Communications: electrical – Vehicle detectors
Reexamination Certificate
2001-04-13
2002-08-13
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2632)
Communications: electrical
Vehicle detectors
C340S901000, C340S903000, C340S904000, C340S435000, C340S436000, C340S902000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06433705
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and apparatus for detecting and reporting a movable body by using electromagnetic wave or radio communication.
2. Description of Related Art
A variety of conventional methods for detecting another approaching vehicle or another approaching movable body while the driver is driving a vehicle have been proposed so far.
For example, according to a method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 2-216600, a vehicle is running while a receiver provided in the vehicle is monitoring incoming signals. Furthermore, a warning wave transmitted by a transmitter is installed on another movable body which is received by the receiver. A warning is then generated to notify the driver of the existence of the other movable body.
However, the number of movable bodies causing a warning is not known. Thus, in some cases, the existence of only one vehicle can be confirmed by the sense of eight or more vehicles. Therefore, it is difficult to verify the existence of other vehicles.
In order to solve this problem, there has been proposed a method as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 7-225274. With this method, it is possible to determine whether only one movable body or a plurality of movable bodies exist within a predetermined distance by comparing an interval between rising edges of two consecutive pulses of a received signal and to display a result of the determination.
However, a moveable body detected may disappear from detection temporarily behind an obstruction such as another large-sized vehicle or a fence before appearing again.
In this case, when the movable body disappears behind the obstruction, the warning wave transmitted thereby can no longer be received, causing a warning generated by the wave to be halted. Thus, the driver may forget the existence of the movable body, being no longer alert.
In such a case, when the movable body disappearing from detection temporarily appears again, the movable body which no longer receives attention does reappear, generating a warning wave. As a result, the driver gets bewildered.
It is also difficult for the driver to immediately determine whether a warning is generated from a warning wave transmitted by a reappearing movable body or newly transmitted by another movable body.
By merely knowing the number of other movable bodies; however, the existence of a plurality of movable bodies still raises a problem in that when 2 or more vehicles can be verified by the sense of sight, it is quite within the bounds of possibility that another hidden vehicle still exists.
That is to say, it is impossible to form a judgment as to whether or not a vehicle exists behind an obstruction with a high degree of reliability.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus an object of the present invention addressing the problem described above to provide a movable body detecting
otifying system that is capable of determining and reporting whether another movable body exists behind an obstruction or at a position that can be verified by the sense of sight.
In order to achieve the object of the present invention described above, according to a first embodiment of the present invention, a movable body detecting/modifying system allows a detecting movable body to detect and report a detected movable body by using electromagnetic wave communication. The detected movable body transmits a large-wavelength electromagnetic wave which is easily diffractable by an obstruction as well as a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave which is not easily diffractable by an obstruction at the same time. The detecting movable body generates a notice for reception of only the large-wavelength electromagnetic wave without the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave or a notice for reception of both the large-wavelength and small-wavelength electromagnetic waves which is different from the notice for reception of only the large-wavelength electromagnetic wave.
The reception of only the large-wavelength electromagnetic wave by the detecting movable body indicates that the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave is hindered by an obstruction and that the detected movable body is hidden under the shadow of the obstruction and the existence of the detected movable body can not be confirmed by the sense of sight. On the other hand, the reception of both the large-wavelength and small-wavelength electromagnetic waves by the detecting movable body indicates that the detected movable body is not hidden under the shadow of an obstruction and exists at a position that can be verified even by the sense of sight.
By generating notices different from each other for the two cases described above, the driver of the detecting movable body is capable of knowing whether another movable body is hidden by an obstruction or exists at a position that can be verified by the sense of eight.
Thus, the notice of the existence of another movable body behind an obstruction can be regarded as preparatory information which urges an action such as suspension of acceleration or a braking operation of the vehicle. On the other hand, the notice of the existence of another movable body at a position verifiable by the sense of sight is judged to be a waning which urges a deceleration or a halt of the vehicle.
According to a second aspect of the first embodiment of the present invention, a movable body detecting
otifying system allows a detecting movable body to detect and report a detected movable body by using electromagnetic wave communication with the movable body detecting
otifying system. The detected movable body transmits a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave which is not easily diffractable by an obstruction. A repeater receives the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave and adds a relay code and relays the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave in a particular direction. When the detecting movable body receives the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave, the detecting movable body determines whether or not a relay code has been added to the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave. Furthermore, the detecting movable body generates a notice for reception of a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave with no relay code added thereto or a notice for reception of a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave with a relay code added thereto different from the notice for reception of the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave with no relay code added thereto.
The reception of only the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave with a relay code added thereto can be judged to indicate that the detected movable body is hidden by an obstruction while reception of a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave with no relay code added thereto can be judged to indicate that the existence of the detected movable body can be verified by the sense of sight.
By generating notices different from each other for the two cases described above, the driver of the detecting movable body is capable of determining whether another movable body is hidden by an obstruction or exists at a position that can be verified by the sense of sight.
According to a third aspect of the first embodiment of the present invention, a movable body detecting
otifying system allows a detecting movable body to detect and report a detected movable body by using electromagnetic wave communication with the movable body detecting notifying system. The detecting movable body receives information on a position of the detected movable body from a traffic regulating center for grasping information on positions of movable bodies in a predetermined range. The detected movable body transmits a small-wavelength electromagnetic wave which is not easily diffractable by an obstruction. When the information on a position of the detected movable body proves that the detected movable body is moving in a particular direction, the detecting movable body generates a notice for reception of no small-wavelength electromagnetic wave or a notice for reception of the small-wavelength electromagnetic wave different f
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Hofsass Jeffery
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nguyen Hung
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