Patent Application
20180229684
Developing intelligent transportation systems which take into consideration the economical, environmental, and safety factors of the modern society, is one of the main challenges of this century. Progress in the fields of mobile robots, control architectures, advanced technologies, and computer vision allows us to now envisage the integration of autonomous and driving-assistance capabilities within future vehicles. Research concerning the development of self contained unmanned vehicles robot cars is currently being carried out on a very active scale. The existing types of unmanned vehicle are designed so that the travel sections thereof are equipped with wheels crawlers etc and in which the travel motion is accomplished under the control of a control section.
Smart environments represent the next evolutionary development step in industries such as construction, manufacturing, transportation systems and even in sporting goods equipment. Like any functioning organism, the smart environment relies first and foremost on sensory data from the real world. Sensory data comes from multiple sensors of different modalities in distributed locations. The smart environment needs information about all of its surroundings as well as about its internal workings.
The challenge is determining the prioritized hierarchy of: (1) detecting the relevant quantities, (2) monitoring and collecting the data, (3) assessing and evaluating the information, and (4) performing decision-making actions. The information needed by smart environments is provided by Distributed Sensor Systems, which are responsible for sensing as well as for the first stages of the processing hierarchy.
The drive to minimize human interaction in transportation vehicles is stronger than ever, especially in public transportation, automobiles, and etc. For instant, just a few years ago, automobiles seldom had very sophisticated safety systems. Now, it is rare to find an automobile without various safety and protection systems. And now new technology is evolving to the point of being able to offer preventive methods to better manage and dissipate sudden impact energy to the vehicle.
The use of radars in collision avoidance systems is generally known. U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,220 dated Sep. 6, 1983 discloses a radar system adapted to detect relative headings between aircraft or ships at sea and a detected object moving relative to the ground. The system is adapted to collision avoidance application. U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,945 dated Feb. 7, 1978 discloses a radar-operated collision avoidance system for roadway vehicles. The system senses the vehicle speed relative to an object and its distance and decides whether the vehicle is approaching the object at a dangerously high speed. A minimum allowable distance represented by a digital code is stored in a memory of a computer and the minimum allowable distance is compared with the distance sensed by the radar. U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,850 dated Dec. 2, 1986 discloses a dual operational mode vehicle detection and collision avoidance apparatus using a single active or passive ultrasonic ranging device. The system is particularly adapted to scan the rear and the lateral sides of the motor vehicle to warn the vehicle user of any danger when changing lanes.
Most of the prior art collision avoidance systems use microwave radars as the ranging and detecting device. There are multiple problems of these automobile collision avoidance systems when microwave radars are used. One major issue is related to the beam width that is the angular width of the main lobe of the radar, and the associated angular resolution of the microwave radar. The beam width is inversely proportional to the antenna diameter in wavelength. With the limitation of the antenna size, it is very difficult to make reasonable size microwave radar with beam width less than 3 degrees. At the desired scanning distance, this beam width will scan an area which is much too big and thus is too nonspecific and difficult to differentiate the received echoes. Besides getting echo from another car in front of it, this radar will also receive echoes from roadside signs, trees or posts, or bridges over passing an expressway. On highways with divided lanes the microwave radar will receive echoes from cars 2 or 3 lanes away and has difficulty in differentiating them from echoes coming from objects in the same lane. Because of the poor angular resolution of microwave radars, the direction of objects cannot be specifically determined and objects too close to one another cannot be separated. The angular resolution of microwave radars is not small enough for them to be effectively used to monitor roadway traffic. The other issue is that the microwave radars have difficulty in distinguishing radar signals coming from adjacent cars with similar equipment. If there are more than two cars with the same radar equipment on the same scene, the signals become very confusing.
