Laser-based collision warning system

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of computing. A system for warning a pedestrian of the danger of an oncoming vehicle comprises: a detector mounted in the front part of a vehicle and capable of continuously scanning a sector of the path ahead of the vehicle; a computing device capable of receiving a signal from said detector and processing and sending the signal to actuation devices; a source of coherent visible radiation capable of generating a bright spot of light that warns a pedestrian of the danger of an oncoming vehicle; an actuation device capable of pointing the source of coherent radiation in the direction of a pedestrian.

Description

[0001] Laser Collision Warning System

[0002] AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

[0003] This technical solution relates to the field of computer technology, in particular to systems for warning pedestrians about the danger of an approaching vehicle.

[0004] LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

[0005] A solution known from the prior art, selected as the closest analogue, is CA 2691138 C, published on October 24, 2017. The analogue relates to the field of transport, namely to a method for providing assistance to a vehicle driver. The method for providing assistance to a vehicle driver includes: providing the vehicle with a visible light source emitting visible light and having the function of illuminating the environment adjacent to the vehicle or emitting a signal, wherein said visible light source is a light-emitting diode (LED);actuating a visible light source using a visible light source controller to emit visible light in a predetermined mode using control data, wherein the visible light in the given mode becomes visible to the naked human eye to maintain said function of illuminating an environment adjacent to the visible light source, wherein said visible light in said predetermined mode generates a visible light signal having an emitted pulse of visible light; feeding said control data to a data / signal processor;receiving a reflection / backscatter of emitted visible light from an object at an optical visible light detector and generating detected light data having a detected visible light pulse using said optical visible light detector, wherein said detected light data is digitized using an analog-to-digital converter coupled to said optical visible light detector, wherein said reflection / backscatter is sampled by said analog-to-digital converter at a data acquisition rate to generate said detected light data; identifying, using said data / signal processor, at least the presence and position of the object using said motion data and said detected light data as a function of the received reflection / backscatter and a predetermined mode;detecting, with the aid of said data / signal processor, visibility using said driving data and said detected lighting data, wherein said visibility represents the presence of at least one of: fog, snow, dust, smoke, rain, ice, gas, liquid, airborne particles and smog; wherein said identification and said detection with the aid of said data / signal processor use a relationship between said emitted visible light pulse controlled by said excitation data and said detected visible light pulse selected from said detected light data; and initiating, with the aid of a processor-based driver assistance system, at least one of interaction with a driver of the vehicle and an action of the vehicle depending on at least one of the presence of an object, the position of the object and visibility.

[0006] The proposed technical solution is aimed at eliminating the shortcomings of current technology and differs from known solutions in that the proposed solution, in a safe format, allows for the protection of pedestrians from collisions with vehicles.

[0007] ESSENCE OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The technical problem addressed by the claimed solution is the creation of a system for warning pedestrians of the danger of an approaching vehicle. Additional embodiments of the present invention are presented in the dependent claims.

[0009] The technical result is to increase pedestrian safety.

[0010] The claimed technical result is achieved by implementing a system for warning a pedestrian of the danger of an approaching vehicle, comprising: a detector mounted in the front of the vehicle, capable of continuously scanning a sector of the path in the direction of the vehicle; a computing device capable of receiving a signal from the detector, processing it, and sending it to actuators; a source of coherent radiation in the visible range, capable of generating a bright spot of light that warns the pedestrian of the danger of an approaching vehicle; and an actuator capable of directing the source of coherent radiation toward the pedestrian. In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle is an automobile.

[0011] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle

[0012] - this is railway transport.

[0013] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle

[0014] - is a means of individual mobility.

[0015] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle is a bicycle.

[0016] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the detector, installed in the front of the vehicle, is implemented in the form of a video camera with computer vision technology.

[0017] DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will be further described in accordance with the accompanying drawings, which are provided to illustrate the invention and in no way limit its scope. The following drawings are attached to the application:

[0019] Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of the operation of a system for warning a pedestrian about the danger of an approaching vehicle.

