Collision mitigation device

Abstract

The invention relates to a device that is attachable to a vehicle or to a roadside object, where the device is capable of functioning as either a collision mitigation devices or an early warning systems for vehicles.

Description

[0001] COLLISION MITIGATION DEVICE

[0002] Field of the invention

[0003] The invention relates to collision mitigation devices and early warning systems for vehicles.

[0004] Background to the invention

[0005] Collisions with moving or stationary cargo carrying trucks can be dangerous for drivers of other vehicles. The number of trucks sharing the roads with smaller vehicles continues to increase each year. In the Inventor’s experience, larger trucks are often involved in unsafe driving practices, such as speeding, stopping on parts of a road, and / or moving into faster lanes on highways or roads that are not suited for such trucks. These practices may result in accidents, injury and even death. Nighttime is a popular travel time for trucks and the abovementioned practices may become even more hazardous to other vehicles on the roads when it is dark. To exacerbate the danger, trucks may have rear lighting systems which are broken or obstructed from view by dirt and grime collected during long journeys. Furthermore, there may be road conditions such as smoke, smog, mist or other lights in the area which could impair or obstruct an approaching driver’s view of the rear of the truck. As a result, vehicles following these trucks may not be alerted properly when a truck applies brakes to slow down, when the truck is going to change lanes or when the truck is stationary on a part of the road. Collision mitigation devices and warning systems for vehicles are known in the art.

[0006] One such system is disclosed in United States (US) Patent No. 5,467,072. This patent discloses a phased array based radar system for vehicular collision avoidance capable of providing a warning to a driver of a vehicle equipped with the system as well as a warning to a driver of another, nonequipped vehicle which is involved in an unsafe driving condition. The system may be configured to detect that the non-equipped vehicle is approaching a side of the equipped vehicle, that a speed differential associated with the equipped vehicle and the non-equipped vehicle exceeds a threshold, or the like, and thus establish that an unsafe driving condition is present and initiate a warning to one or both of the drivers. The Inventor believes that while this system may be useful, it is deficient in that it cannot be independently powered. The patent also does not disclose a system that can be used on or as road signage.

[0007] US Patent No. 5,268,692 relates to a safe stopping distance detector, antenna and method for use in a vehicle. This patent discloses a device used to detect the distance between a vehicle and an object in proximity thereto in order to determine a safe stopping distance and to trigger an alarm when the distance between the vehicle and the object is less than a safe distance. The alarm is only audible or visible to the driver of the vehicle equipped with the device and not to the driver of another vehicle, which may be the object which is less than the safe distance from the equipped vehicle. This patent also does not relate to a system that is independently powered, nor does it disclose the use of such a system on or as road signage.

[0008] US Patent No. 6,337,638 discloses a vehicle warning system based on speed differential. The system detects the presence of one or more target vehicles and determines a distance and speed of the target vehicle / s relative to the vehicle fitted with the system. If the speed of a target vehicle is greater than a threshold speed, a warning signal is output from a device located on the vehicle fitted with the system, which may be accompanied by a change to a speed setting of that vehicle. The system provides no way of warning driver / s of the target vehicle / s. As in the above cases, this patent fails to disclose a system that is independently powered, nor does it disclose the use of such a system on or as road signage.

[0009] Accordingly, there is a need for a device or system which is capable of addressing or alleviating the problems associated with known collision mitigation devices and early warning systems, at least to some extent.

[0010] Summary of the invention

[0011] According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a device attachable to a vehicle or to a roadside object, the device comprising: means for measuring speed of an approaching target vehicle; a processor connected to the means for measuring speed and to at least one warning light; and a power source configured to power the device independently, wherein the at least one warning light is configured to be positioned such that the at least one warning light is visible to a driver of the approaching target vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to detect that the measured speed, or a value calculated or derived from the measured speed, exceeds a predetermined threshold, and to trigger or actuate the at least one warning light in response thereto.

[0012] The phrase “connected to the means for measuring speed” and “connected to at least on warning light” should be broadly interpreted and may refer to a wired or wireless connection or any suitable communicative coupling. The device may include the at least one warning light. The at least one warning light may also be attached to the vehicle or roadside object or may be in a different location and triggered remotely. The device may be a retrofit device attachable to a vehicle or to a roadside object. The roadside object may be a road sign or may define a road sign when the device is attached thereto. The means for measuring the speed of the approaching target vehicle may include a Doppler radar comprising a transmitter and a receiver.

