Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-18
2002-05-28
Louis-Jacques, Jacques H. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Vehicle subsystem or accessory control
C701S036000, C701S038000, C701S039000, C180S282000, C340S440000, C340S438000, C342S357490
Reexamination Certificate
active
06397133
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a safety system for vehicles, particularly a sensing and notification system that helps prevent vehicle rollover accidents, or, in the event of such an accident, notifies emergency rescue and/or medical personnel of the same.
Various emergency notification systems have been developed to activate safety systems or to notify third parties when a vehicle accident or similar abnormal condition has occurred. Of particular note, U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,920, issued to Sorden et al. and assigned to Trimble Navigation Limited of Sunnyvale, Calif., describes in detail prior art related to such emergency safety and notification systems. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,920 is incorporated herein by reference.
As discussed in U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,920, when a vehicle encounters an abnormal situation, such as a collision, emergency systems are often designed to activate a safety device (e.g., air bag) to minimize injury or damage to the vehicle occupants. This activation is often achieved through the use of an unspecified vehicle sensor that senses and responds quickly to the occurrence of any one of a predetermined group of abnormal vehicle conditions by generating a signal that activates the safety device. If this abnormal condition incapacitates a vehicle occupant, it might also be necessary to transmit an emergency or distress signal to notify a third party of the abnormal condition without requiring a conscious decision or volitional act by a vehicle occupant.
There are various prior art teachings related to the transmission of such an emergency signal when a collision or other abnormal condition occurs. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,441,858, issued to Graham, describes an electronic calling and reply system that may be activated, either automatically or manually, to broadcast one of a selected group of distress signals upon the occurrence of a vehicle accident. In the preferred system, the vehicle carries one transceiver unit which transmits a selected distress signal. This signal preferably indicates whether: (1) a tow truck is needed; (2) an ambulance is needed; or (3) both a tow truck and an ambulance are needed. A central aid station receives this distress signal and responds to receipt of that distress signal by broadcasting a response signal indicating that assistance is being sent to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,461,423, issued to Trumble, describes a vehicle distress tone generator that automatically broadcasts a selected tone in response to occurrence of a vehicle accident, the appropriate tone being selected based on the severity of the accident. The broadcast of the distress tone can also be initiated by a vehicle occupant.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 3,646,583, issued to Scuderi, discloses an automatic vehicle accident signaling apparatus that includes a sensor for measuring the severity of an accident. Upon the occurrence of an accident, a distress signal indicating the severity of the accident is transmitted to a remote assistance station.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,990,040, issued to Gleitz et al. and assigned to Thomson-CSF of Paris, France, describes an apparatus for transmitting distress signals. The distress signal generator is secured to a vehicle and includes a transmitter with a self-locking relay for energizing a high-frequency oscillator from a local battery in response to one or more trigger signals from respective detectors, specifically an impact detector and a deformation detector. The preferred apparatus broadcasts a first distress signal if vehicle impact is sensed and broadcasts a second distress signal if vehicle deformation is sensed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,091,369, issued to Edelbock, describes a collision-responsive alarm with a rotating reflector and warning light that is secured to the top of a vehicle. Should the vehicle collide with another object, a light source, rotating reflector and warning light is activated, thereby notifying nearby persons that there has been an accident.
Although each of the above-mentioned patents discusses transmission of an emergency signal, aside from U.S. Pat. No. Re. 35,920, there is no teaching in the above-referenced patents related to an accurate determination of the location of the vehicle or accident, nor do any of these patents describe local notification that may indeed aid in preventing the accident.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,306, issued to Angeloni, describes a highway distress signal broadcast system. In this system, the location of the vehicle is determined through triangulation by three or more nearby radio direction finding devices (RDFs). The vehicle broadcasts a distress signal and is received by the nearby RDFs. Each RDF receives the vehicle distress signal and identifies the direction from which the signal is being broadcast. A central processing station receives this directional information from the RDFs, determines the location of the vehicle in distress through simple triangulation techniques, and dispatches assistance for the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,545, issued to Flickshu et al. and assigned to Blaupunkt Werke GmbH of Hildesheim, Germany, describes a method and apparatus for communicating emergency signals using Citizens Band (CB) radio channels. When an accident occurs, a transceiver associated with the vehicle is activated, either manually or automatically, and broadcasts a distress signal in each of a sequence of CB radio bands. By so broadcasting the vehicle distress signal in each CB channel, it is contemplated that some CB users will hear and respond to the distress signal. The transceiver is then set to a preselected channel, perhaps Channel 9, the CB emergency channel, to receive inquiries or other information from CB radio users who heard the distress signal. Provided that he is able to do so, a vehicle occupant can then communicate to responding CB users the location of the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,369,426, issued to Merkel and assigned to REPA Feinstanzwerk GmbH of Alfdorf, Germany, describes another emergency distress signal system for motor vehicles wherein the distress signal also indicates the vehicle location. Distress signal transmission is activated by sensors that respond to a vehicle collision or similar event. These sensors preferably have different activation thresholds that correspond to the severity of the collision and may thereby cause transmission of different and distinct distress signals. Similar to U.S. Pat. No. 3,828,306 (as described above), vehicle location is determined through triangulation. Three or more receiving stations receive the distress signal and identify the direction from which the signal is being broadcast. A central processing station receives this directional information and can thus pinpoint the location of the vehicle. Merkel additionally notes that information received by the central station may also indicate the severity of the collision and whether certain safety equipment was operable when the collision occurred.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,717,904, issued to Murakami and assigned to Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha of Aichi, Japan, describes a collision responsive signal emitter for a vehicle. The preferred device includes a first detecting means which produces a signal representing an acceleration in both the fore-and-aft direction and the lateral direction of a vehicle, a second detecting means which produces a signal representing the inclination of the vehicle, and a third detecting means which produces a signal indicating the presence or absence of water within the vehicle. A signal transmitting means and a control for energizing the signal transmitting means are also provided to produce an emergency signal whenever at least one of the aforementioned detecting means produces an abnormality signal. Furthermore, to account for possible damage to a particular signal transmitting means (e.g., an antennae), it is preferred that a plurality of signal generating means be located at different locations on the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,792, issued to Sagey et al. and assigned to Hughes Aircraft Company of Los Angeles, Calif., describ
Leathers Meredith
van der Pol Paul
Broadhead Brian J
Louis-Jacques Jacques H.
Nagle, Jr. David W.
Palmer Safety Systems, LLC
Smith Vance A.
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