Ulllted States Patent [19]
`Rashid
`
`[54] VEHICLE RADAR SAFETY APPARATUS
`
`[76] Inventor‘ gharle? Rizhlt‘ll’ 28156264 Memly’
`056“ 6’
`1C '
`
`-
`
`-
`
`.
`
`[21] Appl.No.: 08/022,372
`
`[22]
`
`Filed:
`
`Feb. 25, 1993
`
`Related US. Application Data
`
`,
`
`, a an one , W 1C
`
`15 8 Con H1118. IOIl-lIl-paf O
`
`[63] iéontlilgllglii?olginglpartdof agPllilcetion N°£_07/§12,Q53, 1??
`application No. 07/595,995, Oct. 11, 1990, abandoned.
`[51] Int. Cl.6 .................................................... .. G018 13/93
`[52] US. Cl.
`342/70; 342/71; 343/785
`58
`F' ld f S
`h ...................... .. 342 70—72' 343 711
`[
`]
`1e
`0 earc
`/
`343’/785/ 786’
`’
`
`[56]
`
`References Cited
`
`US005905457A
`[11] Patent Number:
`[45] Date of Patent:
`
`5,905,457
`May 18, 1999
`
`4,628,317 12/1986 Nishikawa et al. ................... .. 340/903
`4,660,050
`4/1987 Phillips ................................. .. 343/753
`4,673,937
`6/1987 Davis ...................................... .. 342/72
`4,703,429 10/1987 Sakata ........ ..
`364/426
`4,855,748
`8/1989 Brandao et al
`342/455
`4,914,733
`4/1990 Gralnick ..... ..
`340/961
`4,916,450
`4/1990 Davis ..... ..
`.. 342/71
`4,945,550
`7/1990 Krause eta. ..
`...... .. 375/94
`5,008,844
`4/1991 Kyriakos et al.
`. 364/571.05
`5,053,979 10/1991 Etoh ...................................... .. 364/565
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`
`'
`
`:9
`
`'
`
`“TWo Groups are Developing Radar—Based Collision—
`gogglilggsgsgnllafirgglltos ’ Electromcs’ V01’ 50’ NO’ 4’
`“Millimeter Wave Components & Subsystems”, Alpha
`Industries, Inc., 1987, pp. 5—2, 5—3 and 5—4.
`.
`.
`.
`Primary Examzner—G1lberto Barron, Jr.
`Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Young & Basile, PC
`[57]
`ABSTRACT
`
`U'S' PATENT DOCUMENTS
`8/1957 Rashid ................................. .. 180/82.1
`2,804,160
`3,153,230 10/1964 Van Krevelen et al. .
`3,383,678
`5/1968 Palmer -
`3,683,387
`8/1972 Meek~ .................................... .. 343/761
`3’689’882
`9/1972 Dessalny '
`3,697,985 10/1972 Faris 618.1. .......................... .. 343/5 PD
`3 701 160 10/1972 Bequin _ _ _ _ _ _ _
`_ _ _ __ 343/755
`3:710j383
`1/1973 Cherry et al. ...................... .. 343/7 ED
`3,725,921
`4/1973 Weidman et 8.1..
`3,778,826 12/1973 Flannel)’ ct a1~ -
`
`Avehicle radar safety apparatus employs a radar for detect
`ing an Object in front an(ll/0r t0 the rear and Sides of a Vehicle
`and for producing an indication of the distance and closing
`speed betWeen the vehicle and the detected object. A signal
`processing unit Sums the Vehicle Speed and the Closing Speed
`betWeen the vehicle and detected ob'ect and com ares the
`.
`.
`J
`.
`p .
`summed output With a signal corresponding to the distance
`between the vehicle and the detected object to provide an
`output to a display indicating the vehicle’s capability of
`stopping prior to colliding With the detected object. The
`
`3,795,426
`
`
`
`1SJISSOIIIl ................................. .. 12/1974 L232 et'gl
`
`180/98
`
`
`
`Output from the Signal processing unit is Optionally to an accelerator and/or brake control circuit to automati
`
`'
`
`cally sloW doWn the vehicle. A brake pedal override sWitch
`is connected to the accelerator and brake controls to override
`the accelerator and/or brake controls When the vehicle
`operator depresses the vehicle brake pedal. The radar
`mcludes a horn antenna .havmg a Plano Convex dlelect.“
`lens mounted at an exterior end. The lens has an exterior
`conveX surface shaped to reduce side lobe generation of the
`transmitted radar Wave so as to transmit a radar Wave of a
`minimal beam
`at a Speci?ed Operating frequency and
`effective radar antenna diameter.