[0020] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] The following detailed description of the invention includes numerous implementation details intended to provide a clear understanding of the present invention. However, one skilled in the art will readily appreciate how the present invention may be utilized with or without these implementation details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the features of the present invention.

[0022] Furthermore, it will be clear from the foregoing description that the invention is not limited to the embodiment described. Numerous possible modifications, changes, variations, and substitutions, while preserving the spirit and form of the present invention, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0023] The problem addressed by this technical solution is that pedestrians walk inattentively and / or with headphones on, oblivious to and unaware of approaching vehicles. This is especially true for rail transport, given the increasing speed of trains. Also, cyclists, scooter riders, and mobility device riders often travel on sidewalks, and pedestrians are unaware of anyone overtaking them.

[0024] Audible signals may either not be heard by the pedestrian in the surrounding noise, or the pedestrian may be wearing headphones and not hear the vehicle signal.

[0025] Pedestrians also often run across railway tracks, misjudging the train's speed. Using this technical solution, vehicles are equipped with a warning system that significantly improves the safety of all road users.

[0026] Thus, the present technical solution is aimed at solving the problem of effective warning of a collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian by generating a bright light spot with a laser in the path of an obstacle - a walking pedestrian, to inform him of the approaching vehicle.

[0027] To solve this problem, a system was developed to warn pedestrians about the danger of an approaching vehicle.

[0028] In one embodiment, the vehicle is a car.

[0029] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle

[0030] - this is railway transport.

[0031] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle

[0032] - this is any means of individual mobility (electric scooter / electric bicycle).

[0033] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the vehicle

[0034] - This is a bicycle.

[0035] To address the problem of high-quality pedestrian detection, the preferred implementation involves installing a detector on the front of the vehicle. However, the detector can be installed anywhere on the vehicle, including inside the vehicle. In a specific embodiment of the described system, the detector installed on the front of the vehicle is implemented as a video camera using computer vision technology.

[0036] The detector continuously scans the vehicle's path during the day using visible light and at night using infrared light, detecting pedestrians as obstacles. The computing device in this technical solution can be implemented as the vehicle's onboard computer.

[0037] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the computing device can be implemented as a microcontroller.

[0038] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the computing device can be implemented in the form of a microcomputer.

[0039] In a particular embodiment of the described system, the computing device can be implemented as a cloud server.

[0040] In a preferred embodiment, the detector is connected to the computing device via a wired connection (a cable) to reduce signal exchange latency and increase system response speed (which also improves pedestrian safety). The detector can also be connected to the computing device wirelessly.

[0041] The computing device is designed to receive a signal from the detector, as well as process and send the signal to the executive devices of the system.

[0042] A pedestrian detection algorithm using a computing device. In a specific implementation, the computing device determines the boundaries of the road along which a vehicle is moving (railroad tracks, if a train is involved) by receiving an image from a video camera. At night, it is detected by the thermal signature, and during the day, it identifies obstacles using artificial intelligence (trained to detect obstacles). If a pedestrian is standing near the road or, in the computing device's predictive model, their trajectory will intersect the vehicle's path, the computing device sends control signals to create and direct a bright spot of light at the edge of the road (for a car), warning the pedestrian. For rail vehicles, the device can illuminate areas where pedestrians are likely to run out, or create a spot of light at the "feet" (lower edge) of the obstacle.For bicycles or personal mobility devices, a light spot is also created at the "feet" (lower edge) of an obstacle within the boundaries defined by the computing device as a road. The device can also be activated manually, for example by pressing a button, and will create a light spot at the nearest obstacle, determined by the direction of travel, taking into account that the spot should be at the lower edge of the obstacle to prevent the risk of light shining into the eyes of pedestrians. In a specific implementation, the distance to the obstacle is determined using the light from a laser rangefinder.

[0043] This technical solution may include a laser distance calculator or calculate the distance to a pedestrian taking into account the information transmitted by the detector (video camera).

