U.S. patent application number 15/232403 was filed with the patent office on 2017-11-16 for excavator safety system and method.
The applicant listed for this patent is Alan L. Johnson. Invention is credited to Alan L. Johnson.
Application Number | 20170327036 15/232403 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60082553 |
Filed Date | 2017-11-16 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170327036 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Johnson; Alan L. |
November 16, 2017 |
EXCAVATOR SAFETY SYSTEM AND METHOD
Abstract
A safety light system on an excavator or parked vehicle that is
manually operated by the excavator operator. The unit is typically
controlled by a single button located in the excavator cab. The
excavator operator presses the button. A green LED, or other green
light, projects a green beam of light toward the rear of the truck.
This signals the truck driver that he can begin backing toward the
excavator. At a predetermined distance, the excavator operator
again pushes the button. The unit switches to an orange light.
Finally, in a final position, the excavator operator again presses
the button to project a red light. As the truck driver backs toward
the excavator, he first sees green, then orange and finally red.
Upon seeing red, he knows to stop backing. A fourth push can again
project a green light signaling a safe condition for
drive-away.
Inventors: |
Johnson; Alan L.;
(Barrington, IL) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Johnson; Alan L. |
Barrington |
IL |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
60082553 |
Appl. No.: |
15/232403 |
Filed: |
August 9, 2016 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62336324 |
May 13, 2016 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60Q 1/50 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60Q 9/00 20060101
B60Q009/00 |
Claims
1. A method to prevent backup collisions between excavators and
loaders comprising: attaching a light display panel to an excavator
visible in front of the excavator by a loader driver backing up
toward the excavator, the light display panel having green, orange
and red projecting lights; mounting a control button in the
excavator cab; connecting the control button to the light display
panel with wire or wirelessly, wherein the control button controls
the light display panel; enabling the control button so that
pushing it once causes the light display panel to project a green
light beam; pushing it a second time causes the light display panel
to project an orange light beam; and pushing it a third time causes
the light display panel to project a red light beam; providing an
indicator inside the excavator cab that indicates which light on
the light display panel is lit.
2. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the control
button so that pushing it a fourth time causes the light display
panel to again project a green light beam.
3. The method of claim 1 wherein said light display panel is
removably attached to the excavator with a magnet.
4. The method of claim 1 further comprising mounting three buttons
in the cab of the excavator, one for green, one for orange and one
for red.
5. The method of claim 1 wherein pushing the control button rapidly
several times causes the light display to project a steady red
light beam or flashing red beam.
6. The method of claim 1 further comprising mounting a distance
measuring sensor near the light display on the excavator, the
distance measuring sensor determining predetermined distances to
switch the light display from green to orange or from orange to
red.
7. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing the light
display panel to first flash green and then project steady green
when the button is pushed a first time.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising causing the light
display panel to first flash green and then project steady green
when the button is pushed a fourth time.
9. A method for preventing backup collisions between excavators and
loaders comprising: providing a light display panel attachable to
an excavator visible in front of the excavator by a loader backing
toward the excavator, the light display panel having at least
green, orange and red projecting lights; providing a control button
mountable in the excavator cab; wherein the control button is
connected to the light display panel with wire or wirelessly,
wherein the control button controls the light display panel;
enabling the control button so that pushing it once causes the
light display panel to first blink green for a first predetermined
time interval and then project a steady green light beam; pushing
it a second time causes the light display panel to project a steady
orange light beam; pushing it a third time causes the light display
panel to project a steady red light beam, and pushing it a fourth
time causes the light display panel to blink green for a second
predetermined time interval and then to project a steady green
light beam; providing green, orange and red pilot lights visible
inside the excavator cab that mimic the lights on the light display
panel, such that whenever a particular colored light on the light
display panel is lit, a correspondingly colored pilot light is
lit.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the first and second
predetermined time intervals are equal.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the first and second
predetermined time intervals are between 1 and 3 seconds.