`
`'
`
`_
`
`'
`
`'
`
`8 Claims, 7 Drawing Sheets
`
`7
`
`7
`
`C omas ............................. ..
`
`343/65
`3/1975 Mccormidk
`3Z87OZ994
`_ 343/6 R
`8/1975 Rashid ............ ..
`3,898,652
`4,060,805 11/1977 McComas .............................. .. 343/6.5
`12;
`glagéldady -
`343/112
`4/1979 Lunden et al. ........................ .. 343/708
`4,148,040
`5/1980 Baghdady _
`472037113
`3/1981 Kaneko et a1_ _____________________ __ 342/7O X
`472597743
`4,293,859 10/1981 Sergent ........ ..
`Roettele
`al. .................... ..
`43827291 5/1983 Nakauchl -
`4,477,816 10/1984 Cho ....................................... .. 343/786
`4,543,577
`9/1985 Tachibana et al. .
`4,621,705 11/1986 Etoh ...................................... .. 180/169
`
`E
`
`233
`
`22/
`
`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`May 18,1999
`
`Sheet 1 0f 7
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`5,905,457
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`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
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`

`

`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`EXHIBIT 1014
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`

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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 18,1999
`
`Sheet 3 0f 7
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`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
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`
`May 18, 1999
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`EXHIBIT 1014
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`Sheet 5 0f 7
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`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
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`U.S. Patent
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`May 18,1999
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`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
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`U.S. Patent
`
`May 18,1999
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`Sheet 7 0f 7
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`5,905,457
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`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
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`

`

`1
`VEHICLE RADAR SAFETY APPARATUS
`
`CROSS REFERENCE TO CO-PENDING
`APPLICATION
`
`This application is a continuation-in-part application of
`United States patent application Ser. No. 07/812,053 ?led on
`Dec. 17, 1991 in the name of Charles E. Rashid and entitled
`“Vehicle Radar Safety Apparatus”. NoW abandoned Which is
`a C-I-P of Ser. No. 07/595,995 ?led Oct. 11, 1990 noW
`abandoned.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`This invention relates, in general, to vehicle safety appa
`ratus and, more speci?cally to vehicle safety apparatus for
`locating an object surrounding a moving vehicle and to
`provide an indication of the vehicle’s capability of stopping
`to avoid collision With the detected object.
`2. State of the Art
`Radar systems for controlling a vehicle in response to the
`detection of an object surrounding the vehicle are knoWn.
`US. Pat. No. 3,898,652 discloses such a vehicle radar
`system in Which front, rear and side sensors are mounted on
`a vehicle. Aradar means is connected to each of the sensors
`and calculates the distance and closing speed to an object
`detected by one of the sensors, particularly the front or rear
`sensors. The vehicle velocity is used to calculate a distance
`Which, under existing conditions, is the minimum safe
`distance the vehicle should be With respect to the detected
`object if the detected object immediately stops, so as to
`provide an indication of the moving vehicle’s capability of
`stopping Without collision With the detected object.
`The radar system provides an indication to the operator of
`the vehicle of the vehicle’s capability of stopping prior to
`collision With the detected object. The indicator is preferably
`a visual indicator in the form of a light on a display console
`mounted in the vehicle. This radar system also provides for
`automatic control of the vehicle accelerator and/or brakes to
`automatically sloW the vehicle doWn to avoid collision an
`With object detected in front or to the rear of the vehicle.
`The existing road conditions, Whether Wet, dry or icy, is
`also a factor in the computation of the safe operating
`distance of the vehicle and is input to the radar control
`apparatus via a sWitch mounted on the operator console.
`The radar employed for the front and rear sensors in this
`system is a Doppler radar. While the vehicle safety and
`protection system disclosed in this patent is effective in
`detecting and controlling the vehicle Within safe operating
`limits to avoid a collision With a detected object, it has been
`found that certain improvements could be made to this
`system to improve its efficiency and to provide greater
`operator control over the system.
