FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR

Abstract: Apparatus comprising a horizontal acceleration sensor, an electronic circuit and one or more numerical counters which are incremented when excessive horizontal acceleration occurs, in order to get and store data to revel on a later analysis whether the vehicle was driven on road turns at excessive speed as well as if sudden braking or starting movement took place.

Description: FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR This invention is a device to be installed into automotive road and rail vehicles in or¬ der to warns the driver wbnsn excessive horizontal acce- leration occurs, as well as to keep a record of the e — vent and its duration, for later evaluation. It may help transportation fleet managers know how drivers do their job. The ultimate objective is to ma- ke the driver perform turns at proper speeds so that centrifugal forces be kept lower then maximum previous¬ ly set limits. The driver must also plan how to use the brakes to perform a smooth and uniform stop as well as to avoid hasty start moving, keeping the acceleration and desacceleration forces within previously set limits. BACKGROUND ART Nowadays, almost all transporta¬ tion fleets make use of devices that avoid driving at speeds higher than the maximum limit set by the fleet owner. This speed limit if proper for driving straight¬ forward is always excessive for tight turns or corners, being up ' to the driver reducing the speed, and abuses are commonplace. DISCLOSURE OF INVENTION When a vehicle performs a turn at excessive speed its safety as well safety of the ro¬ ad as a whole become reduced since the vehicle has less maneuverability to get around sudden obstructions and to handle unexpected mechanical troubles on suspension, steering or even a sudden flat tire. Occupants comfort and cargo integrity are affected by lateral forces. Al¬ so all vehicle parts such as suspension?,, frame and ti- res become unecessarily loaded and subjected to prematu re wearout anc* failure.Road paye ent or rails useful ljL fetime become • severily affected by the excessive tire 'friction, besides unequal weight distribution, the ou¬ ter wheels carrying more weight than the inner ones. Slipping occurs in extreme circunstances which also may arise from the necessity of using brakes during a turn. It is known that the centrifugal acceleration is directly proportional to the square of the speed, for a constant turn raiόus. This means that a small reduction on the speed lowers the centrifugal acceleration in a much more significant way, that is: it is not necessary to reduce the speed a lot, to get the centrifugal acceleration reduced to the desired va¬ lues. In order to keep the desaccelera. tion forces within the limit previously set the driver must previously plan the stop, using the brakes smoothly and beforehand. On the other hand, when a vehicle starts moving, great acceleration forces may arise, since the acceleration for a given power and mass is inversely proportional to the speed. Both excessive acceleration and desacceleration affect vehicle components, passen- ger and cargo, leading to the undesided consequencesali . ready' / mentione . BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings refer to: - Figure 1 - Acceleration sensor diagram - Figure 2 - Entire set block diagram. The numbers on the text and on the drawings refer to: 1 - Acceleration sensor 1A - Cylinder IB - Massive body 1C - Lower coyer ID - Upper cover IE - Upper; spring IF - Lower spring 1G - Adjustable stops 1H - Common contact 2 - Electronic circuit 3 - Impulse' counters 4 - Battery 5 - Warning light 6 - Buzzer 7 - Alarm acceleration sensor 8 - Hermetic, container BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The device comprises an accele¬ ration sensor (l), developed specifically for this pur¬ pose, which detects excessive horizontal acceleration. This sensor (1) is a plastic cylinder (1A) with a mas - sive body (IB) inside hung by two opposite coil springs (IE, IF) attached to the cylinder edge covers (1C,1D). Under continuous horizontal acceleration condition the massive body (IB) goes sidewards due to its inertia, until the elastic force on the springs (IE, IF) equals the acceleration force or, if the acceleration is strong enough, it reaches one or more of the adjustable stops (1G) around the cylinder (IB), thus connecting the com ons contact (1H) to the determined side contacts (1G) providing information to the electronic circuit (2). The cylinder (1A) is filled up with viscous liquid to avoid fast movements of the massive body (IB) that might arise from vehicle operation over irregular pavement. The adjustable stops (1G) may be made closer or farther from the axis of the