[0013] In embodiments in which the device is attachable to a roadside object, a stationary Doppler radar may be used. In embodiments in which the device is attachable to a vehicle, a moving Doppler radar may be used.

[0014] If the device is attached to a roadside object or if the device is attached to a stationary vehicle, the processor may be configured to compare the speed of the approaching target vehicle measured by the Doppler radar with a predetermined threshold speed, and if the predetermined threshold speed is exceeded, the processor transmits data or a signal to the at least one warning light such that the warning light / s is / are actuated (e.g. turned on). Alternatively, other means for measuring the speed of the approaching target vehicle may be employed, including laser (e.g. a laser speed gun arrangement) and / or sonar (e.g. echo sounding arrangement).

[0015] The device, when attachable to a vehicle, may further comprise means for measuring speed of the vehicle to which the device is operatively attached (“the equipped vehicle”). In an embodiment of the invention, the means for measuring the speed of the equipped vehicle may include a Doppler radar. In another embodiment of the invention, the means for measuring the speed of the equipped vehicle may be a speedometer of the equipped vehicle, wherein the device is configured to be connected to a speedometer or to a processor or to an on-board computer of the equipped vehicle which provides real-time data on the speed at which the equipped vehicle is travelling. In yet another embodiment, the means for measuring the speed of the equipped vehicle may be a global positioning system (GPS) device which acts as a positional speedometer. The GPS device may be a GPS device of the equipped vehicle wherein the GPS device of the equipped vehicle is connected to the device of the invention such that vehicle speed data is communicated in real-time to the device of the invention. The device of the invention may be configured with or may include the GPS device.

[0016] Other suitable means for measuring the speed of the equipped vehicle may be employed in other embodiments, e.g. laser and / or sonar. The processor may be configured to calculate a speed difference between the speed of the device and the speed of the approaching target vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to detect whether or not the calculated speed difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and if the speed difference exceeds the threshold, the processor transmits data or a signal to the at least one warning light such that the warning light / s is / are actuated. In use, the actuated lights are visible to the approaching target vehicle and the driver thereof may be warned such that he / she may take evasive or corrective action if necessary in order to avoid a collision, loss of control or an accident.

[0017] In embodiments in which the device is attachable to the vehicle, the processor may be configured to use the measured speed of the approaching target vehicle and compare it to the measured speed of the equipped vehicle. If the difference between the speeds or the speed differential is above a predetermined value, the processor actuates the light / s as described above. The device may further comprise a means for determining the type of the approaching target vehicle, which is connected to the processor. The means for determining the type of the approaching target vehicle may be an object recognition device used to detect, recognise and identify a type of vehicle. The object recognition device may be integral to the device or a separate object recognition device retrofitted or coupled to the device, and connected to the processor.

[0018] In embodiments in which the device which is attachable to a roadside object, the means for determining the type of the approaching target vehicle may be a wheel counter which is connected to the processor of the device. The wheel counter may operatively be located alongside a road, e.g. at a predetermined distance preceding the location of the roadside object. The roadside object may include any suitable road sign or roadside object such as a part of a bridge, tunnel, street lamp pole and / or traffic light. As mentioned above, the device, when attached to a roadside object or part thereof, may form or define a road sign.

[0019] In embodiments of the invention, the device includes a plurality of warning lights. The warning lights may be high visibility light-emitting diode (LED) lights. The lights may form part of an LED display screen. The lights and / or processor may be configured in such a way that the lights, in use, indicate the direction in which an approaching target vehicle should move in order to avoid a collision. The lights and / or processor may be configured in such a way that the lights, in use, indicate that the approaching target vehicle should not change lanes, and / or should slow down.