`The Doppler radar employed in this patented system is
`large and requires a considerable amount of space in the
`vehicle. The large diameter radar and loW operating fre
`quencies is necessary to provide the desired narroW beam
`directly in front of or to the rear of the vehicle so as to avoid
`detecting objects to the sides of the vehicle Which do not
`prevent a potential collision situation to the vehicle.
`Speci?cally, the radar in this patent as Well as other similar
`prior art vehicle radar systems has an effective diameter of
`six inches at an operating frequency of 10 to 24 GHZ. This
`effective diameter and operating frequency creates a radar
`beam having a 6° beam Width Which is particularly suited for
`vehicle applications as 6° covers one road lane Width at the
`
`5
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`5,905,457
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`range of the radar. HoWever, the six-inch diameter radar is
`large and unWieldy and cannot easily be mounted in existing
`vehicles due to minimal available space at the front and/or
`rear of such vehicles. HoWever, merely employing a smaller
`effective diameter radar at a higher operating frequency,
`such as 24 GHZ, has the effect of increasing the beam Width
`to approximately 18°. This is unsuitable for vehicle appli
`cations as 18° Would cover up to three lanes of roadWay and
`thereby detect objects to the sides of the vehicle in front or
`back of the vehicle Which do not pose a potential collision
`situation.
`Thus, it Would be desirable to provide a vehicle radar
`safety system Which is capable of employing a smaller
`diameter radar than that previously employed in vehicle
`radar systems. It Would also be desirable to provide such a
`small diameter radar in a vehicle radar system Which is
`capable of operating at a high frequency and yet provides a
`suf?ciently narroW radar beam. It Would also be desirable to
`provide a vehicle radar safety apparatus Which enables the
`operator of the vehicle to selectively control various oper
`ating features of the radar system. Finally, it Would be
`desirable to provide a vehicle radar system Which automati
`cally compensates for existing road conditions, i.e., Wet or
`dry.
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention is a vehicle radar safety apparatus
`Which provides an indication to the driver of a vehicle of the
`presence of objects in front of the vehicle and, optionally, to
`the rear and sides of the vehicle, as Well as providing an
`indication of the vehicle’s capability of stopping prior to
`colliding With a detected object to the front and/or rear of the
`vehicle.
`The vehicle radar safety apparatus comprises a front
`sensor means mounted on the vehicle for detecting objects
`to the front of the vehicle. Avehicle velocity sensor means
`provides an indication of the velocity of the vehicle. Asignal
`processing means receives the outputs of the front sensor
`means and the vehicle velocity sensor means for producing
`a ?rst output indicative of the vehicle’s capability of stop
`ping prior to colliding With an object detected by the front
`sensor means in front of the vehicle.
`The signal processing means includes a radar means
`coupled to the front sensor means for producing a distance
`or range output indicative of the distance of the object
`detected by the front sensor from the vehicle. The signal
`processing means also includes a closing speed generating
`means coupled to the radar means for producing a signal
`indicative of the closing speed betWeen the detected object
`and the vehicle. A vehicle velocity computer means is
`coupled to the vehicle velocity sensor means for producing
`a velocity output. Means are provided for summing the
`closing speed and the vehicle velocity and providing a
`summed output indicative thereof. Means, responsive to the
`summed output and the range output of the radar means, are
`provided for generating the ?rst output When the summed
`output exceeds the range output.
`In a preferred embodiment, the radar means includes a
`horn antenna having a small effective diameter When oper
`ating at a predetermined operating frequency. The horn
`antenna has ?rst and second spaced ends and a side Wall
`tapering inWardly from the second end to the ?rst end. Radar
`transmitting and receiving means are mounted in signal
`communication With the ?rst end of the horn antenna. A
`dielectric lens is mounted in the second end of the horn
`antenna and has an exterior surface shaped to reduce side
`
`MERCEDES
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`lobe generation in the transmitted radar Wave so as to reduce
`the beam Width of the transmitted radar Wave.