The ultrasonic ranging and detecting device's angular resolution is also too poor to be effectively used in roadway traffic monitoring. The ultrasonic devices have even more problems than the microwave radars in determining the direction and location of echoes precisely, in the detection of directional change of objects and in avoiding signals coming from adjacent vehicles with similar equipment
Systems and devices for collision avoidance of air, sea and ground vehicles are in general well known. Early devices utilized forward looking antennae with radio frequency transmitters and receivers. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,891,966 Sytankay disclosed a laser system designed to avoid rear end collisions between automobiles. This apparatus provides a laser transmitting and receiving system and a detection system mounted on the front and rear of automobiles. The transmitter at the front end emits a signal having a designated wavelength f1 and the receiver at the front end receives signals having a designated wavelength f2. Upon reception of signals of wavelength f1 the modulator at the rear end of a leading car would activate the transmitter which would send a return signal of wavelength f2 to the receiver at the front end of the trailing car. This signal is interpreted by circuits in the receiver and furnishes a warning of the proximity of the vehicles.
Sterzer et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,003,049 shows a frequency modulated continuous wave collision avoidance radar responsive to both reply signals from cooperating tagged targets and to skin reflections from proximate non cooperating non tagged targets. German Patent No 2,327,186 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,888 to Heller et al describe a system in which detections are limited to the electronic road channel in which the vehicle is traveling. The radar has two antennas which radiate RF signals of different frequencies. The signals received by one of the two antennas are evaluated by determining the difference between the amplitudes of the RF signals reflected from an object. A signal proportional to the difference is then compared to a threshold proportional to a predetermined azimuth range so that cars moving in the same road lane may by discriminated against other passing objects.
More recent devices employ a millimeter wave antenna capable of electronic scanning. An example is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,264,859 to Lee et al in which a linear ferrite loaded slot array illuminates a dielectric lens. Beam scanning is achieved by controlling a bias magnetic field along the ferrite rod of the slot array. More advanced systems might employ a conformal array disposed within or around car structures such as bumpers. Such antenna systems are generally taught by Special in U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,906. A more complete total avoidance system is discussed by Shaw et al in U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,037. Here the laser detection system is coupled to both warning and automatic car control devises such as steering and braking systems in order to take evasive action. Obviously such complex systems are expensive to build and will have a lower inherent reliability. Although the above systems may find utility in avoiding front and rear collisions they are not adapted for early warning of imminent side collisions.
The above techniques and solution can also be applied for flying objects or any moving equipment such as drones, flying cars, robots, and in general moving equipment and flying equipments.
One effective and novel ways of minimizing collision and maximizing safety is to monitor the environment and to predict the impact using distributed sensors. Distributed sensors estimate and calculate environmental parameters related to external object. Therefore, as shown in
For flying objects two of possible protection gears are airbag and compressed gas systems. Airbags have evolved with regards to design, fabric and the components that go into making it. Compressed gas (air) systems are in nearly most industrial facilities around the world.
Compressed air is air kept under a pressure that is greater than atmospheric pressure. In industry, compressed air is so widely used that it is often regarded as the fourth utility, after electricity, natural gas and water. However, compressed air is more expensive than the other three utilities when evaluated on a per unit energy delivered basis. Compressed air is used for many purposes, including:
Railway breaking system: A railway air brake is a railway brake power braking system with compressed air as the operating medium.
Road vehicle breaking system: An air brake or, more formally, a compressed air brake system, is a type of friction brake for vehicles in which compressed air pressing on a piston is used to apply the pressure to the brake pad needed to stop the vehicle.
Air guns: An air gun is any kind of small arms that propels projectiles by means of mechanically pressurized compressed air or other gas (shooting involves no chemical reaction), in contrast to explosive propellant of a firearm.
An airbag is made up of three parts. The first part is the bag itself that is made out of thin nylon fabric and is folded in the steering wheel or the dashboard of a car. The second part of the airbag is the sensor that informs the bag to inflate when the car meets with an accident. The sensor detects the collision force and calculates the force equal to running into a brick wall at around 10 to 15 miles per hour. The third part consists of an inflation system.
The airbags are inflated using sodium azide and potassium nitrate. When any collision takes place, the sensor detects the collision force and informs the bag to inflate. At that time, the sodium azide and potassium nitrate react quickly and produces a large pulse of hot nitrogen gas. The gas inflates the bag in turn and the bag literally bursts out of the steering wheel or the dash board. After a second, the bag starts deflating with the help of the holes present on it to get out of your way.