[0020] In embodiments of the invention, the device may further include means for determining the presence of one or more adjacent lanes relative to the lane in which the equipped vehicle is travelling. Furthermore, the device may include means for determining whether or not the one or more adjacent lanes are clear of or occupied by other vehicles. Upon location of one or more such other vehicles, should the other vehicle / s have a calculated speed differential below a predetermined threshold speed differential, and / or be located at a distance which is greater than a predetermined threshold distance, the warning light / s may indicate to the approaching target vehicle accordingly such that a collision is mitigated. The power source may include a solar panel or film. The device may further include a rechargeable battery for storing power generated by the solar panel or film. The rechargeable battery may be used to power the device when the solar panel or film cannot supply enough power to operate the device. The device may be connected to the vehicle battery, and to the solar panel or film, wherein should the solar panel or film not generate sufficient power to permit operation of the device, the device may draw power from the vehicle battery. The device may be configured to be retrofitted to a truck. At least the light / s of the device may be fitted to a top region of a cab of the truck. This may limit the accumulation of dirt and grime and as a result maintain visibility of the light / s of the device. The device may be retrofitted to any other vehicle which is used on a road, e.g. to a top region thereof.

[0021] The device may be configured to store identification data which, in use, provides an indication of the identity or an associated description of the vehicle or roadside object to which the device is attached. The device may include an identification data transmitter for wirelessly transmitting the identification data.

[0022] In some embodiments, the at least one warning light is not attached to the vehicle or to the roadside object along with the other components of the device described above. The at least one warning light may thus be remotely triggered and positioned in a suitable location remote from other components of the device that are attached to the vehicle or roadside object. The at least one warning light may, in use, be positioned at a suitable location to provide a cautionary indication of an upcoming hazard or the like.

[0023] According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a road sign which includes a device substantially as described above.

[0024] According to a third aspect of the invention, there is provided a system comprising: a device attachable to a vehicle or to a roadside object, as described above; and a warning accessory which is configured to be mounted in or to the approaching target vehicle, wherein the warning accessory includes a processor and an alarm component, and wherein the processor of the warning accessory is configured to detect a warning condition and, in response to detecting the warning condition, trigger or actuate the alarm component.

[0025] The warning accessory may be configured to identify a vehicle or roadside object to which the device is attached, in use, and to provide an indication of the identity or an associated description of the vehicle or the object to a driver or occupant of the approaching target vehicle. The warning accessory may include an identification component which is configured to identify the vehicle or object to which the device is attached and a communication component configured to provide the indication of the identity or the associated description to the driver or occupant. The identification component may be an identification data receiver which is configured wirelessly to receive the identification data from the identification data transmitter of the device.

[0026] In some embodiments, the identity or the associated description may be provided to the driver or occupant only in response to the detection of the warning condition. The communication component may, in use, provide the indication audibly inside of the approaching target vehicle.

[0027] The description may be a description relating to the vehicle or roadside object, e.g., “truck approaching" or “sharp turn ahead". The alarm component may be configured to cause an alarm sound in the approaching target vehicle when triggered or actuated.

[0028] The warning accessory may include means for measuring speed of a vehicle which is being approached by the approaching target vehicle, in use. The vehicle which is being approached may have the abovementioned device attached thereto. The warning condition may be that the speed of the vehicle which is being approached is below a predefined threshold, or that a difference between the speed of the approaching target vehicle and the speed of the vehicle which is being approached is above a predefined threshold.

[0029] The warning condition may be the triggering or actuating of the at least one warning light of the device as described above. The warning accessory may include a sensing component which is capable of sensing that the at least one warning light has been triggered / actuated.

[0030] The warning accessory may be configured to be mounted inside of the approaching target vehicle.

[0031] Brief description of the drawings

[0032] The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying schematic and diagrammatical drawings. In the drawings:

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating certain components of an embodiment of a device according to the invention, along with examples of objects to which it can be attached;

[0034] Figure 2 is a schematic illustration, from the side, of the manner in which the device of Figure 1 may be mounted to a cab of a truck;

[0035] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating certain components of an embodiment of a warning accessory for the device of Figure 1 ;

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic illustration, from the top, of the truck equipped with the device of Figure 1 driving along a road, with other vehicles following the equipped truck, wherein one of the other vehicles has the warning accessory of Figure 3 mounted therein; and Figure 5 is a schematic illustration, from the top, of the device of Figure 1 attached to a roadside object so as to form a road sign, with vehicles approaching the road sign.