`In a preferred embodiment, the lens has a generally
`plano-convex shape With a planar ?rst surface facing the ?rst
`end of the horn antenna and a convex surface facing outWard
`from the second end of the horn antenna. The convex surface
`is formed at a predetermined radius of curvature. In a
`speci?c example, When the radar transmitter is operated at a
`frequency of 24.125 GHZ and the horn antenna has an
`effective diameter of substantially three inches, a dielectric
`lens having a convex surface With a radius of curvature
`greater than one-half of the effective diameter of the lens, is
`effective to transmit a radar Wave over a speci?ed range
`having a beam Width of 6°. This 6° beam Width is suf?cient
`to cover only one lane of roadWay at the range of the radar
`and thereby prevents the detection of objects or vehicles
`located in adjacent lanes or to the sides of the lane on Which
`the vehicle employing the radar apparatus of the present
`invention is located.
`The vehicle radar safety apparatus of the present inven
`tion also optionally includes speed control means, respon
`sive to the signal processing means, for automatically apply
`ing the vehicle brakes and/or moving the vehicle accelerator
`to a position to sloW the vehicle upon generation of the ?rst
`output from the signal processing means. The speed control
`means preferably comprises an accelerator control means,
`mounted in the vehicle and coupled to the vehicle
`accelerator, for moving the accelerator in a direction to sloW
`the vehicle in response to the ?rst output from the signal
`processing means. Brake control means, coupled to the
`vehicle brake system, are also mounted in the vehicle for
`applying the vehicle brakes in response to the ?rst output
`from the signal processing means.
`In vehicles having automatic cruise control, the vehicle
`radar safety apparatus also includes the speed control means
`generating a signal in response to the ?rst output from the
`signal processing means for deactivating the automatic
`cruise control.
`The speed control means may optionally include a brake
`pedal depression sensing means for sensing depression of
`the vehicle brake pedal. The brake pedal sensing means
`generates an output signal indicative of depression of the
`vehicle brakes, Which output signal is input to the signal
`processing means to deactivate the brake and/or accelerator
`control means.
`The vehicle radar safety system also includes a Water
`sensor means, mounted on the vehicle, for generating an
`output signal indicative of the presence of Water in the path
`of movement of the vehicle. The signal processing means, in
`response to the output signal from the Water sensor means,
`increases the distance threshold at Which the ?rst output is
`generated by the signal processing means. Further, a selector
`sWitch is mounted on the operator control and display
`console to selectively sWitch the vehicle radar safety appa
`ratus betWeen a Warning system and a Warning and auto
`matic brake and accelerator control system. This selector
`sWitch is input to the signal processing means Which dis
`ables the automatic accelerator and brake control means for
`a predetermined amount of time, i.e., tWenty seconds.
`In addition to the front sensor means, the radar means may
`be coupled to the rear sensor for detecting the presence of an
`object to the immediate rear of the vehicle. The vehicle radar
`safety system operates in substantially the same manner as
`described above to control the accelerator and brakes of the
`vehicle and/or provide only a Warning indication to the
`operator of the presence of a vehicle to the rear of the vehicle
`
`10
`
`15
`
`4
`When the vehicle is in reverse. Optionally, the rear sensor
`and signal processing means may provide only a Warning
`indication to the operator vehicle Without any automatic
`accelerator and/or brake control.
`Side sensors in the form of proximity radars may also be
`mounted on the vehicle for indicating the presence of an
`object to the side of the vehicle. This is particularly suited
`for the side “blind spots” on the vehicle and provides an
`indication to the operator of the vehicle of the presence of
`objects to either side of the vehicle.
`The vehicle radar safety apparatus of the present inven
`tion uniquely enables a small effective diameter radar to be
`operated at high operating frequencies suf?cient to detect
`objects to the front and/or rear of the vehicle While providing
`such a radar in a smaller diameter than previously thought
`possible in vehicle radar systems. The radar also operates at
`frequencies heretofore not possible in vehicle radar appli
`cations With the desired small effective radar diameter and
`narroW beam Width.
