Proactive vehicle doors to prevent accidents

Abstract

This solution will help to detect oncoming traffic and / or nearby external objects when the vehicle door is being opened, and it would automatically stop the vehicle door from opening further if there is a possibility of an accident involving the vehicle doors or its users. This solution will notify vehicle users using an indicator on the vehicle door and / or an existing notification systems in vehicle that vehicle door has been restricted from opening further due to potential of an accident. This invention also has an external alert mechanism, which would generate alert externally that vehicle door is about to be opened, and therefore, help to prevent accidents. This invention will also comprise of an artificial intelligence module within the proactive vehicle door system, where such module would constantly gather data, analyze and provide proactive suggestions or even take necessary actions in order to help prevent any vehicle door related accidents.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application claims benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 62 / 256,707, entitled “Proactive Vehicle Doors to Prevent Accidents” filed on Nov. 18, 2015, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.BACKGROUND[0002]It often occurs that when a vehicle door is opened without paying close attention to the oncoming traffic (for example: another vehicle, cyclist, motorbike, scooter, people, etc), then there is a potential of an accident if the traffic either coming from behind or even from the front come and hit that open vehicle door. In this situation, there is also a risk of the user themselves getting hit by traffic if they weren't paying attention while opening their vehicle door.[0003]In addition to above, it also often occurs that when a vehicle user opens their vehicle door without paying close attention to the external objects, then there is a potential for an accident as tha...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0006]This solution will help to detect oncoming traffic and / or nearby external objects when the vehicle door is being opened, and it would automatically stop the vehicle door from opening further if there is a possibility of an accident involving the vehicle doors or its users. Note: oncoming traffic can be anything that can cause damage to the vehicle door, such as, another vehicle, cyclist, people, motorbike, scooter, etc that are either coming from front or from behind. Note: an external object can also be anything that can cause damage to the vehicle door. For example: another vehicle parked in parking lot, building wall if vehicle was parked next to building wall, road sign pillar / pole, water hydrant, etc. This solution will help to prevent accidents and also indirectly remove the fear from the vehicle users that they might hit another object while opening their vehicle doors and vice versa. Note: Even in those situations when the vehicle door hasn't even been opened at all, however, if the user has indicated their intent to open the door (for example: hold the vehicle door handle, etc), then the solution would detect that (for example: using sensors within the vehicle door handle, etc) and still proactively stop the doors from opening at all or even lock the doors in order to try and prevent an accident involving the vehicle doors.

[0008]This invention will also notify the vehicle users using an indicator on the vehicle door and / or an existing notification systems in the vehicle that the vehicle door has been restricted from opening further due to the potential of an accident. Also, this invention will also have an external alert mechanism (for example: using an indicator, notification, digital display, lights, etc) that would alert the external / outside people, oncoming traffic or nearby external objects that the vehicle door is about to be opened, which would also help to prevent accidents. In addition, this invention will also comprise of an artificial intelligence module within the proactive vehicle door system, where the module would constantly gather and analyze i.e. learn from the regular actions of the users related to the vehicle doors (such as incorrectly opening the vehicle door at a particular time of the day, or at a particular place, or in a particular sequence of actions, etc), and then it would proactively inform the user or users to avoid making those same mistakes again, and therefore, help to prevent future accidents.

[0009]The present invention can use sensors to identify when the vehicle user is about to open the vehicle door, or to identify the external objects or oncoming traffic, and provide a self-stopping feature on the vehicle doors that can help to prevent accidents.

[0011]Note: Any of the above mentioned features on the system are just for exemplary purposes, however, as technology advances in future, additional options can be added to this system to enhance the use of such self-stopping feature on the vehicle doors to prevent accidents.

Problems solved by technology

It often occurs that when a vehicle door is opened without paying close attention to the oncoming traffic (for example: another vehicle, cyclist, motorbike, scooter, people, etc), then there is a potential of an accident if the traffic either coming from behind or even from the front come and hit that open vehicle door.

In this situation, there is also a risk of the user themselves getting hit by traffic if they weren't paying attention while opening their vehicle door.

In addition to above, it also often occurs that when a vehicle user opens their vehicle door without paying close attention to the external objects, then there is a potential for an accident as that vehicle door can hit the external objects (for example: another vehicle parked in parking lot, building wall if vehicle was parked next to building wall, road sign pillar / pole, water hydrant, etc).

Overall, the vehicle door related accidents are increasing more and more, and can result in dents and damages on the vehicle itself as well as other external objects / vehicles.

In addition, there are costs involved to fix those dents / damages, rise in insurance premiums occur due to such accidents, and so on.

In fact, in some cases, people even run away after they hit another vehicle with their vehicle door without reporting those accidents resulting in hit and run cases.

Also, currently there is no indicator on the vehicle notification system or the vehicle doors itself to indicate to the vehicle door operators that there is a risk of an accident when there are external objects or oncoming traffic.

Also, currently there isn't any type of external alert mechanism (for example: an indicator, notification, digital display, lights, etc) to external / outside people, oncoming traffic or nearby external objects that the vehicle door is about to be opened, which can provide an alert to those external things and help to prevent accidents.

In addition, currently there also isn't an artificial intelligence module for the proactive vehicle doors that would constantly gather, analyze and provide proactive suggestions or even take the necessary actions in order to help prevent any vehicle door related accidents.

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