[0037] Detailed description with reference to the drawings

[0038] The following description is provided as an enabling teaching of the invention, is illustrative of principles associated with the invention and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes may be made to the embodiments described, while still attaining results of the present invention and / or without departing from the scope of the invention. Furthermore, it will be understood that some results or advantages of the present invention may be attained by selecting some of the features of the present invention without utilising other features. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will recognise that modifications and adaptations to the present invention may be possible and may even be desirable in certain circumstances, and may form part of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 1 diagrammatically illustrates primary components of an embodiment of a device 10 according to the invention. The device 10 is configured to function as a collision mitigation and early warning device for vehicles, thereby to improve road safety. The device 10 can be attached directly to a vehicle or it can be attached to a roadside object. As shown in Figure 1 , the vehicle may, for instance, be a truck 12, and the roadside object 14 may, for instance, be a streetlight. The device 10 may be attached to an object to form a road sign or it may be attached to an object already functioning as a road sign. Therefore, in embodiments of the invention such as those shown in the figures, the device 10 is a retrofit device.

[0040] In this example, the device 10 is attachable to a truck. In other applications, however, the device 10 may be attachable to any other suitable type of vehicle such as a sport utility vehicle (SUV), caravan, recreational vehicle (RV), emergency vehicle, bus, motorcycle and / or bicycle, or any other suitable moving object which requires protection from collisions from the rear. It is envisaged that the device 10 may be attached to a helmet, such as a motorcycle or bicycle helmet, to be used with a vehicle.

[0041] The phrase “attachable to a vehicle” should thus be interpreted broadly in this specification and may extend to any suitable type of vehicle or object and even to cases in which the device is attached / attachable to an apparatus such as a helmet which is not itself a vehicle but may be used together with a vehicle. The device 10 is configured or intended to be positioned in such a manner that its warning lights (referred to below) are visible to a driver of an approaching vehicle. Preferably, the warning lights are visible to a driver of a vehicle approaching the equipped vehicle from the rear.

[0042] The device 10 includes means for measuring the speed of an approaching target vehicle. In this example, the means for measuring speed is in the form of one or more Doppler radar 16, each with a suitable transmitter and receiver (not shown). The device 10 also includes a processor 18 and a plurality of warning lights 20. In this example, the warning lights 20 are high visibility LED lights. The processor 18 is connected, i.e., communicatively coupled, to the radar 16 and to the warning lights 20. The processor 18 is configured to obtain speed readings and / or distance readings and to transmit instructions to the warning lights 20 to mitigate collisions and generally improve road safety.

[0043] An independent power source 22 is provided for powering the components of the device 10. This means that the device 10 can be retrofitted to a vehicle or mounted to a roadside object and can then function without requiring external power from the vehicle, roadside object or another external source. In this example, the device 10 includes solar film 24 and rechargeable batteries 26 for storing power generated (i.e. converted from light energy to electricity) by the solar film 24. The film 24 may include one or more thin-film solar cell. It is envisaged that in some cases the device 10 may be connected to a battery of a vehicle in addition to drawing power from the independent power source 22, e.g., in a case where it is not able to generate sufficient power only by means of the power source 22. In use, the processor 18 is capable of detecting that the measured speed of an approaching target vehicle, or a value calculated or derived from the measured speed (such as the difference between the speed of the approaching vehicle and an equipped vehicle or the acceleration of the approaching vehicle), exceeds a predetermined threshold. In response to determining this, the processor 18 triggers / actuates the warning lights 20.

[0044] Figure 2 conceptually illustrates the manner in which the device 10 may be retrofitted to the truck 12. In this example, the device 10 is fitted to a top region, and specifically an upper rear region, of a cab of the truck 12 such that the warning lights 20, when activated, emit light 29 towards the rear of the truck 12, shown in Figure 2. The positioning of the device 10 in the top region of the cab may make the warning lights 20 more visible to target vehicles and may also limit the accumulation of dirt and grime and, as a result, maintain visibility of the warning lights 20. It will also be appreciated that the device 10 should be positioned and oriented such that waves 28 transmitted by the Doppler radar 16 are transmitted in the correct direction and at the correct angle (in this case towards vehicles approaching from the rear).