12. A method of providing protection for a parked vehicle wherein a
second vehicle is backing toward the parked vehicle comprising:
attaching a light display panel to the parked vehicle visible in
front of the parked vehicle by a driver backing up the second
vehicle toward the parked vehicle, the light display panel having
at least green and red projecting lights; mounting a control button
in the parked vehicle's cab; connecting the control button to the
light display panel with wire or wirelessly, wherein the control
button controls the light display panel; enabling the control
button so that pushing it once causes the light display panel to
project a green light beam, and pushing it a subsequent time causes
the light display panel to project a red light beam; providing an
indicator inside the parked vehicle's cab that indicate which light
on the light display panel is lit.
13. The method of claim 11 further comprising an orange projecting
light.
14. The method of claim 13 further comprising enabling the control
button so that pushing it a first time causes the light panel to
project a green light beam; pushing it a second time causes the
light panel to project an orange beam and pushing it a third time
causes the light panel to project a red beam.
15. The method of claim 14 wherein pressing the control button a
fourth time causes the light display panel to again project a green
light beam.
16. The method of claim 13 further comprising mounting three
buttons in the cab of the parked vehicle, one for green, one for
orange and one for red.
17. The method of claim 12 wherein pushing the control button
rapidly several times causes the light display to project a red
light beam.
18. The method of claim 13 further comprising mounting a distance
measuring sensor near the light display on the parked vehicle, the
distance measuring sensor determining predetermined distances to
switch the light display from green to orange or from orange to
red.
19. The method of claim 12 further comprising causing the light
display panel to first blink green and then project steady green
when the button is pushed a first time.
20. The method of claim 15 further comprising causing the light
display panel to first blink green and then project steady green
when the button is pushed a fourth time.
Description
[0001] This application is related to and claims priority to U.S.
Provisional Patent application No. 62/336,324 filed May 13, 2016.
Application 62/336,324 is hereby incorporated by reference in its
entirety.
BACKGROUND
Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of
safety and more particularly to a safety system and method for
excavator and loader vehicles.
Statement of the Problem
[0003] During the process of excavation, excavator and loader
vehicles are typically utilized. The dirt removed must be loaded
into trucks. In general, the truck backs up into position near the
excavator or loader to be loaded. This backup process is very
dangerous, especially at night and/or in bad weather. The truck
driver must use mirrors to backup, and the excavator or loader
vehicle is very hard to see. The excavator may or may not have a
functioning horn, and the truck driver may have his window closed.
Sometimes, a human is used to signal the truck driver; however, at
night and bad weather, the driver may not always be able to see or
hear the human. Numerous backup accidents have been recorded where
the truck backs into the excavator in some cases injuring or
killing the excavator operator.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention is a green-orange-red or green-red
safety light attached to an excavator or other parked vehicle that
is manually operated by the excavator operator. In an alternate
embodiment, the light is automatically operated. The unit is
typically controlled by a single button mounted or otherwise
located in the excavator cab. To start the process, the excavator
operator presses the button. A green LED, or other green light,
projects a green beam of light toward the rear of the truck. This
signals the truck driver that he can begin backing toward the
excavator. At a predetermined distance, the excavator operator
again pushes the button. The unit switches to an orange light.
Finally, in a final position, the excavator operator again presses
the button to project a red light. As the truck driver backs toward
the excavator, he first sees green, then orange and finally red.
Upon seeing red, he knows to stop backing and ends up in exactly
the correct position a safe distance from the excavator or loader
vehicle. An optional fourth push can again project green telling
the truck driver to drive away. In an alternate embodiment, the
light changes automatically from green to orange to red using a
distance sensor such as light, RF or sonic. A proximity safety
sensor can also be used to project red if the truck gets too
close.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0005] Attention is now directed to several figures that illustrate
features of the present invention:
[0006] FIG. 1 shows the backing process with the light display
mounted on an excavator.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows the three major components of the system.