cylinder (lA) thus requiring respectively lower or higher accele. ration to be touched by the massive body (IB) . The device also comprises a solid state timming electronic circuit (2), that generates electrical pulses to the numerical counters (3) when sensor (1) is turned on and at regular subsequent inter, vals while the sensor remains on. For econonmy and simplicity pur. poses a single counter may sum up pulses related to ac. celeration in all directions although it is better to use three counters being one for starting movements, one for brakings and one for turnings. The numerical counters (3) being liquid cristal ones allow operation on internal batte¬ ries (4) without need of power wires connected to the vehicle electrical circuit, the device becoming simpler and fraud-proof. The device also comprises a war. ning light (5) and a buzzer (6) powered by the electro. nic circuit (2), to. warns the driver of excessive acce leration. Under request a second accelera tion sensor (7) may be added to the system, set to turn on either one or both warnings prior to counters incre- ments, advicing the driver an infringement is about to be accounted. The device shall perform some what like a fiscal or a guard, restraining drivers acti. vities; so, all the system comprising sensor, circuit, counters and warnings is built in one hermetic sealed container box (8) with transparent visor, attached and sealed to the vehicle, in such a way that it is fraud- proof. The device when placed in driver's sight allows him see the warnings as well as make easy seing the se¬ als and counters readouts. It is important to explain that the sensor i-s influenced by its angle from the vertical, being this characteristic used to preset it without mo-, ving the vehicle. Nevertheless, as found out on the praε tical tests, the accelerations concerning vehicle drive axe much stronger than those related to typical road slope; so, a device preset for normal vehicle operation will count with the vehicle stopped over excessively inclined floor only. Besides, the inclination of the road may make more easy or more difficult to perform a turn and the driver must take this into account, as well as when stopping or starting move the vehicle. INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY Numerical counters means an easy and simple way to store data. At the end of each trip or period the readout is noted on a paper table and de¬ cremented from the previous value to give the amount related to the considered trip or period. These data siall be compared to standards. Small deviations, may be neglected but large ones points towards instructions or training to the driver. The numerical data from the coun ters are good for conventional computers data processing and automatic-- instructions printouts. The device increases vehicle sa¬ fety since it makes the driver usually- operate only ά thin part of the full vehicle capacity of withstanding. horizontal accelerations, which can be thoroughly uti¬ lized in an emergency circunstance. It does not avoid vehicle operation, it only increases counter reading as long as the-vehicle performs in excessive horizontal acceleration condition, to make possible later st?tis- tic comparative analysis. This analysis if properly carri¬ ed out enables fleet management to select and employ good drivers, besides leading them to personal techni- cal improvement. The device is useful and bring advantages not only to the transportation fleets but also to their customers, to their drivers, to the road maintenance and to the society as a whole.

Claims: CLAIMS 1) FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR comprising a fraud-proof set of acceleration sensor (1) and pulse numerical counters (3) for vehicular purposes. 2) FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR as clai - mad " inc__a_2 l,in which the numerical counters (3) sum up pulses as the acceleration sensor (1) turns on and whi¬ le it remains on. 3) FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR as clai - med in claim 1, comprising an acceleration sensor (1) that is a massi e body (IB) hung by vertical springs (IE, IF) in a viscous liquid surrounded by adjustable stops (1G) . 4) FRAUD-PROOF VEHICULAR ACCELERATION MONITOR as clai - med in claim 1, in which the counters (3), the electro¬ nic circuit (2) and the sensor (1) are arranged in an hermetic sealed box (8) with transparent visor.

Inventors: TONUSSI RODRIGUES AMADEU, TONUSSI RODRIGUES MARCO ANTONI, TONUSSI RODRIGUES RONEY, TONUSSI RODRIGUES RUBENS, TONUSSI RODRIGUES, AMADEU, TONUSSI RODRIGUES, MARCO ANTONIO, TONUSSI RODRIGUES, RONEY, TONUSSI RODRIGUES, RUBENS
Applicants: TACOM LTDA
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G01P15
IPC codes: G01P15, G07C5