Expandable pads are made of polymers that can be expanded by applying voltage to two ends of the pads. The pad after activation need to be replaced.
This patent application discloses a protection system using one of multilayer airbag, expandable pads, and compressed air for moving and flying vehicles and equipments. The multilayer airbag consists of a number of independent airbags within one another which will be inflated with a time sequence or simultaneously. This type of protection system can be used for various moving vehicles and equipment to protect them from any force due to a predicted impact.
The drawings referred to in this description should be understood as not being drawn to scale except if specifically noted.
Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present technology, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the technology will be described in conjunction with various embodiment(s), it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present technology to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present technology is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments as defined by the appended claims.
Furthermore, in the following description of embodiments, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present technology. However, the present technology may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present embodiments.
Vehicle/object 100 includes, among other things, sensors 1011 to 101i, controller 104, expandable pads 1021 to 102j, and multilayer airbags 1031 to 103k.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, multiple expandable pads 1021 to 102j and multiple multilayer airbags 1031 to 103k are mounted on all external sides of vehicle/object 100 and provide protection for impacts due to external objects on any external side of vehicle/object 100.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, the expandable pads 1021 to 102j and multilayer airbags 1031 to 103k are mounted on the main body frame of the vehicle/object 100 to provide a firm and strong support.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, by activating the expandable pads 1021 to 102j and/or multilayer airbags 1031 to 103k the impact force to vehicle/object 100 will be lowered by absorption or diffraction and provides more protection to the passengers of vehicle/object 100 if any.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, one or more of the multilayer airbags 1031 to 103k at one or multiple sides of the vehicle/object 100 can be inflated to protect the external of vehicle/object 100 from fall, crash or impact with an external object.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, one or more of the expandable pads 1021 to 102j at one or multiple sides of the vehicle/object 100 can be expanded by applying voltage to two ends of expandable pad to protect the external of vehicle/object 100 from fall, crash or impact with an external object.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, controller 104 resets, and configures itself based on configuration data stored in its memory and then starts executing the artificial intelligence executable software which controls all aspects of navigation and protection of the vehicle/object 100 using information data provided by sensors 1011 to 101i.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, multiple sensors 1011 to 101i are distributed at various locations internal and external to vehicle/object 100 and each has an IP address which is used to avoid collision or confusion of the information data received by the controller 104 from said sensors internal or external to the vehicle/object 100.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, the sensors 1011 to 101i can be at least one of image sensor, wireless sensor (radar), heat sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, ultrasonic sensor, proximity sensor, pressure sensor, G sensor, and IR (infrared) sensor.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, a wireless sensor (radar) transmits a coded signal similar to an identity code, or an IP address and receives the reflected signal from objects in surrounding environment of the vehicle/object 100 to avoid collision with signals from other vehicles or objects.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, two or more type of sensors can be used to better monitor the surrounding environment of the vehicle/object 100 and calculate and estimate parameters of the vehicle/object 100 surrounding environment.
In one embodiment of the vehicle/object 100, a wireless sensor with IP address and an image sensor are used to monitor the vehicle/object 100 surrounding environment, calculate and estimate the distance and approaching speed of objects in the surrounding environment and use the information data to make a better decision to activate a multilayer air bag and/or an expandable pad.
In another embodiment, the vehicle/object 100 can be an automobile, a robot, a flying car, a small plane, a drone, a glider, a human or any flying and moving object/device/equipment.
Flying object 200 includes, among other things, sensors 2011 to 201i, controller 204, compressed air units 2021 to 202j, and multilayer airbags 2031 to 203k.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, a subset of compressed air units 2021 to 202j and multilayer airbags 2031 to 203k allow for smoother crash or landing on any side of the flying object 200.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, a centralized compressed air unit with multiple outlets at different sides of the flying object can be used and the air is released only from the outlets on the side that flying object 200 lands or crash to the ground.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, one or more of the multilayer airbags 2031 to 203k at one or multiple sides of the flying object 200 can be inflated to make the crash or landing as smooth as possible.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, controller 204 resets, and configures itself based on configuration data stored in its memory and then starts executing the artificial intelligence software which controls all aspects of navigation and protection of the flying object 200 using information data provided by sensors 2011 to 201i.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, each sensor of flying object 200 has an IP address which is used to avoid collision or confusion of the information data received by the controller from sensors internal or external to the flying object.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, each sensor of flying object 200 sends its information data to the controller by using wireless and/or wired communication.