[0008] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0009] FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a distance
measuring sensor.
[0010] Several illustrations and drawings have been presented to
aid in understanding the present invention. The scope of the
present invention is not limited to what is shown in the
figures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0011] The present invention relates to a safety system for
excavator and loader vehicles that includes a light display,
typically LED, attached to the excavator or loader vehicle. A
button (or multiple buttons) is located in the cab so that the
operator can manually change the color being projected by simply
hitting the button when needed.
[0012] FIG. 1 shows and excavator vehicle 1 and a truck 2 ready to
back toward the excavator. The truck driver 3 looks in his mirror 7
and waits to see a green light. A light display 5 is attached to
the excavator 1 and controlled by the excavator operator 4 using
one or more buttons 6 mounted in the cab (a single button is the
preferred embodiment). To start the backup, the operator hits the
button 6, and the light display 5 shows green. The truck starts
backing. At a predetermined distance, the operator again hits the
button 6. The light display 5 changes to orange. Finally, when the
truck reaches the loading position, the operator hits the button 6
again, and the light display 5 changes to red. A final hit of the
button 6 can optionally cause the light display 5 to go back to
green when the process is complete and the truck can leave. Also,
the lights can be made to blink or flash at various points in the
cycle. A preferred mode is to flash the green when starting, then
steady green, then steady orange, then steady red, and finally to
flash the green again followed by steady green to signal okay for
the truck driver to drive away.
[0013] Optional pilot lights 9, or any other indicator, can be
installed on the side of the device or in the cab, or anywhere
else, so that the operator can determine what light is actually
on.
[0014] In an alternate embodiment, a sensor can sense the distance
(and optionally the speed of the truck) and operate the light
display 5 automatically based on distance or distance and speed. A
typical sensor can be ultra-sonic, infrared, Laser, RF, Radar or
any other type of sensor that can measure at least distance between
two points. A preferred sensor is a laser that reflects light from
the truck back to a receiver.
[0015] A proximity or distance sensor can also be used in
conjunction with the operator-controlled manual button or buttons
as an extra safety device. In this case, the light display 5 will
switch to project red whenever the truck is within a predetermined
distance of the excavator regardless of the button sequence or of
what color was previously being projected. This proximity sensor
can plug into the control unit, or can communicate with it
wirelessly.
[0016] The light display 5 can be hardwired to the button 6 and a
control unit, or the link to the button can be wireless. Any
wireless technique can be used including BLUETOOTH, Zigbee, WiFi or
the cellular telephone network.
[0017] FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the major components of the system
of the present invention--LED or other lights 5, an activation
button 6 and a controller and power supply 8. FIG. 2 also shows the
optional pilot lights 9. While the preferred embodiment has a
single control button, alternate embodiments can have one, two,
three or more buttons. A particular embodiment has a button for
each color. Typically, in this embodiment, hitting a new color
extinguishes the old color. For example, if the display 5 is
showing green, and the red button is hit, the display 5 changes to
red, extinguishing green.
[0018] While three discrete LEDs are shown in the drawings, it is
possible to use a single LED that has the ability to change
colors.
[0019] In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the
button 6 can be a handheld unit that operates wirelessly outside
the cab. This is useful when the operator must be out of the cab
during the backup. In one embodiment, the lights can be controlled
by an application (app) on a smartphone.
[0020] In all embodiments of the invention, there is typically a
button push or an abort button that forces the light display to
show red. This is useful in emergency and unexpected situations
where it is imperative to stop the truck. In the one button
embodiment, multiple rapid button pushes can be used to optionally
force red.