`The vehicle radar safety apparatus of the present inven
`tion also provides the operator of the vehicle With control
`over the With regard to providing a selection betWeen
`Warning and active accelerator and brake control system or
`merely a Warning system. The vehicle radar system of the
`present invention also automatically adapts for changing
`road conditions, i.e., Wet or dry.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
`
`The various features, advantages and other uses of the
`present invention Will become more apparent by referring to
`the folloWing detailed description and draWing in Which:
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a vehicle and the location of
`the sensors of the vehicle in accordance With the present
`invention;
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the vehicle radar safety
`system of the present invention;
`FIG. 3 is a front elevational vieW of the operator control
`and display console of the present invention;
`FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a proximity radar used in one
`embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of the vehicle velocity
`computer employed in the present invention;
`FIG. 6 is a block and schematic diagram of the Doppler
`radar and control logic employed in the vehicle radar safety
`system;
`FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the signal processing
`unit used in the vehicle radar safety system;
`FIG. 8 is an exploded, side elevational, cross sectional
`vieW shoWing the construction of the horn antenna
`employed in the radar means of the present invention;
`FIG. 9 is a side elevational vieW of the lens employed in
`the radar means of the present invention; and
`FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of the RF poWer supply
`circuit employed in the radar means of the present invention.
`
`45
`
`55
`
`DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`Referring noW to the draWing, and to FIGS. 1 and 2 in
`particular, there is illustrated a vehicle radar safety apparatus
`for detecting the presence of object near a moving vehicle
`and for indicating to the operator of the vehicle the vehicle’s
`capability of stopping prior to colliding With the detected
`object. As shoWn in FIG. 1, a vehicle 10 has a plurality of
`sensors mounted thereon for detecting objects in the vicinity
`
`65
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`of the vehicle 10. Front sensor 12 is mounted in the front of
`the vehicle 10 for detecting objects in front of the vehicle 10.
`Optional rear sensor 14 is mounted on the rear of the vehicle
`10 to detect objects to the rear of the vehicle 10. Optional
`side sensors 16 and 18 are mounted on the sides of the
`vehicle 10, at approximately the middle of the sides of the
`vehicle 10, to detect objects to the side of the vehicle 10,
`such as objects in a blind spot normally occurring on the
`sides of the vehicle 10.
`As shoWn in FIG. 2, the side sensors 16 and 18 are
`connected to an operator control and display console 20
`Which is mounted in the vehicle 10 in a convenient location
`so as to be easily visible to the operator of the vehicle 10.
`Front sensor 12 and rear sensor 14 are antennas connected
`to a Doppler radar means 22 Which is part of a signal
`processing control means 24. A vehicle velocity sensing
`means, such as a transducer 26, is mounted on the vehicle
`and generates an output signal indicative of the velocity of
`the vehicle 10. This output signal is applied to a vehicle
`velocity computing means 28 Which computes the velocity
`of the vehicle based on the output of the vehicle velocity
`sensing means or transducer 26. One output from the vehicle
`velocity computing means 28 is applied to the operator
`control and display console 20. Another output of the vehicle
`velocity computing means 28 is applied to a control system
`computing means or computer 30.
`The control system computer 30 computes the distance
`required for the vehicle 10 to stop based on eXisting road
`conditions and the velocity of the vehicle and compares this
`computed value With the range or distance of an objected
`detected in front of the vehicle 10. The range or distance
`betWeen the object detected by the front sensor 12 and the
`vehicle 10 is computed by the Doppler radar means 22.
`Based on this comparison, the control system computer 30
`generates a ?rst output Which is indicative of the vehicle’s
`ability to stop prior to colliding With the detected object.
`This output is applied to the operator control and display
`console 20 Which provides an indication to the operator of
`the vehicle that the vehicle is approaching a distance from
`the object in front of it at Which it Will not be able to stop
`if the object in front of it is stationary or suddenly stops.
`One output 32 of the control system computer 30 is
`optionally applied to an accelerator and brake control means
`34 Which generates a signal to suitable accelerator and brake
`control actuators shoWn in general by reference numbers 36
`and 37, respectively, to automatically move the vehicle
`accelerator to a position to sloW doWn the vehicle and/or
`apply the vehicle brakes.
`Also input to the signal processing unit or means 24, and
`described in greater detail hereafter, is a gear shift position
`detection means or transducer 38. The gear shift position
`detection means or transducer 38 is input to the Doppler
`radar 22 and provides a signal indicative of the direction of
`movement of the vehicle 10. A Water sensor means 40 is
`input to the control system computer 30 and detects the
`presence of Water on the road surface. This signal is utiliZed
`by the control system computer 30 to increase the threshold
`distance at Which a signal is provided to the operator of the
`vehicle 10 indicating that the vehicle is approaching a
`collision point With a detected object. Also input to the
`control system computer are a brake override sWitch 42 and
`a disable for time sWitch 44, both of Which Will be described
`in greater detail hereafter.