In one embodiment of flying object 200, the sensors 2011 to 201i can be at least one of image sensor, wireless sensor (radar), heat sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, ultrasonic sensor, proximity sensor, pressure sensor, G sensor, and IR (infrared) sensor.
In another embodiment, the flying object 200 can be a drone, a flying car, a small plane, a glider, and a human.
Multilayer airbag protection system 300 includes, among other things, sensor 304, controller 303, inflator 302, and “n” airbags 3011 to 301n that are within each other.
In one embodiment, the sensor 304 can be at least one of image sensor, wireless sensor (radar), heat sensor, speed sensor, acceleration sensor, ultrasonic sensor, proximity sensor, pressure sensor, G sensor, and IR (infrared) sensor.
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag protection system 300, the controller 303 provides the firing driver for the inflator 302 gas generator, monitors operation of the multilayer airbag, and indicates any malfunction.
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag system 300, the inflator 302 inflates multilayer airbag 3011 to 301n based on the activation command it receives from controller 303 by producing a large pulse of hot nitrogen gas.
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag system 300, the airbag 3012 resides inside airbag 3011, the airbag 3013 resides inside airbag 3012, and ultimately airbag 301n resides inside airbag 301n-1.
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag system 300, the airbag 3012 inflates within airbag 3011, the airbag 3013 inflates within airbag 3012, and ultimately airbag 301n inflates within airbag 301n-1.
In one embodiment, the multilayer airbag 3011 to 301n provide “n” layer of redundancy.
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag 300, the controller 303 activates the inflator 302 based on at least one of the information data it receives from the sensor 304, the central brain or artificial intelligence (AI) of the equipment or gear that uses multilayer airbag 300, and other entities (for example an operating person).
In one embodiment of multilayer airbag 300, the controller 303 acts as the main brain or artificial intelligence and activates the inflator 302 based on the information data it receives from the sensor 304 and other sensors of the equipment or gear that uses multilayer airbag 300.
The expandable pad 400 includes, among other things a voltage generator which applies a defined voltage across two ends of the pad.
In one embodiment of expandable pad 400, the pad 401 consists of a polymer with certain thickness.
In one embodiment of expandable pad 400, the pad 402 is the pad 401 when expanded after a voltage is applied to its two ends to increased and expanded its thickness.
At 501 of method 500, Controller is reset; the configuration parameters are set and start executing the artificial intelligence executable software.
At 502 of method 500, controller using its artificial intelligence executable software analyses the information data from one or multiple sensors to detect any potential or imminent impacts due to approaching objects, falling, or crash.
At 503 of method 500, the controller based on its configuration parameters select which expandable pad and/or compressed air to activate in order to reduce the force due to impact.
At 504 of method 500, the controller based on its configuration parameters selects the multilayer airbags to be inflated and activates the inflators of the airbags.
At 505 of method 500, the airbag inflators generate the gas that is needed to inflate the selected multilayer airbags and a voltage is applied across two ends of selected pads.
Various embodiments are thus described. While particular embodiments have been described, it should be appreciated that the embodiments should not be construed as limited by such description, but rather construed according to the following claims.
The application claims priority to the following related applications and included here is as a reference. Provisional application: U.S. patent application No. 62/458,626 filed Feb. 14, 2017, and entitled “PROTECTION GEAR FOR FLYING OBJECTS”. Provisional application: U.S. patent application No. 62/470,523 filed Mar. 13, 2017, and entitled “EXTERNAL PROTECTION FOR MOVING VEHICLES”. Application: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/861,589 filed Jan. 3, 2018, and entitled “MULTILAYER AIRBAG”.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 62458626 | Feb 2017 | US |
| Child | 15888175 | US | |
| Parent | 62470523 | Mar 2017 | US |
| Child | 62458626 | US | |
| Parent | 15861589 | Jan 2018 | US |
| Child | 62470523 | US |
