DRIVERS AIDED AND SAFETY ENHANCED BY NEW WARNING & CONTROL SYSTEMS

TWO DRIVER AIDS ARE BEING DEVELOPED TO IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF HIGHWAYS. ONE ITEM IS A REAR OBSTACLE DETECTOR AND WARNING UNIT WHICH CONSISTS OF A SEMICONDUCTOR INFRARED LASER AND A SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTOR, MOUNTED ON THE VEHICLE BEHIND THE REAR AXLE. USING A UNIQUE OPTICAL LENS SYSTEM THE DETECTOR IS CAPABLE OF DETECTING SMALL OBJECTS UP TO TEN FEET DIRECTLY BEHIND THE VEHICLE. THE WARNING PRESENTED TO THE DRIVER IS BOTH VISUAL AND AUDIBLE. AN AUTOMATIC HEADWAY CONTROL SYSTEM IS BEING DEVELOPED TO AUTOMATICALLY MAINTAIN A SAFE HEADWAY DISTANCE OVER A WIDE RANGE OF ABSOLUTE AND RELATIVE VELOCITIES OF THE VEHICLES INVOLVED. IT HAS A 100- FOOT MAXIMUM RANGE AND A MINIMUM OF 1 TO 2 FEET. THIS SYSTEM PROMISES GREAT BENEFIT IN FREEWAY OPERATION, WHERE IT WOULD SIMPLIFY THE DRIVER'S TASK BY ELIMINATING REPETITIVE FOOT MOTION BETWEEN THE ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDALS. A 60 PERCENT REDUCTION IN ACCIDENTS AND A 32 PERCENT REDUCTION IN TRAVEL TIME IS PREDICTED.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Vol 78, No 1, P 93
• Publication Date: 1970-1

Media Info

• Serial:
  • SAE Journal of Automotive Engineering
  • Publisher: Society of Automotive Engineers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Control systems; Detectors; Drivers; Headways; Highway safety; Infrared radiation; Lasers; Lenses (Optics); Prevention; Rearview mirrors; Safety; Semiconductors; Travel time; Warning systems
• Old TRIS Terms: Optical lenses; Rear view
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Security and Emergencies;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00220753
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Apr 7 1970 12:00AM