"COMPUTER FOR MOTOR VEHICLES"

1 Technical Field:

The invention relates to a new device mainly suitable for drivers that use the car at every moment and in every kind of weather condition, and so suitable

5 to: determine the driver's ability of intervention, in considering the external conditions and the efficiency of the vehicle; constantly elaborate these data in connection with the running speed. Said device gives to the driver the opportunity of checking constantly: the

10 speed in kilometres/hour not to exceed and the distance in metres to the vehicle that precedes, that is to say the space necessary to stop the vehicle in case of braking.

15 Background Art:

At present there is not any device, that the drivers and / or can have in their vehicles, able to verify and point out the necessary things for improving the security of people that must use the car always, 20 during a long period, in every weather condition, in every time of the year and either the night or the day. So it is not possible to make any kind of comparison, neither it can be considered any subject concerning such kind of device. 25

_

Description of the Invention:

This description is the conglobate of two Patent

Applications of the same inventors, the title of the first application is: 30 "ELECTRONIC DEVICE FOR DETERMINING THE REACTION TIMES

OF A DRIVER, SUITABLE FOR ELABORATING THESE TIMES

TOGETHER WITH THE DATA RELEVANT TO VISIBILITY

CONDITIONS, WEATHER CONDITIONS AND VEHICLE CONDITIONS,

WHICH ARE ALREADY INSERTED IN THE DEVICE AND HAVE TO BE USED EVERY TIME YOU WANT TO OBTAIN THE DATUM REQUIRED" it was filed in Brescia on February 5, 1991 with statement BS/91/A/0000 10, while the second application has the title: "PERFECTIONING OF THE ELECTRONIC DEVICE SUITABLE FOR DETERMINING THE REACTION TIMES OF A DRIVER AND THAT ELABORATES AND GIVES THE SPACE NECESSARY FOR BRAKING, INSERTING IN THE DATA RELEVANT TO ITS REAL SPEED" and was filed in Brescia on December 3, 1991 with statement BS/91/A/000 130. This device, provided by a computer and visual and sounding instruments, has to be inserted in the vehicle drives. It suggests to the driver the conduct he should keep, this is possible if the device has been suitably planned with the theoretical and logical data which are inserted in it.

This device is able to establish what the driver needs if he does not want to incur useless risks, especially if he is tired and the external and vehicle conditions are of a degree that must be taken into consideration.

The purpose of this invention is to come towards this need, and maintain a situation of control, useful for doing a journey with the due and neccesary serenity

Said purpose has been reached in doing this security device, which is a specific need of the driver if he wants to know: first of all his conditions and abilities of reaction; this to allow him to determine, on the base of specific coefficients and values, how to proceed considering the speed that the vehicle must maintain in order to have the necessary space to react

in front of a danger.

So said device can be: easily consulted, without being a reason of innattention; easily readable; t promptly gives to the driver the necessary data for a secure and serene driving; it gives the data that the device itself has elaborated and which appear on its light displays.

On the first of these displays appears the suggested speed which results from the elaboration of the test that the driver has done. On the second of these displays appears, in metres, the total necessary space to stop the vehicle in case of sudden braking, this space is calculated in the computer inserted in the device, where for the elaborations of it results that the real speed of the vehicle expressed in Km/h and turned in metres/second, multiplied by the time of actuation of the brake by the driver (who has done the aptitude test), plus the technical space of braking, equals the space necessary to stop the vehicle. It can be used by everyone, it is provided with keys, with visual and sounding signals. It used for determining at the moment the psychophysics and quickness conditions of the driver, it is provided with light displays which show the results of the elaborations of the data inserted in its computer, considering the real speed of the vehicle, that continuously varies, and can be installed in the steering wheel, or in the dashboard, or where it is more convenient, it works with batteries or connected to the vehicle battery, it is connected to the brake pedal, it gives in every moment the distance that you have to maintain from the vehicle that precedes, it gives to the driver the opportunity of redoing the test in every moment as some conditions can be changed, you can insert also the data relevant to: the load, the

tyres condition and, when neccesary, you can modify the data supplied by the producer, for the organ wear or the reliability of the vehicle.

