US 6,882,287 · Granted 2005-04-19
The Blind Spot Guardian That Started the Lane-Change Warning Wars
Imagine a cop sitting on your car's shoulder watching for vehicles sneaking up beside you. This patent describes a system that detects cars in your blind spot and warns you before you drift into their lane. It's the electronic guardian angel that keeps you from sideswiping someone.
The plain-English version
What it protects
The claim covers a lane change warning system that combines three parts: a detector that senses when another vehicle is positioned beside your car, a warning indicator that alerts the driver, and a control module that builds a real-time position history of your vehicle's movement. What's protected is the specific method of comparing your vehicle's movement history against detected nearby vehicles to predict whether a lane change will cause a collision.
Why it matters
This patent, filed in 2002, captures an early approach to blind spot detection before it became standard on millions of vehicles. Donnelly Corporation, a major automotive supplier, locked down the core logic of detecting adjacent vehicles and warning drivers in real time. This technology eventually became table stakes for safety features across the industry, influencing how manufacturers design driver assistance systems.
Real-world use
Every time you flip on your turn signal and a chime sounds or light flashes to warn you that a car is hiding in your blind spot, you're experiencing technology descended from systems designed around this patent.
Original USPTO abstract
A vehicle lane change aid system includes a detector that is operative to detect the presence of an other vehicle adjacent the vehicle, an indicator for providing an indication that a lane change maneuver of the vehicle may affect the other vehicle and a control receiving movement information of the vehicle. The control develops a position history of the vehicle at least as a function of the movement information. The control compares the detected presence of the other vehicle with the position history and provides an indication when a lane change maneuver may affect the other vehicle.
Patent details
- Publication number
- US 6,882,287
- Filing date
- 2002-07-31
- Grant date
- 2005-04-19
- Assignee
- Donnelly Corporation
- Inventor(s)
- SCHOFIELD KENNETH
- CPC class
- B60Q9/008
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