The present invention relates to an arrangement which by blinking of the third brake light warns following vehicles that there is a risk of collisions, wherein said signal is issued temporarily based on three assumptions: Firstly, if the preceding vehicle is preparing to brake, secondly, when the preceding vehicle greatly reduced its speed and thirdly, if the traffic flows with unusually low speed.
This invention solves the problem of rear-end collisions, which are generated on roads and highways due to severe braking, due to reduced speed or simply due to braking.
The arrangement according to the invention provides significant advantages over prior art braking signal arrangements, the most important being the simplicity of construction and utilization of electrical and electronic vehicle components.
Another important advantage is the use of the GPS system to recognize the type of road on which the vehicle is traveling in order to cause the control unit to activate the light signal of the third brake light in the event of unusually slow driving on highways and expressways.
Currently there exists a system, with which some vehicles are equipped, by means of which the emergency lighting is activated when the ABS system comes into operation at a sudden braking operation. Furthermore, the installation of high-brightness LEDs in the brake lights is known, especially in the third brake light, which are activated within a fraction of a second before of a conventional bulb.
Although no invention was found that is identical with the present invention, the documents retrieved representing the prior art relating to the present invention are described below.
Document ES 2 051 336 T3 relates to a vehicle deceleration warning apparatus which comprises a piezoelectric sensor device connected with the accelerator pedal or the bottom plate for outputting a first signal when subjected to a corresponding load; contact devices, which are connected with each other or with the accelerator pedal or the bottom plate for contacting the piezoelectric sensor upon release of the accelerator pedal, to cause the sensor means to output a first signal in response to the change of the load caused by the contact means to the piezoelectric sensor device; and switching means connected with the brake lights and to the piezoelectric sensor means for analyzing said first signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor means and for actuating the brake lights in response to the analysis when the first signal is above a predetermined threshold value. Although the problem of the deceleration of the preceding vehicle is solved, this is done very differently from the proposed invention.
Document ES 2 138 898 A1 describes an automatic system for preventing accidents in every type of vehicle, which comprises a circuit system connected with the electrical circuit of the vehicle, comprising: at least one integrated circuit comprising a device for detecting the safety distance or the distance between a vehicle and another preceding vehicle and/or an obstacle lying ahead whose distance is related to the speed of the vehicle, wherein commands are automatically triggered in order to slow down and/or stop the vehicle to avoid a collision, and means for temporarily switching off the drive means. Even with its automatism, the problem is certainly not solved with the reliability and simplicity as with the proposed invention.
ES 1 066 558 U shall solve the problem by means of a recording device that records images on a variety of cameras located in the vehicle, a data microprocessor and a warning to the driver of the vehicle in that the cameras record the presence and position of an obstacle in front of or behind the vehicle and send data on the presence and the position of the obstacle to the microprocessor, which calculates the position and the relative speed of the obstacle relative to the vehicle by means of the data obtained by the camera, and emits a warning to the driver in accordance with predetermined values of the position and the relative approaching speed between the obstacle and the vehicle and further enables protective devices according to other predetermined values of the position and the relative approaching speed between the obstacle and the vehicle. The solution is very different to that proposed by the present invention.
The arrangement according to the invention for avoiding rear-end collisions is formed of an electronic control unit which is connected with the electronic circuit of the vehicle, and equipped with a signal receiver and a signal generator and programmed in a way such that the following functions are performed in conjunction with a GPS antenna (4), an accelerator pedal encoder (7) and the third brake light (5):
In the following, reference is made to a FIGURE, which allows to better understand the description of a particular and non-limiting embodiment of the present invention.
In this FIGURE, the following reference numbers refer to:
Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the invention, which is only one of a variety of construction methods and which is suitable for industrial realization, as well as an above-described structure will be described.
A preferred embodiment of the arrangement according to the invention for avoiding rear-end collisions can be realized based on an electronic control unit (1) connected with the electronic circuit of the vehicle and which is equipped with a signal receiver (2) and a signal generator (3), and which is programmed in a way that the following functions are carried out in collaboration with the GPS antenna (4), the gas pedal encoder (7) and the third brake light (5):
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201300843 | Jun 2013 | ES | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
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PCT/ES2014/000093 | 6/10/2014 | WO | 00 |
Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
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WO2014/198971 | 12/18/2014 | WO | A |
Number | Name | Date | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
2824921 | Baumheckel | Feb 1958 | A |
2832863 | Quimby | Apr 1958 | A |
3171914 | Ohanian | Mar 1965 | A |
20020133282 | Ryan et al. | Sep 2002 | A1 |
20050040702 | Yen | Feb 2005 | A1 |
Number | Date | Country |
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0219858 | Apr 1987 | EP |
Number | Date | Country | |
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20160107565 A1 | Apr 2016 | US |