Collision avoidance system

Abstract

The Collision Avoidance System prevents collisions between vehicles and vehicular collisions with pedestrians, trains, and stationary objects by monitoring, controlling, documenting, and reporting the speed and position of vehicles. The system guards against speeding violations, moving violations, and particular safety hazards by invoking a reduction of vehicle speed or by restricting vehicle movement to control its position. This is primarily accomplished with the activation of a controllable road perturbation. The system also monitors pedestrians, school bus loading/unloading, traffic density, trains, environmental conditions that may affect driving, and traffic control systems to determine the action to take for collision prevention. The capability to monitor various parameters that may indicate an impending collision or detect parameters that indicate that conditions are more favorable for a collision allows the system to monitor an entire traffic environment to anticipate and thus prevent those collisions. The system integrates and synchronizes with existing traffic control devices and systems to ensure that it reinforces the traffic laws and safety intent of the environment in which it is installed. Sensors detect the status of objects within the traffic environment including the location and speed of vehicles. A computer is used to determine if the vehicles are adhering to the traffic laws or other safety concerns. Alarms may accompany the system output to inform the operator what must be done to prevent a collision. Additional sensors and cameras document the identity of violating vehicles as well as any resulting collisions and report the information to predetermined authorities through a multiple-channel communications interface. Authorities can remotely alter system operations to compensate for changes in traffic or weather conditions that demands a change in driving behavior in order to maintain safe travel. The system also allows emergency vehicles to pass unimpeded through the traffic environment.

1. A collision avoidance system, for use involving at least one vehicle, said collision avoidance system comprising:
 a) a plurality of vehicle trigger sensors each at least one trigger sensor associated with a roadway, each said vehicle said at least one trigger sensor capable of sensing at least one parameter of one or more vehicles ;  
 b) a plurality of vehicle restrictors each at least one vehicle restrictor associated with said roadway, each said said at least one restrictor comprising an elongate member disposed generally transverse to said roadway, each said restrictor capable of being actuated to raise or lower relative to said roadway surface to impede passage thereover of said of the at least one vehicles ; and  
 c) a controller programmed to determine the an increased likelihood of a collision between involving any of said the at least one vehicles based on said vehicle parameters received from or by said trigger sensors , programmed to determine which of a selected one or more of said vehicles that the at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped to avoid said collision based on said vehicle parameters and based on local traffic laws , and programmed to determine at least one selected vehicle restrictor that is being approached by said selected the at least one vehicle, wherein said at least one selected vehicle restrictor is actuated by communication from said controller to impede the passage of said selected the at least one vehicle to avoid said collision .  
 
     
     
       2. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one vehicle parameter is selected from the group consisting comprised of vehicle presence, position, direction, or speed. 
     
     
       3. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one trigger sensor is selected from the group consisting of of technologies capable of detecting vehicle parameters comprising radar devices, lasers, optical devices, ultrasonic devices, induction loop devices, wireless transmitters and receivers, pressure-responsive switches, and or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       4. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said further comprising at least one trigger sensor comprises an  environmental sensor to indicate roadway moisture or sight visibility. 
     
     
       5. The collision avoidance system of  claim 4 , wherein said controller is programmed to determine said increased likelihood of said collision further based on roadway surface friction loss due to moisture or sight visibility loss, due to moisture as communicated to said controller from said environmental sensor. 
     
     
       6. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one trigger sensor is mounted on a generally vertical post adjacent said roadway or on a generally horizontal arm supported above said roadway. 
     
     
       7. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising a control that receives said vehicle parameter comprising the speed of said selected the at least one vehicle and that determines an amount of raising or lowering of the selected vehicle restrictor activation which amount is selected to be sufficient to slow or stop the at least one vehicle to avoid said collision . 
     
     
       8. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising a monitoring device associated with said roadway and in real time communication with emergency law enforcement, medical, or fire department or other predetermined personnel. 
     
     
       9. The collision avoidance system of  claim 8 , wherein said at least one monitoring device comprises a at least one camera. 
     
     
       10. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising an at least one emergency vehicle pass-through control that deactivates the actuation of the said at least one vehicle restrictors in response to a communication from an emergency law enforcement, medical, or fire department vehicle or other predetermined vehicle or person. 
     
     
       11. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a) a plurality of at least one pedestrian trigger sensors each associated with said roadway, each said pedestrian trigger sensor capable of sensing at least one parameter of one or more pedestrians; and  
 b) at least one alarm associated with said roadway to alert operators of said vehicles of an approaching pedestrian to avoid collision; and  
 c) said controller programmed to determine the an increased likelihood of a collision between said pedestrian and any of said vehicles, and to select and activate said alarm the at least one vehicle and to select and activate said selected vehicle restrictor immediately in the path of said selected the at least one vehicle.  
 
     
     
       12. The collision avoidance system of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one pedestrian parameters comprises the presence, position, speed, or direction of the sensed pedestrian. 
     
     
       13. The collision avoidance system of  claim 11 , wherein further comprising at least one alarm associated with said roadway alerts said pedestrians of an approaching vehicle to avoid wherein said at least one alarm provides notification of potential vehicle-to-pedestrian collision. 
     
     
       14. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a) a plurality of at least one train trigger sensors each associated with said roadway, each said train trigger sensor capable of sensing at least one parameter of one or more trains; and 
 b) a plurality of alarms associated with said roadway to alert operators of said vehicles of an approaching train to avoid collision; and  
 c) said controller programmed to determine the an increased likelihood of a collision between said train and any of said vehicles, and to select and activate said alarm the at least one vehicle and to select and activate said selected at least one vehicle restrictor immediately in the path of said selected the at least one vehicle.  
 