For better illustrating this invention a more detailed description is following, as non-limitative example of one of the various realizations, it refers to the enclosed drawings, where in:

FIG. 1 - the device is drawn, frontal view, in the type which considers the only display of the suggested speed;

FIG. 2 - the device is drawn enclosed in the central part of the steering wheel of the vehicle;

FIG. 3 - a second device is drawn, more complete than the first one, with two displays, connected to the battery and to the cable of the speedometer;

FIG. 4 - it is the drawing of a more complete device, constructed in alternative to the first two;

FIG. 5 and 6 - it is drawn the device inserted in the dashboard of a vehicle. As you can see in the figures, the device can be placed on new or used vehicles, as a device to add or as a device already inserted in them. Indipendently from its placements, this device is always contained in a case 1 where there is the small computer and, in the front view, there are the light displays, the keys of starting, formulation and elaboration.

The components of said device are: - the computer, in the case 1, which elaborates all the data already and newly inserted in it. - the display 2, which indicates the suggested top speed not to exceed, this speed is determined by the elaboration of the data that the driver inserts in the computer during the test that he does. FIGG. 1 and 2 show the device with only one light display that indicates the datum that the driver has had in doing

the test, that is to say: the promptness of his reflexes, the vehicle efficiency, the vehicle load, the tyres condition, the condition of the contingent elements as: road, rain, snow, fog, that the computer has elaborated. The datum appears on the display, it is cancelled when the device is switched off and can be renewed every time the driver does the test again. For the devices illustrated in the other figures, it indicates the datum that the device elaborates on the base of more complete formulations.

- The display 3, throungh light numbers, indicates in metres, the total space necessary for the braking and stop of the vehicle, starting from the moment where the driver realizes he must promptly intervene. Said datum is calculated by the computer of the device, which continuosly elaborates the data obtained by the test. It multiply the real speed of the vehicle (turned from Kilometres/hour into metres/second), by the reaction time of the driver, and this first space that results is added to the necessary space useful for braking, this datum is inserted in the computer by the house producing the vehicle. This latest datum depends on the speed of the vehicle and so it continuosly varies, it appears always different but always in order to let the driver costanltly check the security spaces he has to respect, considering a sudden braking he could do.

- The key 15 provided with a LED, necessary for the starting of the device.

- The signals, light 17 and sounding 18, for the actuation of the test by the driver.

- The key 8, provided with its own LED, necessary for giving the start of the test.

- The keys 6, having its own LED, indicates through signs or words, the various functions which define. They are necessary for the insertion in the computer of

the data necessary for the elaboration of the final results that will appear lighted on the displays 2 and 3 to indicate: the conditions of the weather, of the road, of the tyres, if the load of the vehicle is maximum, medium or minimum, if you drive during the night or the day.

- The cable 7 that, see FIG. 3, comes from the vehicle battery or other battery, and gives the current to the device, in order to have the necessary electric driving - The cable 4 that transmits the electrical pulses from the brake pedal to the device, and necessary for actuating the test.

- The cable 9 that transmits the electrical pulses from the sensor 10 to the device. - The sensor 10 connected to the cable 9 and so to the device.

- The pulse generator 11.

- The phonic roller 12.

- The rotating rope 14 that moves the phonic roller 12 and the rope 13 which arrives to the speedometer.

- The rope 13 that, from the pulse generator 11 and precisely from the phonic roller 12, connects it to the speedometer.

Said components achieve the following functions: - The driver who is going to drive a vehicle provided with such a device, 1)- insert the key, light the switchboard, without ignite the engine; 2)- press the key 15 and light the device; 3)- fix the necessary data and begin the test which allows him to verify the promptness of his reflexes; 4)- on the display 2 appears the datum that indicates the suggested speed not to exceed; 5)- the driver ignites the engine and in the space 3 of the display the number zero appears, this because the vehicle is not running; 6)- the driver ignites and starts, on the display 3 some values

indicating to the driver the space necessary for braking, begin to appear; 7)- starting from this moment the display 3 continuously gives the variations of the datum, resulting always considering the speed and the data inserted and elaborated by the computer; 8)- if the atmospheric and driver conditions vary, the driver can stop the vehicle and do the test again; 9)- when he starts again the journey, on the display 2 the datum concerning the suggested speed appears again (or some other data relevant to the driver conditions), and on the display 3 there will continuously appear the security space necessary to stop the vehicle, and so the useful space of braking; 10)- if during the journey there is a variation of one of the conditions inserted in the memory of the computer, the driver has simply to press the key relevant to the variation and consider some other security data.