Communications: electrical – Land vehicle alarms or indicators – Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
Reexamination Certificate
2001-12-31
2004-02-10
Hofsass, Jeffery (Department: 2636)
Communications: electrical
Land vehicle alarms or indicators
Internal alarm or indicator responsive to a condition of the...
C340S425500, C340S429000, C340S438000, C340S689000, C701S070000, C701S072000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06690270
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for alarming danger when an automobile is cornering on a downhill road.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, when an automobile goes around a curve in a road, a driver of the automobile turns the automobile by operating a steering wheel, thereby turning the road wheels operatively connected with the steering wheel. When an automobile goes around a curve as described above, that is, when an automobile is cornering, it is important to properly control a turning angle of the steering wheel (hereinafter, referred to as “steering angle”) and speed of the automobile. The reason is that, because centrifugal force is applied to the automobile while the automobile is cornering, when the steering angle or speed of the automobile is not properly controlled, the state of the automobile may become unstable and in extreme cases the automobile may go off the road, causing an accident.
Especially, when the automobile is cornering on a downhill road, the danger as described above becomes more severe since the weight of the automobile accelerates the automobile.
However, the driver of the automobile has to depend on the driver's own feel and experience in reducing the speed of the automobile and operating the steering wheel, thereby cornering the automobile. Therefore, there is a high possibility of an accident due to the driver's improper control of the automobile, when it is difficult for the driver to exactly access the status of the road due to external causes, for example, when the driver is not experienced in driving the automobile or is driving in the rain or in the dark.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems occurring in the prior art, and an object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a method, which can alarm danger to a driver of an automobile when the automobile is not properly controlled in consideration of the state of the automobile while the automobile is cornering on a downhill road.
In order to accomplish this object, there is provided an apparatus for alarming danger when an automobile is cornering on a downhill road, the apparatus comprising: speed sensor for detecting speed of the automobile; a road wheel angle sensor for detecting a road wheel angle; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle; a first inclination detecting section for detecting a longitudinal inclination of the automobile; a second inclination detecting section for detecting a transverse inclination of the automobile; a judgment section for judging whether the automobile is running safely in cornering on a downhill road or not, based on values detected by the speed sensor, the road angle sensor, and the first and second inclination detecting sections, the judgment section applying an alarming signal when the automobile is judged as cornering without safety; and an alarming section for notifying a driver of the automobile when an alarming signal is applied from the judgment section.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for alarming danger when an automobile is cornering on a downhill road, the method comprising the steps of: determining whether speed of the automobile is above a predetermined value or not; determining whether the automobile is cornering on a downhill road or not; when the automobile is cornering on a downhill road, determining whether the cornering is safely in progress or not, from the road wheel angle, the speed of the automobile, and the longitudinal and transverse inclinations; and notifying a driver of the automobile when the cornering is unsafely in progress.
In this case, in the step of determining whether the automobile is cornering on a downhill road or not, longitudinal and transverse inclinations of a frame of the automobile are detected and then compared with predetermined values.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5825284 (1998-10-01), Dunwoody et al.
patent: 6169946 (2001-01-01), Griessbach
patent: 6212455 (2001-04-01), Weaver
patent: 6438463 (2002-08-01), Tobaru et al.
patent: 6438464 (2002-08-01), Woywod et al.
Kia Motors Corporation
Pham Lam
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