The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 19, 1997
Filed:
Mar. 01, 1995
Shubhayu Chakraborty, Wixom, MI (US);
Eaton Corporation, Cleveland, OH (US);
Abstract
A system and method for collision warning utilize a sensor to determine an inter-vehicle distance and/or closing rate relative to a forward vehicle. A predicted vehicle road load is determined using a predetermined number of previous road load values which is then utilized to determine whether the vehicle has sufficient deceleration capability so as to avoid a collision without operator intervention. The vehicle road load accounts for various forces both internal and external to the vehicle which resist forward motion including those due to gravity and aerodynamic drag, and those provided by an engine retarder or downshifting of an automatic transmission. The present invention thus avoids spurious collision indications.