[0045] Further to improve road safety, a warning accessory 60 such as the one shown in Figure 3 may be distributed for use in any suitable type of vehicle. The accessory 60 may typically be useful in an “approaching target vehicle” as referred to above. In the embodiment of Figure 3, the accessory 60 includes a Doppler radar 62 for measuring speed of a vehicle which is being approached by the vehicle to which the warning accessory 60 is mounted. The accessory 60 further includes a processor 64, a sensing component 66 and an alarm component 68. The processor 64 is configured to detect the presence of a warning condition and trigger the alarm component 68 in response thereto. The alarm component 68 is, in this example, an audible alarm which makes a loud noise in the vehicle in which the warning accessory 60 is mounted. The alarm component 68 may include a speaker. Various warning conditions may be detected. For instance, the sensing component 66 may be a camera or other device capable of sensing that the warning lights 20 of the device 10 have been triggered / actuated in a vehicle in front of the vehicle in which the accessory 60 is mounted. This may be deemed to be a warning condition by the processor 64 and the processor 64 may then actuate the alarm component 68. The Doppler radar 62 may be configured to measure the speed of the vehicle in which the accessory 60 is mounted and that of a vehicle in front of it. The processor 64 may detect a warning condition if the speed of the vehicle which is being approached is below a predefined threshold, or if a difference between the speed of the approaching vehicle and the speed of the vehicle which is being approached is above a predefined threshold.

[0046] In addition to the components mentioned above, in this embodiment, the accessory 60 is also capable of identifying the vehicle 12 or roadside object 14 (or data relating thereto) to which the device 10 is attached, in use, and to provide an indication of the identity or an associated description of the vehicle 12 or the object 14 to a driver or occupant of the approaching target vehicle in which the accessory 60 is mounted. To effect the above, the accessory 60 includes an identification component 70 in the form of an identification data receiver and a communication component 72 in the form of a speaker (it may be the same speaker as the one signalling the alarm referred to above). For instance, the device 10 may store identification data which, in use, provides an indication of the identity or an associated description of the vehicle 12 or roadside object 14 to which the device 10 is attached. The device 10 may include an identification data transmitter (not shown) for wirelessly transmitting the identification data to the identification component 70 of the accessory 60. The processor 64 may be configured such that the communication component 72 only provides the identity or description if the warning condition is present.

[0047] In this way, the accessory 60 may provide the driver / occupant of a first vehicle approaching a second vehicle equipped with the device 10 with information regarding the equipped / second vehicle. Alternatively, in the case where the device 10 is attached to a roadside object, the accessory 60 may provide the driver / occupant of the first vehicle with information regarding a roadside object or hazard the driver / occupant is approaching. The information is based on the identification data stored by the device 10. For instance, the information may indicate that the device 10 is attached to a truck, to a road sign indicating a sharp turn ahead, to a road sign indicating an obstacle, to a road sign warning of road works, etc. The warning accessory 60 has an electrical connector 74 by which it can be plugged into a power socket in the vehicle (e.g. a 12 V lighter socket), thereby providing power to the components of the warning accessory 60. Figure 4 illustrates the device 10 in use, when fitted to the truck 12 in the manner shown in and described with reference to Figure 2. In the example shown in Figure 4, the truck 12 is travelling along a road 50 and vehicles 30, 32 are travelling behind the truck. It is assumed for the purposes of Figure 4 that the vehicle 30 is travelling faster than the truck 12, and is thus approaching it either gradually or rapidly. Doppler radars are well-known apparatuses. A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the Doppler effect to produce velocity data about objects at a distance. It typically does this by bouncing a microwave signal off a desired target and analysing how the target’s motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal.

[0048] Returning to Figure 4, to determine the speed of the approaching target vehicle 30, one of the Doppler radar(s) 16 may be or function as a so-called “moving” Doppler radar. The moving Doppler radar calculates the speed of the approaching target vehicle 30 by receiving and measuring an altered frequency reflected from the stationary background objects such as road signs or the road surface, and comparing it with an altered frequency reflected from the approaching target vehicle 30, wherein the difference between the signals is used to determine the speed of the approaching target vehicle 30. The device 10 may measure the speed of the truck 12 to which the device is attached. This may effected by way of Doppler radar techniques or by a suitable alternative technique, e.g., the device 10 may be communicatively coupled to a speedometer or on-board computer of the truck 12 and may obtain the speed of the truck 12 from such a source.

