandpass filter connected to said second mixer, a second AC-DC converter connected to said second bandpass filter, and a second wave shaping circuit connected to said second bandpass filter, said collision distance detecting unit comprises a comparator connected to said first and second AC-DC converters of said analog signal processing unit, said minimum level detecting unit comprises a comparator connected to said second wave shaping circuit of said analog signal processing unit and a refernece voltage source which is connected to said comparator and supplies a reference voltage, said relative velocity detecting unit comprises a first counter connected to said second wave shaping circuit of said analog signal processing unit, an RS flip-flop connected to said first counter, an AND circuit connected to said RS flip-flop, a clock pulse generator connected to said AND circuit, an OR circuit connected to said first counter, a first delay circuit connected to said OR circuit, a second delay circuit connected to said first delay circuit, a second counter connected to said AND circuit, OR circuit and second delay circuit, a register connected to said first delay circuit and second counter, a D-A converter connected to said register, and a comparator connected to said D-A converter and a reference voltage source, said direction detecting unit comprises a D-type flip-flop connected to said first and second wave shaping circuits of said analog signal processing unit, a monostable multivibrator connected to said D-type flip-flop, an integrator connected to said monostable multivibrator, and a comparator connected to said integrator and a reference voltage source, and said decision unit comprises three AND circuits which are connected to said collision distance detecting unit, minimum level detecting unit, relative velocity detecting unit, and a direction detecting unit.

Claim 8

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 2, wherein said collision distance detecting means comprises means for computing an intensity ratio between the maximum values of at least two Doppler signals and generates a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the predetermined distance, and said relative velocity detecting means comprises means for detecting an angular frequency of the Doppler signal so as to detect the relative velocity of the object with respect to the vehicle.

Claim 9

A vehicle collision device anticipating device as set forth in claim 7, wherein said wave processing means comprises two wave processing units, each of said wave processing units comprising a sine wave generator, a microwave modulator connected to said sine wave generator, a microwave oscillator connected to said microwave modulator, a coupler connected to said microwave oscillator, a transmitting antenna connected to said coupler, a receiving antenna connected to said coupler, and a first mixer connected to said coupler, and the transmitting and receiving antennas being so mounted on the right and left of the vehicle that the beams may intersect each oJher to form the predetermined detection ranges, said analog signal processing means comprises two analog signal processing units, said collision distance detecting means comprises two collision distance detecting units for generating a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the distance of one meter from the vehicle, said minimum level detecting means comprises two minimum level detecting units, said relative velocity detecting means comprises two relative velocity detecting units in which said relative velocity is predetermined to be 30 Km/h, and said decision means comprises a decision unit for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting units, minimum level detecting units and relative velocity detecting units.

Claim 10

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising direction detecting means connected to said analog signal processing means for detecting a direction of a relative movement of the object with respect to the vehicle in response to the signals from said analog signal processing means, and for generating a signal when the object approaches the vehicle, and wherein said decision means is further connected to said direction detecting means for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting means, minimum level detecting means and direction detecting means.

Claim 11

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 9, wherein said collision distance detecting means comprises means for computing an intensity ratio between the maximum values of at least two Doppler signals and generates a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermineD value corresponding to the predetermined distance, and said direction detecting means comprises means for detecting a phase relation between at least two Doppler signals so as to detect the direction of the relative movement of the object with respect to the vehicle.

Claim 12

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 10, wherein said wave processing means comprises two wave processing units, each of said wave processing units comprising a sine wave generator, a microwave modulator connected to said sine wave generator, a microwave oscillator connected to said microwave modulator, a coupler connected to said microwave oscillator, a transmitting antenna connected to said coupler, a receiving antenna connected to said coupler, and a first mixer connected to said coupler, and the transmitting and receiving antennas being so mounted on the right and left of the vehicle that the beams may intersect each other to form the predetermined detection ranges, said analog signal processing means comprises two analog signal processing units, said collision distance detecting means comprises two collision distance detecting units for generating a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the distance of one meter from the vehicle, said minimum level detecting means comprises two minimum level detecting units, said direction detecting means comprises two direction detecting units for detecting a phase relation between at least two Doppler signals, and said decision means comprises a decision unit for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting units, minimum level detecting units and direction detecting units.

Claim 13

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 1, wherein said collision distance detecting means comprises means for computing an intensity ratio between the maximum values of at least two Doppler signals and generates a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the predetermined distance.

Claim 14

A vehicle collision anticipating device as set forth in claim 12, wherein said wave processing means comprises two wave processing units, each of said wave processing units comprising a sine wave generator, a microwave modulator connected to said sine wave generator, a microwave oscillator connected to said microwave modulator, a coupler connected to said microwave oscillator, a transmitting antenna connected to said coupler, a receiving antenna connected to said coupler, and a first mixer connected to said coupler, and the transmitting and receiving antennas being so mounted on the right and left sides of the vehicle that the beams may intersect each other to form the predetermined detection ranges, said analog signal processing means comprises two analog signal processing units, said collision distance detecting means comprises two collision distance detecting units for generating a signal when the intensity ratio reaches a predetermined value corresponding to the distance of one meter from the vehicle, said minimum level detecting means comprises two minimum level detecting units, and said decision means comprises a decision unit for generating a signal in response to the simultaneous generation of signals by said collision distance detecting units and minimum level detecting units.