Патент USA US2605400

July 29, 1952
C.
H . H OLM
2,605,393
METHOD OF AND MEANS FOR PREVENTING
COLLISION BETWEEN MOVING VEHICLES
Filed 001'.. 18, '1949
fB+
V3
ï
V
ß
I
P-ÑCK
a'/2
INVENTOR
BY
ATTORNEYó
Íìatented .ÍuÍy 29, 17951?Í
2,605,393
#ÍUNITED STATES PATENT GFFICÉ
- 2,605,393
METHOD oÈzANn MEANS “Fon rREvÈ‘N‘TiNd
.coLLIsIoN BETWEEN MOVING VEHICLES
ACarl Holm; Honolulu, Tetrithl‘y ,0f-Hawaii
f Application foctob'er ‘18, 1949,..Se1'îa;l 'NGL-122570.42
ßlClaims. (Cl. Z50-41)
2
This Vinvention relates .to .-a V'method ofnand
means for preventingl collisions between moving
vehicles. -While the principles and apparatus
employed are applicable to boats, aircraft and
the like the invention is of particularly great
.utility in conjunction with automobiles and will
be described in that relation.
,
Many serious automobile accidents >are caused
daily by drivers 'getting -over on the left side of
the road on curves or on hills-where a viewof the
road »ahead cannot -be had-,and it is a `primary
purpose ofi-the presentinvention to set up .onan
vautomobile a signal `which is created by the pres
-
I
»
.
.tennae consisting of a dipole antennaandga »re
iiector ,disposed therebehind. Thisfprevents elec-_
-tr-ißal impulses- from» ‘behind :from fimRïng-ing. P--on the -barsor ,polesof the lantenna proper. ¿In
the drawing I; have diasrammatîßally :indieelì'âd
_Such anfantennaat-A. Here .the numcralsß and
.l5 'indicate «the poles to vwhich .the ends .of na Vo.
îaxial#cable ,ll are connected. `'Ifhe- shielding ¿re
-ñector is :indicated at 18. The leads of. `the c9
.axiall-„cable »deliver the limposed v-irimliise‘s -, to ._con
ventional »amplification v11m-its~s>î11¢h »as those cogl
,mGn-l-y .employed in the radìofïñeld- @'Iïhßfiarstêtagf-.è
of amplification at VI is ofthe-impulses received
at the antenna A and these impulses are caused
ence of an oncoming vehicle. This signal will
not only indicate the presence of such oncoming 15 to heterodyne with high frequency impulses in
the ignition circuit of the equipped automobile
vehicle but will, by its action, indicate the prox
which circuit is indicated at 9 and includes a
:imity and rate of approach of such oncoming
potentiometer RI for adjusting the sensitivity
vehicles. Thus, where each of two vehicles, ap
of the receiver as a Whole with respect to the
proaching from opposite directions around a
curve, is equipped with the device of this inven 20 output from circuit 9. The resulting current in
the circuit comprising the leads I I and I2 and
ztion, each driver will be warned of the approach
the amplification units V2, V3 is then amplified
‘of the other before they come within sight of
by said units and utilized to flash a gas discharge
leach other and each will be warned to keep well
tube NI constituting a signal lamp. The strength
to the right side of the road.
I am aware of the fact that it is not new to
f of the signal delivered to the antenna and conse
quently the distance away of the vehicle from
provide each of two vehicles with means to send
which it emanates is indicated by the frequency
and receive electronic signals for the purpose of
of flashing of tube N I. This frequency of flash
indicating~ to the operators of each, the presence
ing is adjusted by means of the condenser CI.
of the other.