[0049] The processor 18 receives speed measurements from the Doppler radar 16 (and possibly from other sources as mentioned above) and calculates a speed difference between the speed of the device 10 / truck 12 and the speed of the approaching target vehicle 30. The processor 18 is configured to detect whether or not the calculated speed difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and if the speed difference exceeds the threshold, the processor 18 transmits data or a signal to the warning lights 20 such that they are activated. If the speed difference exceeds the threshold, a dangerous or warning condition is essentially detected, as the target vehicle 30 appears to be approaching the truck 12 too rapidly. The device 10 may be configured to detect various dangerous or warning conditions in other embodiments, such as dangerously high acceleration of the approaching vehicle or the approaching vehicle being too close to the equipped vehicle.

[0050] The warning lights 20 are visible to the approaching target vehicle 30, and possibly also to other approaching vehicles such as the vehicle 32, and the driver(s) thereof may be warned and may take evasive or corrective action if necessary in order to avoid a collision, loss of control or an accident. The warning lights 20 are positioned and oriented so as not to cause a significant disturbance to the vehicles 44, 46 travelling in the opposite direction along the road 50. The processor 18 may be configured to actuate the warning lights 20 so as to indicate the direction in which the approaching target vehicle 30 should move in order to avoid a collision (or to indicate that the vehicle 30 should not change lanes and simply slow down or stop). The warning lights 20 may thus, for instance, form an arrow or form the word “STOP” in response to suitable instructions from the processor 18. It is envisaged that the lights 20 may be in the form of a screen configured to provide the necessary indications to ensure or improve the safety of approaching vehicles.

[0051] When the truck 12 with the device 10 is stationary, the Doppler radar may act as a so-called “stationary” Doppler radar (see the description below with reference to Figure 5) in order to calculate and measure the speed of the approaching target vehicle 30. In Figure 4, the vehicle 30 is fitted with the accessory 60 as described with reference to Figure 3. The accessory 60 supplements the device 10 and the accessory 60 and device 10 may be used together as a collision mitigation system.

[0052] As explained above, the accessory 60 may be mounted inside of the vehicle 30 and may warn the driver of the vehicle 30 (by way of sound) of a warning condition, e.g. that the truck 12 is driving slowly or that the warning lights 20 of the truck 12 have been activated. Furthermore, the accessory 60 may obtain identification data, as described above, to identify the vehicle 30 to which the device 10 is attached. The accessory 60 may then provide the driver / occupant of the vehicle 30 with an audible (or in some cases visual, e.g. on a screen) description of the vehicle 30, e.g. a sound clip indicating “YOU ARE APPROACHING A TRUCK” or a similar indication on a screen. This description may be provided only when a warning condition is detected or in response to approaching any device such as the device 10. In this way, the driver of the approaching target vehicle 30 may be warned both by the lights 20 of the device 10 attached to the truck 12 and by the sound / s made by the accessory 60.

[0053] Turning now to Figure 5, as mentioned above, the device 10 may be mounted to a roadside object 14. In the example of Figure 5, the device 10 is mounted to a streetlight 14 next to a road 52 and oriented such that the warning lights 20 face the oncoming traffic. The device 10 measures the speeds of the vehicles 40, 42 travelling along the road 52 towards the device 10. In this case, the radar 16 is a stationary Doppler radar which calculates the speed of the approaching target vehicle by receiving and measuring an altered frequency reflected from the approaching target vehicle, and comparing it with a transmitted frequency from the transmitter, the difference between the signals being used to determine the speed of the approaching target vehicle 40 / 42.

