TODAY’S PATENT – VEHICLE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM

Today’s invention was invented by David C. H. Shaw and Judy Z. Z. Shaw on 25^th June, 1996 bearing patent No. US5529138A.

The current invention relates to systems for preventing vehicle collisions and detecting vehicle wheel skidding on roadways. These systems use laser radars and laser gyroscopes to help avoid vehicle collisions and identify vehicle wheel skidding. It aims improve the foregoing disadvantages and problems in the prior art.

This invention also utilize novel concepts of minimal allowable time, which is dependent on factors like vehicle’s speed, obstacle’s speed, steering wheel information, road condition, the light condition, the driver’s condition and the obstacle’s size.

This system consists of computer, warning device, optional automated braking device, laser radars with transmitters and receivers. To provide information on a system-equipped vehicle’s directional change, a steering wheel rotation sensor or a laser gyroscope is used. The system will compare the predicted collision time with the minimal allowable time to determine the imminency of a collision, and when determined, provides a warning. An optional automatic braking device is disclosed to be used when the vehicle user fails to respond to a warning. Also disclosed is a wheel skidding detection system based on a mismatch between the actual and expected directional change rates detected by a laser gyroscope and a steering wheel rotation sensor.