     
     
       15. The collision avoidance system of  claim 14 , wherein said at least one train parameters comprises the presence, position, speed, or direction of the sensed train. 
     
     
       16. A method for collision avoidance, for use involving at least one vehicle, comprising the steps of:
 a) sensing at least one parameters of a plurality of vehicles ;  
 b) determining the that there is an increased likelihood of a collision involving any of said vehicles the at least one vehicle based on said vehicle at least one parameters ;  
 c) determining which of a selected one or more of said vehicles that at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped to avoid said collision based on said vehicle at least one parameters and local traffic laws ;  
 d) determining at least one selected vehicle restrictor, of a plurality of vehicle restrictors in a roadway, that is being approached by said selected the at least one vehicle based on said vehicle at least one parameters and said vehicle restrictor locations ; and  
 e) actuating said selected vehicle restrictor to control the parameters of said selected vehicle to avoid said collision .  
 
     
     
       17. The collision avoidance method of  claim 16 , wherein said vehicle at least one parameters comprise the presence, position, speed, or direction of the sensed at least one vehicle. 
     
     
       18. The collision avoidance method of  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) sensing at least one parameters of at least one pedestrian;  
 b) determining the that there is an increased likelihood of a collision between said at least one pedestrian and any of said the at least one vehicles based on said at least one parameter; and  
 c) actuating at least one alarm to alert an operator of said vehicle of said approaching vehicle to avoid such a collision. 
 c) actuating at least one vehicle restrictor in a roadway to control said at least one vehicle to be slowed or stopped to reduce the increased likelihood of a collision with at least one pedestrian. 
 
     
     
       19. The collision avoidance method of  claim 18 , wherein said at least one pedestrian parameters comprises the presence, position, speed, or direction of the sensed pedestrian. 
     
     
       20. The collision avoidance method of  claim 16 , further comprising the steps of:
 a) sensing at least one parameters of at least one train;  
 b) determining the that there is an increased likelihood of a collision between said at least one train and any of said the at least one vehicles based on said at least one parameter; and 
 c) actuating at least one vehicle restrictors in a roadway to control the parameters of said the at least one vehicle to be slowed or stopped to avoid said reduce the increased likelihood of a collision; and with at least one train.  
 d) actuating at least one alarm to alert an operator of said vehicle of said approaching train to avoid such a collision. 
 
     
     
       21. The collision avoidance method of  claim 20 , wherein said at least one train parameters comprises the presence, position, speed, or direction of the sensed train. 
     
     
       22. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , further comprising a control means to adjust at least one operational parameter, whereby system responses are changed. 
     
     
       23. A collision avoidance system for enforcing local traffic laws or rules for use with a traffic control means that is representative of the local traffic laws or rules, capable of displaying a permissive or a non-permissive indicia, said system of collision avoidance, comprising:
 a) at least one vehicle restrictor associated with a roadway, said at least one vehicle restrictor comprising a member disposed generally transverse to said roadway, capable of being actuated to impede passage thereover of at least one vehicle; and    b) a controller that determines an increased likelihood of vehicular collision relative to the status of the traffic control means wherein said controller determines that the at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped and wherein said at least one vehicle restrictor may be actuated by communication from said controller to impede the passage of the at least one vehicle.   
     
     
       24. A method of collision avoidance for enforcing local traffic laws or rules for use with a traffic control means that is representative of the local traffic laws or rules, capable of displaying permissive or non-permissive indicia, said method of collision avoidance comprising the steps of:
 a) determining the permissive status of the traffic control means that is associated with a roadway;    b) determining that at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped as to reduce the increased likelihood of vehicular collision relative to local traffic laws or rules and status of the traffic control means; and    c) impeding movement of the at least one vehicle associated with the roadway by actuating at least one vehicle restrictor when the status of the traffic control means is not permissive.   
     
     
       25. A method of collision avoidance, comprising the steps of:
   a )  sensing at least one parameter of at least a first vehicle;        b )  sensing at least one parameter of at least a second vehicle;        c )  determining that there is an increased likelihood of a collision involving said at least first vehicle and said at least second vehicle based on said vehicle parameters; and        d )  determining that at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped; and        e )  actuating at least one vehicle restrictor to impede the movement of at least one of said vehicles.     
     
     
       26. A method of collision avoidance, comprising the steps of:
   a )  sensing at least one parameter of at least one vehicle;        b )  sensing at least one parameter of at least one pedestrian or at least one train;        c )  determining that there is an increased likelihood of a collision involving said at least one vehicle with said at least one pedestrian or said at least one train based on said at least one vehicle parameter and said at least one pedestrian or train parameter;        d )  determining that at least one vehicle should be slowed or stopped; and        e )  actuating at least one vehicle restrictor to impede the movement of at least one of said vehicles.     
     
     
       27. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said parameter is associated with one or more vehicles. 
     
     
       28. The collision avoidance system of  claim 1 , wherein said parameter is associated with said traffic control means. 
     
     
       29. The collision avoidance system of  claim 28 , wherein said traffic control means is selected from the group comprising traffic light, caution indicator, school bus indicator, bi- directional light, alphanumeric display, pedestrian crosswalk indicator, train signal, traffic sign, traffic gate, traffic barrier, traffic director, traffic timer or combinations thereof.   
     
     
       30. The method for collision avoidance of  claim 16 , wherein said parameter is associated with one or more vehicles. 
     
     
       31. The method for collision avoidance of  claim 16 , wherein said parameter is associated with a traffic control means. 
     
     
       32. The method for collision avoidance of  claim 31 , wherein said traffic control means is selected from the group comprising traffic light, caution indicator, school bus indicator, bi- directional light, alphanumeric display, pedestrian crosswalk indicator, train signal, traffic sign, traffic gate, traffic barrier, traffic director, traffic timer or combinations thereof.