[0054] The processor 18 may be configured to compare the speed of the approaching target vehicle 40 / 42 measured by the Doppler radar 16 with a predetermined threshold speed, and if the predetermined threshold speed is exceeded, the processor 18 transmits data or a signal to actuate the warning lights 20. Again, the device 10 may be positioned such that vehicles 44, 46 travelling in the opposite direction along the road 52 are not disturbed or distracted significantly by the lights 20. The processor 18 may be configured to compare the speed of the approaching target vehicle 40 / 42 with the speed of the previous vehicle that passed the device 10 and, taking into account the distance or time between the two, may warn the target vehicle 40 / 42 if there is a risk that the target vehicle 40 / 42 may collide with the previous vehicle.

[0055] The device 10 may include means for determining the type of the approaching target vehicle 40 / 42. As shown in Figure 5, the device 10 may be a wheel counter 48 which is communicatively coupled to the processor 18 such that feedback can be sent from the wheel counter 48 to the processor 18. The counter 48 can be located at a predefined distance in front of the device 10 along the road 52. In use, the counter 48 is able to count the number of wheels of a vehicle and thus provide the device 10 with an indication of the type of vehicle approaching. This may also be applied in embodiments where the device 10 is mounted to a moving vehicle. Different warnings may then be applied to different types of vehicles. For instance, a truck may be associated with a larger safe breaking distance than a small car. Thus, a truck may be warned to slow down in a particular situation while a small car may not, as the small car is a safe distance away, but the same is not true for the truck.

[0056] Although not shown in Figure 5, it will be appreciated that the vehicle 40 may also be fitted with an accessory such as the warning accessory 60 described with reference to Figure 3. The identification component 70 of the accessory 60 may identify the roadside object 14 by identifying or reading data from the device 10 and the communication component 72 of the accessory 60 may then provide the driver / occupant of the vehicle 40 with a description of the roadside object 14 or with a description of something depicted / indicated by the roadside object 14. For instance, based on the identity of the roadside object 14 to which the device 10 is attached, the accessory 60 may audibly warn the driver / occupant of the vehicle 40 of a hazard, e.g., “SHARP TURN APPROACHING”.

[0057] As mentioned above, the warning lights need not necessarily be physically attached to the vehicle or the roadside object to which the other components of the device 10 are attached. For instance, in the example of Figure 5, it is envisaged the warning lights may be an LED system installed alongside the road 52 “upstream” of the roadside object 14, that can be remotely triggered from the device 10 to warn the approaching vehicle 40 / 42 in advance, before it reaches the roadside object 14, e.g. should the speed or lane of the vehicle 40 / 42 not be suitable for an upcoming road hazard or condition. The LED system may, for instance, have lights that change from green to red if a warning condition is detected. An effective collision mitigation device and early warning system for vehicles is therefore provided.

[0058] The Inventor is of the opinion that embodiments of the present invention may overcome and / or at least partially alleviate some of the shortfalls in the prior art identified above. Additionally, embodiments of the invention provide a device which is efficient, versatile, simpler and cheaper to manufacture and install, and improves the safety of vehicles and passengers. For instance, the device may be retrofitted to a vehicle and may be moved from one vehicle to another easily and cost effectively. The device may also be attached to a road sign and may be easily moved between different road signs. The device may be an easily portable device.

[0059] The use of the device may reduce the risk of accidents, injury or death as a result of unsafe driving practices, such as speeding, stopping on parts of a road, and / or moving from one lane to another in an unsafe manner. In particular, when the device is attached to a vehicle or to a roadside object (e.g. used as a road sign), approaching vehicles can be alerted of potentially dangerous conditions. The device may be supplemented or aided by a warning accessory which provides an additional warning to the driver of an approaching vehicle, e.g., in the form of a voice prompt. The accessory may be retrofitted to vehicles to provide them with more “smart” safety capabilities such as object and obstacle identification.

[0060] Diagrams included in the figures illustrate examples of implementations of one or more system, device and / or method according to one or more embodiment(s) of the present invention. It should be understood that one or more blocks in the figures may represent a component, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing specified functions. It will be understood that blocks or components shown in the figures may be implemented by system components or computer program instructions. Instructions may be provided to a processor of any suitable computer or other apparatus such that the instructions, which may execute via the processor of the computer or other apparatus, establish or generate means for implementing the functions or actions identified in the figures and described herein.

