Patent Application
20060063643
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a manual brake auxiliary system, and more particularly to a manual brake auxiliary system for stick shift gear change type vehicle to automatically stop movement of the vehicle when the driver is not at the driver's seat and the manual brake is not engaged.
2. Description of Related Art
Automobiles regardless of stick-shift gear change type or the automatic type are introduced to the world to bring fast paced lifestyle and convenience to the people. Distance seems not to be a problem between two persons far away from each other because of the convenient transportation opportunities we now have.
However, despite all the conveniences we have in our lives due to the introduction of cars, there is still something which is not so convenient to the user (the driver). That is, whenever the car is stopped, the driver has to apply the manual brake before leaving the car, otherwise, the car may move due to the slope of the road. If the driver forgets to apply the manual brake, the car might be damaged or even endanger a passersby. This kind of danger originates from the total dependence to the driver's concern to safety and the danger arising from a driver's forgetfulness is not addressed.
To overcome the shortcomings, the present invention tends to provide an improved auxiliary braking system to mitigate the aforementioned problems.
The primary objective of the present invention is to provide an improved manual brake auxiliary system for stick shift gear type vehicle to monitor existence of coherency between the manual brake and the position of the manual brake automatically stop the vehicle from movement.
In order to accomplish the foregoing objective, the system of the present invention includes the following elements:
A further advantage of the invention is that the controlling unit has a pushbutton operably connected to the controlling unit to allow the driver to manually engage/disengage the braking system.
A further advantage of the present invention is that the system has a spirit level operably connected to the controlling unit to monitor inclination of the vehicle with reference to sea level.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the controlling unit further monitors whether the vehicle ignition system is off.
Still, a further advantage of the present invention is that the auxiliary system further has an indicator operably connected to an output of the controlling unit to send either visually or acoustically a signal to the driver.
A further advantage of the present invention is that whenever there is no driver at the driver's seat, the auxiliary system is automatically activated.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
With reference to
Still further the controlling unit (10) is able to sense whether the brake pedal and the ignition system in the vehicle are engaged.
With reference to
One of the inputs is controlled by a switch (17) to sense whether the brake pedal is engaged and one of the outputs of the controlling unit (10) is connected to the onboard manual brake.
Therefore, it is noted that the controlling unit (10) continuously examines the conditions of the orientation sensing device (12) and the pressure sensor (14). If the pressure sensor (14) detects that the driver is not at the driver's seat and the orientation sensing device (12) detects that the vehicle is moving, the vehicle is not moving normally. Thus the controlling unit (10) will automatically engage the manual brake to force the vehicle to stop movement.
If the vehicle is moving rearward (the gear shifting stick is at the reverse gear) and the orientation sensing device (12) detects that the vehicle is moving forward, the vehicle is moving abnormally, the controlling unit (10) will automatically engage the manual brake to force the vehicle to stop movement.
In a condition where the vehicle is moving rearward and the gear shifting stick is at the forward gear, the vehicle is not moving normally. Therefore, the controlling unit (10) will automatically engage the manual brake to force the vehicle to stop movement.
Still, in a condition where the vehicle is moving (forward or rearward) and the gear shifting stick is at the neutral gear, the vehicle is moving abnormally, the controlling unit (10) will automatically engage the manual brake to force the vehicle to stop movement.
Furthermore, if the pressure sensor (14) detects that the driver is not at the driver's seat and the orientation sensing device (12) detects that the vehicle is moving, the controlling unit (10) automatically forces the vehicle to stop via the server.
If the driver is detected to be at the driver's seat and the brake pedal is detected to be in a status of engagement by the controlling unit (10), when the ignition system is detected to be at a status of OFF, the controlling unit (10) will still engage the manual brake via the server. The status of engagement of both the brake pedal and the manual brake will be displayed on the display (151) and the buzzer (152) will sound an alarm to remind the driver.
In a situation where the brake pedal is engaged and the manual brake is also engaged, the controlling unit (10) monitors the status change of the pushbutton (16). If the pushbutton (16) is engaged by the driver, the engagement of the manual brake is disengaged. However, before the engagement of the pushbutton (16), if the manual brake is already disengaged, the engagement of the pushbutton (16) will enact the controlling unit (10) to engage the manual brake.
Still further, if the pushbutton (16) is pressed over a predetermined time period (i.e. ten seconds), the engagement of the manual brake will be disengaged whether the driver is at the driver's seat. Meanwhile, the indicator (15) shows the current vehicle situation. Such a scenario applies only when the vehicle experiences a malfunction and is towed.
Therefore, the auxiliary system of the present invention examines whether the position of the gear shifting stick is in accordance with the vehicle's movement orientation to determine the engagement of the manual brake so as to force the vehicle to a full stop. Furthermore, if the driver gets off the vehicle without the engagement of the manual brake, the controlling unit (10) will automatically engage the manual brake if the vehicle is detected to be in a status of movement.
It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only, and changes may be made in detail, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms in which the appended claims are expressed.
