Numerous studies and reports have been sponsored by NHTSA, DOT, etc., to evaluate the causes and provide suggestions on countermeasures for rear-end collisions. Most of the proposed systems provide warnings to only one driver and are technically complex for drivers to use.
Despite advances over the past 100 years, no aspect of automotive technology has ever tried to accomplish what the human driver does with his or her own eyes. Providing drivers with additional in-vehicle information is a complex endeavor that, unless technologies are carefully designed, may even compromise driver safety and efficiency.
The key innovation of Automatic Distance Warning and Alarm System is its simplicity in displaying signals to both vehicle operators involved in a potentially dangerous situation with simple but unmistakable cues to mitigate or completely avoid most rear-end collisions. ADWAS is as simple and important as brake lights.
Despite advances over the past 100 years, no aspect of automotive technology has ever tried to accomplish what the human driver does with his or her own eyes. Providing drivers with additional in-vehicle information is a complex endeavor that, unless technologies are carefully designed, may even compromise driver safety and efficiency.
The key innovation of Automatic Distance Warning and Alarm System is its simplicity in displaying signals to both vehicle operators involved in a potentially dangerous situation with simple but unmistakable cues to mitigate or completely avoid most rear-end collisions. ADWAS is as simple and important as brake lights.
A number of different devices have been proposed to improve vehicle safety, but all provide warnings only to the host vehicle’s driver, besides having serious flaws, as follows:
Too complex for most drivers
Example: The difficulty of some displays to read and decipher, such as analog readouts, or determining the level of threat from the vehicle in front. Our design is simple as we use dashboard LEDs, rear warning lights and audible sounds to warn the driver and/or the following vehicle of being too close.
Unreliable and ambiguous
Example: High false alarm rate, such as when the road curves and the sensors do not follow the curve and may bounce off a different vehicle or guardrail.
Confusing
Example: Too much information given to the driver to absorb, such as when the warnings given include the other lanes adjacent to the vehicle.
Annoying
Example: When the warning signals are constantly activated during a dangerous situation or when the danger is not so serious.
Intrusive
Example: Interfering with the driver’s control of the vehicle, such as automatically reducing the speed or stopping the vehicle.
Too complex for most driversExample: The difficulty of some displays to read and decipher, such as analog readouts, or determining the level of threat from the vehicle in front. Our design is simple as we use dashboard LEDs, rear warning lights and audible sounds to warn the driver and/or the following vehicle of being too close.
Unreliable and ambiguousExample: High false alarm rate, such as when the road curves and the sensors do not follow the curve and may bounce off a different vehicle or guardrail.
ConfusingExample: Too much information given to the driver to absorb, such as when the warnings given include the other lanes adjacent to the vehicle.
AnnoyingExample: When the warning signals are constantly activated during a dangerous situation or when the danger is not so serious.
IntrusiveExample: Interfering with the driver’s control of the vehicle, such as automatically reducing the speed or stopping the vehicle.
Why ADWAS
Autonomous Intelligent Cruise Control (AICC), as currently installed in some luxury cars, attempts to address the same problems as ADWAS but uses a very different design philosophy. AICC allows the driver to select a cruise control feature, which in addition to maintaining a preset vehicle speed, tracks a slower vehicle in front only, and automatically reduces the host vehicle's speed accordingly.
But ADWAS leaves control of the vehicle
in the hands of the driver, where it belongs.
Automatic Distance Warning and Alarm System aids the driver in maintaining a safe separation distance between vehicles in both front and rear
Crashes cost more than $230 Billion per year and consume a greater share of the nation's health care cost than any other causes of illness or injury.
The following paragraphs will explain how ADWAS works, to meet all the requirements while avoiding the problems mentioned above:
When the vehicle equipped with ADWAS is traveling at less the 30 mph, no warning signals are given. But as soon as the speed increases to more the 30 mph, the sensors will be armed to calculate a 3 second following distance.
While a following car infringes on the 3 second radar cone of the ADWAS equipped vehicle, the micro controller delays the warning signals for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the tailgater will notice a bright flashing yellow light on top of the third brake light of the ADWAS equipped car, warning the tailgater of his or her close proximity to the ADWAS equipped car. At the same time, an amber light with a buzzer mounted on top of the rear-view mirror of the ADWAS car will be activated to draw the attention of the ADWAS car’s driver to the rear-view mirror, warning him or her of the impending danger.
When the vehicle equipped with ADWAS is traveling at less the 30 mph, no warning signals are given. But as soon as the speed increases to more the 30 mph, the sensors will be armed to calculate a 3 second following distance. While a following car infringes on the 3 second radar cone of the ADWAS equipped vehicle, the micro controller delays the warning signals for 5 seconds. After 5 seconds, the tailgater will notice a bright flashing yellow light on top of the third brake light of the ADWAS equipped car, warning the tailgater of his or her close proximity to the ADWAS equipped car. At the same time, an amber light with a buzzer mounted on top of the rear-view mirror of the ADWAS car will be activated to draw the attention of the ADWAS car’s driver to the rear-view mirror, warning him or her of the impending danger.