Motor vehicles – With means for promoting safety of vehicle – its occupant or... – Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...
Patent
1981-01-15
1982-12-14
Song, Robert R.
Motor vehicles
With means for promoting safety of vehicle, its occupant or...
Responsive to engagement of portion of perimeter of vehicle...
188 2R, B60T 712
Patent
active
043633765
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a device on a motor-driven vehicle to detect an obstacle in the way of the vehicle during backing, the device having holders projecting backwards from each outer edge of the rear portion of the vehicle, one of which encloses a transmitter of pulsating light (light-emitting diode), or transmitter and receiver of such light, and the other a receiver or reflector. On an interruption in the beam of light the brake system is activated.
PRIOR ART
Through U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,107 a device is known on vehicles with a compressed-air system for activating the brake system when a sensor detects an obstacle in the way of the vehicle.
The technical effect which the device proposed in this patent possesses naturally presupposes a reliable sensor.
In the patent literature several different proposals are known for detecting members, adapted to activate a compressed-air brake system of the vehicle via an operating member to stop the vehicle when the member detects an obstacle in the way of the vehicle. In many cases the detecting members are of a mechanical type acted upon on direct contact with the obstacle, as is shown for example in U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,815 or 3,986,577. It is also known to utilize ultrasonics to detect obstacles. Likewise it must be regarded as obvious to anyone skilled in the art to consider the use of the principle of so-called pulsating light, either through a separate transmitter and a separate receiver or using reflected light.
All the said types of sensors suffer from such defects, however, that the invention disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,107 has not hitherto found practical use.
Sensors of the kind shown in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,815, that is to say metallic detecting members, are deformed already by a backing onto of a minor nature. As to means of a yielding nature, such as a rubber strip according to U.S. Pat. No. 3,986,577, the risk of penetrating condensate and dirt with consequent short-circuiting of the electrical system is obvious. As to ultrasonics the effect with this method in the present state of the art is uncertain.
Finally, so far as the use of the photocell art is concerned, this otherwise advantageous alternative has generally been avoided hitherto because of the exposed placing of the optical system, with such rapid soiling that the system very soon ceases to operate.
It may also be pointed out here that no sensor is known in the patent literature adapted to be used as a detecting member for motor-driven implements and the like vehicles, which have the rear pair of wheels outside the actual profile of the body.
THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to render possible the practical use of a pulsating (infrared) beam of light as a sensor. This object is according to the invention achieved in that directed towards the transmitter as well as the receiver is an air line which--fed with outflowing air from at least one of the quick-emptying valves of the vehicle--on a braking operation delivers a blast of air towards both the transmitter and the receiver, or towards the transmitter/receiver and the reflector. By this means both are kept free of frost and snow, dirt, salt deposits and other obstacles to the beam, which would otherwise make the use of the photocell method impossible.
With regard to motor-driven implements, the object is achieved partly in the manner now given with regard to the portion of the rear part of the vehicle which is limited by the side profiles of the body, partly as a result of the fact that fastened to the holders are rods which, on detecting an obstacle, act on one or both holders causing them to bend so that the beam of light originating from the transmitter does not impinge on the receiver.
THE DRAWING
The invention is described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawing in which
FIG. 1 shows--partially cut away--the rear portion of a vehicle, type wheel loader, and
FIG. 2 in a top view shows the rearmost part of the same vehicle.
DESCRIPTION
REFERENCES:
patent: 2588815 (1952-03-01), Fasolino
patent: 3423026 (1969-01-01), Carpenter
patent: 3664701 (1972-05-01), Kondur
patent: 3923330 (1975-12-01), Viall, Sr. et al.
patent: 3986577 (1976-10-01), Ebbesson et al.
patent: 4146107 (1979-03-01), Ebbeson et al.
Sjoberg Ake L.
Sjoberg Per E.
Sjogren Frans B.
Brown Laurence R.
Mar Michael
Song Robert R.
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