[0021] FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of one way of implementing
the system of the present invention. A controller 25 controls a
shift register or ring counter 20. As the button 26 is sequentially
pushed, a control bit moves down the register or counter activating
in turn the driver transistors (or relays) 21a, 21b and 21c. If
relays are used, typically driver transistors drive the relays
which in turn drive the LEDs 22, 23 and 24. In some embodiments, a
stepping relay can be used instead of a shift register. Because the
environment is tough, the unit and associated circuitry must be
rugged, and because safety is concerned, the system must also be
very reliable. For safety, the system should always fail to red
(unless it loses power). In the case of power loss, the system can
be run from batteries to show red. In some embodiments, the system
is simply powered from the vehicle's battery. Hence, the optimum
design power voltage is 12 volts. Resistors shown in FIG. 3 limit
LED current to prevent burn out. The optional pilot lights 9 are
also shown in FIG. 3.
[0022] The circuit shown in FIG. 3 is for example only, the circuit
can use relays, transistors, FETs, can contain a processor that
executes stored instructions or can by totally digital or analog or
hybrid between digital and analog as shown. Any circuit that
performs the control function is within the scope of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 3 also shows a distance measuring sensor 30 attached to
the controller 25. This device allows the controller in some
embodiments to automatically switch the state of the lights based
on distance. This sensor 30 can optionally include a
rate-of-closure sensor (speed). If a loader or other vehicle is
approaching too fast, the controller 25 can switch the state of the
lights to red or flashing red. An optional audio horn or other
sound source such as a siren, can be made to sound in such a
case.
[0024] FIG. 4 shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 with a distance
measuring sensor 30 attached to the excavator 1 body.
[0025] In a particular embodiment of the present invention, the
lights can be controlled by an application (App) executing on a
handheld electronic device like a smartphone or tablet computer. In
this case, the handheld electronic device communicates wirelessly
with the controller or light display panel to set or change the
state of the lights.
[0026] Various embodiments of the invention can be permanently
installed in vehicles such as excavators, or any other vehicle,
while other embodiments may be temporarily installed and moved from
vehicle to vehicle. A removable magnetic mount or any other mount
or attachment means may be used. As previously stated, connections
between control buttons, the controller and the light panel can be
wired or wireless. One embodiment has the control unit contained in
the same housing as the light display panel with the cab button
connected wirelessly. In other embodiments, the control unit may be
separate from the light display panel. Any wireless technique can
be used including BLUETOOTH, Zigbee and WiFi or any other wireless
network or technique including cellular telephone.
[0027] The system can be run on any voltage, or from any power
supply including AC mains with 12 volts DC being preferred. A power
converter can be used for other voltages. Some embodiments can be
run from a cigarette lighter port.
[0028] Finally, as previously stated, embodiments of the invention
can be made to flash or blink, and various codes can be used. For
example, the initial green may flash several times or flash at a
predetermined rate for a predetermined time interval to get the
driver's attention. A preferred predetermined time interval is 1-3
seconds. Other colors may be optionally be steady or flashing. The
final green can again flash to signal the loading is complete.
[0029] In an embodiment of the invention, there can be a first and
second predetermined time intervals with different flash rates. For
example, the green light can made to flash quickly (on and off only
for several tenths of a second) during the first predetermined time
interval and flash at a slower rate (around 1/2 second on and 1/2
second off) during the second predetermined time interval. In this
embodiment, for example, when the button is pushed the first time,
the green light can flash very quickly several times and the flash
more slowly, and finally go steady. The same behavior can be
repeated when the button is pushed the fourth time. In other
embodiments, any of the colors can be made to flash in a similar
manner.
[0030] An alternate embodiment of the invention only uses two
lights red and green. This version is useful when the intermediate
orange safety range is not needed.
[0031] While excavators and loaders have been named in this
disclosure, the present invention can be used with any vehicle or
stationary object to prevent a backup accident. Any situation where
a vehicle is backing upon another vehicle or stationary object is
within the scope of the present invention.
[0032] Several descriptions and illustrations have been provided to
aid in understanding the present invention. One with skill in the
art will realize that numerous changes and variations may be made
without departing from the spirit of the invention. Each of these
changes and variations are within the scope of the present
invention.
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