Motor vehicle warning and control system and method
View Patent ↗A system and method assists the driver of a motor vehicle in preventing accidents or minimizing the effects of same. In one form, a television camera or other ranging device is mounted on a vehicle and scans the roadway ahead of the vehicle as the vehicle travels. Continuously generated video picture signals output by the camera are electronically processed and analyzed by a fuzzy-logic-based image analyzing computer mounted in the controlled vehicle, which generates control signals and applies them to control the operation of the accelerator, brake, and steering system of the vehicle in a coordinated way to attempt to avoid or lessen the effects of a collision. In a particular form, the decision computer may select the evasive action taken from a number of choices, depending on whether and where the detection device senses other vehicles and obstacles. Warning signals may also be generated.
1. A system for operating and controlling a motor vehicle having a power-drive system and controls including an accelerator, a brake, and a steering system comprising:
(a) a ranging device supported by the vehicle, directed toward the front of the vehicle, and structured to generate first signals indicating the distance to and relative motion of some objects in front of the vehicle;
(b) a detector supported by the vehicle, directed away from the vehicle in a direction other than the front of the vehicle, and structured to generate second signals identifying whether there is an object in said other direction; and
(c) a fuzzy logic-based computer having a memory containing a plurality of sets of fuzzy inference vehicle control rules, each rule defining a coordinated combination of changes to the vehicle's steering and acceleration;
(d) wherein the computer is coupled to the ranging device and the detector and structured to use the first and second signals to select and reproduce from the memory a selected one of the plurality of sets of rules and to apply the selected set of rules to derive command signals with fuzzy logic;
(e) wherein the computer is electrically coupled to the controls;
(f) whereby the command signals are applied to control the accelerator, brake, and steering system of the vehicle in a coordinated way to attempt to avoid collisions between the vehicle and objects in its path of travel without taking evasive action that would cause a collision with objects detected in said other direction.
2. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a visual display inside the vehicle coupled to the ranging device and driven by the first signals to generate symbols representative of objects in the path of the vehicle.
3. A system in accordance with claim 2 wherein the visual display comprises a heads-up display aimed to project images of intelligible information on a front windshield of the vehicle.
4. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a synthetic speech generating system coupled to the computer and driven by the command signals to generate sounds of select words of speech.
5. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a warning device coupled to the ranging device and driven by the first signals to generate a warning signal perceptible to a human when one of the objects is in the path of the vehicle, and wherein the computer is timed to control the operation of the vehicle only if the controls of the vehicle are not first altered sufficiently to avoid a collision with the object in response to indication by the warning device that an obstacle is in the path of travel of the vehicle.
6. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ranging device comprises an image-generating camera.
7. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ranging device comprises a radar-based ranging system.
8. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising an override controller coupled to the computer so as, when activated by a driver, to prevent the command signals from controlling the motor vehicle.