`Referring noW to FIG. 4, there is depicted an eXample of
`the circuitry employed With a typical side sensor 16 or 18.
`The side sensor 16 includes a radar transmitter 50, the output
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`of Which passes through a circulator 52 and ?lter 54 to an
`antenna 56. The signal radiated by the antenna 56 is re?ected
`off of an object and is received by the antenna 56 and the
`?lter 54 and passes through the circulator 52 to a miXer 58,
`preampli?er 60, and ampli?er 62. The output of the ampli?er
`62 is applied to an indicator, not shoWn, on the operator
`control and display console 20.
`As shoWn in FIG. 3, the operator display and control
`console 20 includes a display 66 for indicating the distance
`computed by the Doppler radar 22 betWeen the vehicle 10
`and an object detected in front of the vehicle. The display 66
`may be any type of display, such as a digital or analog
`display. Also mounted on the operator display and control
`console 20 is a bar display 68 formed of a plurality of
`serially-arranged, light-emitting diodes (LED’s) 68a, 68b,
`etc. The LED’s 68a, 68b, etc., are sequentially illuminated
`by the control system computer 30, as described hereafter, to
`provide an indication to the operator of the vehicle 10 of
`hoW fast the vehicle 10 is approaching a point from an object
`detected in front of the vehicle 10 at Which the vehicle 10
`Will be incapable of stopping prior to colliding With the
`detected object. An on/off sWitch 70 is mounted on the
`operator control and display console 20 for activating and
`de-activating the vehicle radar safety system of the present
`invention. A slide sWitch 72 is mounted on the console 20
`and provides an operator selection betWeen aggressive and
`non-aggressive driving conditions. The operation of the
`sWitch 72 Will be described in greater detail hereafter. A
`disable for time sWitch 44 is mounted on the console 20 to
`disable the automatic accelerator and brake control means
`34 for a predetermined amount of time, such as tWenty
`seconds, as described hereafter. A metric select sWitch 73 is
`coupled to the display 66 and the radar means 22 to convert
`the display 66 output to meters.
`Atypical circuit for the vehicle velocity computing means
`or computer 28 is depicted in FIG. 5. The vehicle velocity
`detection means or transducer 26 produces an electrical
`signal having a frequency of fv. This signal is applied to an
`ampli?er 82 and a comparitor 83, the output of Which is
`applied to a monostable multivibrator 84. The output of the
`multivibrator 84 is applied across a diode 85 Which gener
`ates a voltage signal to an ampli?er 90, the output of Which
`is connected to a second ampli?er 92. The output of the
`second ampli?er 92 is connected to a drive transistor 94
`Which provides a signal 96 to turn on the Doppler radar 22
`and to illuminate an LED 97 in the console 20. The output
`signal 96 to the Doppler radar 22 is generated only When the
`vehicle velocity eXceeds a predetermined value, such as ten
`miles per hour, as set by the reference input to the compari
`tor 83. At speeds loWer than this preset value, the vehicle
`radar safety system of the present invention Will be inactive,
`despite the on/off sWitch 70 being in the “on” position. This
`is due to the fact that any collision betWeen the vehicle 10
`and an object at speeds beloW the preset value are considered
`to be relatively safe. Of course, other preset trigger speeds
`may also be employed.
`The on/off sWitch 70 is connected to a conventional poWer
`supply circuit to generate the voltage level signals needed to
`operate the electronic components of the vehicle radar safety
`system.
`FIG. 6 depicts the Doppler radar means 22 Which detects
`the range and closing speed betWeen the vehicle 10 and
`objects to the front and, optionally, to the rear of the vehicle
`10. The radar means 22 operates in a continuous Wave
`Doppler mode With opening Doppler rejection and includes
`an RF poWer supply and squareWave generator 106, When
`activated by signal 96 indicating that the vehicle 10 is above
`
`MERCEDES
`EXHIBIT 1014
`
`

`

`5,905,457
`
`7
`a predetermined speed, supplies a squareWave RF signal
`through a modulator 108 to a radar transmitter 100. The
`transmitter 100 emits microwave energy through a horn
`antenna 101 Which constitutes the front sensor 12 and Which
`de?nes the degrees of beam Width of the transmitted energy.