However certain practical diñiculties exist in 30 A lead I2a connecting the power pack to the lead
I2 provides means for supplying current to the
the use of devices of that sort upon automobiles
plate of amplification unit V2. Current to the
because while one driver may have his vehicle
plate of amplification unit VI is delivered through
equipped with the necessary special apparatus
I2a, the two chokes and the tuning coil shown.
the other driver may fail to so equip his car and
thus the apparatus of the equipped car is use 35 The potentiometer RI having as shown, one ter
minal grounded. controls the sensitivity by con
less. The present invention, therefore, resides in
trolling the voltage at the plate of VI.
the provision of novel apparatus adapted to meet
At LI ’it is indicated that the circuit there is a
the conditions of present day trai‘ñc and it will
tuned one and that it can be adjusted to secure
be best understood by reference to the accom
panying drawing the figure of which is a dia 40 maximum transfer of energy from antennaJ A. A
small power pack is indicated at P and comprises
grammatic layout of apparatus adapted to carry
-out the invention. Brieñy stated, the invention
contemplates utilizing the high frequency emana
the conventional A+ A- and B+ B- terminals
for energization of the several amplification tubes
in the usual Way.
tions or electrical waves from the ignition system
The flashing tube N I may be exposed to view
of an approaching vehicle to heterodyne with the 45
of the driver and thus serve as a visual signal
like impulses from the ignition system of the
vehicle carrying the apparatus to get a, current
of a frequency differing from the spark plug fre
quencies of both vehicles and which current is
indicating the approach of another automobile.
In traveling upon city streets the antenna may
be directed to say an angle of 45° to the right
susceptible of ampliñcation and use as a signal to 50 of the line of travel of the protected automobile
so that the driver of an automobile traveling
indicate the presence of the remote vehicle.
north will be apprised of the approach of ve
The single ñgure of the drawing shows an em
hicles from the east on narrow streets, long
bodiment of my invention.
before the driver could see such vehicles.
It is common practice in television and radar
practice to provide directional and shielded an 55 Emphasis is placed upon the fact that by
2,605,393
4
3
2. Means for preventing collisions between a
guarded automobile and an approaching auto
mobile consisting of a detecting antenna upon
virtue of the method described the current de
livered to the flashing tube may be made so
diiferent, as to frequency, as to permit the com
the guarded automobile adapted to pick up the
high frequency emanations from the spark plugs
of the approaching automobile, means for ampli
plete tuning out of the signal or hashing tube
circuit, of the frequencies common to the spark
plug circuits of both vehicles. Thus interference
by the spark plug circuit frequencies of the
equipped vehicle, with the signal circuit, is pre
vented.,j_'_,__v
'
„
,
fying the emanations picked up by said antenna,
means for heterodyning >said picked up amplified
emanations with the high frequency electrical
emanations from the spark plugs 'of the guarded
~
For convenience in distinguishing between the
vehicles, the vehicle equipped with the apparatus
'
of my invention will be referred to in the claims
as the guarded vehicle and'the .other vehicle will
` .
be referred to as the approaching vehicle.'.
It is to be understood that the invention is
not' limited to the precise construction 'set forth 15
forth from the spark plugs of the guarded and
approacl'iing4 automobiles, a visual electrical sig
nal comprising a gas filled tube and connections
to said visual signal for supplying the hetero
dyned current thereto said connections including
but that it includes within its purview îwhatever
ichanges fairly come within either the terms or
automobile to secure a high frequency current
differing in frequency from the emanations sent
`
the spirit of the appended cleims.
a condenser functioningto cause the gas tube
to flash at a rate and with a strength propor
tional to the strength of the heterodyned current
What I claim is:
‘1.1In signaling apparatus of the character de 20 which strength in turn varies with the proximity
of the -said two automobiles.
scribed, a directional antenna carried ‘by a
guarded vehicle, amplification means for ampli
fying high frequency impulses received upon the
antenna from the ignition system of an approach 25
ing vehicle, a signal element responsive to high
frequency 'impulses 4delivered thereto from the
amplifying means and means for modifying the
impulses delivered to the signal element by the
v n
CARL H. HOLM.
REFERENCES CITED
The following references are of record in the
file of this patent:
'
UNlTED STATES PATENTS
Number
action of the ignition circuit of the guarded ve
hicle so that the frequencies of the signal circuit 30 1,907,471
Name
Date
will be different from those of the ignition circuit
2,034,616
AleXanderson ______ __ May 9, 1933
,Gossler __________ .__ Mar. 17, 1936
of the guarded vehicle. _
2,224,678
Hathaway ____ _,_-___ Dec. 10, 1940