[0044] When detecting a pedestrian in the path of a vehicle, the computing device sends an actuating signal to the source of coherent visible radiation, as well as to the actuating device associated with the radiation source.

[0045] In a preferred embodiment, the source of coherent visible radiation is a laser.

[0046] The actuator is designed to correctly direct the source of coherent radiation towards the pedestrian and is connected to the computing device and the source of coherent radiation.

[0047] In the preferred embodiment, the actuator is implemented as a servo drive. A specific implementation, for example for rail transport, uses a deflecting mirror that deflects the laser beam, creating the required brightness at the desired location.

[0048] In a preferred embodiment, the actuator deflects the light source in such a way that a bright light spot is created around the pedestrian, which contrasts with the surrounding environment and does not blind him.

[0049] An example of the implementation of this technical solution. A vehicle is equipped with a detector (a video camera with computer vision technology). The detector can be installed inside the vehicle in a position that ensures maximum visibility of the area in front of the vehicle. The detector continuously scans the area in front of the vehicle. Upon detecting an obstacle such as a pedestrian, the detector immediately sends a signal to the computing device.The computing device receives and processes the signal, after which it sends an actuator signal to start the source of coherent radiation (for example, a laser), and also sends a signal to the actuator (for example, a servo drive) which directs the source of coherent radiation in the visible range in such a way that a bright spot of light is created around the pedestrian, which contrasts with the surrounding environment and warns the pedestrian of the danger of an approaching vehicle without blinding him.

[0050] A computing system (device) capable of processing the data necessary to implement the proposed solution generally comprises the following components: one or more processors, at least one memory, data storage, input / output interfaces, input means, and networking capabilities. When executing machine-readable commands contained in RAM, the device's processor is configured to perform the basic computing operations necessary for the operation of the device or the functionality of one or more of its components. The memory is typically implemented as RAM, which is loaded with the necessary program logic to provide the required functionality. When implementing the proposed solution, the memory capacity required for its implementation is allocated. The data storage device may be implemented as an HDD, SSD, RAID array, network storage, flash memory, etc.The device enables long-term storage of various types of information, such as the aforementioned files with user / passenger data sets, databases containing records of time intervals measured for each user, user identifiers, etc. The interfaces are standard means for connecting and operating peripherals and other devices, such as USB, RS232, RJ45, COM, HDMI, PS / 2, Lightning, etc. The choice of interfaces depends on the specific design of the device, which may be a personal computer, thin client, smartphone, laptop, etc. A keyboard may be used as a data input means in any embodiment of the system implementing the described method. Network interaction means are selected from a device that ensures network data reception and transmission, such as an Ethernet card, WLAN / Wi-Fi module, Bluetooth module, BLE module, NFC module, IrDA, RFID module, GSM modem, etc.These tools facilitate data exchange over a wired or wireless data transmission channel, such as a WAN, PAN, LAN, Intranet, Internet, WLAN, WMAN, or GSM. The device components are connected via a common data transmission bus.

[0051] In these application materials, a preferred disclosure of the implementation of the claimed technical solution was presented, which should not be used as limiting other, particular embodiments of its implementation that do not go beyond the scope of the requested scope of legal protection and are obvious to specialists in the relevant field of technology.

Claims

Formula 1. A system for warning a pedestrian of the danger of an approaching vehicle, comprising: a detector installed in the front part of the vehicle, configured to continuously scan a sector of the path in the direction of the vehicle; a computing device configured to receive a signal from the detector, process it, and send the signal to actuators; a source of coherent radiation in the visible range, configured to generate a bright spot of light that warns the pedestrian of the danger of an approaching vehicle; an actuator configured to direct the source of coherent radiation towards the pedestrian.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an automobile.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a railway vehicle.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a personal mobility device.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a bicycle.

6. The system according to claim 1, in which the detector installed in the front part of the vehicle is implemented in the form of a video camera with computer vision technology.

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