Portable collision warning apparatus
A collision warning apparatus in the form of a portable, housing removably mountable in a vehicle to detect collision threat levels between the host vehicle and an object or target detected forward of the host vehicle. All processing and signal generation takes place in a controller mounted within the housing without reliance on external signals, except for input power, from the host vehicle. The master controller activates visible and/or audible indicators on the housing to alert the driver of the collision threat level.
1. A vehicle collision warning apparatus comprising:
a portable housing removably mountable in a vehicle;
the portable housing having only an electrical power connection to the vehicle as a sole external connection to the vehicle;
a control mounted in the housing and coupled to a sensor mounted in the housing, the sensor generating at least a center sensor beam to detect an object external of the vehicle; and
the control, responsive to signals solely from the sensor, determining the vehicle ground speed through side lobes of the center sensor beam reflecting off a road payment, determining the distance and the relative speed between the vehicle and a detected object external of the vehicle, and activating at least one of a visual and audible indicator, carried by the housing, indicating the potential for a collision between the vehicle and the detected object based on the vehicle speed and the distance and the relative speed between the vehicle and a detected object external of a vehicle.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the control includes a processor executing a stored control program.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the sensor is a radar.
4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the radar comprises:
a plurality of transmitters and a plurality of receivers arranged in a transmitter and a receiver pair.
5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
the control sequences between each matched pair of transmitter and receiver.
6. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein:
each of the plurality of transmitters generates a main radar beam.
7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein:
the plurality of main beams from the transmitters partially overlap each other.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the at least one indicator comprises:
a caution indicator indicative of an external object detected by the sensor with decreasing distance from the vehicle; and
an alert indicator indicative of an impending collision with the detected external object.
9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:
a selector carried on the housing allowing selection between at least two driver preference modes of vehicle operation relative to a closing distance threshold; and
the control, responses to the selector, for varying a collision distance threshold.
10. The apparatus of claim 7 further comprising:
the control, in response to an output of the plurality of main radar beams, determining the vehicle speed and the distance, direction, and relative speed between the vehicle and a detected object external of the vehicle moving in a lateral direction across a front of the vehicle, to indicate potential for collision between a vehicle and the detected object.