
h a l f b a k e r y
It's the thought that counts.



account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.



Range/Speed-Differential Lane Change Safety Indicator Side View Mirrors

Grind lanes and pour traffic on them
  (+2, -1)
(+2, -1)
  [vote for,

Despite what you may derive from my postings, I truly am a safe and considerate driver.

But the neighborhood I play in is a competitive one, and I must be quick to respond if I'm ever going to get anywhere.

Changing lanes safely requires an assessment of the following:

First - the existence of a lane I can move into.

Second - an open space in that lane.

Third - said space being large enough for my car.

Fourth - that space staying open long enough for me to insert myself into it.

Fifth - the absence of a driver attempting to close up that space before I get there.

Sixth - there is no sixth.

Seventh - enough buffer around that space for drivers to react and respond in a moderate manner, so as not to send shock waves rippling through the serene 80+ mph traffic flow.

But while I'm assessing all of this, the drivers ahead of me are having their own react-and-respond episodes to the drivers ahead of them, and every fraction of a second I have my attention diverted from the cars ahead of me is one more fraction closer to disaster.

What I wish my car had is RSDLCSISVM.

These would entail a range-finding system, a radar gun, a color-coded display system, sensors to monitor your own vehicle's speed, and a respectable chunk of processing power.

The radar gun continually checks the speed of the car immediately beside and behind you in the adjacent lane.

The processors use that information and the data from your own speed sensors, combined with the range finder data to determine if you have the space and reaction time required to make a safe lane change.

A numerical summary of this data is presented in the color-coded display adjacent to your side mirror.

This output is the available distance to work in, a plus-or-minus number representing the speed differential between your vehicle and the one potentially closing your lane change gap, presented in green, yellow or red font, depending on the computer's assessment of the situation.

When you look over your shoulder to acquire situational awareness, a quick glance at the mirror display let's you know if you're good to go, questionable, or stupid to make a lane change.

normzone, Jun 15 2009

San Diego traffic report http://www.dot.ca.g...wmap.php?route=nb15
We're either crawling or flying on Highway 15 [normzone, Jun 15 2009]


       Hire an Italian Chauffeur ....
8th of 7, Jun 15 2009

       Is that a Henri Paul reference? I do pride myself on being able to remember not to manually shift my automatic transmission.
normzone, Jun 15 2009

       Well, tech has caught up to the Halfbakery once again.   

       My father-in-law now has a Lexus that effectively does this, although how they get from here to there is sure to vary from my example.   

       His wife inquired whether I should have patented the idea, but I assured her that even if I had, big auto has far more lawyers than I do.
normzone, Apr 25 2018


back: main index