Claims

Claims1. A device attachable to a vehicle or to a roadside object, the device comprising: means for measuring speed of an approaching target vehicle; a processor connected to the means for measuring speed and to at least one warning light; and a power source configured to power the device independently, wherein the at least one warning light is configured to be positioned such that the at least one warning light is visible to a driver of the approaching target vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to detect that the measured speed, or a value calculated or derived from the measured speed, exceeds a predetermined threshold, and to trigger or actuate the at least one warning light in response thereto.

2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the device is a retrofit device.

3. The device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the device includes the at least one warning light.

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein if the device is attached to a roadside object or to a stationary vehicle, the processor is configured to compare the measured speed of the approaching target vehicle with a predetermined threshold speed, and if the predetermined threshold speed is exceeded, the processor transmits data or a signal to the at least one warning light such that the warning light / s is / are actuated.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the device is attachable to a vehicle, and wherein the device further includes means for measuring speed of the vehicle to which the device is operatively attached.

6. The device according to any one of claims 5 wherein the means for measuring the speed of the approaching target vehicle includes a Doppler radar comprising a transmitter and a receiver.

7. The device according to any one of claims 5, wherein the device is attachable to a roadside object and the means for measuring the speed of the approaching target vehicle includes a stationary Doppler radar.

8. The device according to any one of claims 5, wherein the device is attachable to a vehicle object and the means for measuring the speed of the approaching target vehicle includes a moving Doppler radar.

9. The device according to claim 5, wherein the processor is configured to calculate a speed difference between the speed of the vehicle to which the device is operatively attached and the speed of the approaching target vehicle, wherein the processor is configured to detect whether or not the calculated speed difference exceeds a predetermined threshold value, and if the speed difference exceeds the threshold value, the processor transmits data or a signal to the at least one warning light such that the warning light / s is / are actuated.

10. The device according to claim 5, wherein the means for measuring speed is a laser or sonar, or laser and sonar in combination.

11. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the device includes means for determining a type of the approaching target vehicle.

12. The device according to claim 11 , wherein the means for determining the type of the approaching target vehicle is an object recognition device or a wheel counter.

13. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one warning light is a plurality of high visibility light-emitting diode (LED) lights.

14. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one warning light and the processor are configured in such a way that the at least one warning light, in use, indicates the direction in which the approaching target vehicle should move in order to avoid a collision, or indicates that the approaching target vehicle should not change lanes, or indicates that the approaching target vehicle should slow down.

15. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the power source includes a solar panel or film.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein the power source further includes a rechargeable battery or batteries for storing power generated by the solar panel or film.

17. The device according to claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the device is configured to be retrofitted to a truck.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device is configured to be fitted to a top region of a cab of the truck.

19. A road sign which includes the device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or according to any one of claims 7 to 16 when dependent on any one of claims 1 to 4.

20. A road sign which includes a device comprising: means for measuring speed of an approaching target vehicle; at least one warning light; a processor connected to the means for measuring speed and to the at least one warning light; and a power source configured to power the device independently, wherein the at least one warning light is configured to be positioned such that the at least one warning light is visible to a driver of the approaching target vehicle, and wherein the processor is configured to detect that the measured speed, or a value calculated or derived from the measured speed, exceeds a predetermined threshold, and to trigger or actuate the at least one warning light in response thereto.

21. A system comprising: a device according to any one of claims 1 to 18; and a warning accessory which is configured to be mounted in or to the approaching target vehicle, wherein the warning accessory includes a processor and an alarm component, and wherein the processor of the warning accessory is configured to detect a warning condition and, in response to detecting the warning condition, trigger or actuate the alarm component.

22. The system according to claim 21 , wherein the warning accessory is configured to identify a vehicle or roadside object to which the device is attached, in use, and to provide an indication of the identity or an associated description of the vehicle or the roadside object to the driver or an occupant of the approaching target vehicle.

23. The system according to claim 21 or claim 22, wherein the alarm component is configured to cause an alarm sound in the approaching vehicle when triggered or actuated.

24. The system according to any one of claims 21 to 23, wherein the warning condition is that the speed of a vehicle which is being approached by the approaching target vehicle is below a predefined threshold, or that a difference between the speed of the approaching target vehicle and the speed of the vehicle which is being approached is above a predefined threshold.

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