`A return signal re?ected off of an object is received by the
`antenna 101 and a receiver 102. The receiver 102 output and
`the output of the modulator 108 are input to a ?lter 104.
`FIG. 10 depicts the RF poWer supply and squareWave
`generator circuit 106 Which is contained on a circuit board
`218 mounted along With a heat sink 219 about the horn
`antenna 101 as shoWn in FIG. 8. Input poWer from a suitable
`source 220 is supplied through a transformer and ?lter
`netWork to provide output poWer at leads 222 to the trans
`mitter 100. This poWer is regulated by an adjustable voltage
`regulator 224, IC Chip No. LM7230N, Which provides an
`adjustable output voltage. This voltage is precisely set by a
`potentiometer 226 to generate the preferred +5 V output
`poWer to the transmitter 100. PoWer to the transmitter 100 is
`initiated by the input 96 as described hereafter.
`The input 96 also activates a crystal oscillator 228 Which
`through a ?ip-?op 230 and associated gating circuitry sup
`plies the speci?ed frequency to the transmitter 100 on leads
`232. By Way of example, this frequency is 24.150 GHZ 125
`MHZ.
`In a manner similar to the circuit shoWn in FIG. 4 for the
`side sensors 16, 18, the transmitter 100 output is modulated
`in a circular manner at the rate of 1,000 cycles per micro
`second by sWeeping the voltage applied to the varactor of the
`transmitter 100 With a triangular Waveform. The modulated
`transmitter 100 output passes through a circulator 221, FIG.
`8, before being applied to the radar antenna 101. The
`circulator 221 functions to transmit the radar Wave as Well
`to receive a radar Wave re?ected off of an object detected in
`the direction of movement, i.e., front or rear, of the vehicle.
`When receiving a re?ected radar signal, the circulator 221
`passes such received signal to a detector means 233, such as
`a Gunn diode, Which is connected across terminals 234 in
`FIG. 10. The output of the diode 233 is connected to ?lters
`104 described hereafter.
`An identical Doppler radar means 22 is also provided for
`the rear sensor 14 as shoWn in FIG. 6. The RF poWer supply
`and squareWave generator 106 is energiZed by a (+V) signal
`through the ON/ OFF sWitch 70 and an output signal from the
`gear shift selector 36 When the vehicle 10 is in reverse.
`The squareWave generator 106 and modulator 108 gen
`erate a squareWave signal Which is transmitted by the front
`sensor 12, for example, at a frequency of ft‘). The transmitted
`signal from the front sensor 12 is re?ected off of an object
`located in front of the vehicle 10 and is received by the front
`sensor 12 at a frequency f1 greater than fq, if the vehicle 10
`is moving faster than the detected object. The re?ected
`signal is at a frequency f2 Which is less than fq, if the object
`is moving faster than the vehicle. The difference betWeen fq,
`and f1 or f4) and f2 is indicative of the distance and the
`relative velocity or closing speed betWeen the vehicle 10 and
`the detected object.
`As shoWn in FIG. 8, the horn antenna 101 has ?rst and
`second spaced ends 200 and 202, respectively. A side Wall
`204 of the horn antenna 101 is shaped in the form of a funnel
`and tapers inWardly from the second end 202 to the ?rst end
`200. The transmitter 100, circulator 221 and detector diode
`233 are mounted in signal communication With the ?rst end
`200 of the horn antenna 101. The circuit board 218 and heat
`219 are mounted to the transmitter housing adjacent the ?rst
`end 200.
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`The second end 202 of the horn antenna 101 has a
`separate inclined portion 206 Which is adapted to ?ttingly
`receive one end of a dielectric lens 208. The dielectric lens
`208 is ?xedly mounted in the inclined portion 206 at the
`second end 202 of the horn antenna 101 by suitable means,
`such as a press ?t, adhesives, etc.
`The dielectric lens 208 is formed of any suitable material
`Which is transparent to microWave radiation. In a preferred
`example, the dielectric l