Patent ID: 9630555
Date: 2017-04-25
CPC Classifications: B60K,B60Q,B60W

Claim:
1. An alert system for a driver of a road vehicle, comprising: a speed circuit generating an instantaneous speed of the vehicle; a limit setting circuit identifying a speed threshold; a warning controller coupled to the speed circuit and the limit setting circuit, wherein the warning controller 1) determines an instantaneous acceleration corresponding to the instantaneous speed, 2) determines an estimated time-to-threshold in response to the instantaneous acceleration and instantaneous speed, and 3) generates a predicted excursion warning to the driver if the time-to-threshold is less than a predetermined time; and an indicator responsive to the warning controller for producing the predicted excursion warning as an event sensible by the driver; wherein the warning controller generates an excessive speed warning if the instantaneous speed is greater than the speed threshold, wherein the indicator produces the excessive speed warning as another event sensible by the driver, wherein the sensible events for the predicted excursion warning and the excessive speed warning have respective intensities, and wherein the intensity for the excessive speed warning is greater than the intensity for the predicted excursion warning; and wherein the warning controller generates an excessive acceleration warning if the instantaneous acceleration is greater than an acceleration threshold, wherein the indicator produces the excessive acceleration warning as another event sensible by the driver, wherein the sensible events for the predicted excursion warning and the excessive acceleration warning have respective intensities, and wherein the intensity for the excessive acceleration warning is less than the intensity for the predicted excursion warning.